This weeks PhDetails is with Jenna Lawson who does her PhD at Imperial College London on using acoustics to better understand the ecology of the spider monkey and the threats it faces. Jenna carried out an undergrad in biology and geology at Keele University before doing a Masters in wildlife biology and ecology at Edinburgh Napir. Jenna has spent two years travelling in between studies seeing the world and working on various wildlife related projects in Peru and Australia, where she says she gained most of her much needed voluntary experience.
Well let’s start of talking about completely unscientific stuff: What is your favourite band/musical artist pre 1980?
Bob marley
Favourite band/musical artist post 1980?
I don’t really have a favourite but reggae music is my favourite, especially since coming to Costa Rica
Favourite movie?
Blood diamond
Where do you study and who is your supervisor?
Imperial college London, Silwood Park- Cristina Banks Leita
What year of your PhD are you in?
Year 2
Who’s giving you the money – and for how long?
NERC grant SSCP programme, 3.5 years
Do you have any publications – if so where (these will be linked to in the post)?
Not yet!
Did you do a masters – where was it and was it about?
Wildlife biology and conservation at Edinburgh
Do you do fieldwork? What is the best fieldwork you have ever done and what made it great?
I do a lot! Costa Rica has been by far the best due to the shear amount of wildlife encounters on a daily basis
How many PhDs did you apply for – what were you looking for?
I didn’t apply for one, I actually made my own, I came up with the idea whilst living in Costa Rica working for another organisation and then presented it to my current supervisor and together we put it forward for a NERC grant
What is the most bodged piece of equipment you have had to use during field/labwork – did it work?
A measuring line when I was working on a transect on a coral reef that went blank after 5 meters, not much use for a 50m transect when your 25 meters down!
What one piece of advice would you give to a masters student applying to PhDs now?
Make your own! If you have an idea develop it and present it to those working in the field and find funding. It’s a longer road but I could never find one advertised that I wanted to spend 4 years working on. Now I have a PhD that I truly have a passion for
What supervisor traits are important to you?
Belief and passion for the project and the right mix of letting you be independent but supporting if you need it
What do you think are the worst supervisor traits?
Over or under supervision. No care for your work.
In one sentence what is your PhD about?
I use acoustics to better understand the ecology of the spider monkey and threats to this species, this information we will use, together with land-use data to design a biological corridor and management plan for this species
What has been your academic highlight of the last year?
Exploring the field of acoustics and its potential use in ecology and conservation
Have you had an academic lowpoint of the last year – if so what happened?
Crashing my drone into a bird on a pilot study, well the bird crashed into my drone and destroyed it, escaping unharmed!
Which academic idol/scientist have you met?
Jane Goodall
Which academic idol/scientist would you most like to meet?
Of course David Attenborough
Do you have a favourite paper?
Yikes I have no clue!
What has been your favourite conference so far – why?
NERC changing planet conference 2018- I was on the organising committee and really got to see how an event like this is planned and executed
What hours do you typically work?
In London 9-5 Monday to Friday but in the field its 6 days a week 12 hours a day!
What do you do when you’re not working – how do you balance it with your PhD?
I am learning Spanish, I love photography and have my own photography exhibition, I am also the vice president for another conservation organisation in Costa Rica, which keeps me very busy.
If a genie could grant you one wish to help with your PhD what would you wish for?
My very own genie to do all my stats for me
What would be your dream job?
My own conservation project where I can have a mix of research and community agroforestry projects
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Building my dream job!
One word to sum up your future in academia:
Unknown!
What do you want to achieve outside of academia in the coming year?
I am learning to farm insects to provide a sustainable source of protein to local people in my study area, I would like to successfully raise one batch, in other words, not kill them all!
What essential tool hardware/software could you not do your PhD without?
ArcGIS
Who has been your academic role model/inspiration and why?
I don’t really have one
Where is somewhere you would like to work in the future?
I would like to stay in Costa rica
Do you have a favourite organism – what is it and why?
I love my study animal of course but I also love the dolphin, cute, intelligent and very social!
How do you avoid procrastinating?
I don’t! I have learnt to accept it
What motivates you in your day to day PhD life?
That I believe my study can truly make a difference in conservation and the harder I would the more difference I can make
How often do you meet with your supervisor?
In my first year every 1-2 weeks but she was always available if needed
Are there any social interactions/meetings which have enhanced your PhD experience e.g. social seminars/group meetings?
Just having a great lab group has helped, everyone has different strengths that can help each other
If you could change one thing about your group/department structure what would it be (serious e.g. more student representation or silly e.g. meetings outside)?
Nothing
What major question in your subject area is yet to be addressed – why is it important and why isn’t anyone addressing it?
Not so much of a major question but I think we all need to practically implement our research more, I think a lot of good work is done and just written in a journal. We need to work more practically on conservation measures, but this often means working with people.
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