This week’s PhDetails is with Rory Cooper, a third year PhD student working in the Department of Animal and Plant Sciences at the University of Sheffield. Rory studies the evolution and development of vertebrate skin organs (such as scales, spines, feathers and hair), to understand how their diversity has arisen. So far, his research has primarily focused on the evolution and development of shark scales. Rory is due to finish my PhD in Spring 2020, and hopes to find an evodevo-related post doc project to begin then. You can also find Rory on twitter @rorylcooper!
What is your favourite band/musical artist pre-1980?
Bill Evans
Favourite band/musical artist post 1980?
Kendrick Lamar/Radiohead
Favourite movie?
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Do you listen to podcasts?
Not very often, but I’ve listened to a music analysis podcast called Dissect, which I’d definitely recommend (particularly if you like Kendrick Lamar).
Where do you study and who is/are your supervisors?
I study at the University of Sheffield. My supervisors are Dr. Gareth Fraser and Dr. Nicola Nadeau.
What year of your PhD are you in?
I’m in the 3rd year of my PhD.
Who’s giving you the money – and for how long?
I’ve got three and a half years of funding, from a NERC doctoral training partnership called ACCE.
Do you have any publications – if so where?
Yes – I’ve got two lead author publications addressing the evolution, development and patterning of shark scales. You can find them HERE and HERE
Did you do a masters – where was it and was it about?
I did an integrated masters at The University of Sheffield, in Dr. Gareth Fraser’s research group. This meant I was pretty familiar with lab protocols and relevant literature at the start of my PhD, meaning I was able to hit the ground running when I first started.
Do you do fieldwork?
I don’t do fieldwork – my project is mostly lab and computer based.
Do you do labwork? What are the best and worst bits about your labwork?
I enjoy lab work as it is pretty varied. I study shark embryos, so setting up functional experiments is really interesting. But maintaining the embryos requires quite a lot of attention and means I can’t be away from Sheffield for too long.
This is a CT render of ~100 day old shark embryo. You can see the large olfactory organs between the eyes, and gill filaments emerging from the developing branchial arches. Scanned by @geknown @NHM_IAC @NHM_London 🦈🔬 pic.twitter.com/unIKduXmvw— Rory Cooper (@rorylcooper) March 20, 2019
How many PhDs did you apply for – what were you looking for?
I only applied for the PhD I’m currently undertaking. I was really interested in the project and I wanted to continue working with on evolutionary developmental biology with shark embryos. I also love Sheffield, having lived here since I started my undergraduate degree in 2011.
What one piece of advice would you give to a masters student applying to PhDs now?
Read some important papers published in your field of interest – this will give you a good idea of the type of work you will be undertaking and will help when it comes to applications and interviews. Also, talk to people working in the research group you’re interested in joining – if they’re enjoying themselves then it is more likely that you will too.
How often do you meet with your supervisors?
We email very frequently and aim to Skype once a week or so, or whenever I have a question or an issue I require help with.
What supervisor traits are important to you?
I think its important for supervisors to strike a balance between allowing students to direct their own research to foster independence, and providing good support when required.
What do you think are the worst supervisor traits?
Micromanagement of PhD projects can be frustrating for students, as it can be overwhelming and does not teach students how to research independently. However, being too hands-off can also be stressful for students – as I mentioned above, good supervisors should be able to identify when support is needed.
In one sentence what is your PhD about?
I study the evolution and development of vertebrate skin organs (such as scales, feathers and hair), to understand how the diversity of these structures has arisen.
What has been your academic highlight of the last year?
I had a paper about shark scale patterning published a couple of months ago. I was also interviewed about these findings on Radio 4’s Inside Science program, which was really fun.
Have you had an academic low point of the last year – if so what happened?
The other members of my research group have started jobs elsewhere so I’m the last remaining Sheffield-based member. I do still have a regular contact with my supervisor via Skype and email, and Dr. Nicola Nadeau has kindly adopted me, so I have a Sheffield based research group to interact with.
Do you have a favourite paper?
I wouldn’t say I have a favourite paper, but I remember reading Jung et al. 1998’s article about feather patterning when I was an undergraduate. This paper really got me interested in experimental developmental biology.
What has been your favourite conference so far – why?
I went to Euro EvoDevo in Galway, Ireland, this summer. It was the first conference I’d been to on my own – this was a really good experience as it forced me to socialise and network, and consequently I met loads of really nice people.
What hours do you typically work?
I definitely work better in the mornings, so I usually aim for 8am until 4pm. However, this varies a lot depending on lab work. One of the things I really love about doing a PhD is the flexibility in choosing my working hours.
How do you avoid procrastinating?
I write extensive daily to-do lists to keep me focused and try to plan my day according to how I work best. For example, I’m usually better at thinking in the mornings, so I use this time for reading and writing, and leave the afternoon for comparatively straightforward lab work and/or animal husbandry.
What motivates you in your day to day PhD life?
I like to set myself achievable goals – for example, giving myself a few months to complete a figure for a manuscript. Breaking down big projects in this way makes the overall task seem much more manageable.
What do you do when you’re not working – how do you balance it with your PhD?
I play 5/6 a-side football and go the gym fairly regularly – exercise definitely helps me to unwind after thinking about science all day. I also read a lot of fiction – again, if I’m thinking about work this really helps me to relax, as does going to the pub.
If a genie could grant you one wish to help with your PhD what would you wish for?
I’m learning how to undertake RNA-seq analysis at the moment – a comprehensive understanding of bioinformatics would be pretty handy!
What would be your dream job?
At the moment I’m aiming to continue working in academia. However, I’m very aware that this career path can be very stressful if you value employment stability, so I’m keeping my options open. But even if I leave academia, I’d always enjoy a science-related job.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Hopefully working as a post-doc somewhere nice or doing another job I enjoy.
One word to sum up your future in academia:
Scary
What do you want to achieve outside of academia in the coming year?
I’ve signed up to do a furniture building evening course at Sheffield College. I’ve always enjoyed woodwork/DIY, and this will be a great opportunity to learn some skills that are completely unrelated to my PhD research.
What essential tool hardware/software could you not do your PhD without?
I’m going to keep it simple and say Mendeley – reference management software is such an incredible time saver and I’d recommend that undergraduates start using it early on.
Who has been your academic role model/inspiration and why?
Reading E. O. Wilson’s ‘The Diversity of Life’ as a teenager really triggered my early interest in biological research and influenced my choice to study zoology for an undergraduate degree.
Where is somewhere you would like to work in the future?
I lived in Melbourne for a bit before starting my PhD and could definitely see myself living there again in the future.
Do you have a favourite organism?
I’ve always been interested in cuttlefish – they’re an amazing animal with some incredible features (including 3 hearts) – I’d love to study their development at some point!
Are there any social interactions/meetings which have enhanced your PhD experience?
Group lab meetings are really important for generating ideas and overcoming problems – these have definitely benefited my PhD experience. The departmental seminar series is also great for learning about a diverse range of great research that’s often distinct from my own work.
If you could change one thing about your group/department structure what would it be?
The department I work in is great, however in general academia is very competitive, as researchers are required to strive for publications and funding to push their own careers forwards. Unfortunately, this system doesn’t always foster the healthy collaborative environment that would be wholy more beneficial to scientific research.
What major question in your subject area is yet to be addressed – why is it important and why isn’t anyone addressing it?
I study the evolution and development of vertebrate skin organs, to try and understand how their diversity has arisen. Most research into skin organ development has concerned mouse hair and chicken feathers. More recently, researchers have begun to use other vertebrates as developmental models in this context - for example I mostly study the development of shark scales. However, more needs to be done to obtain a comprehensive understanding of how skin organ diversity has arisen in phylogenetically distinct vertebrate groups.
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