Field
Location (during time of takeover)
School/Institution
| Masters | University College London Geology |
|---|---|
| PhD | University of Cambridge Zoology |
Featured on February 23, 2025
Let’s dig into the life of Pinoy Scientist Princess Aira Buma-at, a pre-Cambrian paleontologist taking her PhD at the Department of Zoology and University Museum of Zoology in Cambridge.
Princess completed her MSci in Geology at the University College London with First Class Honours. During her time there, she had an extensive research portfolio. The study she conducted for her Geosciences Research Project was presented at conferences, and the manuscript is being prepared for submission to a journal. She was also an NERC Research Experience Placement Intern at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Zoology studying Ediacaran paleontology, which are the oldest complex macroscopic communities. Her thesis on microfossils from the Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation received the UCL Earth Sciences Research Project Prize. After graduation, she spent time at Peking University, China as a UCL-PKU Planetary Science and Astrobiology Exchange Student. Aside from her studies, Princess also volunteered at the Natural History Museum and the Zoological Society of London.
Princess received a President’s award from the Geological Society of London last year, as well as several more from conference talks and posters. Now under the same supervisor she conducted her internship under at the University of Cambridge, Princess is a PhD student of Zoology studying Ediacaran macro and microfossils to understand how life evolved in its earliest stages.
Some fun facts about Princess:
- She was born in Manila, moved to Mandaluyong, then lived in Valencia (Bohol) for a year with her mum and paternal family whilst her dad worked as an NHS nurse. When she was 5 years old she and her mum moved to join her dad in London, where she’s stayed since.
- She loves going to beaches because she loves collecting pretty rocks and shells. Fossil hunting is a major hobby of hers and the Yorkshire and Dorset coasts are her go-to spots.
- She loves the colour pink, so a lot of her belongings are different shades of pink. She also finds turtles, tortoises, axolotls and butterflies cute so she has a huge collection of turtle related things.
