This weeks PhDetails is with José Cerca who carries out his PhD on the factors behind the deceleration morphological evolution at the Natural History Museum in Oslo. José started his academic career with a bachelors degree at the Universidade de Coimbra in Portugal before going on to do a Masters in Ecology. You can find José on twitter @cryptic_omics!
I have an eclectic music taste. Without Bach and Mozart I wouldn’t have been able to write my MSc thesis. At some point I had the four seasons from Bach in a website called “listen YouTube on repeat”. Other than that, I like The Beatles and most of the 80s rock (my father got that into me) ... but I confess dance music is my guilty pleasure.
Favourite band/musical artist post 1980?
I really enjoy listening to dance music these days. I like cheesy rhythms. A few years back I heard FatboySlim, The Chemical Brothers and Basement Jaxx. Now I mostly ghost around YouTube for chill and/or groovy music (but seldom look at the artist).
Favourite movie?
Interstellar (pretty much anything from C. Nolan)!
Where do you study and who is your supervisor?
I am currently at the Natural History Museum at the University of Oslo (Norway). I work with Torsten H. Struck who is renowned for his work on Invertebrate and Annelid phylogenetics.
What year of your PhD are you in?
Third year... 15 months of contract left – counting the days!
Who’s giving you the money – and for how long?
My position came as part of my advisor’s “start-up fund”. The museum facilitated a PhD position so he would get a laboratory running. The museum provided me with the opportunity to write my project and a budget. I discussed a project with my advisor, we wrote it up and submitted it to the leadership, who approved it.
Do you have any publications – if so where?
I recently published a review paper where I clarify the world-wide distribution of marine invertebrates which live in between sand particles. We conclude that the presence of cryptic species (species which are genetically distinct but look very similar) and the presence of historical ideas contributed to a long-lasting confusion... maybe these species aren’t so distributed. You can find it here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00227-018-3383-2
Did you do a masters – where was it and was it about?
I did a MSc in Plant Ecology. We had this really cool hybrid zone. While one species had petals (they’re officially called rays in the daisy family), another species did not. The species were only distinct by the presence of rays. So, we tested if the presence of rays would have any impact in terms of pollinator attraction and if it would explain the reproductive success of these plants.
Do you do fieldwork? What is the best fieldwork you have ever done and what made it great?
I did quite a lot of fieldwork. I was lucky as I have been to both coastlines of the USA, Far-East Russia and all over Northern Europe. The most recent – and perhaps the best – was far East Russia. A collaborator got funding for a Norwegian-Russian collaboration scheme and we visited Vladivolstok. The people in the research station there were super kind and their children were in awe for seeing someone who did not speak Russian and looked differently. One teenager wanted to take photos with me because I looked ‘so different’ and I kept receiving questions if “in the west we swim in the ocean; what was my favourite colour?”. I found the people there very humble and very kind so I like telling this story. I have other funny anecdotes... when I travelled to the West coast of the US, I was sampling for 8 days, working 12-14 hours a day (When you’re so far away and in need of specimens, you must collect the organisms no matter what) … I had found 10 organisms in 140 hours of work … on the last day I decided to relax, I sent an e-mail to a more experienced researcher who told me “try these spots; if you’re unlucky, they have great sights anyway” … I went there and found hundreds of organisms!
How many PhDs did you apply for – what were you looking for?
I applied to approximately 20 PhD positions (36 including lab/field technician posts). I was looking for opportunities in the field of speciation and genomics. An issue I faced was that I had a background in plant ecology, so it felt out of character for most PI’s to take a student with a different skillset. I was very close to giving up. I kept scoring second places and many ‘You’re a great candidate … but person X has relevant experience’ – usually person X would have been a MSc student from a collaborator’s lab. I was quite lucky to get my position and have been trying to work hard not to be jobless again.
What is the most difficult piece of equipment you have had to use during field/labwork – did it work?
It is not properly an equipment, but we must do phenol-chloroform extractions. Phenol is toxic, mutagenic and corrosive .. so, I have to use two pairs of gloves and constantly look at them to make sure there are no spilling. Chloroform evaporates and makes you drowsy … and because we use phenol-chloroform-TRIS (a buffer), I have to close the container (falcon tube), and shake it every time I pippete. So, we have this corrosive chemical, which evaporates and has to be constantly shaken. It makes it super hard to work with.
What one piece of advice would you give to a masters student applying to PhDs now?
The Cliché: Find something that you’re passionate about. PhDs are challenging and hard and they can be life-sucking. Find something that keeps you awake at night and that constantly bugs you. But this is easier said than done.
How often do you meet with your supervisors?
They have always an open door. If I am abroad, they’re very responsive.. so it depends on my needs. But I’d say once every two weeks by average.
What supervisor traits are important to you?
I think every student is fundamentally different. Students come with different levels of independence, knowledge, motivation, background. I think the best trait of an advisor is to be flexible and to adjust his/her supervision style to the student in question. That makes a good supervisor.
What do you think are the worst supervisor traits?
Being unfair and self-centred.
In one sentence what is your PhD about?
I study the factors behind the deceleration morphological evolution (the ‘exterior anatomy’).
What has been your academic highlight of the last year?
Becoming independent at data analysis. Having done a MSc in plant ecology in a small university I had never received any training in bioinformatics. I started my PhD without any knowledge in this field and I was obviously insecure. As I write this, I have been able to push some datasets both for my PhD and as part of some collaborations.
Have you had an academic lowpoint of the last year – if so what happened?
We have been having issues with laboratory work and library preparation. We have some issues with missing data which make the data very hard to analyse.
Which academic idol/scientist have you met?
My personal idols are my advisors – Rubén Torices, Torsten H. Struck and Mark Ravinet. They have influenced me so much, much outside any ‘scientific training’. But if I have to point out an Academic Rockstar, I recently met and had drinks with Walter Salzburger whose papers on Cichlids and adaptive radiations made me super passionate about Evolutionary Biology. I also met with Rosemary Gillespie recently. Her talk in the 2013 ESEB pushed me towards Evolutionary Biology.
Which academic idol/scientist would you most like to meet?
Uuurgh, that’s a tough one. Not sure. I don’t generally like idea of having an idol, other than the people around me (I had to think a lot to answer the previous question).
Do you have a favourite paper?
Not really.
What has been your favourite conference so far – why?
As a rule of thumb, I prefer small conferences. It is easier to bump into people and get to know them. I will challenge this and say that the joint Evolution meeting in Montpellier was my favourite conference. I had the opportunity to meet many American Researchers who typically go to Evolution and not ESEB – so that was cool.
What hours do you typically work?
It depends on my mood and how tired I am. I really enjoy flexibility, but usually from 8:00-17.00.
What do you do when you’re not working – how do you balance it with your PhD?
I usually go to the gym. It really helps me feeling better after a long day. I enjoy spending time with my friends and girlfriend. I do enjoy watching sports (namely football) too.
How do you avoid procrastinating?
I recently installed some apps that keep me off Facebook and that tell me how much time I’ve spent on my phone. They really help me because I find it easy just to slide onto Facebook. Doing exercise also makes me stay more focused – when I do not exercise I find myself procrastinating harder.
What motivates you in your day to day PhD life?
Several things. Personally, I like the fact that I am free to work the hours I can, I like the fact I can wear the clothes I want and not be judged. So I generally enjoy a relaxed atmosphere. I also enjoy the excitement of producing results and traveling over to conferences to discuss and learn.
If a genie could grant you one wish to help with your PhD what would you wish for?
A reference genome... or perhaps a better dataset without missing data?
What would be your dream job?
Either a faculty job or a policy-making job associated with science.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Doing a Post-Doc and sending in faculty-applications.
One word to sum up your future in academia:
Ambition
What do you want to achieve outside of academia in the coming year?
Me and my girlfriend we recently moved in together and we’ve been investing in decorating our apartment... I also look forward to having a post-conference road-trip holiday in California!
What essential tool hardware/software could you not do your PhD without?
Mendeley
Who has been your academic role model/inspiration and why?
My three advisors because I know their backgrounds and I find them inspiring. I prefer not disclosing their stories but hearing how much they had to fight to be accredited, mostly because they did not come from established/extremely productive laboratories. Hearing their stories has been super motivating and inspirational.
Where is somewhere you would like to work in the future?
I was, until recently, very curious with working in the US. I was lucky to have received travel support to visit the Catchen lab in Illinois for a few months and hone my bioinformatic skills– so that’s off the list. I think I’d like to work in Copenhagen.
Do you have a favourite organism – what is it and why – is it different from your study organisms?
Not really. I am generally fascinated by invertebrates (mud dragons, jaw worms, corals, everything!) and by adaptive radiations (cichlids, darwin’s finches, anoles).
If you could change one thing about your group/department structure what would it be?
I think my department would benefit from a more ‘international perspective’.
What major question in your subject area is yet to be addressed?
What leads to the deceleration of morphological divergence?
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