#7 Issie Barrett

This weeks PhDetails is with Issie Barrett, a PhD student who currently studies at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. Issie and I met during our BSc at Imperial and despite taking many of the same courses have ended up with very different PhD projects (there is a trend developing here). Issie currently carries out grueling solo fieldwork to collect data for her PhD and along the way is developing her talent for creating novel bits of field equipment from odds and ends available. This weeks interview marks the furthest a PhDetails has travelled to reach your screens - over 18000km and its a good one!

Well let’s start off talking about completely unscientific stuff. What is your favourite band/musical artist pre 1980s

Earth Wind and Fire

Favourite band/musical artist post 1980s

Judging by my most played, Caro Emerald

Favourite movie?

I honestly couldn’t say (or maybe I could, but I’ll save myself the embarrassment…) It really depends what mood I’m in, though I do always love a good musical.

Where do you study and who is/are your supervisor(s)?

I’ve joined the Freshwater Ecology Research Group at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. My supervisors are Helen Warburton and Angus McIntosh.

What year of your PhD are you in?

1^st year

Who’s giving you the money – and for how long?

I have two years of funding as part of a National Science Challenge project for New Zealand’s Biological Heritage, and a further year from the Biology Mackenzie Scholarship fund.

Do you have any publications – if so where?

Not yet, but watch this space…

Did you do a masters - was it about?

I completed my MSc in River Environments and their Management at the University of Birmingham. It was an intense year which broadened my niche beyond ecology, introducing me to the joys of geography, geomorphology and biogeochemistry. I now have a much more rounded knowledge of rivers to bring to my PhD, which is proving really useful working in such a multi-disciplinary area as river restoration. I’m definitely more of a river science generalist now, if you like!

What is the best fieldwork you have ever done and what made it great?

Well I’m working in the New Zealand High country at the moment where I get to geek out over awesome macroinvertebrates and turquoise braided rivers - could be worse!

What is the most bodged piece of equipment you have had to use during fieldwork – did it work?

I honestly don’t know where to start with this one. I’ve built a system of experimental stream channels from scratch out at one of the university’s field stations, an hour’s drive from any shops (let alone ones which might sell useful field equipment), so I’ve learnt to make the most of what I have to hand. I’ve discovered, for instance, that you can do things with a cable tie that you’d never have imagined… I think my favourite use so far is a flashing tape and cable tie combo to fix a leak in my nutrient dripping system. So simple yet so effective!

The aforementioned bodge

What one piece of advice would you give to a masters student applying to PhDs now?

Don’t rush into applications just because you’re scared by the empty post-masters void.

What supervisor traits are important to you?

Different student-supervisor relationships work for different people. For me, I like to be able to connect on a personal as well as academic level. I think that’s particularly important when studying such a long way from home. More generally, I think it’s important that your supervisors remember what it’s like to be a student!

What do you think are the worst supervisor traits?

I’m lucky to have two great supervisors who both bring different qualities to the table and together make a great supervisory team. I think undesirable supervisor traits would be looking down on and taking students for granted.

In one sentence what is your PhD about?

Degraded communities are often dominated by generalist species which enhance ecosystem stability and are therefore resistant to standard habitat-focussed restoration actions, so I’m looking to make suggestions for more effective, biologically-focussed restoration.

What has been your academic highlight of the last year?

I’d have to say handing in my PhD proposal, which I know sounds shamefully lame but hear me out: my proposal really just outlines and explains all the awesome things I’m going to try and do over the next three years. It was great to get the main logic and theory behind my PhD straight in my head, and writing it was also a really important experience in valuing myself as a strong independent scientist and not just a student (with all the thanks there going to my supervisors!) Not only do I have some potentially really cool research lined up, but I also feel like I have more direction than I’ve had in years, which is a comforting thought too.

Which academic idol/scientist have you met?

New Zealand is such a hotspot for freshwater ecology research, and in the first few months of my PhD I was able to put a lot of faces to very familiar names. Mike Winterbourn (whose work I’ve read a lot of in the past) was one that left me particularly starstruck when he wandered into the lab one day! That said, I think meeting big names in science and realising they’re just normal people has helped improve my own confidence; if they can do it, why can’t I?

Which academic idol/scientist would you most like to meet?

Sam Lake.

Do you have a favourite paper?

You know I actually got asked this in my PhD interview! I’m not sure I really do have a favourite paper, though if you pushed me I guess I’d say the idea of environmental filters is a pretty cool one. It’s a neat concept which can be linked to so many other theories (and indeed ties together many of the ideas in my PhD proposal!)

What has been your favourite conference so far – why?

Last year in the very early days of my PhD I went to the International Society for River Science symposium which came to Hamilton, New Zealand. It was a whirlwind of a week meeting loads of new people and hearing about some of the newest research in freshwater science. A particular highlight was a workshop which was run as part of the project which funds my PhD; it was great to have so many people working in a similar area to myself in the same room, generating some thought-provoking (if occasionally heated) debates.

What hours do you typically work?

When I’m out in the field it can be very long hours, and weekends just seem to disappear, but on a more normal working week I tend to aim for 7.30/8am til 4/5pm. I work a lot better in the morning, and then evenings and weekends I can stick to more brainless tasks like beautifying figures and planning what to work on the next day.

What do you do when you’re not working – how do you balance it with your PhD?

I’ve been out in the field so much lately that the few precious days I’ve had off I’ve spent doing the most mundane things; laundry, food shopping, updating my car’s registration... Thrilling. I’m probably not the best person to ask about balance these days! Today is actually a very rare day off; right now I’m sat high up in the Port Hills overlooking Lyttelton harbour, feeling very lucky to have a place like this just 20 minutes from Christchurch city centre where I live. I often spend hours just wandering along the beaches or exploring little tracks in the hills surrounding Christchurch. Hopefully when I’m finished with fieldwork and can predict my free time a little better, I’ll be able to explore further afield (and diversify my instaspam!)

If a genie could grant you one wish to help with your PhD what would you wish for?

Just one? Well… whilst it’d be handy to control the weather for fieldwork, or to have sandfly repellent that actually repels sandflies, I’d probably wish for the ability to analyse data just by looking at a table.

What would be your dream job?

Something where I can put the knowledge and skills that I’ve learnt to use, hopefully actively involved in river restoration projects.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Well, five years ago I’d never have dreamed I’d be where I am now, so I guess anything’s possible! That said, I don’t really see myself staying in academia; ideally I’d be in a job where I can put what I’ve learnt into practice. For now though I’m just going with the flow!

One word to sum up your future in academia:

Unpredictable.

What do you want to achieve outside of academia in the coming year?

Probably just to get more involved with non-academic life. I was always so involved with things at undergrad, but moving to a new university in new country and being away in the field a lot of the time has made it difficult to join groups and make friends here. I’m desperate to get back into music, and also keen to travel and see more of this beautiful country with the help of my trusty motor, Ticky Ticky Thump Thump.