Dr Terry O’Dwyer
Bachelor of Environmental Science (Honours) 1999
PhD 2004

In March he took up a position as a Post-doctoral Research Scholar at the University of California Davis Campus. Dr O’Dwyer is working in the School of Neuro-biology, Physiology and Behaviour, conducting research into seabirds off the North American coast. It is a long way from his first job as a fitter and turner at the Port Kembla Steelworks to one of the United States’ leading Biology research schools.

Although he grew up in Kiama overlooking the ocean, Dr O'Dwyer said his interest in seabirds did not develop until he had completed his undergraduate Science degree at UOW. And his University career started almost by chance in 1995, after he had spent a decade in his previous trade.

“I was travelling in the United States, and met a guy who had gone to university as a mature age student. I’d never thought of going to uni before, but I came home and started investigating the possibilities,” he said. “I’d always been interested in nature and the environment, so I decided to study Science.”

The rest, as they say, is history. Dr O'Dwyer completed his Mature Age entry requirements and enrolled in the Bachelor of Environmental Science degree at UOW. He completed the degree with Honours, having developed a profound interest in Biology.

He then embarked on a PhD from 2002-2004, working on an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant project studying breeding cycles of the rare and endangered Gould’s Petrel that breeds in only one location – tiny Cabbage Tree Island off the mouth of Port Stephens on the NSW Central Coast.

Dr O'Dwyer presented his research findings at an international conference on albatross and petrels in Uruguay late in 2004, where he met American seabird researcher Associate Professor Gabrielle Nevitt from UC Davis.

“We got chatting and found we had a mutual interest in each other's research,” Dr O'Dwyer said. “A year later Professor Nevitt offered me a job on her research team, so it has turned out rather well. My wife Louise is just completing her PhD in Biological Sciences at Wollongong and UC Davis is a leading American centre for Biology research, so this is a great opportunity for both of us.”

Dr O'Dwyer’s PhD supervisor, the Head of UOW's School of Biological Sciences Associate Professor Bill Buttemer, said it had been fascinating to watch his evolution from a student with a natural curiosity into a highly competent scientific researcher.

“Terry’s experience shows that education can take you out of where you are, and change your life,” Professor Buttemer said. “And it’s never too late to start”.

Last reviewed: 23 January, 2007