When Jia Yi Fan was ready for her next opportunity, the ocean came knocking – in a tweet from MEOPAR. Though she had not worked in ocean sciences before, she holds a BSc (Hons) in Environment from McGill University and a Masters of Environmental Science from the University of Toronto. So, she decided to let her curiosity guide her.  

“I fell into environmental sciences like I fell into MEOPAR – by accident – but in both cases, I will remain grateful that my work can contribute to a greater good and leave this planet better than how I found it,” says Fan. 

Fan became MEOPAR’s Research Associate for Communities of Practice (CoPs) and the Coordinator of the Ocean Decade CoP, building resources to support Canadian ocean researchers engaging with the United Nations (UN) Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. 

“I did not know about the Ocean Decade (nor MEOPAR), but the appeal of getting connected to a wide network and advancing an international initiative convinced me to apply,” says Fan. “As I love travelling and going to places where few people have been, I have taken as many field courses as possible during my undergraduate degree. Most of these courses happened to be in aquatic science, such as marine mammals in the Bay of Fundy, lake science in the Gault Nature Reserve, and open water ecology in Oslofjord, Norway.” 

Over her seven-month contract, Fan has supported Ocean Decade CoP activities, notably building an Ocean Decade Contacts Inventory and using her interdisciplinary background to work on the UN Decade-endorsed Science-Art Symbiosis series. She also assisted other MEOPAR CoPs, worked on an article for publication about MEOPAR’s CoPs, and collaborated with Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOP) Canada. 

“Looking back, working at MEOPAR has been an incredible opportunity to grow. I gained communication and project management skills through writing and leading a manuscript with sixteen co-authors. I learned more about non-profit governance through coordinating the Ocean Decade CoP and its steering committee. I built on my data management skills and discovered many exciting initiatives while compiling the inventory. I cannot thank my MEOPAR coworkers enough for their unwavering support and mentorship,” says Fan.  

As Fan wraps up her time with MEOPAR, her new, varied experiences and abilities will propel her onto her next ventures. She has advice to share with other early career professionals. 

“If I may leave you with some pearls of wisdom, I would say: be curious and do not ever feel that you are out of place wherever you are. The ocean needs you, this decade and beyond. ”

Fan at the ECOP Canada workshop at ArcticNet’s Annual Meeting in December 2022.