Paula Sime

I have had a life-long love of (obsession with!) science, maths, and learning.  I graduated from the University of Hertfordshire in 1990, with a BSc (Hons) in Applied Biology majoring in plant biochemistry and molecular biology. After a couple of years working in the water industry as a statistician, I decided to go back to full-time education and completed a PhD studying the impact of pesticides on microbial communities in streams in 1996.  

 

Since then I have lectured statistics and freshwater ecology at the University of Hertfordshire, run a research database at University College London, and programmed databases for clinical trials.  After 15 years in the pharmaceutical industry in the central belt, I had the chance to move north, and in 2013 I joined the staff of Inverness College UHI.

 

Here at Inverness College UHI, I teach biology and statistics across our FE provision.  I am also module leader for two of our degree modules (‘Ecological and Statistical Methods’, and ‘Microbial Ecology’), and supervise undergraduate dissertation students. 

 

I also work for the SQA, being involved in marking and standardisation for the Higher Biology exam and assignment.

 

Research

My research interests lie towards the ecological side of things, and ultimately I would like to develop models on the impact of climate change on some of our protected freshwater species. 

 

Other Interests

I am the eternal student.  I have completed many IT courses with the Open University over the years, and am currently a final year student on their BSc (Hon) Mathematics and Statistics (Applied) and a student member of the Royal Statistical Society.  In my time off, you’ll find me running STEM activities with local schools (including Code Clubs), running a Cub pack, and making sure that my own children are out enjoying our natural environment as much as possible!