Stirling bursary awarded to star student from Oman

She will be the inaugural recipient of the Nikos Steiropoulos Aquaculture Bursary, sponsored by MSD Animal Health UK, a division of Merck & Co.

The bursary was set up to support students with a passion for aquaculture and allows them to pursue advanced studies in sustainable aquaculture, aquatic pathobiology or aquatic veterinary studies at the university’s Institute of Aquaculture.

It was named in honour of Nikos Steiropoulos, a proud alumnus of the University of Stirling, who completed a Masters degree in Aquatic Veterinary Studies before qualifying as an advanced veterinary practitioner in fish health and production. He went on to have a 20-year career in the industry.

On receiving the bursary, Miss Al Farsi said: “I initially stumbled into aquaculture almost by accident. In Oman if you perform well at high school, you’re eligible for a scholarship from the Ministry of Higher Education and Innovation to support with future, higher level studies.

“There are multiple scholarship options to choose from and I ticked the aquaculture box by chance.”

Having pursued a foundation course initially and then an undergraduate degree in aquaculture at the University of Stirling she has grown to have a real passion for the complexity and potential of aquaculture.

“On graduating I was fortunate to get a job with the Nutritional Analytical Service at the University of Stirling, focusing on fish nutrition.

“I then realised I wanted to do more in this field. I was encouraged to pursue the masters in aquaculture and apply for the bursary by my supervisor. I feel like it was meant to be.”