Professor Mike Bruford
Meet Professor Mike Bruford, a Conservation Biologist who takes students to Danau Girang, Cardiff University’s field centre in the Bornean jungle.
Transcript
"What I do is use scientific techniques, mainly genetics, to study populations of endangered species and try to develop management plans to stop them going extinct. I do that for a wide range of species all over the world.
What’s unique about Cardiff University is that I think we are the only British university that has its own field centre in the Bornean Jungle. It is called the Danau Girang Field Centre and it’s been operated by ourselves in the University since 2008 and it provides an amazing research opportunity but also a teaching opportunity where we take students every year.
Most of the students who even go out for two weeks to the field centre describe it as a life-changing experience and in many cases I’ve seen over the years, it’s changed people who weren’t necessarily destined to go on to become Conservationist Biologists at the end of their degree – it’s just flicked on a light and they’ve gone on and worked in the field.
The nice thing about Cardiff University is its diversity, is its plurality. There are many people who work in this University whose work is entirely focused on the UK. But there are many people like me who spend a lot of their time working abroad and in developing countries. There are huge opportunities there.
The University is extremely supportive of that kind of international profile. There are often ways in which you can raise money to go and do work abroad and the reputation the University has an international university really helps with that."