This week’s PhDetails is with Lauren Lees who does her PhD at the University of California Irvine. Lauren grew up in South Carolina and did her undergrad at the College of Charleston, where she majored in biology with a minor in environmental studies and sustainability. She started doing research in a biochemistry lab, but quickly learned that it wasn’t for her and transitioned to a molecular ecology lab, where she studied the invasive seaweed Agarophyton vermiculophyllum with Erik Sotka. After graduation, Lauren took a year off to work and apply to PhD programs. During that year, she worked on agricultural science with Clemson University before started a position as a lab tech at the College of Charleston with Jack DiTullio. This is how Lauren was able to go on her first oceanographic cruise to Antarctica and formed her interest in microbes. After that, she moved across the country to California and started working in the rocky intertidal looking at how benthic microbes in tide pools are affected by grazer abundance. Lauren says that she is still very early in her PhD, but hopes to explore other interactions between microbes and macrobiota in coastal systems. You can find Lauren on Twitter @laurenelees!
What is your favourite band/musical artist pre 1980?
Fleetwood Mac
Favourite band/musical artist post 1980?
It changes on a daily basis, but my most played artists are usually The Weeknd, Gregory Alan Isakov, and Matt Corby
Favourite movie?
Without a doubt, Gremlins 2: The New Batch
Do you listen to podcasts?
All the time. I usually listen to a lot of NPR podcasts, The Daily, Reply All, and more. When I’m doing extractions I usually prefer more comedic podcasts like The Betchalor and 2 Dope Queens.
Do you keep the funnier podcasts for extractions help to balance out the stress of labwork?
Most definitely. Especially if I’m doing something tedious (like extractions), I want to keep it light. Listening to heavier/educational things tends to get me more stressed out or tired.
Where do you study and who is your supervisors?
I’m at the University of California Irvine in Matt Bracken’s lab.
What year of your PhD are you in?
Just finishing up my first year
Who’s giving you the money – and for how long?
Right now I’m partially funded through a TA-ship from my department and an RA from my advisor’s NSF project. I’m in the process of preparing a ton of fellowship applications for the fall.
How do you find TAing? We don’t have that system here in Switzerland but I have always wondered what it’s like!
I was really nervous to start TAing because we get a couple days of training beforehand. But after getting into it, I do really like teaching. I’ve TAed physiology lab for 3 quarters now, and as I gain experience, I obviously get more confident and enjoy it more. Especially since I teach 4th year undergrads, I find that I’m a really useful resource in preparing them for applying for grad school and honing their scientific writing skills. Honestly, I’m still trying to figure out that perfect balance with TAing and my own research. Teaching itself isn’t too much of a time sink since the professor I TA for is super organized, but grading can still take up a huge amount of time. I find that I tend to procrastinate on my projects by grading assignments, so know I’ve got to work on my time management here.
What do you take away from it? Is TAing something everyone should do?
I definitely think it’s helpful to gain teaching experience. That said, I don’t have any experience with actual lesson planning so it’s still pretty far removed from what you’d experience as a faculty member. It is tough to balance out projects and teaching, but that’s preparation for a future in academia too. I think it would be beneficial for everyone to have the opportunity to teach if that’s something that they might do in the future.
Do you have any publications?
Just one first authored paper from my undergraduate research in Journal of Phycology and a paper I was a collaborator on in Evolutionary Applications. Which you can find HERE.
Did you do a masters – where was it and was it about?
Nope. I was lucky to have a great undergraduate research experience in Dr. Erik Sotka’s lab that formed my passion for marine ecology. After graduation, I took a year off and was a lab/field tech in a biogeochemical oceanography lab with Dr. Jack DiTullio to gain more experience.
Do you do fieldwork? What is the best fieldwork you have ever done and what made it great?
Oh yes. I’d say the best field work I’ve done so far was my tech job that consisted of a 3 month research cruise in Antarctica studying the colimitation of iron and B12 in the Ross Sea. We sailed from Chile to Australia around Antarctica. It was a lot of work, but I learned so much and had experiences I never thought I would have. I got to hike on Ross Island, see amazing wildlife, and work alongside some amazing people.
Three months seems like a long time to be on a research vessel, what were the best and worst bits?
Oh it was definitely long, but it seemed to go pretty quickly. I’d say the best experiences included hiking on Ross Island for our 3-day break mid-journey, seeing my first penguin and orca, and getting to see the first almost-sunset of the season in February (it turns the mountains and the ice pink). Without a doubt though, the best part of the trip was meeting some truly amazing people. That trip could have easily been horrible if we didn’t get along. Worst bits include staying up until early morning preparing experiments. It’s tough in the Antarctic summer because the sun never sets, so you really don’t have a clue about what time it is when you’re stuck in your work—it’s really easy to get disoriented. There were definitely times when I was just totally drained of energy toward the end, but we made all made it through together.
How many PhDs did you apply for – what were you looking for?
I formally applied to 4 programs. I was looking for a marine evolutionary ecology lab that where I’d be able to do a lot of field work. Beyond looking for professors that had research I was interested in, I wanted to move farther away from home for a chance to work in systems that I’d always been fascinated with, like the rocky intertidal. It seemed like the Bracken Lab was the perfect place for that.
What is the most bodged piece of equipment you have had to use during fieldwork – did it work?
Right now, our field and lab equipment are pretty great. We did once have to fashion a trace-metal-clean ice collecting device out of tuperware, tape, zip ties, and a broom handle. It wasn’t pretty but it worked.
What one piece of advice would you give to a masters student applying to PhDs now?
Give yourself plenty of time to find the right fit. Start early and ask the current (and former) grad students about their experiences. You want to be happy where you end up.
How often do you meet with your supervisor?
Once a week during the academic year
What supervisor traits are important to you?
I like my independence, so I value having an advisor that doesn’t micromanage. That said, communication is everything. You need to be able to rely on your advisor to be there when you need advice. Also, having an advisor that recognizes the importance of work/life balance and mental health is incredibly important for me
What do you think are the worst supervisor traits?
Beyond the most obvious (e.g. harassment), I think that supervisors who overwork their students and put their own success above that of their students can be incredibly detrimental to student wellbeing. I also think having an advisor that doesn’t communicate well can make PhD life hard.
In one sentence what is your PhD about?
I study how interactions between marine microbiota and macrobiota affect ecosystem functioning.
What has been your academic highlight of the last year?
The highlight of this year was going into Northern California’s rocky intertidal for the first time with a senior lab member. Not only did I learn a lot, but the beauty was beyond what I imagined.
Have you had an academic lowpoint of the last year – if so what happened?
I can’t pinpoint an exact moment, but struggling with imposter syndrome and anxiety has been a fairly constant struggle for the first year of my PhD. Having a supportive environment is really helpful though.
Impostor syndrome is something that affects so many of us in science, do you think there is anything we could/should do as a community that would help with impostor syndrome?
I wish I had the answers here. I try to be as open as possible about my mental health struggles to minimize stigmas and show other grad-students that we’re struggling together. I know one of my friends pursuing a humanities PhD has a group chat called “PhDivas” where female grad-students post about accomplishments and struggles so they can support and congratulate each other. It think that colleagues supporting each other is important, but it’s hard to walk that line between supporting and motivating each other and competing against one another. I think people being open about imposter syndrome is really important. I also think that things like this blog might help—we get to see other people’s journeys, some that we can identify with and some we can’t. But it’s clear we aren’t alone in it, and that’s a start.
Who has been your academic role model/inspiration and why?
Recently my academic role model has been Dr. Kathleen Treseder. She is an incredibly strong scientist and an even stronger person. She’s an inspiration as a woman in science and cares about the success and wellbeing of students. Beyond that, her review about incorporating microbial processes into ecosystem models helped to form a lot of my questions in the first year of my PhD.
Which academic idol/scientist have you met?
I don’t really know… I’ve met a lot of scientists I admire
Which academic idol/scientist would you most like to meet?
I’d love to meet Cathy Pfister. I read her papers all the time and have emailed her a few times, but we have yet to meet.
Do you have a favourite paper?
Favorites are difficult for me, but one paper I keep going back to this year is Orissa Moulton’s review on coastal microbial nitrogen cycling.
What has been your favourite conference so far – why?
I haven’t had a ton of experience with conferences yet (still trying to get some data). But my favorite was the Benthic Ecology Meeting 2017. I was a senior in my undergrad and it was my first conference, so everything was exciting. I met so many amazing researchers and got a taste of how diverse my discipline is. It really inspired me to finish writing up my research and get my first publication out there.
What hours do you typically work?
I try to work from 9-5 during the week. Of course, sometimes it’s more and sometimes it’s less. I find that I usually spend some time at a café on the weekends to write. Keeping a schedule helps to motivate me and relieve some of my anxiety
What's would be your dream cafe for working remotely?
I love this question. My perfect cafe is bright and clean, surrounded by elements of nature. I love the calmness that plants bring, and working in a space that’s bright really wakes me up. They’ve also got to have a really good flat white. Being in a new city means I haven’t found that perfect cafe here yet, but I’m working on it
How do you avoid procrastinating?
I like to save my favorite podcasts for lab work, so it’s like a treat that motivates me to get into the lab. That said, I try to take breaks when my brain won’t focus any more. I like to think it makes me more productive. I also go to different cafes if I don’t need to be in the lab. I like the change of scenery, especially if I’m writing
What motivates you in your day to day PhD life?
I guess at the root, I love science. I love reading papers and jotting down questions and trying to find ways to answer them. Beyond that, I want my research to help people understand how important microbes are in forming the ecosystems we see and how they help to form these stable and resilient communities. On a lighter note, sometimes when nothing is working and I get frustrated, I just keep thinking “one day, I’ll make a dinner reservation as Dr. Lees” and that sounds pretty good to me
What do you do when you’re not working – how do you balance it with your PhD?
I love exercising (running, swimming, going to the gym) and traveling when I have the time. I’ve also recently taken up gardening. I’m a morning person, so I always work out before I head into the lab in the morning. This helps calm my anxiety too. I always try to make time on the weekends to hang out with friends and not think about science to decompress.
If a genie could grant you one wish to help with your PhD what would you wish for?
I’d wish to have all my grant proposals be successful so I can actually do the projects I have in mind.
What would be your dream job?
I struggle with this question a lot because I’m still trying to figure it out. I’m leaning towards a liberal arts professor. I had such an amazing undergraduate research experience and I hope to give that to other young people passionate about science someday.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Hopefully finished with my PhD… a post doc/job would be nice too
One word to sum up your future in academia:
Persistent
What do you want to achieve outside of academia in the coming year?
I want to compete in a 10K run again. A year ago, I fractured leg so it might be slow, but completion is the goal.
What essential tool hardware/software could you not do your PhD without?
My xtratuf boots
Where is somewhere you would like to work in the future?
I’d love to work in the pacific northwest or somewhere in Europe. Really, as long as I get to keep exploring, I’ll be happy
Do you have a favourite organism – what is it and why – is it different from your study organism(s)?
Kelp! Any of my friends will tell you I’ve always been obsessed with kelp, and it’s one of the reasons I came to California. I just always learned about it in ecology class and the ecosystems it forms are fascinating to me. Now I’m really into the kelp microbiome. I don’t currently work with kelps, but I’m working on some proposals to fix that
Are there any social interactions/meetings which have enhanced your PhD experience?
We have a weekly seminar series followed by a reception with faculty, students, and the speaker in fall and spring quarter. It’s a great way to learn about topics far removed from my study area.
If you could change one thing about your group/department structure what would it be?
I wish that the sub-departments within our department weren’t so isolated. We have ecology, physiology, and evolution group and I feel like we don’t interact that much.
What major question in your subject area is yet to be addressed – why is it important and why isn’t anyone addressing it?
In marine systems, most past research focuses on planktonic microbes and their roles in pelagic trophic and nutrient cycling. The role benthic biofilms in the health of rocky intertidal ecosystems hasn’t been explored much. How do these microbes interact with macrobiota and environmental factors? What role do they play in the functioning of these systems?
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