Duration of Internship: March September 2026
Funded by ERAMSUS+
Qualifications
B.Sc. Biology University of Pécs (2016-2022)
M.Sc. Marine biology University of Padova (2024-2026)
During her six-month internship at the Marine and Environmental Research (MER) Lab, Fanni had the chance to get involved in a wide variety of marine research projects, which gave her the opportunity to gain valuable experience in different areas of marine conservation.
Part of her master’s thesis project, which focused on assessing marine communities in Larnaca Bay and Argaka, she helped with the preparation, deployment and retrieval of Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUV) systems, as well as analysing several hours of video recordings, and species identification.
As part of the Life PROMETHEUS project, she also spent a week in Latsi taking part in a fisheries survey aboard an artisanal fishing vessel. During the trip, she recorded catches from trammel nets and crab traps and collected tissue samples from stingrays (Dasyatis sp.). During this survey she gained even more confidence and independence in fieldwork and daily close work with fishermen helped her realise their importance in marine conservation.
Back at the lab, she became involved in testing and improving a new type of lionfish trap, which meant plenty of trial and error and learning how small changes in equipment design can make a difference in the field. Another rather different task was a large literature review on blue crabs, for which she evaluated more than 600 scientific articles, which strengthened her scientific reading skills.
Her internship wasn’t limited to fisheries and BRUV work. She also took part in marine litter monitoring, collecting macrolitter and sediment samples, as well as filtering water samples in the laboratory. She had the opportunity to participate in sea turtle dissections too, which provided a very different kind of hands-on learning experience. Alongside this, she spent a considerable amount of time sorting macrofauna samples and developing her identification and laboratory skills.
Fanni also got to see a different side of marine science through science communication. During the 2026 Scyence Fair, she had the opportunity to take part in public outreach and talk about marine science with young visitors outside the usual research environment. She also worked on a report about sea turtle conservation in Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas, searching through both scientific literature and grey literature to compare the different action plans and management approaches being used. Overall, the six months at MER gave Fanni the chance to experience many different sides of marine research. From early mornings and boat trips to long hours in the lab and reading countless scientific papers, the internship was a mixture of challenging, but always interesting experiences, allowing her to grow professionally. ‘I learned a huge amount during these six months, but I think what I appreciated most was being trusted to get involved and try things for myself. I’m grateful to everyone at MER for making me feel like part of the team and for giving me so many opportunities to learn. I’m leaving with a lot of new skills, great memories, and agreat amount of knowledge about BRUVs and blue crabs!’