Rada Pandeva

My name is Rada (Рада). I am originally from Plovdiv, Bulgaria, but I am currently a Marine Science undergraduate student at the University of Exeter in the UK. I have been a thalassophile (a lover of the seas and Ocean) for as long as I can remember and I always dive headfirst at opportunities that allow me an insight into the marine world.

I am currently a part of the Youth Ocean Network, created by the Marine Conservation Society, within which I work with fellow young people around the UK to protect the British coast. I am also a member of the Outreach and Education team of Falmouth Marine Conservation. Teaching and education is my other big passion, and one that I hope to link with my love for the Ocean.
I was also the first World Ocean Day Youth Advisory Council Member from Bulgaria which was a huge honour! I aspire to make marine science and conservation more available to Bulgarian students and people, so the Black Sea and its inhabitants are protected better.

I believe that for real change to pass, everybody must have access to the Ocean, to ocean science and to the marine world. This is why I created the Thalassophile Project — a platform, dedicated to making marine science and conservation accessible, specifically to D/deaf and blind people.

I am fascinated by Ocean (Bio)acoustics and hope to intertwine this interest with my passion for accessibility and continue to develop as a marine scientist during the UN Decade of Ocean Science.