Tuesday, September 11, 2007

My PhD acknowledgements

First and foremost I would like to thank my supervisors Gill Malin, Alex Baker and Tim Jickells for endless insight, interest and allowing me just enough independence. I have always felt very lucky to have such an excellent supervisory team, whose support has been a major factor in making my PhD journey an immensely enjoyable experience.

Many other people have also provided me with invaluable help during my PhD research. I’m grateful to all the ENV technicians at UEA for help in the labs, but in particular, I’d like to thank Liz Rix for efficiency, not to mention the occasional loan of closed toe shoes, Graham Chilvers for patience with the ICP-MS, and Gareth Lee for more than just technical support. I would also like to thank Michael Steinke and Dan Franklin for help with microbiological techniques, Keith Weston for answering numerous questions about elements other than iodine, Manuela Martino for help with voltammetry, and Susan Parry at Imperial College for trying to solve the problems with neutron activation analysis.

When I was eight I had a huge poster of Antarctica on my wall, and I still can’t quite believe I made it there. Twice. So I am deeply indebted to those who made it possible, in particular Martin Miller at BAS. I’m also very grateful to all the people I met while ‘South’ for being both helpful and fun. Of special note but in no particular order are: Captain Jerry Burghan and crew on RRS James Clark Ross, Adele Chuck (then at UEA), Nathan Cunningham (BAS), the Rothera Marine Assistants Paul Mann and Helen Rossetti, Dave Stevens (UEA), Andy Clarke (BAS) and Mags Wallace (BAS). I am also very grateful to NERC for funding the whole escapade and to UK SOLAS and the US NSF and NOAH for flying me to a few warmer spots as well.

Throughout this PhD I’ve been entertained and supported by too many friends to name, so to the rabble of housemates, hedonists, intellectuals, yogis, Antarctic heroes, travelling companions, fellow PhD students, new pals and long losts: thank you all for being you, and making me, me. Individual thanks must go to Claire Hughes though, who has not only become a great friend, legendary drinking buddy, running partner, and fellow iodine person, but has been instrumental in getting me some fantastic opportunities and provided me with a great deal of help and advice from the very start.

I’d also like to thank my sisters Laura and Emma for providing a soap opera back drop to the past four years; one of the great things about this PhD was being able to live in the same city as them. To Casey Ryan, who gave me a lot of support in the first few years, I’d like to say thank you and sorry. Finally, the biggest acknowledgement of all must go to my Mum, Dad and step-Dad Paul, without whose love, help, guidance and friendship I would never have got so far.

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