Jess explores

Ever wondered what a group of jellyfish are called? Or what impact jellyfish have on aquaculture? And why jellyfish are important for our natural ecosystem? Dr. Damien Haberlin, MaREI (the SFI Research Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine research and innovation co-ordinated by the Environmental Research Institute (ERI) at University College Cork) gave up his Sunday afternoon for a walk and talk with me, leading me into the fascinating world of jellyfish 🤯.

Do scientists enjoy "normal TV"? A 1000 times YES. Perhaps more so than we like to admit. Have a listen on today's episode and take a guess at my favourite (ocean-related) reality TV show but also, why I am enjoying - I mean loving - reality TV?

I am a professional cheerleader and you should be too! By supporting each other and empowering each other we will get much further ahead than with creating doubt and tearing each other down. I've been on both sides and let me tell you, rejection is no fun. So, instead, I became a professional cheerleader!

Ever wondered if whale watching could be a career? The answer is yes. Join me as I explore marine mammal observation and why it's important. I'll explore what happens to sound underwater and the effects of that on marine mammals and how hard it actually is to detect any marine activity!

What is it I actually do? I ask myself that question a lot of times - here is a quick introduction to what I do.

Have you ever wondered how some people just seem to communicate and network effortlessly? I've thought about that a lot too and put together a few "what to dos" to help change your soft skills to power skills!

It's a quick one! What do I miss the most from my home place? Austrian coffee houses! The concept of being able to meet someone and discuss anything from politics to hair colors while having a cup of coffee and a delicious piece of cake? Sign me up!

Blue growth has been all I've been thinking about in the past two years. One way or another we are more and more moving towards the ocean as a valuable way to create jobs and to create economies. But we cannot do that if we stay on the green course only. So what can we actually do? How can we make sure that we shift our minds to look at oceans as more than just blue water? And how do we avoid the risk of running color blind? - My take on why we cannot use Green Growth when we discuss developing the ocean and that blue growth is more than just developing technology.

When I tell people about having the joy of working on marine related issues, they ask if I'm a marine biologist. Which I'm not. I work on marine innovation and I work on policy and then I often get a very blank stare and I get it, on paper that does not sound sexy. But really it's the most amazing thing ever. In my research I look outward to the ocean but I also look inwards. That's actually one of my favorite parts because I get to look into countries and islands and coastal regions trying to understand what makes these regions special and how they can use existing research to their advantage?