PhD student in the area of neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin
John Joseph Gallagher - studying for a PhD in neuroscience
What were your main ‘career decision’ milestones so far?
I did a degree course in Electronic Engineering and by the end of it I had very little interest in working in that area. I then did a Masters in Medical Physics – this was a great move.
It opened up a whole host of new areas that I could work in and it got me interested in biology.
I then spent some time working in the Central Remedial Clinic (CRC) and the Irish Medicines Board (IMB) as a Clinical Engineer.
I got to carry out some research in the CRC and assessed clinical trial applications in the IMB, and this work convinced me that I wanted to do a PhD.
Who are the people who most influenced your career direction?
I talked to a lot of people when considering going back to college. The people who offered the best advice were friends who had done PhDs or were halfway through one.
A brother of a friend of mine was one of the few people I knew that was an engineer working in biology – he was able to provide some really helpful advice as well.
Does your job allow you to have a lifestyle you are happy with?
I organise my days as I want, starting and finishing at times that suit me. A great advantage of doing a PhD is being able to take long stretches of time off to go travelling.
As a PhD student you have to accept that you’re going to spend some time not earning as much as the people who you went to college with. However, the hope is that your time spent researching will prove more beneficial as you move on and that what you’ve done will open up more doors for you.
What are the main tasks and responsibilities?
Carrying out experiments is the part of the job that I spend the most of my time on. Equally important is keeping up to date with the research area and writing up results.
Often you spend time helping someone out with a technique or learning something from another person.
What’s cool?
The best part of the job is learning about something that completely changes how things in a certain area are understood.
People all over the world are making advances in different areas and to be able to hear, understand and contribute to these is extremely rewarding.
What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?
I didn’t do any life science subjects in school or college. I only realised my interest in the area after I did my degree and although this placed me at a disadvantage initially, it doesn’t matter so much as every research field is so complex that very few people know it all.
I don’t regret studying engineering subjects at an undergraduate level. As I now get to combine these approaches in a completely different field such as neuroscience. This could have never happened the other way around!
What is your education to date?
- Leaving Cert – Physics, Economics, Technical Drawing (1999)
- Electronic Engineering degree in NUI, Galway (1999-2003)
- Masters in Medical Physics in NUI, Galway (2003-2004)
- Four-year integrated PhD in Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin (2005-present)
What aspects of your education have proven most important for your job?
I am in a four-year PhD programme in neuroscience. In the first year I carried out three lab rotations. I got to spend some time working in a genetics lab, a psychology lab and a magnetic resonance imaging lab.
This exposure to so many different areas and techniques was fantastic. It made me realise that you need to really explore and learn about any field of research before you start work in it.
Have you undertaken, or do you plan to undertake any further training as part of your job?
I’m always very interested in learning new things, specifically new techniques and approaches. I would love to spend some time learning about stem cells.
I think when you work in research you’re always eager to learn new things.
What personal qualities do you have that helps you in your career?
I’m fairly organised and that helps, but I think being a curious person is the quality that really makes a difference in a PhD.
You also have to be extremely determined as experiments often don’t work out.
What is your dream job?
I’d love to be a science journalist, to get a chance to see and hear about what all the best and brightest in the world are up to would be great.
What advice would you give to someone considering this job?
Anyone who has done a PhD will tell you that you have to be really hard working and extremely persistent. You also need to be interested in the area you’re working in.
Most of the people I know who have done PhDs are also highly motivated and don’t really need to be looked after on a day-to-day basis.
A major aspect of every PhD student’s life is their supervisor. Supervisors differ greatly in their approach. If you’re considering doing a PhD try to talk to people who have worked under that supervisor to see if you think the style of supervision suits you.
What are the three most important personal characteristics required for the job?
Organised, curious and persistent.
What kinds of work experience would provide a good background for this position?
It’s always good to do a undergraduate project in the field you want to work in. Even better would be to do the project in a lab you might like to work in.
