Not just nerds or geniuses: Meet Kate Littler

Posted on June 8, 2016 by Nathalie Pettorelli

Kate Cornwall photoDr Kate Littler is a Lecturer in Geology at the University of Exeter, based in Penryn, Cornwall. She specialises in reconstructing ancient climates and oceanography using sediment samples recovered from deep beneath the ocean floor. She is a STEM Ambassador and loves talking to people, young and old, in an effort to answer their burning geological questions. Come & Meet Kate in Exeter on June the 11th, where she wil be talking about How can mud and fossils from the bottom of the sea tell us about ancient climate change?”

 

 

SS: Kate, how did you get to your current position?

KL: I completed my MESci undergraduate degree at the University of Oxford in Earth Sciences (Geology), which laid a solid foundation for my future career and really inspired me to continue in academia. I then did a PhD at University College London, specialising in reconstructing the climate and carbon cycle of the enigmatic early Cretaceous period, when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth. I then had an exciting 18 month position as a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, at the University of California, Santa Cruz, before returning to the UK to take up a lectureship at the University of Exeter. Now, in addition to teaching on various undergraduate courses, I also carry out research on a number of different topics using sedimentology, geochemistry and paleontology to answer geological conundrums.

 

SS: What, or who, inspired you to get a career in science?

KL: I have always been interested in science from a young age, and was often to be found peering into rock pools to look at the inhabitants, or recording birds in my garden, or cataloging my fossil collection. My parents were very supportive of my curious hobbies, especially considering I was growing up in inner city London where nature was sometimes hard to come by. I loved watching science documentaries like Horizon, or Natural World, and dreamed of one day being able to work as a scientist visiting exotic places and finding out new things about our planet. I never really planned on becoming a geologist, or even knew it was a career you could have, but I soon realised that geology is the study of the whole solar system over the entirety of time, and you can’t get more all encompassing and challenging than that.

 

SS: What is the most fascinating aspect of your research/work?

KL: When onboard our giant drilling ship, I really enjoy looking at mud brought up from 500 m below the ocean floor, that is itself 2 km below the sea surface, and knowing that you’re one of the first humans to ever set eyes on it. The work that we then do to analyse this precious mud, to tease out its stories and find out what Earth’s climate was like millions of years ago, is truly fascinating.

 

SS: What attracted you to Soapbox Science in the first place?

KL: I’m a big fan of science outreach, and enjoy talking to people from all walks of life who just want to ask a scientist “why?”, “how?”, or “what’s the point of that then?”. I hope I can be a positive role model for young people, especially young women who are often not encouraged enough to pursue science careers, and Soapbox Science is a great platform for that. Come armed with questions on the day, and I will do my best!

 

SS: Sum up in one word your expectations for the day – excitement? Fear?

Thrill? Anticipation?

KL: Eye-opening.

 

SS: If you could change one thing about the scientific culture right now, what would it be?

KL: To have more scientific figures, and particularly more women, visible in the media, just getting on with various scientific jobs and kicking a** at it! We don’t necessarily need more rock-star figures like Brian Cox, although he has certainly helped to engage lots of people in physics, but just a more accurate representation that science is for everyone, not just nerds or geniuses. A lack of positive roll models for young people is a major reason why many of them don’t think a scientific career is for them. This is a particular issue for girls, who may also not be getting the support at school or at home to pursue this kind of career.

 

SS: What would be your top recommendation to a female PhD student considering pursuing a career in academia?

KL: Exact same advice as for a male PhD student: work hard, take care of yourself and your own wellbeing, think big, and try and talk to everyone you can in your field, because you never know who’s going to be advertising a postdoc next year…

 

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From the Azores to Exeter to become a “Neuroepigeneticist”: Meet Isabel Castanho

Posted on June 8, 2016 by Nathalie Pettorelli

Isabel CastanhoIsabel Castanho is an Azorean PhD student in the University of Exeter Medical School, funded by the Alzheimer’s Society. Her current research is focused in understanding the association between epigenetics (the mechanisms that control how our genes are turned “on” and “off”) and the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease. As a Neuroscientist, she is amazed by the brain and is always keen to share her excitement. Come meet Isabel on her Soapbox, June 11th in Exeter (Princesshay Square, Exeter City Centre), where she will be talking about the human brain, how it works, and how you can make it stay “young”!

 

SS: Isabel, how did you get to your current position?

IC: I found “Genetics” fascinating from day 1 (since the first contact in high school), but it took a while for my involvement with it to evolve from the classroom to the lab. At the end of my first degree (Biomedical Laboratory Sciences) I decided not to give up in trying my luck in research (that always fascinated me), enrolling in a second degree (Applied Biology) and continuously aiming to work in Genetics in the future. In my final year I met a great Neuroscientist in a general job fair, who quickly became my supervisor for my final year’s project (and later Master’s), inspiring me to pursue Neuroscience. In the final year of my Master’s degree (Health Sciences, Neuroscience) I started thinking about the next step I wanted to take (a PhD) for which Genetics was not forgotten and I came across this “new” field called “Epigenetics”. Everything else from that point just rolled naturally as a sum of coincidences (or not?) and investigations, as well as hard work. I came to visit Exeter for personal reasons and considered applying to do a PhD here. After exploring where and with whom I would like to work with, I found this particular group that I was immensely interested in. So you can imagine my surprise when I read the name of this group’s lead Professor in the programme of a major conference planned to happen in my department at the time. As a result of contacting one of his students and later himself (as a consequence of his inspiring talk in the above mentioned conference), everything just sparked from there. And here I am – happy with my decisions and excited about how everything unfolded in the end.

 

 

SS: What, or who, inspired you to get a career in science?

IC: I would say it all started in high school, at the point I became fascinated with Genetics. At the age of 16 I was really excited with my Biology classes, studying the cell and DNA in particular. My Biology teacher back then was definitely a key point. Furthermore, the school’s Biology team invited a number of scientists to come and talk about their work – I vividly remember a talk about the use of transgenic food and a talk about in vitro fertilization. Following that, at the age of 17 I participated in a Summer internship promoted by “Ciência Viva” (translated to “Live Science”- the Portuguese National Agency for Scientific and Technological Culture that promotes public awareness of the importance of science and technology in Portugal) and, as a consequence of having a close contact with the research laboratory, I decided I wanted a career in Science. I did stray away from it for a while to pursue a career more related with diagnostics, but I felt incomplete and felt I had to get back to the idea of following a career in research. In sum, although I would say my inspiration has been growing over the years as a consequence of coming across many amazing scientists, it all started with my Biology teacher in high school and the students who organized the summer internship who all had “a scientist” in them.

 

 

SS: What is the most fascinating aspect of your research/work?

IC: As a scientist, naturally curious to explore the unknown in order to understand how life works, I would say it is to have the opportunity to explore unanswered questions related to how cells control when and what genes are expressed (meaning “read”) in order to develop disease. As a person, the fact that my research can potentially contribute for the delay and reduction of the devastating consequences of Alzheimer’s disease for patients and their families.

 

 

SS: What attracted you to Soapbox Science in the first place?

IC: Being passionate about science, research and what I do, I love to share my excitement and knowledge with others. Explaining what scientists do, and how they do it, brings me a lot of joy as well. When I found out about Soapbox Science I immediately thought that it could provide me an excellent occasion to do just that and, perhaps, even inspire future scientists. Also, I am always keen on demystifying the idea of the “crazy scientist” by replacing it with the image of passionate people that dedicate their heart to an idea or a cause, in order to contribute to the increase in knowledge and potentially a better tomorrow. Finally, unfortunately the job market is still tougher for women compared to men, and the scientific career is no exception. The fact that Soapbox Science encourages the promotion of women scientists and the work we develop makes me even more excited about being involved.

 

 

SS: Sum up in one word your expectations for the day – excitement? Fear? Thrill? Anticipation?

IC: Adventure.

 

SS: If you could change one thing about the scientific culture right now, what would it be?

IC: I would make the access to knowledge and the latest findings in research free and of equal access to everyone. Starting with the publishing system that does not benefit neither the minds behind the research nor the readers, often building walls to promising students and even slowing down the advance of Science just because they were “born in the wrong place”.

 

SS: What would be your top recommendation to a female PhD student considering pursuing a career in academia?

IC: Being a PhD student myself (considering a career in academia as well), my top recommendation would be to take a look around and be inspired by the academics around you. Events like Soapbox Science can be of great help: I am having a blast by being involved not only because I become naturally excited whenever I can share my enthusiasm and knowledge with others, but especially by having the opportunity to be amazed by other female scientists’ excitements, know-hows, experiences and careers. As for the challenges that usually come with the job, such as the long hours and dead ends, I have been learning that if you work with people who inspire you and can help you move forward, involving a subject you are excited about, the good days will always overcome the bad ones. Also, lately the world has been shouting at me that there are so many options out there that “the sky is the limit” really.

 

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Of trees and mice: Meet Eleanor O’Brien

Posted on June 7, 2016 by Nathalie Pettorelli

Photo_EOBrienDr. Eleanor O’Brien is an evolutionary biologist, interested in the genetic factors that enable populations to adapt to new environments.  This is important for understanding why species live where they do, and for predicting whether species and populations will be able to evolve in response to environmental changes such as climate change.  She is currently a Research Associate at the University of Bath.  Catch her in Exeter on the 11th of June!

 

 

SS: Eleanor, how did you get to your current position?

EO’B: I did a PhD in evolutionary biology at the University of Western Australia, in which I studied local adaptation in Western Australian forest tree species, and considered how we can use this information to decide where to collect seeds to maximise the success of mine site restoration.  I continued working on similar topics for a couple of years after finishing my PhD, before moving to the UK to take up a postdoc position at the University of Bristol.  It was there that I began working on the evolution of species’ range margins in tropical rainforest insects, and developed my skills in quantitative genetics.  That led to my current position at the University of Bath, where I am working on the evolutionary genetics of growth and development in mice.  As you can see from this history, I have worked with a very diverse range of different organisms, but with a unifying theme of trying to understand how evolution works, and the factors that prevent or facilitate evolution in a population.

 

SS: What, or who, inspired you to get a career in science?

EO’B: I often speak to people who say they knew from a very young age exactly what they wanted to do as a career.  I was not one of those people.  While I was always interested in the natural world, I had very diverse interests at school and considered a range of different careers.  Even once I got to university, I studied as broad a range of subjects as I could.  It was a course in genetics and evolution that really inspired me, and convinced me to stay on and do an honours year (the Australian equivalent of a Masters).  During that year, I had a supervisor who strongly encouraged me to consider a career in research, for which I am very grateful!  Since then, I have been fortunate to have many advisors, mentors and colleagues who have inspired me, and helped me to develop my career in science.

 

SS: What is the most fascinating aspect of your research/work?

EO’B: I love the freedom science offers to pursue new and interesting questions.  I really enjoy the process of designing experiments, and working out the best way to approach a problem. I have also been fortunate to travel to some wonderful places for fieldwork and conferences, and to meet a lot of interesting people, both scientists and non-scientists.

 

SS: What attracted you to Soapbox Science in the first place?

EO’B: I have always enjoyed public engagement because I find that when talking about science with people from diverse backgrounds, including children, they often offer unique ideas and perspectives that make me see my research differently.  I am also passionate about increasing the profile of women in science, and Soapbox Science offers the perfect combination of the two.

 

SS: Sum up in one word your expectations for the day – excitement? Fear? Thrill? Anticipation?

EO’B: Fun!

 

SS: If you could change one thing about the scientific culture right now, what would it be?

EO’B: I would like to see greater recognition of the value of scientists pursuing big ideas that may take time to develop, rather than judging research on its capacity to have an immediate impact.  Historically, some of the most important scientific discoveries arose from many years of work, and have benefited society in ways that could never have been imagined at the outset.  A lot of the names we think of when asked to name a famous scientist –Newton, Darwin, Einstein- would probably struggle to get their research funded today.

 

SS: What would be your top recommendation to a female PhD student considering pursuing a career in academia?

EO’B: Don’t waste time worrying about whether you feel you are good enough to be there, and instead focus on doing the research that excites you.  All academics (even highly successful ones) have times when they feel unsure of whether they belong, and I think this can sometimes be worse for young female researchers because they see the lack of women in senior positions in science.  Finding ways to keep women in science is obviously critical to address this gender imbalance at the top, and while there is no simple solution to this issue, it is important that women at all stages of their scientific careers find the things they love about science.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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On being an attribution scientist: Meet Claire Burke

Posted on June 7, 2016 by Nathalie Pettorelli

pic3Claire Burke is a climate scientist at the Met Office Hadley Centre for Climate Science and Services in Exeter. She has an MPhys in Physics with Astrophysics and a PhD in astrophysics. Here she tells us about moving between scientific fields in her working life, her long-standing fascination with the stars, answering big, real-world questions, the attraction of “standing on a box in a city centre shouting about interesting science”, the improving working conditions for women in science and what keeps you going through your PhD. You can catch Dr. Burke at Soapbox Science in Exeter on June 11th,

 

SS: Claire, how did you get to your current position?

CB: My job title is ‘attribution scientist’ – that means I look for changes in the weather and extreme weather events to see if there is any sign of climate change, and then figure out what is causing that change (most of the time its human activities). Until about a year ago I was working as an astrophysicist. I have had a keen interest in the stars since I was quite young and studied physics at university with the aim of a research career in astro. I did my PhD in astrophysics and after that went on to do research in the evolution of galaxies in clusters, which is what I’ll be talking about at Soapbox Science.

It turned out the skills I used in my research in astro were also applicable to climate science. The opportunity to work on one of the biggest and most society-relevant research problems ever was pretty exciting, so I made a very optimistic job application. Fortunately for me, the analytical, mathematical and problem solving skills I had gained through my physics degree, PhD and astro research were exactly what is needed to do research on climate change. I’m still very much in love with the stars, and like to keep up to date with current research, but now I feel like my job is helping to save the world from climate change!

 

SS: What, or who, inspired you to get a career in science?

 CB: When I was at high school I had a particularly inspiring (female) physics teacher. Her energetic lessons on how stars form and evolve were what originally inspired me to study physics and astrophysics. It was in those physics lessons that I first saw the stunning images of the universe taken from the Hubble Space Telescope. I was fascinated and wanted to learn more about what these beautiful objects are and how they came to be, and of course, what our place in the Universe is.

 

SS: What is the most fascinating aspect of your research/work?

CB: The aim of my work in climate science is to figure out how humans are affecting the climate and what the weather will look like in the future as a result of our activities. Will there be more flooding? More heat waves? How will the changes in climate affect our food supply? Will climate change make some regions of the world uninhabitable? Answering these kinds of questions means I get to see the direct impact of human emissions on the world, and I get to help us figure out what we should do about it. My research informs our decisions on what emissions we need to cut, and how we can prepare for future extreme weather. Helping to solve one of the biggest challenges humankind has ever faced is definitely exciting!

 

SS: What attracted you to Soapbox Science in the first place?

CB: Standing on a box in a city centre shouting about interesting science – isn’t that everyone’s idea of fun? I like talking to non-scientists about science. I think it’s important for scientists to tell the world about what they are studying so that everyone can be informed about what we do and what things we do and don’t know. The city centre is a fun new place for me to talk about my favourite subject to a whole range of different people.

 

SS: Sum up in one word your expectations for the day – excitement? Fear? Thrill? Anticipation?

CB: Optimism.

 

SS: If you could change one thing about the scientific culture right now, what would it be?

CB: When it comes to women in science, the scientific culture is definitely moving forward. There is no longer any tolerance for overt sexism or bad attitudes towards women. The change I would like to see is for better communication with the media and general public, so that everyone has a good idea of our current understanding of things, whether that be the weather or the latest breakthrough in medicine. I think we should be striving to help people have a better understanding of how the scientific method works so that we can make better decisions as a society.

 

SS: What would be your top recommendation to a female PhD student considering pursuing a career in academia?

CB: If you love it, do it! And give it 100%. Science can be challenging but so long as you can remember why it is fascinating, or what important and exciting thing you are hoping to discover it’ll all be worth the effort. Also, related to my experience, I’d say don’t be afraid to apply your skills to new topics or even different fields. As a young scientist you have many transferrable skills and your different perspective on a problem in a different field of study could be the thing that is needed to solve it.

 

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Inspired by Nature: Meet Ayoe Hansen

Posted on June 6, 2016 by Nathalie Pettorelli

IMG_20160312_133726Dr. Ayoe B. Hansen studied challenges in air pollution modelling focusing on transport, model evaluation, and human health during her PhD. She is currently employed in the Atmospheric Dispersion and Air Quality group at the Met Office, where she conducts research into improving the use of dispersion models for emergency response in relation to volcanic and chemical dispersion. Here she tells us about how she got to this position and what excites her most in her work, amongst other things. Catch her on her soapbox in Exeter on the 11th of June.

 

 

SS: Ayoe, how did you get to your current position?

 AH: After finishing high school in Denmark, I began studying physics and meteorology at the University of Copenhagen, to become a meteorologist. I soon realised that I wanted to learn more and decided to do a master’s degree in geophysics, and afterwards applied for a PhD in air pollution modelling. During my PhD I was a visiting scientist at NOAA in the US for about half a year, and I knew that I wanted to do more science and more travelling in my future career. So, when I finished my PhD I applied for a post doc position at the University of Michigan, afterwards I did another post doc in New Zealand, before moving to the UK last May.

 

SS: What, or who, inspired you to get a career in science?

AH: Nature

 

SS: What is the most fascinating aspect of your research/work?

AH: The application to real life – the model I’m working on is actually being used every day throughout the year!

 

SS: What attracted you to Soapbox Science in the first place?

AH: I was attracted by the challenge of presenting my science to the general public and the open format of the presentations.

 

SS: Sum up in one word your expectations for the day – excitement? Fear? Thrill? Anticipation?

AH: Excitement!

 

SS: If you could change one thing about the scientific culture right now, what would it be?

AH: The perception of women (in science)

 

SS: What would be your top recommendation to a female PhD student considering pursuing a career in academia?

AH: Be stubborn and do it! And know that you have to work for what you want.

 

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Twixt sea and pine: Meet Amy Lusher

Posted on June 6, 2016 by Nathalie Pettorelli

Amy lusher q&a photoDr Amy Lusher is currently working as a postdoctoral researcher at the National University of Ireland, Galway. She is a biologist and a keen science communicator. Here, she tell us how growing up in a seaside town and the support of family members contributed to her pursuing a career in science. Catch Amy on her Soapbox, in Exeter on the 11th June where she will be talking about “Big Plastic, Little Plastics and Plastic Fish”

 

 

SS: Amy, how did you get to your current position?

AL: Starting at the beginning, I completed my undergraduate and master’s degrees in Marine Biology at Plymouth University in 2012. Both my dissertation projects had focused on the effects of pollutants on marine organisms. My undergraduate project looked at plastic ingestion by commercial fish and my MRes project studied the reproductive development of cockles, under field conditions, but also when exposed to endocrine disrupting chemicals. I was very interested on the influence humans were having on the marine environment, in particular with plastics, which is why I used BPA as one of my chemicals.

I had originally planned not to apply for a PhD, I wanted a long holiday. But I made a condition with myself, if I found a PhD advertised with a similar title to what I would like to study in the future, I had to apply. Needless to say, just prior to the end of my MRes, a PhD was advertised, I applied and I was offered the PhD. Ergo; I was on my way to Galway, Ireland.

My PhD was based at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, in the Marine and Freshwater Research Centre. I had an interesting few years at GMIT, and I had the privilege to be involved in a number of collaborative projects, research cruises, and various science events. I really enjoyed working with schools and explaining the impacts plastics are having on the marine environment. When I finished up, I wanted to have a short break, but not walk away from research entirely, this lead me to working with National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG). I was asked to guest lecture on an MSc module, which included a research cruise with the students. As a result of the cruise a number of student projects were devised. I applied with a colleague for a short project funded by the Geographical Survey of Ireland and INFOMER. We had an idea, and thought, let’s try and get some funding and make the most of it. The project came from an amalgamation of my PhD work and the research focus of Dr Audrey Morley, in the Geography Department of NUIG. We saw ways in which we could use paleoceanography to support microplastics research and the dating of sediments. We were interested in the levels of microplastics in sediments from the Aran Islands, a primary Nephrops (Langoustine/Scampi) fishing ground for Ireland. We wanted to see the levels of plastics in the sediment and whether it could have adverse effects (be eaten) on organisms. The deeper you go in the sediment, either, the older the plastics you find, or evidence of bioturbation by organisms.

I am still working on the project, but have moved back to England, whilst I continue to write and finalise publications. I am still actively involved in research with international partners.

 

SS: What, or who, inspired you to get a career in science?

Amy lusher q&a photo 2AL: I am not sure what inspired me to pursue a career in science, but I know there were a number of influential people in my life growing up. I was never the best in my class, but I have always had a desire to the find the answers to questions.

I grew up in a small seaside town, surrounded by different habitats, from rocky and sandy shores, to commons and woods. My hometown’s slogan is “twixt sea and pine”. I spent my childhood exploring the nature on my doorstep. This was greatly encouraged by my mother and my grandfather. My mother loved nature, she used to draw little pictures of animals and flowers, and we would go hunting for starfish and lobsters whenever there was a very low tide. Our collection of injured animals included bats, birds and hedgehogs, and there would always be a woodlice or worm collection in the shed. My grandfather was the warden of the local common, and collected insects as a hobby. I would spend hours watching him identify species and lay out his collection. He was awarded the Sydney Long Medal for services to nature conservation in Norfolk and he gave his collection of more the 17,000 insects to the Castle Museum, Norwich, as an education resource.

As a child I used to draw dolphins and whales and dream of seeing orcas one day. The seal colony in Blakney never quite held my attention. Somewhere along the line, my interests changed and I went to college to study sports science, so took biology and chemistry to A Level. In college we had to apply for work experience and start thinking about university. I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t want to study sport anymore, I was failing my two science subjects and I felt lost. My student advisor started talking to me about what I liked to do when was little, and we started looking into marine biology. I did work experience in the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, in Plymouth. I loved every minute of it, came home, took my mother on more beach safaris, and as they say, the rest is history. And I did get to see Orcas in the wild (ticked that off two years ago on a research cruise, and last year during a post-mortem)!

 
SS: What is the most fascinating aspect of your research/work?

AL: I think the most fascinating aspect is seeing my research unfold, and formulating new questions every time I answer one. Working at the forefront of microplastic research has been a fantastic experience and it is brilliant to watch how the subject is unfolding. After all microplastics research is a relatively new field, and only really took off in the last 8 years. It’s exciting watching the subject develop, and receiving feedback from the media and the public, and to know that our research is fuelling governmental debate and the formation of policies which will be fundamental in protecting the marine environment from pollution.

 

 

SS: What attracted you to Soapbox Science in the first place?

AL: The opportunity for women in science to share their research and knowledge with different communities in creative, fun and exciting ways. To be able to engage with the public in a relaxed environment, away from the lab and lecture theatres.

 

SS: Sum up in one word your expectations for the day – excitement? Fear? Thrill? Anticipation?

AL: Inspiring!!

 

SS: If you could change one thing about the scientific culture right now, what would it be?

AL: Personally, I would change the difficulties there can be for early career researchers to make their mark on science, when it comes to funding and pursuing post-doctoral research. There is a tendency for researchers at my level to become disheartened and want to walk away from science because it is becoming increasingly difficult to get funding. Taking part in events such as public outreach, can often reengage researchers and spark their passion for research again.
SS: What would be your top recommendation to a female PhD student considering pursuing a career in academia?

AL: That’s funny; I was asked the same question by two female postgraduate students a few weeks ago. Confidence, confidence, confidence, believe in yourself and remember at the end of your PhD, you are THE expert in your subject area. You can apply this knowledge to further your career, in the same subject or a completely different topic. There will be challenges that come along, but perseverance, determination, and keeping an open mind will be a great asset. Staying connected with friends outside of academia will also keep you grounded if you feel academia is perhaps getting too much. Oh and holidays: make sure you take a break, like a real break, without the computer!

 

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Must not give up: Meet Nicole Pacchiarini

Posted on June 2, 2016 by Nathalie Pettorelli

Nicole_PacchiariniNicole Pacchiarini is a PhD student at Cardiff University investigating how memory is represented in the brain. Her aim is to link the fields of Psychology and Biology by using established methods from each subject to answer important scientific questions. Come & meet Nicole at Soapbox Science Cardiff , where she is going to speak about “How does the brain remember?”. 

 

 

 

SS: Nicole, how did you get to your current position?

NP: Being in my first year of my PhD I am the definition of “early career scientist” so my experience is not as extensive as some of the other Professors and Doctors who are speaking. However, my journey to get to my doctorate program is still very fresh in my mind and the courses I undertook are still available to apply for now. My BSc degree was a joint honors course in Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Manchester. This course allowed me to gain knowledge and experience in both fields, as at the time, I did not know which area I preferred. Following this I attended King’s College London and specialised in an MSc in Neuroscience. Here I gained some valuable laboratory experience working in the area of Schizophrenia research. Whilst extremely interesting and exciting, this work made me realize that although it is very important to try and understand disease, we do not yet understand memory in a healthy brain. Consequently, this is the focus of my current work!

 

SS: What, or who, inspired you to get a career in science?

NP: From a very early age my grandfather was a huge inspiration for me. He was extremely passionate about science and medicine and would often recall his elaborate stories from medical school. In later years he helped me revise, often going into far too much intricate detail than what was needed but his lessons were so captivating we would both get carried away. With very linguistic and creative parents who are not scientific at all, it was his passion that resulted in my pursuing a career in science.

 

SS: What is the most fascinating aspect of your research/work?

NP: Using cutting edge methods to unravel the answer to a question is very exciting to me. Although I am very early on in my work, it is fascinating trying to tackle challenges and problems and by the end of my doctorate I hope to have contributed new knowledge to this field.

 

SS: What attracted you to Soapbox Science in the first place?

NP: Firstly, I think it is really important for young scientists to get involved with public engagement. Children and students can really relate to you if you are around the same age. I would love to be a role model and show young people that I was in their shoes only a couple of years ago.

Secondly, Soapbox Science is the perfect opportunity to talk to people who wouldn’t usually be exposed to these kinds of events; I came from a not so great school where events like these never happened and I therefore wanted to be more involved in events which target those children too.

 

SS: Sum up in one word your expectations for the day – excitement? Fear? Thrill? Anticipation?

NP: Enthusiasm

 

SS: If you could change one thing about the scientific culture right now, what would it be?

NP: For me it would be the ‘publish or perish’ attitude there is in academia. I think this pressure to quickly and constantly publish academic work is resulting in a lot of poor work being submitted to academic journals. If there was less pressure, scientists may focus more on the quality of their experiments/findings as opposed to the number of papers cited.

 

SS: What would be your top recommendation to a female PhD student considering pursuing a career in academia?

NP: I am not in a position to give advice on a career in academia however one thing that I will say to anyone considering undertaking a PhD is not to give up after getting rejections. I had a fair few rejections for PhD posts that felt really demoralising at the time. You put a lot of hard work into your applications (which aren’t short) and receiving an automated rejection email with no reason as to why can feel pretty rubbish. I now realise that it is unbelievably competitive and funding is scarce so you can’t take it to heart and MUST NOT GIVE UP!

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Harnessing talent from less privileged countries: Meet Dominique Tanner

Posted on June 2, 2016 by Nathalie Pettorelli

 

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Dominique Tanner is a postdoctoral researcher at Cardiff University. She is an Australian geologist and seeks to understand how magmas and fluids concentrate valuable metals within the Earth’s surface. Dominique is currently part of a team of UK researchers funded by the National Environment Research Council who are working to understand how the elements tellurium and selenium move and concentrate within the Earth’s crust. Tellurium and selenium are essential in the production of photovoltaic solar panels, so understanding the cycling and supply of these elements is important for the development of sustainable environmental technologies. Here, Dom talks to Soapbox Science about precious metals and explains how choosing to continue a career in academia put her between a rock and a hard place.

 

SS: Dom, how did you get to your current position?

DT: By writing papers and making a really difficult decision. In the final year of my PhD at the Australian National University, my partner Lloyd (also a geologist) got offered his dream job at a university just outside of London. I moved to London with Lloyd and worked from home, publishing the results of my research in scientific publications. After finishing my PhD thesis, I was fortunate to find a postdoctoral position at the same university as Lloyd. I thought that I could pursue a career in research there, but I was paid to do technical and administrative work instead. After some time, I realised that my life wasn’t complete without teaching and research. Because post-doctoral positions are very competitive, I made the very difficult decision to move away from Lloyd and my home and look for jobs outside of London. When I was offered this position at Cardiff University, I couldn’t believe my luck! Now Lloyd and I both get to do our dream jobs. During the week I live in Wales so that I can use the high-tech laboratories at Cardiff University, and each weekend I commute back home to London.

 

SS: What, or who, inspired you to get a career in science?

DT: My family. Since childhood I have always loved asking questions and been fascinated by rocks, minerals and the natural world. For many years my family indulged my passion for geology by letting me take them to important mines and rock formations around Australia during the school holidays. Old habits die hard, and at university I could indulge my passion for geology by scaling this up and taking undergraduate students on field trips to see mines and important rock formations in New Zealand, Peru, South Africa & Namibia!

Equally important are the people who encouraged me to stay in a scientific career. During my PhD and first postdoctoral position, there were a couple of times when I had serious doubts about pursuing a career as a scientist. I am really fortunate to have been surrounded by supportive colleagues (both men and women) who reassured me that self-doubt is rife in the academic community and that there is no easy way through this career – but at the end of the day sticking with it can be incredibly rewarding. I hope that one day I can return the favour by encouraging more women to pursue and stay in scientific careers.

 

SS: What is the most fascinating aspect of your research/work?

DT: I love being able see patterns in rocks and minerals really close up, as I never know what I am going to find! For instance, yesterday I was using the scanning electron microscope to zoom in on the surface of polished rocks to take photographs of tiny minerals made of platinum and tellurium that are less than the width of a human hair! From an academic perspective, analysing such tiny minerals can help us understand how both of these metals are concentrated by the magmas they formed from, but there is also a practical side, because the chemistry of minerals that host precious metals can make or break a mining company!

 

SS: What attracted you to Soapbox Science in the first place?

DT: If I asked you to picture what a stereotypical geologist looks like, you might imagine a wild-looking bearded man wielding a hammer on a mountaintop. While it is true that all geologists get to wield a rock hammer at least some point in their career and nearly all of us conduct fieldwork in exceptional landscapes (on the land or at sea), I want to participate in Soapbox Science to help change people’s perception of what a geologist looks like and show that female geologists are increasingly common. For instance, in my undergraduate geology degree, more than half my class were female. At my graduation ceremony at the Australian National University, I was one of six PhD graduates from the Research School of Earth Sciences – and all of us were female! While these statistics are not common for my discipline, it seems to me that we are shifting towards achieving a more even gender balance in geological sciences.

 

SS: Sum up in one word your expectations for the day – excitement? Fear? Thrill? Anticipation?

DT: Engaging!

 

SS: If you could change one thing about the scientific culture right now, what would it be?

DT: It would be harnessing talent from less privileged countries by providing equal access to education and promoting high standards in scientific education around the world. The scientific community relies on creative and intelligent people around the world to create new ideas and hypotheses. In the UK, we often take our access to education for granted, but many countries are not as privileged as us and their citizens do not benefit have the same access to high-quality education. Imagine the scientific and engineering problems that could be solved if the world could harness this extra talent!

 

SS: What would be your top recommendation to a female PhD student considering pursuing a career in academia?

DT: GO FOR IT!! And once you start, make sure you publish the results of your hard work as soon as you can. It is really important for scientists to communicate their ideas with the wider community through events like Soapbox Science and media releases, but it is equally important for scientists to communicate their work with each other. During my PhD, I was really lucky to have excellent supervisors and work with really supportive post-doctoral researchers who constantly reminded me how important it is to write papers. By publishing the findings of your research in respected peer-reviewed journals as soon as possible, you will boost the range of career options available to you when you finish your PhD.

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‘Engineering, PhD, researcher – who’d have thought?!’: Meet Hayley Wyatt

Posted on June 1, 2016 by Nathalie Pettorelli

Hayley WyattHayley Wyatt is a researcher at the School of Mathematics at Cardiff University. Her research interests lie within the field of medical engineering, including the design of surgical devices and the behaviour of biological materials, such as blood vessels or cellular structures. Come & meet Hayley at Soapbox Science Cardiff , where she is going to speak about “Structures within nature and modern engineering application”. 

 

 

 

SS: Hayley, how did you get to your current position?

HW: I have never being very good at deciding what to do, and whilst applying to University I considered many courses including Optometry, Pharmacy, and Maths. But none of them really stood out as something I would really enjoy. By chance I came across Medical Engineering, and was instantly interested in what the course was about as I had a keen interest in medical applications. I studied Medical Engineering at Cardiff University for four years, and then went on to complete my PhD within the School of Engineering. I am currently on my second research role, which is working within the School of Mathematics at Cardiff, researching the complex behaviour of cellular structures. After completing my PhD I found it was a matter of making the most of the opportunities I was presented with. My current research position was suggested to me by my PhD supervisor, as it utilised the expertise I had developed over the course of my PhD and was a good opportunity to work in an exciting research area with world leading researchers.

 

SS: What, or who, inspired you to get a career in science?

HW: There was never one thing or one person that inspired me to get a career in science. I was always good at science and maths when I was at school so it seemed like an obvious choice to go into such a career. Engineering was a good choice to study at university because it meant I got to use all of the science subjects, and be a little bit creative (I always enjoyed art and design subjects). Since then I have really enjoyed the subject, researching different topics, learning how things work, and I have also been fortunate to work with some awesome people, who have made working in science really enjoyable and fun.

 

SS: What is the most fascinating aspect of your research/work?

HW: It’s exciting to know you are working on something new that nobody else has before. For me this can involve improving the design of a surgical device, working on a novel material for hip implants, or conducting new experiments to investigate the way materials behave. Every project will lead to something new, and contributing to a new finding or innovation is awesome.

 

SS: What attracted you to Soapbox Science in the first place?

HW: The chance to do something different, and the chance to demonstrate some of the diversity of what you can study or research within science and engineering subjects.

 

SS: Sum up in one word your expectations for the day – excitement? Fear? Thrill? Anticipation?

HW: Nervous!

 

SS: If you could change one thing about the scientific culture right now, what would it be?

HW: I would like to change how open people are to collaboration. Some researchers are very keen on collaborating, however others can be protective or secretive of their research, or just generally reluctant to collaborate. A good collaboration can be beneficial for everybody involved, it can present a learning opportunity, a chance to expand into a new research area, and the potential to conduct excellent research benefiting from a range of expertise and experience.

 

SS: What would be your top recommendation to a female PhD student considering pursuing a career in academia?

HW: My advice would be to network and talk to people as much as possible. Networking at conferences, other events, or even within your own university, opens up the potential for new collaborations or even job opportunities. It also gives you a good support network, so when things don’t quite go to plan, like papers getting rejected, or when you want advice on how best to proceed with your career, there are people to talk to who have been through it. They can offer encouragement, advice, and maybe even a drink at the pub after a long day!

 

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Seeing stuff through the eyes of a computer: Meet Hannah Dee

Posted on June 1, 2016 by Nathalie Pettorelli

Hannah DeeHannah is a senior lecturer in Aberystwyth University, who works in computer vision. Her particular interests are shadows and shadow perception, the way light reflects of complicated surfaces (like faces and plants) and modelling and understanding the way in which things grow and change (like faces and plants). She also really enjoys teaching undergraduates and has a small collection of teaching awards. Hannah’s participation in Soapbox Science Cardiff is partly supported by BSC Women.

 

 

SS: How did you get to your current position?

HD: I read a lot of science fiction as a teenager, and William Gibson’s novel Neuromancer gave me a bit of an obsession with artificial intelligence (AI). So I did a BSc in cognitive science, then an MA in the philosophy of AI, then moved into computing and programming with a PhD in computer vision: the branch of AI which involves getting computers to see.  From there I moved job a few times, working as a contract researcher in different universities, before ending up in Wales working as a lecturer at Aberystwyth.

 

SS: What, or who, inspired you to get a career in science?

HD: Books inspired me to study science in the first place. An interest in problem solving inspired me to take it beyond the BSc, and a love of teaching keeps me in the job when the research is going badly (which it inevitably does, from time to time).

 

SS: What is the most fascinating aspect of your research/work?

HD: Solving problems.

 

SS: What attracted you to Soapbox Science in the first place?

HD: I’ve done a lot of workshops in schools, and public science poster contests, but I quite like the idea of trying to explain computational concepts without computers. My work is very screen based, but thinking of ways to communicate it from a soapbox is really making me look at it differently.

 

SS: Sum up in one word your expectations for the day – excitement? Fear? Thrill? Anticipation?

HD: I haven’t yet developed a clear communication plan, so I guess I’d have to say trepidation at this stage. I’m sure that by the end of the day I’ll be fine though!

 

SS: If you could change one thing about the scientific culture right now, what would it be?

HD: In the UK, I’d get rid of the Research Excellence Framework (REF). Every researcher and every university spends weeks and weeks of time generating reports on research, when they could be doing actual research. Institutions play games (some departments only enter a tiny percentage of their staff so they can say that they are 100% “world leading”), and there’s an absurd transfer market which means that institutions are trying to buy staff based upon research output alone.  Despite allowances it’s stacked against part-timers, those who’ve had career breaks, and those with significant admin loads. I’d also scrap the proposed TEF (Teaching Excellence Framework): the answer to game-playing and crushing bureaucracy in research management is not to introduce it to teaching management too.

 

SS: What would be your top recommendation to a female PhD student considering pursuing a career in academia?

HD: Be ready to travel. Working in different universities really opens your mind, so be ready for it and embrace it. It’s hard to be away from friends and families, but living and working in different cities and research communities really does make you a better scientist.

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