The power of networking and community-building: PGT Student-Alumni Engagement Event

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The School of GeoSciences were delighted to welcome back some of our alumni on 16th May for the Postgraduate Student-Alumni Engagement Event. Organised by the School’s Postgraduate Student Experience Team, alumni were invited to the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute (ECCI) to share their career paths since graduation, provide advice on dissertation topics, and network with other alumni, while current postgraduate students attended to learn more from their predecessors.

Jemimah Otwori, PGT School Rep and MSc Food Security student, hosted the event with the Student Experience Team, and shares how the idea for the event surfaced:

“The Student-Alumni Engagement Event was a response to student feedback I gathered from masters programmes while serving in my role as PGT School Rep, which also included comments about how to navigate dissertations and career transitions. I received immense support from the Programme Directors and the Student Experience Team to put this event together. I spoke to some of my fellow students who attended the event, and they mentioned that they found it to be very insightful and a great opportunity to network and learn from alumni in their areas of interest.”

External partnerships and collaborative dissertations

The event began with Ben Morse, Manager of Teaching Related Industrial Engagement and Strategic Relationships within our Business Development Team, presenting on external partnerships and collaborative dissertation projects.

Ben shares how networking and community-building can help students in their future careers:

“Maintaining connections to our alumni community and providing opportunities for them to interact with the current student body offers fantastic benefits to all: from professional development opportunities, to real-world practical examples relevant to studies, to routes to impact from ongoing research, the possibilities which may arise from such connections are truly endless. As part of my role in the School, helping to foster connections which provide such real-world connections and experiential opportunities to students is vital, as is seeing them start gaining access to a professional network which may aid them throughout their career yet to come. It was a true pleasure participating in the event and hearing the stories of the various alumni. I hope to see and support more such events in the years to come.”

Career pathways and alumni wisdom

Additional sessions throughout the day included presentations where alumni shared their career paths after graduation and further insight into their current roles and sectors.

Each presentation was followed by a brief Q&A with the audience, who joined us both in person and online.

Alumni presenters included:

Elliot Turner, an MSc Food Security graduate who discussed his career in Legal & Agtech sectors.
David González Jimenez, an MSc Ecological Economics graduate, who provided insight into his role as a UN Programme Manager for Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). David encouraged attendees to ask themselves a question which has helped him greatly throughout his career: “What am I passionate about?”
Lloyd Milner, previously a Carbon Consultant at Mott MacDonald, now working for AAB Group. Lloyd is an alumnus of our MSc Carbon Management programme (now MSc Climate Change Management).
Kish Ademikanra, another of our MSc Food Security alumni, shared his current role at the Circular Agriculture Hub (CAH). During a brief Q&A, Kish highlighted the importance of sharing work or research you are involved in, whether this is through blog posts, research papers, or even a LinkedIn post.
Danielle Leggett shared her current experience of working for Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council as a Carbon Reduction and Climate Change Officer, and the sustainability achievements which have been put in place during her time there.

Danielle shares her thoughts on alumni networking:

“I attended the event as I felt it was important for current students to know the different careers they could do from students themselves. I also wanted to highlight the amount of projects involved in delivery of net zero work… It was nice to be able to network with current students, understand their interests and how I can provide any form of support going forward. It was also good to be able to speak with other alumni about their time at university and career.”

Students were also offered the opportunity to have 1:1 conversations with alumni during a short coffee break.

Ademiku Adeleye, a graduate of the MSc Food Security programme, was one of the alumni present for this, and stated:

“It was an inspiring and meaningful evening – the conversations were thoughtful, and I was impressed by the enthusiasm of the scholars. If I had the chance to study MSc Food Security again, I would absolutely do everything I did before – from socialising and choosing electives that sparked my interest, to making the most of the academic experience. What I would focus on even more, though, is actively connecting – both in person and through social media – with individuals, groups, and organisations aligned with my career path. That kind of network-building is so valuable and can really open up future opportunities.”

The day came to an end with a drinks reception, offering further opportunities for staff, students and alumni to network and reconnect.

This event was a fantastic opportunity to strengthen connections, not only between GeoSciences students and alumni, but also alumni and staff, offering opportunities for additional events like these to take place, and to build our alumni community further.

Thank you to all those who attended and shared their experiences with our students!