What made you choose Arbtech?
Arbtech are one of the only ecological consultancies to offer a paid internship.
Being new to the industry, this was by far and away the best route in for me.
When researching the company, I came across the open letter Robert Oates wrote to the Chartered Institute of Ecological and Environmental Management (CIEEM), bringing light to the exploitation that ecology graduates often face and calling for a voluntary industry charter setting basic standards for graduate pay and conditions.
This confirmed to me that Arbtech was a company with integrity, and one I wanted to be a part of.
The perks are fantastic, too!
What do you love most about the company?
The people I work with!
I can honestly say that I’ve never had such a universally delightful cohort of colleagues in my life.
The endlessly supportive and friendly atmosphere cultivates a very healthy working environment where you feel safe to admit mistakes and highly driven to learn from them and continually improve.
I also love the commitment to regular high-quality work socials, which keep everyone tight-knit and motivated.
What do you do when you are not in Arbtech?
Nerd stuff.
I am one of those lucky people who has managed to land a job related to their special interest.
I’m honestly at my happiest in nature observing behaviour and identifying species, particularly birds and fungi.
If I have a free weekend day, I’ll often pack my binoculars and some snacks, head to a green space and spend the day beaming at garden snails and complimenting dunnocks.
I’m also an avid gig-goer and huge fan of Everything Everything, IDLES, Foals, Twenty One Pilots, the Prodigy and Cleopatrick to name a few.
I’m usually a pretty reserved and shy being, but at gigs, that all goes out the window; I become a human Beyblade and have the time of my life.
Finally, I love visiting science and history museums. My partner and I really like prehistoric megafauna, i.e. very old, very big creatures. Do you know what Titanoboa cerrejonensis was? It was a 1.25-ton snake with vertebrae as big as your palm! How can you not get excited about that?!
What is the biggest tip to achieve the most in life?
Consistency and a healthy dollop of mortality salience.
What is the best social you’ve been on at Arbtech?
I’ve only been on one social so far – the interns’ summer social.
We sat in the sun, caught up and played rounders. It was idyllic!
I’m excited for future adventures with my lovely colleagues.
Where do you want to travel to next?
To be honest, I’m a bit of a homebody and have a huge passion for UK wildlife specifically, so I don’t travel much.
My best friend and I are currently on a mission to visit the most scenic areas in Britain over a series of long weekends, and I’m loving it so far!
Beyond that, however, I’d love to explore Brazil with my partner, as it is the most biodiverse country on the planet.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
A fully-fledged and confident ecologist with heaps of training and experience under my belt, living with my partner and some pets in an area with access to biodiverse green spaces, please!
What is a goal you have for the future, in or out of work?
Beyond being stable and happy, I endeavour to continually grow my understanding of the natural world and use it to create tangible positive change for UK wildlife.
The study of Queer Ecology means an awful lot to me as a trans person, too. I would love to have contributed to this field in some meaningful way, as my hero Connor Butler has.
Elis joined Arbtech in September 2026.
