I’m Millicent Harding!

My name is Millie, I am from the UK, and I am currently a Masters by Research Student in the Department of Geography at Durham University. My work is on machine learning, remote sensing, and the shrubification of the sub-arctic tundra in Alaska so I am modelling the spatial distribution of a species in the wider Fairbanks area.

I have always loved Geography and generally found it inspiring as a subject since studying it at A level (Post-16 exams) so I decided to continue studying it at the degree level – I think just the possibilities with remote sensing and general geospatial innovation really is my passion at this point in time. I was introduced to remote sensing and GIS more generally as part of my university degree training but really got into it for my undergraduate dissertation where I did a little bit of crop modelling. I really love the work I am doing at the moment as it is challenging, pushing forward my area of science, and above all really interesting.

I’d like younger readers to know that being a polar explorer, or nearly polar if not for COVID-19!, is something anyone can do. Crossing the Arctic circle in the most technical sense makes you a polar explorer if we are getting back to basics. If looking through the lens of Geography I would say that as long as you ‘explore’ your place in a way that makes sense for your research and is new to you then it is exploration. When talking about ‘new’ it might mean revisiting a site with ‘new’ eyes to look at what might have been missed in a previous field season or ‘new in the sense that it might be a heavily studied site but that you are applying a new technique to that area. The variations are endless and I hope it is clear exploration is not limited to completely new areas and firsts of any sort.

My cultural background is that I am Sri-Lankan British as my grandfather who emigrated over to the UK. My identity is quite important to me as there are not many Sri Lankan individuals in Geography who I have met yet and I am really passionate about getting people who look like me into Geography.

Outside of my degree my main hobby is hiking. I did Bronze, Silver, and Gold Duke Of Edinburgh award during School which I absolutely loved so I have continued it on and off ever since. I recently hiked 45km over two days with a friend through our local area which was a really enjoyable experience for us both.

I would also say food is another hobby having systematically made my way round most of the udon/ramen/Bao London restaurants in London near where my home is. Up in Durham my favourite restaurant is Barrio Comida which is a fantastic Mexican restaurant specialising in tacos and cocktails. However I have to say Felipe’s in Cambridge, Boston has a special place in my heart as it was the restaurant where I understood why burritos were so good!

I also do a lot of mentoring for undergraduate entry to Geography degrees at top universities in the UK as I remember finding it quite difficult to navigate the process and so I felt it was important to help others navigate this process so that they did not have to struggle in the way I did.

I was also lucky enough to complete my first fieldwork since starting my undergraduate degree over this summer. I had definitely bought into the idea that fieldwork makes a geographer and so to call myself a geographer I had to have done fieldwork first. So in a lot of ways personally I would say this was a really important trip for me to prove to myself I could do academic geography and collect good quality field data on the first go. However, I would also say that going on fieldwork to become a geographer is patently not true and that fieldwork does not make a geographer either – you are a geographer if you say you are. It was such an unusual experience but overall I would say it was a success as I was able to collect all the data I needed and everything made it back home!

I think the first time honestly was taking the Arctic and Antarctic modules offered in my department as a 3rd year undergraduate as I listened to lecturers talk about their experiences at the poles. Polar exploration was not really something I engaged with before beyond general ‘heroic’ stories of exploration. When lecturers were talking about it in front of me with photos and anecdotes it became much more real and also more possible for me to do so. I think also it was the fact that these were people I ‘knew’ and so it was not some far off adventurer doing so but individuals who had taught me during my degree. Before then polar exploration specifically was not something I had felt was a possibility for me but I can’t pinpoint any particular reason why.

I am not sure my parents totally get why I love this work but they are very happy that I love this work so they are mostly worried about making sure I stay safe and can get all the data I need to get.

In the future I am not sure! I came to this field of work by chance so I don’t want to say that this work is the only path but I certainly would be sad to leave what I am doing right now as I am really enjoying the whole experience. I would really like to cross the Arctic circle as part of my future fieldwork to say that I have been to the Arctic as a researcher whether European or North American Arctic.

As for who inspires me I’d have to say my mum – she loves what she does and works everyday to make sure she does better for her patients. I think it is mainly seeing how much she loves her work that let me know it’s ok to be really passionate about geography even if no one else gets why.

Academically speaking I think both of my supervisors, Professor Danny Donoghue and Professor Robert Baxter, inspire me in different ways but mainly to continue doing research and to ensure the research I do is done to the best of my ability. They both have led really interesting lives with very varied academic careers which has enabled me to understand better how interests can change but this does not mean you magically stop being a geographer or a biologist. They are also both great supervisors and I am very lucky to be supervised by them.

Finally I think everyone I met on the Equator Research School which was led by Dr Natasha Dowey, Dr Sam Giles, Professor Chris Jackson, Dr Rebecca Williams, Dr Ben Fernando, Dr Anya Lawrence, and Dr Munira Raji. It was inspiring to see other people who looked like me all pursuing Geosciences at varying levels and see a group of people who were also passionate about what they were doing.

If someone wanted to take the same career path as me I would ask them to consider what about research they truly love – is there a specific methodology, landform/land type or is it just research in general? Any of those are good reasons but understanding what motivates you to do research will allow you to determine what projects may be applicable for you. I would suggest doing a one year research masters where you take no coursework modules, potentially a UK only thing, as it will give you a taste as to what self-directed research is really like and enable you to try out this style of work without committing to a PhD. I love my MRes and I know people who have gone onto PhD’s or finished to then join industry jobs but it might not be the best choice for everyone and many people get onto PhD’s with taught masters courses.

Follow Millie on Twitter (X) @mharding110 and check out her personal website: millicentharding.squarespace.com