Duration of Internship: March 2025 – August 2025
Funded by ERAMSUS+

Qualifications
B.Sc. Environmental Biology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain(2018 – 2022)
M.Sc. Marine Biology, University of Padova, Italy (2023 – 2025)

Aina recently completed a five-month internship with MER as part of her Marine Biology master’s degree at the University of Padova, during which she also developed her thesis. With a strong passion for elasmobranchs, animal behaviour, and marine biodiversity and ecology, as well as a deep love for fieldwork, she immersed herself in a range of scientific and outreach activities throughout her placement.

Her primary focus was the development of her thesis, which investigated the reproductive aggregation of Dasyatis species (a genus of stingrays). This work involved extensive field surveys carried out by snorkeling in a Marine Protected Area, where she collected data to study the stingray population in situ. Through this research, Aina gained valuable experience in project planning, ecological data collection, and scientific writing, further sharpening her analytical and research skills.

During her time at MER, Aina enthusiastically got involved with a range of field work and laboratory tasks that involved species monitoring and research, which included marine turtle surveys with the use of a drone, sponge collection dives and literature reviews on topics such as invasive species mitigation measures, specifically Callinectes sapidus (blue crab) and Pterois miles (lionfish). 

She conducted a variety of field work and laboratory analysis, which included scientific diving field work, sediment samples of macrofauna through Van Veen sediment grabs, supported ROV-based biodiversity surveys, collecting water samples from fish farms, which she then helped to process in the lab to measure the chlorophyll content of the water, sediment analysis for granulometry and microplastic content and marine litter research and deploying a CTD. 

In addition to the scientific and technical work, she contributed to the organization’s outreach efforts by creating educational videos and posts to raise public awareness on marine conservation topics, as well as attempting conferences and workshops. 

Contact: ainaviciana@gmail.com