What were the main “career decision” milestones in your life so far?

I think the best thing I did for my career was to take time out after school before I went to university. I always knew what I wanted to do but after the Leaving Cert I wanted a break from education.

I worked and I travelled and it was while I was working in an Irish bar in a small town in New Zealand that I knew it was time to go to university. I still had the travel bug so I went to university in Aberdeen, Scotland.

I’ve always done a lot of voluntary work and it has been invaluable in allowing me to explore different careers that I have been interested in. I first started volunteering in Environmental Education after I finished school. If you like working with kids it’s a great area to get into.

While I was in university I volunteered in the Natural History Museum where I designed exhibitions, gave public tours and got to do a lot of behind the scenes work like preservation and cataloguing.

I’m currently volunteering with Dublin Zoo doing tours for school groups and public outreach and education. I’ve always loved Dublin Zoo and volunteering is a great way to get involved in the areas you’re interested in.

 Who are the people who most influenced your career direction?

My mum was the one who got me into science – I still remember the day she taught me what DNA stands for. As a kid I was the one in class who knew big science words and weird obscure animals and it wasn’t until I went to university that I met people with the same interests as me.

My honours adviser in university has been the biggest influence on my science career as he first introduced me to morphometrics (the study of measurements) and he always gives me great advice on my work and future career.

I’m very lucky that I have some great science friends and a boyfriend who also love science – we embrace our inner nerds. The organisations I’ve volunteered with have been a great help as well because I’ve experienced different areas of work and it’s helped me figure out what kind of career I want.

 Does your job allow you to have a lifestyle you are happy with?

My career goal is to be a lecturer and researcher so I’ll be spending a good few years in university as a student – thankfully my family is really supportive (emotionally and financially). Studying science can take a bit of a toll on your social life because lab work and reading can be very time consuming.

As a postgrad I know I’ll be spending lots of long hours in a lab over the next few years but my family, friends and boyfriend all know it’s because I’m doing something I love. The thought of being a student until I’m 30 is a bit daunting and I worry about money and being able to have a “grown-up life” like my friends who work full-time do.

Volunteering obviously takes up some time from your days off but you can be more flexible as a volunteer than as an employee. Also you can vary your work more and try lots of new things. My family and friends love that I volunteer at Dublin Zoo. They love going to the zoo for the day and having their own private tour guide.

 Describe a typical day

As a postgrad you spend most of your time reading – lots and lots of reading. Essays, lab reports and lectures take up the rest of it. It’s tiring but the reason you’re doing a postgrad is to learn and become a better scientist, so it’s hard work now but it will pay off later when you’re a fully qualified researcher and studying the things you really love.

When volunteering however, things are more flexible. In the zoo I might be giving a tour or looking after the Discovery Centre. In the Natural History Museum there was always a hundred things that needed to be done so there were no two days that were ever the same – sometimes you would be putting records on a spread sheet, others days you’re climbing into the back of a cupboard to find a stuffed duck.

What’s cool?

Student discounts and being around people who have the same interests as you. Personally, I love the challenge of studying and research and I get really bored without it. Getting to play with cool science toys is great – everything is more interesting under a microscope! The best part for me is when I discover something new.

The coolest thing about volunteering is that you get to have some really interesting experiences. Going behind the scenes at a museum and being able to see all the interesting and weird things in storage is fascinating. Obviously the coolest thing about volunteering at the zoo is that I get to go to the zoo all the time.

 What’s not so cool?

Being poor. Postgraduate students have more work and less free time than undergrad students so working can be difficult. Apply for all the grants and bursaries you can. Also it can be very tiring trying to focus for hours at a time. The only negative thing about volunteering is that you can miss out on some fun stuff because you maybe weren’t available on a particular day. Also that you can put lots of time and effort into it and you don’t get paid.

What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?

I did higher level biology and geography and ordinary level maths for my Leaving Cert. I loved biology and geography so I found them easy but I wasn’t great with maths. Geography isn’t considered a science in some universities which I think is unfair.

When I was choosing my classes for Leaving Cert my school tried to push me to do chemistry instead of geography but I wasn’t confident with chemistry so I stood my ground. You do need a certain amount of chemistry for biology and in first year of uni we had to do chemistry.

I managed to get through it and I haven’t found my lack of chemistry ability to be a problem studying biology. If I knew then what I know now I would have worked harder on my maths and paid more attention when we were learning how to use Excel. In science you’ll use Excel all the time and, although I haven’t really suffered from having average maths skills, I would like to be more confident working with numbers.

What is your university education to date?

I have a BSc hons in Zoology and I’m currently doing a Masters in Evolutionary Biology with UCD. After my Masters I’m hoping to go straight into my PhD.

What aspects of your education have proven most important for your job?

As you go through university you’ll have lots of opportunities to steer your education towards the area you’re interested in. In first and second year classes are more general, in third and fourth year you get to specialise more. I always tried to focus my classes towards physiology and genetics because evolution and osteology are my main areas of interest.

What have been the most rewarding events in your career so far?

For my honours project I was doing a morphometric study of mouse mandibles. I had 11 measurements to take on each mandible, and a few hundred mandibles to measure. I spent 12 and 14 hour days in my lab measuring taking measurements and then hours filling in Excel spreadsheets with data. But the moment I saw my graphs and realised that I had found something significant I knew it had all been worth it.

What personal qualities do you have that helps you in your career?

Stubbornness! However long it takes me, I’ll get it done.

What is your dream job?

To be a lecturer. I love knowledge and sharing my interests with people. Morphometrics is the study of the measurements, and I want to spend my life in a dusty old museum measuring bones. An animal’s life history is written in its bones – did they have enough food, how fast did they grow? I want to be able to look at a skeleton and tell you everything about that individual’s life and evolution.

What advice would you give to someone considering this job?

Don’t panic and don’t rush. Think about what you want to gain ultimately and work towards that. If what you want changes don’t panic and possibly make a bad decision. Talk to the people who have done this before you – your adviser, your lecturers, people already in the job – and let them help you make the best moves for you.

When you’re doing your work, don’t rush. Rushing causes mistakes and wastes time. If you want a career in science you’ll also have to accept that you’re in it for the long run, but if it’s the right career for you then it’ll be worth it.

What are the three most important personal characteristics required for the job?

Passion, curiosity and the ability to fail and start again. For every ‘rule’ there is in biology, there is an exception to that rule. When you work with living things, that have their own interests and agendas, you will be amazed at how often you’re perfect plans and theories get thrown out the window.

Be able to laugh it off when the mouse curls up and falls asleep instead of going through the maze – and have a plan B.

Dr Siobhan O'Sullivan

What were the main ‘career decision’ milestones in your life so far?  

I had a fantastic biology teacher in secondary school who definitely gave me a huge interest in the subject. He also believed I had huge potential. I have had some inspirational lecturers at third level too who engaged the class and made the subjects they taught real.

I have had a slight career change from pure biochemistry into more science education and teaching and learning. Teaching is such a rewarding job. Being in a lecture theatre, teaching a really difficult topic and watching the students take on board the topic, ask the questions and understand – for me that is just brilliant.

I have used a lot of social media tools in the last few years to complement what I teach. Blogs have been used by students to reflect on topics discussed in class. For me reading them has given such insight into how students learn, what helps them learn and see what they enjoy in class.

They have also helped me in my own teaching. Seeing a quiet student come alive in a blog and discuss their difficulties or what they love about class… this has really transformed my teaching and it has built up my relationships with students.

Feedback from peers has been a great motivator to move forward and try new things. I have some fantastic mentors in CIT who I run things by. They have really enabled me to do so many things and they have opened a lot of new doors for me. That has been a huge help in my own professional development.

Describe a typical day

No day is the same in my current job as Curriculum Development Manager. I have so many things going on a lot of the time it’s a bit crazy. The summer time is the best because people are on holidays and the number of emails is reduced.

Teaching is a bit more predictable as you have a timetable. There is a lot of time spent each day teaching, preparing lectures, liaising with technicians about labs, what chemicals need to be ordered, how many students will be in a lab, how long will the lab take etc.

It requires a lot of preparation and time management. Lecture notes need to be online, assessments loaded also and corrected. Corrections take up an enormous amount of time.

In my present role I am involved in developing courses and am currently researching content. For a PhD programme the content is very different to undergraduate level and the students are different.

We are determined to produce a programme that’s very student centered and meeting the needs of the employment market. I am working with industry in the development of the courses which is something I haven’t done before.

I want to produce courses that the students will think “Wow” at the end, “I learned a lot from that and I experienced working in a group, wrote a blog etc something I have never done before.” I see my role as paving the way for our students to have significant learning experiences. To do that involves me listening to the needs of industry, the needs of college in terms of academic standards and the needs of students.

What are the main challenges?

Trying to keep on top of everything. Time management is key; I have a tendency to bring work home with me which takes from home life a bit. I am lucky that my partner does all the cooking at home and is supportive.

Working as an academic is challenging as there are new developments on the horizon all the time. I enjoy it though. I am always up for a challenge. Going to conferences is great as you get to see the big picture and you also get to see where one needs to go. They can also be great for building confidence.

It is great presenting to a full lecture theatre at a conference and having people ask you lots of questions and say they love your work. I have won prizes at many conferences for my work and that has been fantastic.

What’s cool?

My friends think it is cool that I can travel to so many places to present my work and meet so many interesting people. I love meeting people and I love that aspect of the job. I also love showing off the work my students have done. I am very proud of them and I like people to see the potential in students when they are challenged in the right way.

I like the flexibility of the job and the unexpected nature of it. I like a bit of unpredictability and this job is certainly that. This summer alone I visited four different countries in a short period of time.

What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?

I took as my elective subjects biology, chemistry, business and art. I chose the right subjects for a career in science. There is too much emphasis on points now and students are picking “easy” subjects to get points in.

It’s important if you want a career in science then you should take two science subjects at Leaving Certificate. Otherwise first year in college will be hard as you will have to cover all the science subjects.

I had to take physics in first year and it was hard. Many of my friends failed first year because they took on two science subjects they hadn’t done in school.

After the Leaving Certificate, I studied science and graduated with an honours degree in biochemistry. I then received a fellowship to take a PhD in biochemistry/microbiology

I worked as a postdoctoral research scientist in areas such as public health where I taught medical students protein chemistry and we looked at drug design. In public health I trained as a genetic epidemiologist and worked on a fascinating study on heart disease in the Cork and Kerry region.

While there I received funding from the Health Research Board to study in the US, at the National Institute of Health in Maryland. It was an amazing experience. As I become more interested in teaching and science education I took courses on Teaching and Learning. I took an MA in this area a few years ago.

What aspects of your education have proven most important for your job?

Many degree choices have got very narrow and one is limited as to what one can do later on. But biochemistry is a great degree because it is broad. One can go on to a Masters or PhD in microbiology or work in other areas such as public health, genetics, nutrition or physiology.

What have been the most rewarding events in your career so far?

Getting my PhD and MA. I also am proud of the work I have done in Teaching and Learning because it is innovative and creative. I was given an award in my school a few years back for being one of the best past pupils, I had to give a speech in front of all the students, parents and teachers. I felt very privileged.

I like to work with and advise young people. I feel all the years of working with young people and students have given me great understanding and empathy. I have written a biology book with Macmillan publishers for West Africa, so hopefully I will be a star there!

What personal qualities do you have that helps you in your career?

Empathy, understanding, creative, a great sense of humour and realistic.

What advice would you give to someone considering this job?

It a specialist job therefore it takes years of experience to get to this level. Having the experience makes the job easier and also you have learned a lot on the journey and it makes you wiser:

What are the three most important personal characteristics required for the job?

Belief in what you do, energy and creativity.

Catherine Jordan, senior aquarist

What were the main ‘career decision’ milestones in your life so far?

Well, I’m only 23 so I haven’t experienced too many milestones yet. I was extremely lucky to start work in the Aquarium just after I finished my final-year exams, but before that I always had an interest in marine life – growing up by the sea definitely had a major influence in my career choice.

I took biology in school and in college, and I also took the subjects such as marine geoscience and aquatic plant science as part of my degree which aided in my career development.

Who are the people who most influenced your career direction?

My parents were the ones who influenced me most. I grew up spending every weekend on my Dad’s boat learning about the ocean first hand.

Also I was so fortunate to get to travel a lot when I was a child, and no matter where we went we were always brought to aquariums which added to my love of sea life from Seaworld in Florida to the very aquarium I work in today in Galway.

I also spent many years in rock pools looking for all kinds of life, so these aspects have moulded my love for the marine life I work with today.

Does your job allow you to have a lifestyle you are happy with?

Very much so. We are all very lucky to get time off when we need it and the hours are sociable so

in the evenings I have lots of time to spend on my hobbies such as swimming, photography, diving and travelling .

How did you go about getting your current job?

I contacted the aquarium, expressing a deep interest and was willing to do any job that was available.

I was lucky enough to get called for an interview and from there I showcased my skills and was appointed as an aquarist. I then started directly after my final-year exams.

What’s your typical day like?

It depends on the season. We start the summer off with school tours every day, then when the children all go on holidays the aquarium is always very busy with the public, so we spend the majority of our time giving tours along with general duties which would include feeding fish, general tank maintenance (hygiene, making sure everything is working, pumping water in from the sea) water quality and temperature checks.

During the winter when the children go back to school the aquarium gets a little quieter family wise during the week, but we always have primary/secondary school tours in. This time is used for jobs we wouldn’t get done during the busy months, like setting up new exhibits.

The aquarium is a center for Discover Primary Science so each week we have several three-hour slots for primary schools to get a tour, do experiments, learn about animal anatomy and sometimes do a beach safari.

Also every year we have a “Marine month of madness” where there are talks on every week, beach safaris, beach cleans, world ocean day and many other activities that involve the public and groups of local organisations, so every day differs in the aquarium.

What are your main tasks and responsibilities?

I divide the tasks between myself and other aquarists, so each day we could be doing different jobs, like feeding fish, checking water quality, feeling fish vitamins, enrichment, giving guided tours, and as I am responsible for the jellyfish programme, every day my tasks include: raising the moon jellyfish from ephyra to medusa, which includes monitoring them several times a day and recording every aspect of the project from first strobulation to a month in the lab then onto display.

What are the main challenges?

The jellyfish programme is definitely a challenge as consistency of approach is of high importance, i.e. water flow is perfectly balanced and changed daily, temperature is checked frequently and amounts of food being fed out are the correct amount, growth of ephyra is also monitored every few days. Therefore it is a challenge but a good one, because the result is very satisfying – seeing them fully grown and healthy.

What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?

I chose biology, geography, French, maths, home economics, English and Irish for the Leaving Cert.

In college I had a wide range of subjects, from biology, chemistry and maths in first year to marine geoscience, botany, geophysics, geology and environmental science. So my degree gave me a solid background in so many areas.

If I had the choice to go back I’d study chemistry in Leaving Cert, which would have helped me a lot in college, and zoology. Although I have learned a lot in my job which has filled the gaps I was missing from zoology.

What is your education to date?

• Leaving Cert – St Mary’s Secondary School, Ballina, Co Mayo
• BSc Earth and Ocean Sciences at NUI Galway

What have been the most rewarding events in your career so far?

Being appointed senior aquarist was the highlight of my career in the aquarium so far. Giving a talk on careers to the third and fourth years in my old factulity in university was very rewarding. Successfully managing the moon jellyfish programme.

What personal qualities do you have that help you in your career?

Enthuasium, people skills, patience, hard working, consistent, trustworthy, responsible, team player.

What is your dream job?

It changes every day but working with children in a science environment seems to be the most constant, it’s what I love. But personally I think Miranda Krestovnikoff has the coolest job – working for BBC1, diving for a travel programme.

What advice would you give to someone considering this job?

Learn to dive: it has taught me so much about marine life it’s unbelievable. Work on your confidence – for a job like this you have to be able to speak to a lot of people at one time.

Obviously you need to have an interest in marine life, and like children, because we are fortunate to get to work with them on a daily basis. Be prepared to work hard. I would also strongly advise studying marine science.

What are the three most important personal characteristics required for the job?

Open to learning, confidence, communication skills.

Nikita Burke, Physiologist

What have been your main “career decision” milestones so far?

I was always fascinated with the human body. In school, biology was my favourite subject and I studied it with passion. I chose Undenominated Science at NUI Galway for my undergraduate degree, studying physiology in second year. I immediately loved it, and studied it with fervour.

In my final year I had the opportunity to work with my current supervisor, Dr Roche, in a research project into depression and pain co-morbidity. This provided a taste for neuroscience research while looking at the bigger picture, and thus, my interest in undertaking a PhD was sparked.

Who most influenced your career direction?

My family is hugely supportive and encouraging of my studies and always backed me on every decision. My older cousins both studied at NUI Galway and their experiences influenced my desire to complete my degree in Galway.

Working with Dr Roche for my undergraduate project I became motivated to pursue a PhD by her passion for and research in the field of neuroscience, particularly in pain and depression.

In addition, Dr David Finn, co-supervisor of my project, has an excellent track record in the area of pain research and is co-director of Ireland’s Centre for Pain Research. Both lectured me at an undergraduate level and inspired my quest for knowledge.

Does your job allow you to have a lifestyle you are happy with?

Overall, yes. Work-life balance can be difficult at times, but I love what I am doing and am dedicated to working hard. In the current economic climate, jobs in Ireland may be harder to come by when I finish, but I look forward to working in international laboratories and further developing my career.

Ultimately, I would like to work in research and academia, furthering knowledge and inspiring young students.

How did you go about getting your current job?

During my final year, I expressed my interest in pursuing a PhD to Dr Roche. We discussed a research proposal which expanded on the question I investigated in my undergraduate project.

I applied for a postgraduate scholarship which was kindly granted by the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at NUI Galway.

Describe a typical day

There is rarely a typical day. Work can involve running experiments, data analysis, reading, writing, compiling reports, demonstrating practical labs, preparing presentations – sometimes all of these in one day! Frequently, there are deadlines to adhere to, so organising and prioritising tasks are critical.

What are the main tasks and responsibilities?

The main tasks are carrying out the experiments and compiling results, and keeping up to date with current research in your field.

What are the main challenges?

Overcoming problems and difficulties such as experiments that aren’t working out, and getting all the work done in time can be challenging and slightly stressful.

What’s cool?

I love working in a lab and I feel so lucky to have this opportunity. It’s very important to enjoy your PhD research. Getting interesting results is what keeps me going. I love reading and the continuous learning. It’s great fun to interact and work with undergraduate students.

What’s not so cool?

Statistics.

What particular skills do you bring to your workplace?

I am dedicated, have a good work ethic, and a passion for physiology and neuroscience.

What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?

Biology was by far the most significant subject choice for my career. I loved it and had a passion for learning. In addition, having a good base in English is crucial due to the importance of writing and communication in science.

Maths is a bonus for statistics, logic and problem-solving skills. I would recommend that students consider taking a foreign language, as many travel opportunities exist in research and this can confer an advantage to pursue a career in an international laboratory.

What is your education to date?

• Second Level– Biology, Physics-Chemistry, and European Computer Driving Licence.
• Third Level – Science Year 1 (Biology, Maths, Physics, Chemistry
• Year 2 – Physiology, Microbiology, Biochemistry
• Year 3 – Physiology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology
• Degree – Physiology
• PhD – Physiology

What aspects of your education have proven most important for your job?

The neurophysiology module I studied as part of my physiology degree was my favourite module and led me to choose a neuroscience based project as my final-year project.

What have been the most rewarding events in your career so far?

The work in my undergraduate project was recently published in an international peer-reviewed journal. In addition, Dr Roche and Dr Finn have collaborated with an internationally renowned lab, providing me the opportunity to carry out invaluable research in Madrid.

Also, I won Poster Presentation prizes at local and national conferences – it’s a great feeling to see your hard work being rewarded.

What personal qualities do you have that helps you in your career?

Persistence, enthusiasm and dedication.

What is your dream job?

To be a leading academic research scientist in a vibrant exciting lab in Ireland.

What advice would you give to someone considering this job?

A love and deep interest in your subject is the main factor. A life science degree is essential for a PhD in physiology. Dedication, a good work ethic and self-motivation are fundamental.

What kinds of work experience would provide a good background for this position?

A huge advantage would be securing a summer placement in a lab. A limited amount of internships and bursaries exist, but even a week’s work shadowing in a department can provide invaluable insight into daily life in research.

Fiona Boyle, Microbiologist

What were the main “career decision” milestones in your life so far?

My main career decision to date was leaving my first job to go back and study for a PhD in bacteriology. When I left college I went straight into a microbiology industry job. However, I always wanted to carry out a PhD but I needed to work outside of the academic world before I embarked on the journey.

A PhD requires a lot of commitment and dedication. I feel that my time in industry prepared me for the task. In addition, I always wanted to lecture, and having a PhD is essential for that role. The decision was not taken lightly as lecturing it is a very difficult career to break into, however that is my goal.

I enjoy research thoroughly and in the future I will strive to combine my research success with a successful and fulfilling career in lecturing.

Who are the people who most influenced your career direction?

My professor has been very influential in my career to date. He taught me as an undergraduate and I always admired the way he was able to make a lecture entertaining and interesting. He had a very insightful way into how to get across a lot of information without it being a strain on his class.

I recently started covering a few lectures and I try and incorporate some of the things I learnt from him. It has received a very good response. I feel a real sense of accomplishment that I have given over some of my knowledge to the students after giving a lecture.

Does your job allow you to have a lifestyle you are happy with?

My job allows me to work flexible hours and in certain cases when papers are due and results need to be written up I can work from home. Working in research enables me to meet new people and be involved in activities outside of the laboratory. Importantly my job allows me to think outside the box.

How did you go about getting your current job?

I saw an advertisement on the www.nuigalway.ie website for a research assistant. After this contract I started my PhD in the same department.

What are your main tasks and responsibilities?

I am at present setting up a laboratory service for all the clinical laboratories to send patient specimens for analysis. My main focus and interests are antibiotic resistance in bacteria that have been taken from patients in hospitals and in the community.

I receive clinical samples from patients from hospital laboratories all over Ireland. I carry out all steps of the analysis of the bacteria from these samples. I receive and log in samples to the laboratory. I carry out phenotypic and genotypic testing on the bacteria that I find in the sample.

The phenotypic testing tells me what antibiotics can be used to treat the infection caused by the bacteria. The genotypic testing lets me determine what genes are causing the antibiotic resistance in the bacteria. This is important because if the bacteria are shown to possess antimicrobial resistance genes then the number of antibiotics that a doctor can prescribe to make the patient better is depleted. In some extreme cases there may be no antibiotics left to treat extremely ill patients.

What are the main challenges?

Staying positive when laboratory tests fail without explanation after extensive troubleshooting.

What’s cool?

Being responsible for a project. Planning, carrying out and troubleshooting are all exciting and motivating. I find it very exciting when I am the first person to see the result of a test and I have to decipher it.

It is also a great experience when my work is accepted for presentation at conferences all over the world as I get the opportunity to travel and meet people in my field from all across the world, and I get to confer with people who may be able to help me with problems in my own research.

What particular skills do you bring to your workplace?

Good laboratory skills, medical microbiology knowledge, organisational skills and time management are important.

What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?

For my Leaving Certificate I studied biology, maths, English, Irish, German, business organisation and geography.

In college for my BSc degree in microbiology I studied (throughout the four years): biology, chemistry, earth science, maths, microbiology, biochemistry, genetics, and anatomy.

For my Masters in Biomedical Science I studied medical microbiology, immunology, research design and statistics, DNA technology and oncology.

What aspects of your education have proven most important for your job?

Microbiology for my undergraduate degree, my research project for my Masters in biomedical science, demonstrating laboratory practicals to undergraduates, and taking on lecturing duties have all been important in training and preparing for my career as a lecturer.

What personal qualities do you have that helps you in your career?

Patience is definitely one! Drive, ambition, motivation are important qualities I possess. Also passion for the work and an interest in the subject area are pivotal. Organisation skills are also very important in this career. I would also say that I am an ‘analyzer’ and that is a helpful trait for this career.

What is your dream job?

In the future I hope to lecture full-time and also have my own research group.

What advice would you give to someone considering this job?

In order to obtain a position in academia and also be involved in research, a PhD is essential. However, in a lot of cases, and indeed in mine, it may be a good idea to consider taking a break after an undergraduate degree before embarking on a three-year-plus PhD degree. During this time I would highly recommended gaining work experience in a laboratory to see if you like the type of work that you could end up working in depth in for a PhD.

It is very important in research to stay positive as sometimes laboratory tests and indeed entire projects may fail. In these instances it is essential to see an end goal and keep on striving to achieve it, regardless of the minor mishaps on the way.

What are the three most important personal characteristics required for the job?

Positivity, drive and focus

What kinds of work experience would provide a good background for this position?

I would suggest to anyone interesting in this type of career to contact the outreach people/departments in their local university and try and arrange some work experience in a lab of their choice.

Tom Doyle tagging a leatherback sea turtle in French Guiana

What were the main ‘career decision’ milestones in your life so far?

I trained and worked as an electrician for six years before deciding to go to college. I wasn’t particularly interested in being an electrician – it was just something I fell into.

In hindsight, working in the real world after leaving school was a great experience and helped me focus my mind on what I would really like to do (or at least on what I didn’t want to do). Also, it’s important to be brave sometime.

I had a secure job that paid very well, and giving that up to go to college (unpaid) was a major decision in my career. I can still remember my first biology lecture in the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology and thinking “Wow, this is fascinating; this is what I want to do.”

However, it took me 10 years before I finally received a pay cheque that covered my bills, so it was a long road before finally ending up where I am today.

Does your job allow you to have a lifestyle you are happy with?

For me my job was never about money. Who ever heard of a rich marine biologist? During my time as an electrician I found that I was generally dissatisfied (don’t get me wrong, being an electrician is a great job – it just didn’t float my boat).

You work five days a week for most of the year, so your job is largely your life and it makes sense that if you are not happy in work then it’s hard to be happy outside of it. So for me it was important that I found something that inspired and challenged me.

I guess I’m a bit of a stargazer who always asked questions about the world. Now that I’m a marine biologist I’m very happy and get to ask questions every day. I could always do with more money but hey, I get to go out in boats most weeks doing stuff that most other people pay a fortune for, so maybe it all balances out in the end.

On the down side there aren’t many opportunities for me to progress as there is no career path. We just make it up as we go along. Hopefully one day there will be permanent research positions in the universities.

How did you go about getting your current job?

I’m a postdoctoral researcher which means that I have a licence to do research as long as you can convince a funding body that what you want to do is worth funding.

So essentially you spend a lot of time writing proposals for work that you would like to do. The job I do now is a job that I wrote the proposal for and won. It’s very competitive but proposal writing is a skill that you learn and hopefully get better at. On the up side, you get to write your own job spec!

Describe a typical day

Honestly, there is no typical day. Some days can be spent working on the water doing research from our small boat (the best days), the odd time out on a research vessel in the Celtic or Irish Seas (for a few weeks), some days in the laboratory analysing samples, and other days attending workshops/conferences and giving presentations.

I rarely do any scuba diving, which probably shatters the image of a marine biologist.

Like most researchers I spend a large amount of my time in front of a computer screen analysing data, writing manuscripts (an important job for scientists is to publish their research, we do so by writing manuscripts and hopefully they get published in journals), reading about the latest research, emailing, communicating with the media or doing administrative work.

An important task I try to make time for is “quiet time” (like my eldest son in his crèche). Essentially this boils down to some time away from computers and other distractions to think about your research. You need to give your brain a chance to work.

I also spend a great deal of my time on the phone chatting to fishermen, members of the general public, the media and other scientists. I like to talk but it’s also important to communicate what you are doing to the world (whether scientists or the general public). Lastly, I am constantly trying to find more money for my research.

What are the main tasks and responsibilities?

My main responsibility is to conduct marine research and to address the various questions asked of me by my funding bodies.

For example, one project I work on requires that we determine the abundance of jellyfish in the Irish Sea and assess whether they are increasing or not as a result of climate change and/or overfishing.

For another project I am trying to identify what types of jellyfish impact negatively on salmon aquaculture. I don’t do these jobs in isolation but work as part of an international collaborative team of researchers.

What’s cool?

The best thing about my job is tagging marine animals and seeing where they go. Handling giant sea turtles and venomous jellyfish is pretty cool!

What is your education to date?

• Electrical apprenticeship (four years)
• Certificate in Science – Biology in Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (two years)
• Degree in Zoology at NUI Galway (three years)
• Then after some travel abroad I did a PhD in Zoology at UCC (three years)

What aspects of your education have been most important for your job?

Having a good knowledge in biology and other science subjects is important. Mathematics is also very helpful. However, I would stress that the most important qualification for my job is enthusiasm.

Only those who are really interested in marine biology succeed, as there is a lot of competition for jobs or funding.

What have been the most rewarding events in your career so far?

Satellite tagging two leatherback sea turtles off the west coast of Ireland. Most people said it couldn’t be done and that I would probably never see one. So to tag two leatherbacks off Dingle and then to be able to follow their movements (via satellites) around the Atlantic Ocean for more than a year was very exciting.

It was the first time that leatherbacks had been satellite-tagged in European waters and only the second place in the world where they were tagged at their foraging (feeding) grounds.

But like a lot of what I do it was only made possible by close collaboration with communities and local fishermen. It was only with help and friendship of Pádraig Frank O’Súilleabháin (salmon fisherman) that we managed to tags these turtles.

What advice would you give to someone considering this job?

Follow what interests you most. This seems like stating the obvious, but many people choose a subject based on career opportunities (i.e. will there be jobs in this area?). If you follow a subject that you truly enjoy then you will become one of the best at it and then a job will find you.

Food scientist Seamus O'Mahony

What were the main ‘career decision’ milestones in your life so far?

Entering fifth year I was sure I wanted to do science in college but still had some work to do in terms of identifying the specific course I wanted to do. I chose to do Chemistry and Biology in fifth year in school as a foundation for a science-based degree.

It is important to have goals (while they sometimes move) at that stage so that you are making informed choices about subjects etc. Work experience in the milk processing industry (Dawn Dairies and Glanbia) during college summer holidays provided me with first-hand exposure to the products, processing equipment, packaging technology, quality and distribution systems covered in lectures.

Work experience greatly helps to link the theory with the practical and makes it much easier and interesting to learn the theory. Foreign travel (I spent a year of my PhD in a food science laboratory at the University of Wisconsin in the US) also helps to broaden your horizons and is a source of new learning opportunities.

Who were the biggest influences on your career direction?

My parents are dairy farmers and the farm-based environment growing up provided me with early, ongoing exposure to the food industry. They also taught me the value of hard work and the sacrifices that have to be made in making a success of what you do – it takes a lifetime to become an overnight success.

My lecturers in college also had a clear passion for the material they were teaching us – that helped to provide me with interest, curiosity and passion for my area of study.

What are the main tasks and responsibilities in your job?

They can be broken down into three main areas:

• Teaching and learning – developing and delivering lectures and laboratory sessions
• Research – establishing and running a research programme
• Administration – funding proposals, reports, meetings, committees etc

They are all really interesting and each area helps to complement the others.

What particular skills do you bring to your workplace?

Interest in life-long learning. I’m sure that I will never know everything and that I will be learning every day. Patience and respect for people are very important in all jobs.

Collaboration and teamwork are also very important in making the most of the resources available. Working in industry for four or five years before taking up lecturing has provided me with a very good understanding of the needs and expectations of industry in terms of research activities and graduate skills and so on.

What is your education to date?

• Leaving Certificate:  I took two science subjects, Chemistry and Biology. These provided me with a good foundation for Food Science in college. I did not have Physics for my Leaving Certificate but this was not an issue as it was taught from a relatively basic level in first year and there were good support structures such as small-group tutorials and so on
• Degree in Food Science (specialised in Food Chemistry)
• PhD in Food Science and Technology (cheese ripening and new ingredient development)

What kinds of work experience would provide a good background for this position?

Work experience in the food industry would be really beneficial. If that is not possible then experience of working in other similar industries (e.g. pharmaceutical industry) would also be helpful.

It is important to remember too that the skills associated with self-development (e.g. people management, time management, teamwork etc) can be learned in any industry, so all opportunities for work placement are beneficial.

What are the three most important personal characteristics required for the job?

You need to have a genuine interest in and respect for people (students, researchers, collaborators etc). You need to be a self-starter and well motivated.

Anne-Marie Glynn - Molecular biology

What were the main ‘career decision’ milestones in your life so far?

At secondary school I didn’t really have a favourite subject, so I opted to study biotechnology at NUI Galway, as it included business and French in addition to a diverse range of scientific topics.

(Considering that I came to Germany to do my PhD, perhaps it would have been wiser if I selected to study German rather than French at university!)

After my degree I was offered a job in a hospital lab checking patient samples to check if they had cancer or other diseases. However, I realised that I preferred learning in-depth about a topic, so that I and others could really understand what was going on.

During my degree I spent a summer at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and loved the international atmosphere, so I decided to return there to study for a PhD.

Who are the people who most influenced your career direction?

My parents have always been fully supportive of whatever I chose to do. They taught me to believe in my abilities.

However, it was my Leaving Cert biology teacher, Mr Keane, who really encouraged me into science. Throughout university I also got lots of support and guidance from lecturers.

Does your job allow you to have a lifestyle you are happy with?

Working in science is excellent if you enjoy travelling. Think back to how different people can be if you go abroad on holidays. Now imagine working with people from different cultures, with different hobbies and languages, and them becoming your friends.

In general you can have the opportunity to travel all over the world to explain your work to other scientists. Besides the international atmosphere, I am extremely fortunate to work in an institute where famous scientific speakers come every week to share their ideas.

The working hours are very flexible. Although we have busy days, scientists also know how to have fun. I’m lucky to have good friends to hang out with, whether by the riverside, going for a cycle or watching a film.

Describe a typical day

Every day is different. Generally I need to book the equipment that I want to use in advance so it is important to be organised. I am flexible and never plan too strictly as one thing you can be sure of in science is that things often don’t go exactly according to plan.

I spend about half my time doing computer work and the other half experimental. Once we have results then you try to publish them to let others know what you did – either by preparing a poster, giving a seminar or writing an article for a journal.

What are your main tasks and responsibilities?

I’m working in an area called cryo-electron tomography of vitreous sections – I guess most people won’t have heard of that before.

It’s basically photography in three dimensions – not like a movie but a photograph that you can enter into to explore not just the areas at the front but also deep into the image. You can twist them around and view it from different sides to see things that have never been seen before. Really small things can be seen in this way with 50 000 times magnification.

In addition to my scientific work, I’m involved in a lot of extra activities – organising scientific retreats and conferences and promoting the interests of PhD students within the organisation.

What are the main challenges?

Science is changing rapidly with new ideas and concepts being proposed all the time. Sometimes it is hard to stay on top of it all. However, I’m fortunate that we have world-famous scientists giving us ‘previews’ of their work on a weekly basis and the chance to discuss it afterwards.

What’s cool?

Did I mention that I work with diamonds? Our samples need to be cut into very small pieces and the only substance strong enough to do this is diamond. It’s very sharp, so it’s a little different to the diamond in a ring.

Following this, I use a microscope and a computer to study the sample in 3D and I paint different areas to make it easier for other people to understand the images and their biological context.

What is your education to date?

Leaving Certificate Vocational at Ballinode College, Sligo which gave me a chance to set up a mini-company in addition to the regular Leaving Cert subjects
BSc Biotechnology at NUI Galway (included scientific subjects, a modern language and business)
PhD awarded jointly by the University of Dundee, Scotland and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Germany
What aspects of your education have proven most important for your job?

For me, science constantly evolves. The precise details of the courses are not essential but instead it is important to learn how to critically assess information while maintaining an open mind and learn where to find the answers that you need. Naturally, you must understand the basics about the area you’re interested in but you can never say “That’s it – I’m not going to learn anything else new!”

What have been the most rewarding events in your career so far?

Getting an award from Dr Garret Fitzgerald due to my final year exam results was a highlight, particularly for my parents. During my PhD I helped develop a new technique that enables us to study scientific problems in a new way. Let’s see what the future holds.

What personal qualities do you have that helps you in your career?

I’m flexible, organised and able to communicate both to other scientists and those working in other fields. I’m also willing to try new ideas and have a calm disposition and immense patience.

What is your dream job?

I would love to lecture to share my enthusiasm for science with students. Ideally I think that science should be understood more by the general public and I would enjoy communicating all the breakthroughs in science.

What advice would you give to someone considering this job?

You need to be inquisitive and to question things – not just believe everything that you are told without really considering all aspects related to it. Patience and perseverance would help, as does a lucky streak. It’s important to believe in yourself and your abilities as occasionally it can be a lonely road.

What kinds of work experience would provide a good background for this position?

A short placement in any laboratory environment would give a taster, or even to ask someone if you can follow them around for a few days. Although sometimes the equipment looks complicated to begin with – it’s rather simple once you’re familiar with it.

Stuart Green - Earth observation specialist

What were the main “career decision” milestones in your life so far?

As a primary degree I studied geophysics, graduating in 1992. I had given little thought to further study, but an economic downturn made me reconsider.

The Erasmus programme was offering excellent bursaries to study for an MSc in remote sensing in Dundee University, and without doubt this was the major career milestone.

It not only introduced me to my area of work but the programme also allowed for travel within the EU, which was how I came to study in UCD for the second half of my Masters.

After the MSc I decided to stay in Ireland and was offered a technician post in the lab where I had completed my MSC, the applied physics lab in UCD under Eoin O’Mongain.

After a couple of years on rolling short-term contracts, an opportunity for a PhD came up in the lab, which I took.

Describe a typical day

At any time I may have four or five projects “live” – some instigated and led by me (for instance a creating a map of hedgerows for the whole country), some where I’m a partner (using airborne lasers, LIDAR, to measure forests) and others where I am merely providing information or input (mapping farmland habitats).

It’s best to concentrate on one project in a day, but phone calls, emails, reports etc can quickly take over if you are not careful. But you can always switch to another if you get stuck, deadline permitting!

What are the main tasks and responsibilities?

My main task is to research the use of remote sensing and Earth observation technologies in agriculture in Ireland. Most work is based on the computer with a little field work.

What particular skills do you bring to your workplace?

As in most scientific enterprises, you need to combine good technical skills with curiosity and ingenuity. I think I’m good at problem solving: coming up with elegant and not so elegant solutions to issues.

What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?

I took a wide range of subjects at secondary school: physics, chemistry and maths but also English, history, classical studies (ancient Rome and Greece) and art.

What is your education to date?

• A-level maths, physics and chemistry
• BSc in Geophysics
• MSc in remote sensing

What aspects of your education have proven most important for your job?

Undoubtedly maths is very important in this type of science career. It carries through to many different areas.

What have been the most rewarding events in your career so far?

For my PhD I flew all over Ireland in a single-engine Cessna.

Working in the lab I took part in research cruises in the Aegean and working for Teagasc I helped create the National Indicative Soil Map. This is now used as a fundamental dataset by literally hundreds of researchers, engineers and government agencies.

What advice would you give someone considering this job?

Be willing to learn on the job. Remote sensing can only be really successful when the researcher understands the system and the physics but also understands something of the target.

So even though my background and training is in “physics” I’ve had to pick up lots of information on forestry, ecology, soil science and others.

What are the three most important personal characteristics required for the job?

Curiosity, adaptability and a good “spatial awareness” – you need to get used seeing unusual things in unusual contexts!

What kinds of work experience would provide a good background for this position?

Computer labs, design studios and digital media will all give a sense of handing and using images on a computer. Architects and civil engineering firms will give an idea on maps and spatial awareness. Try using Google Earth for a specific goal, such as introducing Google Earth and Google Maps into a community organisation or charity.

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.