Todays PhDetails is with Tom Major who is originally from High Wycombe, England and is now doing his PhD in Wales. Tom’s PhD research focuses on a population of Aesculapian snakes (Zamenis longissimus) in North Wales. These snakes are exciting because they are the only species of non-native snake in the UK, having originally been accidentally introduced from Italy. The aim of the research is to understand their population dynamics, spatial ecology, and genetic variability. By researching these Tom hopes to learn how they are surviving in a novel environment, and how they will fare in the future. Tom is on Twitter and co-hosts an entertaining podcast about herpetological science. Enjoy!
What's your favourite band/musical artist pre 1980?
Fleetwood Mac.
What's your favourite band/musical artist post 1980?
It’s hard to pick a favourite as most artists only feature for a few songs on a playlist these days! When I was younger my favourite band was the Offspring, so they will always be one of my favourites even though I rarely listen to them anymore. Otherwise, I have recently got heavily into Maribou State after seeing them at a festival.
Do you have a favourite movie?
BlacKkKlansman and Dunkirk have been films I have enjoyed a lot recently, and Pan’s Labyrinth never disappoints. Finally an honourable mention for Jurassic Park because it has dinosaurs and is probably the film I have seen the most times, although I not-so-secretly prefer the Lost World.
Where do you study and who is/are your supervisor(s)?
I study at Bangor University in North Wales, and my supervisors are Dr Wolfgang Wüster, Dr John Mulley and Dr Matt Hayward.
What year of your PhD are you in?
First, but I start my second in a month.
Who’s giving you the money – and for how long?
The funding comes from the Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarship fund (KESS II) in Wales, and I am fortunate to be partnered with the Welsh Mountain Zoo.
Do you have any publications?
I have a few notes in Herpetological journals, but no full publications yet, but watch this space..!
Did you do a masters – where was it and was it about?
I studied MSc Applied Ecology at Exeter University’s Cornwall campus in Penryn, UK. It was a fantastic experience and it really spurred me on to further study. My research project was investigating the role of colour change in flap-necked chameleons (Chamaeleo dilepis) and it gave me my first taste of biological research. It also taught me that chameleons are not friends of people.
Do you do fieldwork? What is the best fieldwork you have ever done and what made it great?
Yes, I do lots of fieldwork surveying snakes in North Wales, I am just finishing the first field season of my PhD. This has probably been the best fieldwork I have done – my main fieldwork site is the Welsh Mountain Zoo so I interact with loads of friendly zoo staff, and I have a great masters student working with me, Dev, who ensures we have a good laugh (while collecting important data). That said, I previously did some fieldwork in Thailand radiotracking green pit vipers of the genus Cryptelytops with my friend Curt Barnes. Watching pit vipers was fascinating and excellent fun, and I learnt a huge amount.
How many PhDs did you apply for – what were you looking for?
I initially wanted to do a PhD I had come up with myself, but when that fell through I applied for this one. So one, with one bump in the road beforehand.
What is the most bodged piece of equipment you have had to use during field/labwork?
It’s not so much a bodged piece of equipment, but more an unusual use for it. Snakes are very difficult to measure because they are constantly moving and doing it with a piece of string is a nightmare. To combat this, we use the unusual method of photocopying them and measuring the resulting print-out. It works really well, and thankfully the staff in the office at the Welsh Mountain Zoo are very understanding of us tramping around with bags full of snakes!
What one piece of advice would you give to a masters student applying to PhDs now?
For what my advice is worth – persevere. It often takes a lot of effort and time to get what you want, and it probably won’t happen straight away.
How often do you meet with your supervisors?
Every two weeks, but their doors are always open if I need help or advice.
What supervisor traits are important to you?
Being knowledgeable is a big advantage, and also having time for you. I am very lucky in that regard.
What do you think are the worst supervisor traits?
I would imagine any trait which leads to a serious personality clash or not spending time with students when they need it would make life very difficult.
In one sentence what is your PhD about?
How are Aesculapian snakes surviving in Wales and will they continue to do so, and at what cost.
What has been your academic highlight of the last year?
Getting told I had made it into year two!
Joking aside, I always like public speaking, and I had a chance to speak at a teach-out to support my lecturers during the academic strike this year. That was a really good experience, because I was speaking to a mixed audience of students, academics and the public. They seemed to enjoy the talk which was rewarding. Also, when Dev caught the very first snake of the year it was a massive moment, because prior to that I was genuinely worried we may not find any!
Have you had an academic lowpoint of the last year – if so what happened?
We have had some issues getting licenses for some the work we are hoping to do. When I realised some of our aims had to be pushed back a year it was a little bit demoralising, but that’s science and everyone you talk to has had similar experiences. It’ll happen when it happens, or worst-case scenario it won’t, and you go to plan B. If everything was easy you wouldn’t learn anything.
What essential tool hardware/software could you not do your PhD without?
I use an app called Open Data Kit (ODK) to collect all my field work data on a mobile phone. It is easy to make your own forms to fill out and submit and they go straight onto the cloud when you get home. If I had to copy up all my data, it would drive me insane.
Which academic idol/scientist have you met?
When I was a kid I watched O’Shea’s Big Adventure, which is a fantastic documentary series following a herpetologist called Professor Mark O’Shea. I met Mark, who is a close friend of my supervisor Wolfgang, at a conference last year. We chatted about snakes and it was great.
Which academic idol/scientist would you most like to meet?
I don’t really have any scientific idols, but there are lots of herpetologists and other scientists I admire and that I’d like to meet. In fact I like meeting anyone who wants to talk about reptiles.
Do you have a favourite paper?
I recently read a paper which describes how the colouration of a frog makes it camouflaged from far away, but obvious as a warning to predators when close up, without that colouration changing:
I find sensory ecology fascinating and it blows my mind that an animal can be both cryptic for camouflage and vibrant as a warning, depending on the context. It essentially has two defences which are employed separately (or one after the other). The frog probably doesn’t know it, but it is doing something quite incredible.
What has been your favourite conference so far – why?
I have only been to a few conferences, all of which have been herpetology specific. I really enjoyed Venom Day at Bangor University last year, where I met lots of like-minded people. The Herpetofauna Workers’ Meeting I have attended twice, which is a gathering of UK herpetologists. I like that one because you get an insight into both what is happening in academia and with practicing ecologists and other professionals.
What hours do you typically work?
I like starting relatively early so I usually do 8am – 4.30pm, but for fieldwork it is much more variable.
How do you avoid procrastinating?
Usually if I am not being productive I make a cup of tea and have a quick chat with someone and then get back to it.
What motivates you in your day to day PhD life?
I find what I am studying genuinely interesting and I want to understand more about my study species.
What do you do when you’re not working – how do you balance it with your PhD?
I go running, and I play football and squash. I usually do exercise first thing in the morning so I can go to work refreshed, and then relax afterwards.
If a genie could grant you one wish to help with your PhD what would you wish for?
Special vision that would highlight wild animals through objects, so I could find all the snakes which are hiding underground/in trees/right in front of me that I don’t see.
What would be your dream job?
Either an academic studying snake ecology or working for (or running my own) conservation NGO.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Hopefully having finished the PhD with a few papers and still working in ecology.
One word to sum up your future in academia:
Snakey (I hope).
What do you want to achieve outside of academia in the coming year?
My partner Maya and I are hoping to move into a house, so that will be a big step. Otherwise, I ran a marathon last year, which taught me that running marathons really hurts, so I am taking some time out of achieving those.
Where is somewhere you would like to work in the future?
I’d like to go back to the tropics for fieldwork in the future – the diversity of life there is incredible, and it’s warm.
Do you have a favourite organism?
Yes, it is the eyelash palm pit viper (Bothriechis schlegelii). They are venomous, they have a funky eyebrow (hence the name), and they can be bright yellow.
Are there any social interactions/meetings which have enhanced your PhD experience e.g. social seminars/group meetings?
We have a Molecular Ecology and Fisheries Genetics Lab seminar which is a good opportunity to see what others are doing and get to know people better. I am learning more about genetics, slowly.
What major question in your subject area is yet to be addressed – why is it important and why isn’t anyone addressing it?
People are addressing this, including many of my friends, but I still think it is a pressing issue. Most reptiles (especially tropical ones) have very little known about their ecology. Getting data on how and where they live their lives is important for their conservation, both in terms of conservation planners looking after them, and engaging the public and explaining why they are important. So many people I see on social media think ‘a good snake is a dead snake’ and changing that perception is vital for the functioning of our ecosystems and the future of our scaly friends.
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