Left to right, James Ross, Sophie Kearney and Steve Fearn

Sophie Kearney is the recipient of the 2026 Dr John B Lloyd Masonic Bursary Award. The Provincial Grand Master, James Ross presented Sophie with a certificate to commemorate the award on Thursday 15^th October 2026 at Aberystwyth University. The award is given annually by the Provincial Grand Charity of the Masonic Province of West Wales to encourage worthy students to further their education, and Sophie was selected this year because of her previous outstanding achievement in Higher Education.

Sophie is studying for an MSC in Biodiversity and Conservation Management. Sophie already has a BSc in Physical Geography and she explained: “In the final year of my undergraduate study, I gained a greater interest in ecology as I improved my ability to approach assignments from multiple perspectives, not just the obvious angle for my degree scheme. In the final year module, Volcanic Activity: Hazards and Environmental Change, I researched the impact of volcanic activity at the Permian-Triassic boundary on flora and fauna, and the resulting end-Permian extinction. I would like to apply my knowledge of such extinction events and compare the climatological conditions in them, and the resulting impact on biodiversity, to the world that humans are shaping now.”

Dr. Sebastian McBride, Senior Lecturer in Biological Science and the programme leader for postgraduate courses in Animal and Equine Science at Aberystwyth University, pointed out that whilst there was lots of funding available for undergraduates, students like Sophie taking additional qualifications had to find all the funding from their own resources and many of the expenses had to be paid in advance.

The Province of West Wales wishes Sophie every success in her future studies.