Natalie Bunker

What have you been doing since finishing your studies?

Since leaving Leeds I have established myself in the oil and gas industry as a Geophysicist.

I work for a company called PGS, which is a focused marine geophysical company that provides a broad range of seismic and reservoir services, including data acquisition, imaging and interpretation. My current role is as an Imaging Geophysicist, whereby my main responsibility is to process seismic data from all over the world.

What experiences at Leeds do you think have particularly helped with your career?

The MSc Exploration Geophysics course at Leeds as a whole transforms you from a graduate to professional over the course of the year. You not only enhance your geophysical knowledge but also develop and build on your own personal skills. I use the knowledge and skills set that I gained during my time at Leeds on a daily basis in the working environment.
 

Looking back, why did you choose to study your particular course and why did you choose the University of Leeds?

Both the course and University of Leeds were highly recommended to me by lecturers at my undergraduate university. The course content itself covers a wide range of exploration Geophysics modules, which is great as many other Masters courses can appear to be overly specialised. This meant that I had plenty of career paths that I could take with this Masters degree once graduated.
 

What was the best aspect of the course/the University and why? 

The course has many great aspects. It has great links with the industry, and the course content is as such that you are trained in multiple aspects of Exploration Geophysics. Therefore, you have many options for work after completing the course, based on your own interests and desired career path. Companies regularly come to visit the department and engage with the students throughout the course creating great networking opportunities.  In addition, the staff are amazing:  their level of teaching and support, both in the classroom and out in the field, goes above and beyond anything I initially expected from the course.
 

What other activities outside of your studies were you involved in?

Whilst at Leeds I was part of the Women’s Hockey Club: which was fantastic. This enabled me to socialise outside of the department and provide a break from my studies.
 

What would you say to students thinking about studying the same course at Leeds or thinking about the same career?

If your goal is to work in oil and gas: do this course! I have spent a lot of time in the industry and met a lot of people: the vast majority of them studied at Leeds on the MSc Exploration Geophysics course. The course is internationally renowned, and recruiters actively headhunt from here.