My experience at the 2025 Student Conference on Conservation Science

Animal Behaviour: Applications for Conservation student Afrika tells us what it was like to attend the 2025 Student Conference on Conservation Science (SCCS) in Cambridge.

Attending the SCCS in Cambridge this year was inspiring. SCCS spans three packed days of plenary talks, student presentations, workshops, and networking sessions. This year’s programme included over 30 student talks, four keynote plenaries from global conservation leaders, and two rounds of workshops.

A friendly atmosphere

As this was my first conference, I was unsure of what the atmosphere was going to be like. However, within five minutes of sitting down on the first day, someone turned around and introduced themselves, which really set the tone for the rest of the conference. Everyone I met, no matter what stage they were at in their career, was open, passionate, and happy to chat.

One of the biggest highlights for me was the Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in Research workshop, led by Poppy Szaybo. It was a really passionate and supportive space where we explored how to create more inclusive research environments. We shared personal stories and experiences, and the connections I made there were honestly so valuable. It also helped me think more deeply about how I want to shape my own research in the future, especially as I prepare for a PhD.

Finding inspiration

Outside of the sessions, there was a lot of networking, and personally, one of the most meaningful parts of the conference was getting to talk to people about the PhD I hope to do. I shared my ideas and some of my hesitations, and the support I received was really valuable. People really took the time to listen and encourage me, which helped ease my worries and gave me a much-needed push.

The conference itself is intense. It’s three full days of meeting new people, taking in a huge amount of information, and thinking deeply about the challenges facing conservation. But despite that, I just felt incredibly grateful to be there. Seeing people from all over the world share their work was inspiring. It was really motivating knowing there’s a global community working so hard to protect our planet in different ways.

SCCS 2025 reminded me that while conservation can be overwhelming at times, there are so many brilliant people already doing the work. I left with fresh ideas for how I want to approach inclusiveness in my future research, and a clearer sense of how to navigate the early stages of planning a PhD.

Afrika studies MSc Animal Behaviour: Applications for Conservation at ARU in Cambridge. You can find out more about this, and other postgraduate courses we offer, at an Open Evening.