Oliver Jarvis

The flexibility of the Bachelor of Science led to Oliver majoring in both Biotechnology and Economics.

Oliver Jarvis moved from Nelson to study a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. Due to the BSc’s flexibility, Oliver was able to combine two of his interests in Biotechnology and Economics. Biotechnology focusses on the applications of biology in science, whereas the Economics major allowed him to develop a more commercial mindset.

“The Biotechnology major looks at how to apply biology to solve real-world problems. It gives a fantastic insight into both core science research and the biotechnology industry.”

Right from the beginning, the programme lived up to his expectations. Challenging yet interesting courses kept him motivated. Through lectures and lab work, along with continuous support from the programme director, Professor David Ackerley, Oliver gained a better understanding of biotechnology.

“I loved the wide range of topics covered in the Biotechnology major. A personal favourite was BTEC301 – Biotechnological Techniques and Processes. The course was broken down into 3-week modules. Experts were brought in from both industry and other areas of the University to teach their specialty subjects such as immunology, stem cell biology, reproductive biotechnology, and marine biotechnology.”

After completing his undergraduate degree, Oliver continued his studies, graduating with a Master’s in Professional Economics. He now works in the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research as the Programme Manager for New Zealand’s $12 million Covid-19 vaccine development programme—Vaccine Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand.

“I am responsible for ensuring that the programme meets its objectives in ensuring New Zealand’s early and ongoing access to a Covid-19 vaccine. I must understand the principles of pretty much every part of Biotechnology. I’m yet to run into an area which I haven’t covered at least once in the Biotechnology major, making me a lot more effective at my job.”

“I find working in the industry is mainly about applying what you’ve learnt to a wide range of problems while studying is more about focusing on specific problems. While you’ve probably not been taught how to handle the exact problem you’re facing, you will have been taught how to handle something similar. You have to adapt to find the solution to the problem in front of you.”

“Biotechnology is a great major because it is so versatile,” Oliver says, when asked what advice he would give to someone considering the major. “Plan what you want to do with your career and build your degree around that. If you want to go down the hard science route, the Biotechnology major gives you a good understanding of almost every aspect of modern biology. Alternatively, combining it with something like statistics or computer science allows you to point yourself towards bioinformatics, a cutting-edge area of biology where computers are used to analyse big data sets from genetics to molecular biology programmes. The options are endless.”

Biotechnology is available in both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. You can learn more about studying Biotechnology by visiting the Biotechnology programme page.