Studying for a multidisciplinary PhD in palaeobotany
What were the main ‘career decision’ milestones in your life so far?
Karen Bacon - Studying for a multidisciplinary PhD in palaeobotany
The first was when I decided to study science instead of history (my other real interest) in college.
The second was when I decided to leave geology and return to botany for my honours degree. I decided that I wanted to be more involved in biology rather than basing my future career entirely on geology.
The third major career decision was when I decided to leave my job as an abstractor with HW Wilson and return to UCD to study for a PhD in palaeobotany (the recovery and identification of plant remains from geological contexts).
Who most influenced your career direction?
I’m not too sure about that. I had a really good science teacher for my Junior Cert and then I had some fantastic lecturers in UCD. My family has always been very supportive too.
Does your job allow you to have a lifestyle you are happy with?
Well, right now I am doing my PhD, so a lot of my time is spent working, but I really enjoy what I’m doing and I have been lucky getting to travel to conferences and other colleges for research experience, so I don’t mind the packed schedule.
Describe a typical day
As a PhD student, I do not really have a typical day.
In term, I spend a two afternoons a week demonstrating to undergraduates in laboratory classes. The rest of my time is split between reading and working in the lab.
Out of term, I spend most of my time trying to do as much lab work and reading as possible.
What are the main tasks and responsibilities?
My main role is research, but I also demonstrate to undergraduates and am responsible for grading laboratory sessions for my groups of students.
What are the main challenges?
Managing my time between lab work, reading, demonstrating and commuting can be difficult but gets easier with practice.
What’s cool?
Working with fossil plants that lived over 200 million years ago.
What particular skills do you bring to your workplace?
My joint background in botany and geology helped me to switch between disciplines and to think about the broader significance of palaeobotany. I developed both lab and field skills in my degrees and it’s great to be able to put these skills into practice.
What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?
My best subjects in school were English, history and biology. Apart from the compulsory subjects, I took biology, chemistry, history and German for the Leaving Certificate.
I didn’t like chemistry at all, but it was useful to have a background understanding of chemistry for studying biology and geology later in college.
I enjoyed biology at school but I don’t think that the course, as it was when I sat my Leaving Certificate, really helped prepare me for college-level science.
Having the two science subjects was certainly helpful for studying science in college and I also found that the essay writing involved in history and English was very helpful because science did involve a lot of writing in the later years of my degree.
What is your education to date?
I did my Leaving Certificate in 2000. I graduated with a general degree in geology in 2003 from UCD and with a first class honours degree in botany in 2005 from UCD.
I began my PhD in UCD in October 2007.
What aspects of your education have proven most important for your job?
My joint background in geology and botany has provided me with a broad range of knowledge that has been very helpful in beginning a PhD in palaeobotany.
My science degree also included maths, physics and zoology and I think that this general science background provided me with a good understanding of how different areas of science are important to each other.
I think that paleontology and evolution were the two most relevant subject areas that I studied during my degrees for the area that I am currently working in, although I also really enjoyed mycology and anything related to ecology.
What have been the most rewarding events in your career so far?
Getting my first in botany and deciding to go back to academia to pursue a PhD.
What personal qualities do you have that helps you in your career?
Enthusiasm and passion for my subject area.
What is your dream job?
Anything that involves travel and working outdoors, particularly anything that involved mountain climbing.
What advice would you give to someone considering this job?
You need to be passionate about the science that you are considering as a career.
If you don’t love what you are doing and if you don’t like the lab or the field, then a PhD in science will not be enjoyable.
What are the three most important personal characteristics required for the job?
Love of the subject, persistence, patience.
What kinds of work experience would provide a good background for this position?
Summer work in college laboratories in the early stages of a science degree can really help you decide if research is something you would like to do for a career.
I did two summer bursaries during my time as an undergraduate, and both gave me a feel for actually doing science and really encouraged me to want to do a PhD.
