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Meet AQUAFACT's new senior marine ecologist, Marta Domingos
Marta left her hometown in Portugal to pursue a career in marine biology, where she eventually found her dream job at AQUAFACT in Ireland.
Marta began her career path in Portugal where she completed her bachelor's in oceanography at the faculty of science at the University of Lisbon.
AQUAFACT'S Marta Domingos walking on the beach
Marta felt very connected to the sea growing up in Portugal. She spent many summers and winters at the beach, which sparked her interest in marine life. She chose to study oceanography because marine biology is very competitive in Portugal, and she didn't want to give up on studying the sea completely.
After her studies, Marta decided to take a leap and move to Croatia, where she worked as an intern for the Blue World Institute. This is where she fell deeply in love with animal conservation and became more aware of the issues at stake. But this wasn't the only love Marta found in Croatia, as she also met her partner there.
Marta said "Moving to Croatia and changing my career path is the decision I am most proud of. It was scary but big risks pay off."
From Croatia, Marta moved to Ireland to be with her partner. She completed a master's in conservation at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, now called Atlantic Technological University (ATU).
Before joining AQUAFACT as a marine ecologist, Marta worked as an environmental consultant and as a marine mammal observer, which allowed her to witness a range of marine wildlife including her favourite marine species, the minke whale.
AQUAFACT'S Marta Domingos taking pictures of marine wildlife
Marta is looking forward to gaining experience on multiple projects and areas at AQUAFACT and exploring things outside of her comfort zone. She said:
"So far, my time at AQUAFACT has been very exciting and challenging at the same time. I was not here before they became part of the APEM Group, but I could tell the company was growing very fast and to be included is amazing. I was interested in environmental consultancies, and I believe that by joining the Group, AQUAFACT has been able to reach more customers."
Away from marine wildlife, Marta can be found on the field playing football. Her brothers' influence made it inevitable that she would become a huge football fan, with her favourite team being Wolverhampton.
Marta and her partner are huge cat lovers, which is lucky as they have four cats - accidentally! They originally adopted a cute and chubby cat who turned out to be pregnant, resulting in an additional three babies.
AQUAFACT'S Marta Domingos holding one of her kittens
We're delighted to have Marta pursuing her dream career with us at AQUAFACT and wish her the best of luck in her new position.