This week we’re back to PhDetails #25 with Gonzalo Oteo García. Gonzalo did the first three years of his undergraduate degree in Biology at the Universitat de Valencia before moving to Imperial College in London for his final year. Then Gonzalo moved to UCL for his MRes before getting his current PhD position studying the archaeogenetics of Iberia and the mitochondrial phylogeography of SW Europe. I hope you enjoy this weeks PhDetails as much as I did!
Let’s start of talking about completely unscientific stuff: What is your favourite band/musical artist pre 1980?
I’m not very much into pre 80’s music to be honest, but I love some songs by Ben E. King, Roberta Flack and Nina Simone. You know, proper Soul and Rhythm and Blues, I’m not a big connoisseur though.
Favourite band/musical artist post 1980?
I’m always very bad at giving just one answer to this kind of questions. I’m going to say London Grammar since I went to one of their gigs in Manchester last year and actually bought the new album. Oasis, Arctic Monkeys, and M83 are always on my playlist too.
Favourite movie?
Again, I can’t just pick one. My top of the list now would be: Arrival (Denis Villeneuve), Ex Machina (Alex Garland), Sunshine (Danny Boyle) and The Eagle (Kevin Macdonald). Others that I loved or would recommend are: Wolf Totem, Into the Wild, Headhunters, Margin Call, Drive, Lars and the Real Girl, The Ides of March, Hidalgo, The Revenant, Gravity, Slumdog Millionaire, Ghost in the Shell, Akira, Rogue One… And I could go on one forever, so I’m going stop here.
Where do you study and who is/are your supervisor(s)?
I’m currently doing my PhD at the University of Huddersfield and my supervisor is Martin Richards
What year of your PhD are you in?
I’m literally just starting my third year this week.
Who’s giving you the money – and for how long?
I’m funded thanks to a grant of the Leverhulm Trust and it was for three years, so I’m entering my final year now.
Do you have any publications – if so where (these will be linked to in the post)?
No, I don’t… yet.
Did you do a masters – where was it and was it about?
Yes, I did an MRes in Biodiversity, Evolution & Conservation at University College London. It was really good, I’m very happy I decided to stay in London to take the offer from UCL because of the people I met (friends now) and how the course turned out to be. I did one project at the ZSL Institute of Zoology about invasive genetics of newts in Wales and another one at the Natural History Museum of London about metagenomics of a perennially frozen lake in Antarctica.
Do you do fieldwork? What is the best fieldwork you have ever done and what made it great?
I don’t do proper field work because I don’t get to go outside like I would love to. However, I have spent a lot of time in medium and small museums (well, more like the warehouses of the museums) going through dozens and dozens of boxes of archaeological remains (and a lot of dust!) looking for human teeth or petrous bones. It was great when I was able to find what I was looking for without breathing in too much dust. Actually… it was great just finding anything at all most of the time. Searching for these kind of samples it’s a bit of a gamble sometimes.
How many PhDs did you apply for – what were you looking for?
I applied for three and I really wanted something in the field of ancient DNA but it seemed quite impossible and I wasn’t betting on it, so I kept my options open. Beyond that, I don’t remember having a clear idea of what I wanted.
The first one I applied for, I don’t remember what was it about but the guy very kindly replied on time saying I didn’t get. Probably for the best, since I don’t even remember where it was. The other one I applied was in Australia, and it involved ancient DNA and working with Aboriginal Australians. It seemed pretty cool but the guy had just moved and was setting up the lab or something. I applied at Christmas time and he replied saying he was quite busy and that he would get back to me by the end of January. He emailed again in early February saying he was still busy and that he would get in touch by March but I never heard back from him, and for some reason I never emailed again to ask. Months later I heard that the position still was not covered.
The one I actually got was the first and only interview I did, halfway through my MRes, and it was ancient DNA related.
What is the most bodged piece of equipment you have had to use during field/labwork – did it work?
Hmmm… a pencil and a knife as a toothbrush. I did buy a brush in the end. (Rishi: ‘after confronting Gonzalo about what he was thinking brushing his teeth with a pencil and a knife he clarified that he was in fact cleaning dust off the sample teeth from museums...thank god!’)
What one piece of advice would you give to a masters student applying to PhDs now?
Don’t apply just for the sake of applying. Make you sure you like it because there will be moments when you’ll hate everything. If you like it, you’ll always have some motivation to get you going. Also think about the place you are going to be, work environment and lab mates can make up for it but at the end of the day supervisors and group chemistry is not under your control. Also make sure you’ll have all the resources they promise.
How often do you meet with your supervisor(s)?
Usually every two weeks but it does vary. Sometimes more than once in a week or sometimes only once a month. Email exchange is quite regular though.
What supervisor traits are important to you?
For me, that they give you freedom but still care about you.
What do you think are the worst supervisor traits?
Overcontrolling
In one sentence what is your PhD about?
I study what the people in Iberia 12000, 5000, 1000 years ago looked like genetically, and what the hell was going on.
What has been your academic highlight of the last year?
Seeing the results of the first ancient genomes sequenced in our lab. Having started the lab from the very scratch and with all the delays along the way, it seemed like the moment would never come.
Have you had an academic low-point of the last year – if so what happened?
Hard to point one, for me the PhD feels like a roller coaster, one week things start to look better the next one you are back to worrying about everything. But I remember getting the results of a big sequencing batch and realising pretty much was rubbish, those were dark weeks for everyone.
Which academic idol/scientist have you met?
I guess it depends on how you define idol, but if the definition is someone very famous in the field and with a book, then yes. I met David Reich which probably is the top guy in the field at the moment.
Who has been your academic role model/inspiration and why?
My father, he’s a physicist not a biologist but he’s the smartest and the most scientific person I’ve ever met. He’s the person I talk about science and discuss problems the most, by far.
Which academic idol/scientist would you most like to meet?
Nobody, I don’t really like the name game.
Do you have a favourite paper?
What has been your favourite conference so far – why?
It was #HumanEvol2017 at Cambridge (a.k.a. Human Evolution: Fossils, Ancient and Modern Genomes Wellcome Genome Campus Conference Centre, Hinxton). It was very exciting, almost all the big guys in ancient DNA were there, intense and interesting talks. There were so many good posters that you didn’t have time to check them all. I got to talk to a fair amount of people. Also the last night...
What hours do you typically work?
I think I usually do 10:30/11am unless I have to go to the lab early or we have a meeting, and I leave at 8pm. But I find myself leaving at 10pm or 11pm many times, which is not good. I’m not a morning person and staying late works for me, plus there is nothing to do in Huddersfield after 5pm.
How do you avoid procrastinating?
It’s hard, I think we all struggle with that sometimes. I don’t have much time to waste right now, so I guess that pressure helps.
What motivates you in your day to day PhD life?
I’m very invested in my topic/project. You could say I’m (kinda) emotionally attached, and that’s pure fuel for your motivation.
What do you do when you’re not working – how do you balance it with your PhD?
Like I said, there isn’t much to do in Huddersfield. Sometimes on weekends the most exciting thing to do is going to the office and do work and see people. And yes, I’m I know we have the Peak District nearby but it’s very difficult to get around without a car. The first year I joined the basketball team but it’s was very tiring dealing with undergrads and the lad/drinking culture of this society. I tried water polo this year, and I enjoyed it. I also cycle everywhere every single day, I have a single speed bike that I love. I like taking it with me in the train to other cities to explore more. Overall I’m not great at balancing work and personal life, at least at the moment.
If a genie could grant you one wish to help with your PhD what would you wish for?
Please, please, let all my samples be 1X coverage or more.
What would be your dream job?
Good question, I don’t think I have an answer. Something I’d be very, very good at I guess.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I hope still doing research, related to what I do now. Maybe something even more computer based, I want to improve my programming skillset much more. I wouldn’t mind going back to London but it’s difficult. I also wouldn’t mind moving around the world a while. I don’t see myself going back to Spain anytime soon.
Where is somewhere you would like to work in the future?
Anywhere where they have good money to spend. I’d like the place to be nice too, somewhere you actually enjoy living. I’d be up for London again or Dublin. Maybe give France a go.
One word to sum up your future in academia:
Smoggy. Nah, just foggy.
What do you want to achieve outside of academia in the coming year?
I haven’t thought much about that. Probably travelling, like a long trip, maybe to South America. But I’ll be happy if I learn how to cook better and I finally decide to invest more time caring about cooking.
What essential tool hardware/software could you not do your PhD without?
A good Linux/Ubuntu computer with internet connection.
Do you have a favourite organism?
I wouldn’t say I have a favourite one, because as conservationist and ecologist by default I have to like all organisms, even parasites. But I like humans more I guess.
Are there any social interactions/meetings which have enhanced your PhD experience?
Group wise we already have a lot of meetings, and try to organise seminars. Also, the office we share it’s a lot of fun to be in. I’m quite happy regarding the social interaction side of things.
If you could change one thing about your group/department structure what would it be?
Maybe a bit more coordination and better communication between all the organic parts of the group.
What major question in your subject area is yet to be addressed – why is it important and why isn’t anyone addressing it?
There are a few big questions in ancient DNA that are not clear yet but I know there are groups addressing them. I feel like everyone is trying to address everything at the moment in the ancient DNA world. One is big thing is the origin of the Celtic languages and their spread and correlation with the populations that lived during the Iron Age in Europe. Another one is the peopling of the Americas.
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