This week’s PhDetails is with Mario Coiro who is originally from Salerno in southern Italy and now does his PhD at the University of Zurich. Mario started his academic career by doing a bachelors and masters degree at the University of Naples. He then started a PhD at ETH Zurich which he later abandoned before starting his current project at University of Zurich working on the evolutionary history of cycads, integrating fossils and extant data.
Well let’s start off talking about completely unscientific stuff - what is your favourite band/musical artist pre 1980?
The Beatles. But Pink Floyd are a close second.
Favourite band/musical artist post 1980?
Unfortunately I don’t know many. I would say Great Big Sea.
Favourite movie?
Amadeus.
Where do you study and who is your supervisor?
I study at the Department for Systematic and Evolutionary Botany at the University of Zurich, under the supervision of Peter Linder.
What year of your PhD are you in?
Three months into my fourth year.
Who’s giving you the money – and for how long?
I am supported by my supervisor’s personal budget.
Do you have any publications – if so where (these will be linked to in the post)?
I have a few. Some of my most recent ones deal with the contribution of history and pollinator selection in the evolution of the epidermis in waterlilies (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/plb.12850) , the phylogenetic signal in morphological matrices of the seed plant and the possibility of resolving the relationships in this group HERE, and the description of a new fossil genus of cycad that resolves the biogeographical history of an extant Australian endemic HERE
You can find all my publications at my google scholar page.
Did you do a masters – where was it and was it about?
I did a two-years masters at the University of Naples (Italy). The focus of the master was on Biodiversity and Environmental quality, and I did my thesis work in Palaeobotany and Palynology.
Do you do fieldwork? What is the best fieldwork you have ever done and what made it great?
Most of my “fieldwork” was done in museum and garden collections. Probably the best of this was my visit to the Natural History Museum in London: I was supported by a European Grant and was hosted in a very nice house in the grounds of the museum (the former house of the director as a matter of fact). Moreover, I had the opportunity to look at exceptional collections from all over the world, including rare samples from Argentina.
How many PhDs did you apply for – what were you looking for?
I probably applied for 3-4 PhDs. At the beginning I was looking for interesting projects in floral development and morphology, but later on I ended up only looking for whatever opportunity to do research. I actually started a PhD in developmental molecular biology, but dropped out after 2 years. I was then very lucky to find a supervisor that allowed me to develop my own research project and supported me nonetheless.
What is the most bodged piece of equipment you have had to use during labwork – did it work?
I use carrots every time I need to slice some cycad leafs, and most of my anatomy equipment is pretty ancient. This includes chemical bottles that survived from the nineteenth century.
What one piece of advice would you give to a masters student applying to PhDs now?
Think carefully of what you really want out of your PhD, and try to find a position with a good combination of nice working environment, cool subject and good supervisor.
How often do you meet with your supervisor?
Not very often. I usually go to him if I’m in need of an opinion, and he sometimes asks for an update on my results.
What supervisor traits are important to you?
A supervisor should be able to understand the needs of its student, leaving more freedom to enterprising students and helping more closely ones which need more clear direction.
What do you think are the worst supervisor traits?
Abusive behaviour and lack of respect for the students.
In one sentence what is your PhD about?
How can we integrate a deep understanding of organismal biology and the fossil record to better understand the evolution of diversity and disparity?
What has been your academic highlight of the last year?
Probably the publication of my Paleobiology paper, which was in preparation for almost 5 years.
Have you had an academic lowpoint of the last year – if so what happened?
The rejection of my Paleobiology paper in a prestigious journal because of an editorial decision after one round of positive reviews.
Which academic idol have you met?
I don’t think we should treat scientists as idols, unfortunately they are human beings with all the positives and the negatives. Talking about people I admire, I have the luck to work close to Peter Endress, who happens to be a great scientist as well as a humble and kind person.
Which academic idol/scientist would you most like to meet?
I would have enjoyed meeting Steve Gould. We would have probably shared an interest in obscure and apparently irrelevant facts.
Who has been your academic role model/inspiration and why?
My Master thesis supervisor, Maria Rosaria Barone Lumaga, a researcher at the University of Naples. She though me that curiosity and independence are the most important thing for a scientist.
Do you have a favourite paper?
“The spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian Paradigm”. Even if there is little science in it, it’s a masterpiece of rhetoric.
What has been your favourite conference so far – why?
The European Paleobotany and Palynology conference in Pavia, back in 2015. Extremely beautiful city, lots of nice science, plenty of new friends and collaborators.
What hours do you typically work?
I have to commute from Bern to Zurich, and it takes 4 hours per day. For this reason, I start working late in the morning and finish late in the evening. However, I really feel that one should work in the time that it’s most adequate to one’s internal rhythm.
How do you avoid procrastinating?
I switch between different research topics, so I never get too bored or lost.
What motivates you in your day to day PhD life?
The love for knowledge and the natural world.
What do you do when you’re not working – how do you balance it with your PhD?
I enjoy cooking, reading (not as much as I used to unfortunately), playing board games and going out with colleagues and friends. Balancing this with work it’s not very easy though, especially when you take into consideration the time spent commuting.
If a genie could grant you one wish to help with your PhD what would you wish for?
Some Master students that would be willing to collaborate with me. I really enjoy working in a team.
What would be your dream job?
Museum Curator. I love the idea of integrating research, conservation, and outreach!
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Hopefully in a postdoc position where I can pursue some independent research.
One word to sum up your future in academia:
Uncertain.
What do you want to achieve outside of academia in the coming year?
Learning some German. I lived in Switzerland for a long time, and I am still very bad.
What essential tool hardware/software could you not do your PhD without?
Razor blades and R. Not at the same time though.
Where is somewhere you would like to work in the future?
Maybe Sweden. But I would really like to stay in Switzerland. It’s an excellent place to do good research without too many budgetary issues.
Do you have a favourite organism – what is it and why – is it different from your study organism(s)?
The Natal Grass Cycad, Stangeria eriopus. This very peculiar plant from South Africa has been a puzzle since its very description, when it was mistaken for a fern. Until very recently, people have advanced many hypotheses about its relationships and its evolutionary history.
Are there any social interactions/meetings which have enhanced your PhD experience?
I definitely enjoy going out for beers with my colleagues, and I am lucky enough to have experienced quite a few such occasions.
If you could change one thing about your group/department structure what would it be?
I feel that students should have more decisional power in all matters of the institute. This would benefit academia in general.
What major question in your subject area is yet to be addressed – why is it important and why isn’t anyone addressing it?
One major question is the identification of the closest relatives of the angiosperms, which could allow us to better understand the reason for their extraordinary success (there are 200 times more species of angiosperms than gymnosperms living today!). The question remains elusive for the fragmentary nature of the fossils record, and until recently it has been avoided because of an apparent lack of reliability of morphological data.
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