Dr William Batson

If you've graduated from ANU recently, you probably would have come across an email from us telling you about how great it is to be an ANU alumni and inviting you to provide your most up-to-date contact details.

Or you would have seen us during your graduation a pink shirt or hoody giving out a rubber duck and and asking if you've provided us updated contact details.

Beyond us reaching out and wanting to stay in touch, we actually select a couple of lucky alumni who updates their details and give out a $500 Visa card.

For the July 2016 graduations, one of the lucky winners is Dr William Batson, who shared with us a few thoughts about what his experience was like and what he's currently up to.

How was your ANU experience? Did you participate in any Clubs/Residential Halls etc?

I greatly enjoyed my time at ANU. It is a highly inspirational place to study with the facilities, resources and people required to undertake amazing research. During my time, I was involved with the ANU Football Club and had a great time playing alongside the lads at that club.

What are your future plans now that you have graduated?  Have you lined up a job, arranged a holiday or will you continue studying?

Since graduating, I have been employed as a Post Doc by the ANU and the Woodlands and Wetlands Trust with funding through the National Environmental Science Programme. I was extremely lucky in this regard because my PhD project developed into a broader project once I was finished.

What advice would you give to current/future students at ANU?

My first piece of advice would be to think carefully about studying in the first place so you are sure that is the path you want to go down to. Once you decide to study, you should choose subjects that you have a passion for and commit to it 100%. If you do both of these things then you can expect some exciting opportunities to come your way!