Biology
Life & ecosystems
Understanding organisms, biological processes, and how living systems connect. That is the foundation of marine science.
Following a fascination with the ocean that began at four years old.
I'm Beau Healey, a sixth-form student from Nottingham studying Biology, Maths and Geography, with a long-term ambition to study marine biology and build a career working with the ocean and the life within it.
Why marine biology?
It started when I was four.
Marine biology was never a phase or a last-minute career idea. It is a thread that runs through how I learn, what I read, and what I want to do next, documented here as it grows.
Age 4
First fascination
A lasting curiosity about marine life and the ocean, the kind that sticks with you rather than fading away.
Growing up
Oceans on my mind
Documentaries, aquarium visits, and books kept pulling me back to how life works beneath the surface.
GCSEs
Science takes shape
Biology and Geography gave language to questions I had been asking for years: ecosystems, environments, and change.
Sixth form
Building the toolkit
Biology, Maths, and Geography: three lenses on the same question of how living systems and the planet interact.
Now
Actively exploring
Reading widely, seeking experiences, and documenting what I learn rather than waiting until university.
Next
The path ahead
University, field experience, and a career working with marine ecosystems. Still unfolding, already intentional.
Current studies
Three subjects, one direction
A-level choices deliberately support marine science: life, data, and environment together.
Maths
Data & analysis
Statistics, modelling, and quantitative thinking: how research turns observation into evidence.
Geography
Environment & climate
Physical environments, climate systems, and human impact, and how oceans change and are changed.
BiologyMathsGeography
marine biology
Exploration
Areas I'm curious about
Not a fixed specialism. A map of questions I want to explore over the next few years.
Protecting biodiversity and the habitats that marine species depend on.
Questions on my list
- How do protected areas actually change species recovery?
- What does effective local conservation look like?
Expedition log
My marine biology journey
A chronological record of reading, visits, experience, and projects, updated as the journey continues.
What I learned: How much there is still to learn, and how many questions worth asking.
Why it mattered: Keeps curiosity structured, not random.
Work experience
I'm looking for opportunities to learn
I'm keen to learn what marine biology looks like beyond the classroom and gain practical experience wherever possible, with support from my family to travel for meaningful placements when they arise.
- Marine research
- Conservation
- Aquariums
- Wildlife organisations
- Marine laboratories
- Field research
- Coastal conservation
- Environmental organisations
- Universities
- Marine charities
Projects
Case studies in progress
Structured projects will live here: research questions, methods, findings, and what comes next.
Coming soon
Marine species study
A focused study on one marine species: behaviour, habitat, and conservation status.
What do we still not know about this species locally?
- Overview · Method · Findings · Reflection
- Full write-ups added as each project develops.
Coming soon
Ocean ecosystem study
Exploring how species and physical conditions interact in a chosen marine environment.
- Overview · Method · Findings · Reflection
- Full write-ups added as each project develops.
Coming soon
Plastic pollution investigation
Investigating how plastic reaches coastal systems and what that means for wildlife.
- Overview · Method · Findings · Reflection
- Full write-ups added as each project develops.
Coming soon
Marine conservation research
Reviewing conservation approaches: what works, what is debated, and why.
- Overview · Method · Findings · Reflection
- Full write-ups added as each project develops.
Coming soon
Coastal geography
Field-led geographical investigation linking land, sea, and human activity.
- Overview · Method · Findings · Reflection
- Full write-ups added as each project develops.
Currently exploring
Personal research
Independent questions I am exploring outside formal coursework, documented as they develop.
- Overview · Method · Findings · Reflection
- Full write-ups added as each project develops.
Field notes
A notebook for the journey
Observations, species, places, and questions. Personal, curious, and updated over time.
Questions after a coastal walk
Rock pools are small worlds. Who lives there, what changes with the tide, and how would you measure it properly?
- Intertidal
- Observation
A documentary that stuck
Field teams spend years on one question. That patience is part of the job, not just the exciting dive footage.
- Documentary
- Research
Species I want to understand better
Starting a running list: grey seals on the UK coast, kelp forest ecology, and how citizen science helps monitoring.
- Species
- UK coasts
First formal field entry
Space reserved for structured notes from trips, talks, and experiences as they happen.
- Field work
Reading & learning
Independent learning
What I explore outside lessons, and what I want to dig into next.
Book
Popular marine science reading
- What I explored
- Introductory books and accessible ocean science writing.
- What I learned
- Good science writing connects big ideas to specific places and species.
- What I want to explore next
- Add formal reading log with dates and reflections.
Documentary
Ocean documentary series
- What I explored
- Landmark ocean filmmaking and conservation storytelling.
- What I learned
- Visual media makes abstract threats like warming and overfishing feel immediate.
- What I want to explore next
- Note which episodes map to topics I want to study at degree level.
Talk
Online university lectures
- What I explored
- Open access talks from marine science departments.
- What I learned
- Degree courses combine field skills, lab work, and data analysis. It is not one or the other.
- What I want to explore next
- Attend in-person open days and compare course structures.
Organisation
Marine charities & institutes
- What I explored
- How conservation NGOs and research institutes communicate their work.
- What I learned
- Many paths into marine work: research, education, policy, and practical conservation.
- What I want to explore next
- Follow a short list of organisations and track how projects are reported.
About
What drives me?
Beau Healey · Nottingham, UK · Sixth-form student
Studying Biology, Maths, Geography with a long-term aim to study marine biology and work in the marine sciences.
Curiosity
Asking how ecosystems work, not just memorising facts for an exam.
Learning
Reading, watching, visiting, and noting what I do not yet understand.
Wildlife & the ocean
A focus that has stayed constant since childhood.
Contribution
Wanting to understand marine systems well enough to help protect them.
The ocean is where I want to go next.
I'm at the beginning of the journey, but I already know where I want to explore.
- Sixth form
- Work experience
- University
- Field research
- marine biology
- A career working with the ocean
Contact
Have an opportunity, idea or question?
I'm always interested in hearing from people working in marine biology, conservation, research and related fields.