Plastics Research Intern

Why you’re here

A central pillar of GCT’s Programmes Strategy is Ocean Protection, supporting partners and
undertaking a suite of projects that contribute towards the goals of protecting 30% of
Ecuadorian waters by 2030, reducing plastic pollution and protecting sharks and other
threatened species from unsustainable fishing in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. Our biggest
programme within this area of work is Plastic Pollution Free Galapagos, launched in 2018 to
support the Galapagos National Park Directorate and other actors tackle marine plastic
pollution arriving in the Galapagos Island. This includes pollution from maritime sources –
both domestic waste dumped at-sea illegally, and lost or abandoned fishing gear. The latter
includes the threats posed by Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) from commercial tuna fleets that
drift into Galapagos’ protected waters. In our plastics programme, we are also working with
local community actors to support innovation and solutions design. To increase our impact
further, we co-lead a regional network in the Eastern Pacific, Pacific Plastics: Science to
Solutions (PPSS) with collaborators from Ecuador, Peru and Chile. We are looking for a
candidate with a science background who is passionate about data management, data analysis,
data visualisation and communications to help us manage and analyse plastic pollution data, and
support the delivery of science and communications activities to support our work on FADs. This
role would report to the Plastic Pollution Manager with support provided from GCT’s Programmes
Manager and Senior Development Manager.

What you’ll deliver

• Development of data collection processes, including reporting procedures (initially focused
  on FADs) building from existing formats. 
• Scoping existing database solutions that could be applied/adapted for the below. 
• Development of a plastic pollution and FADs database to streamline data management,
  organisation and visualisation.
• Support, including development of resources, for island- and UK-based colleagues to deliver
  FADs data collection training to partners and citizen scientists.
• Data analysis of FADs and wider plastic pollution data. 
• A suite of figures and diagrams that can be used for presenting and communicating about our
  Ocean Protection projects. 
• Support Galapagos National Park Directorate in the generation of graphs that illustrate the
  problem of plastic pollution and FADs within the GMR.
• Development of bilingual educational materials (Galapagos community-facing) to support new
  FADs reporting mechanisms. 
• Development of bilingual communications resources to support educational campaign on FADs
  (socio-economic and ecological impacts). 
• Input to GCT reports and briefings for a range of audiences (funders, policy and decision
  makers, partners, public) as required. 

How we’ll measure it

• FADs data collected using new protocols implemented with partners and citizen scientists 
• Improved ability to access and use Galapagos plastic and FADs data. 
• Improved ability to synthesise data for scientific recommendations and communications
  campaigns. 
• Improved ability to report to funders and attract funding for future plastic and ocean
  protection work. 

Work/research experience

• Undergraduate or ideally Masters degree in an environmental science, GIS, or other related
  field. 
• Experience in database creation, management and analysis (Excel, R), and data visualisation
  (examples of previous figures/ diagrams will be requested). 
• Experience in geographical data mapping e.g. producing hotspot maps and heatmaps (ideally
  with QGIS), oceanographic data. 

Technical knowledge and skills

• Strong data management skills. 
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills (Spanish a significant advantage – not
  essential but beneficial for this role). 
• Strong writing skills, particularly for a public audience. 
• Good time management and administration. 
• Strong IT skills with design software and website experience an advantage. 

Who we are

The Galapagos Conservation Trust (GCT) is the only UK registered charity to focus exclusively
on the conservation and sustainability of the Galapagos Archipelago. Our activities respond to
the key threats facing the islands i.e. invasive species, the increasing human footprint
(focusing particularly on plastic pollution and overfishing) and climate change, linking to
national and global plans for sustainable development and protection of biodiversity. We aim to
leverage our strengths in species conservation, balancing the greatest needs of the Islands,
with the saleability and communicability of our activities, ensuring wildlife is at the heart
of our work.

By raising funds and awareness in the UK we are able to support conservation projects in
Galapagos, helping to contribute to the overall management of this unique ecosystem. We work
with a wide range of delivery partners, both in Galapagos and the UK, which helps us to achieve
maximum positive impact in our efforts to conserve the Islands.

Key information

Place of work: Hybrid – home working with at least 2 days a month in GCT’s office in central
London 

Hours of work: 9am to 5pm, 4 days per week 

Internship period: September – December 2024 (fixed term) 

Salary: £12 per hour 

Reports to: Plastic Pollution Manager 

Line Manages: N/A 

To Apply 

GCT welcomes applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual
orientation, faith or disability. 

To apply for this role, please send (i) a CV, (ii) covering letter (maximum 1 page) explaining
how you meet the key requirements of the role and your motivation for applying to [email protected]. 

Closing Date: midday (GMT+1) on Friday 23rd August. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling
basis, so submitting your application early is encouraged as the role may be filled early.

Thank you for your interest in joining the GCT team!