This week’s PhDetails #74 is with Jaime Schwoch, a first-generation student and PhD student at Portland State University. Jaime completed her undergraduate degree with a major in Biology: Botany with Honours at Portland State University and was a McNair Scholar. However, she considers herself to be more of an evolutionary biologist than a botanist. Jaime was the only student in the lab working on her project when it first began and was given the opportunity to play a large role in developing the all greenhouse experiments, pollination protocols, lab work and computational analyses. Jaime told me that she is deeply passionate about her research and decided to stay for my PhD to finish the novel work she had started in 2016. Jaime’s research focuses on the somatic mutation accumulation during vegetative growth. She investigates the potential of selection on somatic mutations during growth and the effects on inbred progeny. To investigate these concepts, Jaime uses hydroponic system to subject many clonal replicates of an herbaceous perennial Mimulus guttatus (Common Monkey Flowers) to stressful conditions. You can find Jaime on twitter @JaimeSchwoch and at her website HERE.
Well let’s start off talking about completely unscientific stuff: What is your favourite band/musical artist pre 1980?
It really depends on the genre. I have always been a huge Pink Floyd and the Doors fan if we are talking classic rock. However, I have always had an obsession with jazz/soul/funk and it wouldn’t even be fair for me to name my favourite because of how good all of it is.
Favourite band/musical artist post 1980?
It is difficult to narrow it down to one when there is a lot of great music out there. My favourite artists at the moment are Broken Bells, Dan Auerbach(post black keys), Atmosphere and Tash Sultana.
Favourite movie?
I am more of a fan of TV series, but I am a big fan of comedy and horror. My current favourite blends the two is “Tucker and Dale versus Evil”. I know, not very sophisticated but I dig the cheesiness (p.s. it is on Netflix if you haven’t heard of it).
Do you listen to podcasts?
I have an hour-long commute to campus and often find I don’t have time to browse for new podcasts but I am big consumer of NPR. I am regularly tuning into Fresh Air, Market Place and SciFri.
Where do you study and who is your supervisor?
I do my research in the biology department at Portland State University with Mitch Cruzan.
What year of your PhD are you in?
I am in the beginning of my 4th year of grad school but I am just now working towards candidacy. At my university, PhD programs are between 5 and 7 years. I am guessing I have about 3 years left (including this year).
Who’s giving you the money – and for how long?
I was lucky to be funded by the National Institute of Health my first year of grad school, but I am currently being supported through Teaching Assistantships. However, we are about to submit a proposal to National Science Foundation (NSF) soon.
Do you have any publications?
Not yet. My research was in its infancy when it began just a few years ago. However, I am an author on a manuscript that is currently in the peer review process. I am also writing a manuscript that will include some of my most recent results. Stay tuned. Otherwise, my work has been featured in Science Magazine HERE.
Did you do a masters – where was it and was it about?
I began as a master’s student but switched to pursue a PhD in the same lab instead. I couldn’t bring myself to leave my work and passion behind. When investigating potential labs for a PhD they didn’t offer what I was looking for and I decided to stay.
Do you do fieldwork?
I help other lab members with their field occasionally, but my work is primarily done in hydroponics in the greenhouse, wet lab work or coding on the computer. I do get the chance to go hiking once in a while when I need to collect plants to replenish my stock. Getting out of the lab to find my study species is amazing because they really like to grow around waterfalls.
What about lab work?
I do a lot of lab work and my favourite part is feeling like a real scientist after a tedious protocol but again it is very tedious.
How many PhDs did you apply for – what were you looking for?
I contacted a few potential PI’s and did a lot of research but never found something that I felt willing to spend the money to apply for. Most advisors had already moved on from the research I was interested in, had limited funding or were simply a poor match. My research was already super rad. I loved my lab and everyone in it. I guess I got lucky to land in the spot I wanted to be in.
What is the most bodged piece of equipment you have had to use during field/labwork – did it work?
All our equipment is at least satisfactory enough to get the job done but I have spent hours drilled holes into oversized Tupperware and trash bins to build my hydroponic systems in the greenhouse. They ended up working like a charm, but they weren’t pretty.
What one piece of advice would you give to a masters student applying to PhDs now?
Don’t forget that you will not be locked in a box for the rest of your life if you get a PhD. You are just as capable as anyone else to change your path or goals at anytime. You are allowed go with the flow of life and take opportunities as they come. That also includes making other things not related to your career a priority.
What supervisor traits are important to you?
I personally need a supervisor that is around often but isn’t a micromanager. I don’t require a ton of help, but I appreciate being able to bounce ideas off my advisor before work on something for long periods of time just to find out I should do something else. It is also important for me that they are often present in the lab to at least see that they happy with me when I walk in.
What do you think are the worst supervisor traits?
Aside from abusive traits we hear about in grad horror stories, the worst traits are not being clear or paying attention to the matter at hand but expect more than what can be understood from the exchange. It is also a big pet peeve of mine to be asked to correct or do something when they forgot you already did or didn’t look into the details before submitting their request.
In one sentence what is your PhD about?
My PhD research investigates how somatic mutations accumulate during plant growth under stress and their effects on their evolvability by assessing selective processes and effects on progeny based upon breeding strategies.
What has been your academic highlight of the last year?
My work was featured in Science Magazine. I got to travel around the US and to Finland to speak at evolution conferences (SSE and ESEB). Even though I didn’t win, I was an SSE Hamilton finalist at the 2019 Evolution conference in Rhode Island. I would say that this has been my best year for having my hard work recognized.
Have you had an academic lowpoint of the last year – if so what happened?
I have had a lot of personal lows get in my way of my productivity over the last 2 years. My mother and grandmother passed away in two separate and sudden accidents. I am lucky to have a supportive lab to help me work back to my optimum. It was very hard to get the motivation to complete tasks and the distraction caused me to make a lot of silly mistakes in my work.
Which academic idol/scientist have you met?
I have met a lot of authors of papers I cite by going to conferences but I am almost embarrassed to admit who and how big of a deal it was for me.
Which academic idol/scientist would you most like to meet?
There are some geneticists and biologist still alive today that I would love to have coffee with. Richard Dawkins, Fred Singer, James Watson would be a few but I would really love to meet the women who created CRISPR-cas9, Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier.
Who has been your academic role model/inspiration and why?
I have two:
1. My older sister has supported me throughout school. She has also been intellectually stimulating and inspired me by navigating college when I was much younger. I wouldn’t have thought college was an option without her.
2. My advisor is also big inspiration. He genuinely cares about his students and is often fighting for what is right in our department and university even if it may ruffle some feathers. I want to do the same for my students one day and I am trying to exercise those virtues wherever I get the chance.
Do you have a favourite paper?
Other than a paper pertinent to my research, the Miller-Urey experiment is my absolute favourite. It is such a rad paper that is very thought provoking.
What has been your favourite conference so far – why?
I have been to lots of conferences over the years. My favourite conference was getting the opportunity to give a talk at European Symposium of Evolutionary Biology (ESEB) in Finland because I got to leave the country for the first time ever. Who wouldn’t be ecstatic about that? it was very rewarding to see different perspectives than I am used to and I gained a lot of inspiration for my current research.
What hours do you typically work?
We are fairly lenient in our lab, especially because our lab is very heavy on bioinformatics (computer processing of genetic data) but I am generally in the lab by 10 or 10:30 and stay until about 4 or 5pm Monday through Friday. However, I get my best work done at home from 7pm to 12am when the general to do lists are out of the way.
How do you avoid procrastinating?
I don’t know that I do avoid it. I work really well under pressure, but I do my best to compartmentalize large tasks and map out my game plan regularly.
What motivates you in your day to day PhD life?
My motivation lies in my passion for my research and the great feeling when you get results or accomplish something.
What do you do when you’re not working – how do you balance it with your PhD?
I often have to force myself to step away from my computer. I usually try to leave the house to go see some local music or have a drink with my husband and friends. My rule of thumb is if I worked a full day or accomplished my goals, I get to do something fun. Also, I generally don’t work on anything Saturdays. In grad school, you could overwork yourself from sun up to sun down and still be far from done. You just have to give yourself permission to step away.
If a genie could grant you one wish to help with your PhD what would you wish for?
I would wish for the genie to give me the power to make plants grow and flower on demand. Sometimes I wait for months for my plants to get to certain size just for them to die.
What would be your dream job?
I know a lot of people would like to avoid academia, but I really would like to be a professor at a university. I like mentoring, teaching and researching. It is important to me to implement both teaching and researching into my career.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Hopefully, in a postdoc position.
One word to sum up your future in academia:
Determined
What do you want to achieve outside of academia in the coming year?
While my life is consumed by grad school, I am trying to get back into playing music again. It is easy to forget your hobbies when you are busy.
What essential tool hardware/software could you not do your PhD without?
I just bought a laptop that should be able to handle some of my analyses but I cannot live without access to a server. The server we have at Portland State is very powerful and some things will still run for weeks! …and of course who could live with out R-studio and Excel.
Where is somewhere you would like to work in the future?
I am not sure at this point. I am more worried about be able to conduct research I care about and I am happy to do that anywhere. I like to work hard but also keep my options open.
Do you have a favourite organism?
My favourite organism is a quaking aspen in Colorado named Pando. It is estimated to be approximately 80,000 years old and 106 acres. Each “tree” is connected clonally underground. It is essentially a forest composed of one individual. My study species is a Mimulus guttatus (Monkey flower) but both organisms exhibit a lot of clonal growth but it is easier to grow an herbaceous perennial than a tree. I became very interested in the mutational effects of clonality in plants when I learned about Pando.
How often do you meet with your supervisor?
I usually see my advisor daily, but we meet to talk about writing weekly. We also have weekly lab meetings where we go over a paper that one of the grad students chose.
Are there any social interactions/meetings which have enhanced your PhD experience?
I go to a lot of conferences and our department has a weekly seminar. However, the most enriching social activity is the weekly TA meeting. There about 10-15 TAs for the general biology labs and it is nice to regularly hangout with other grad students in our department while getting prepped for the week.
If you could change one thing about your group/department structure what would it be?
Our department occupies multiple buildings along with other STEM departments but the building that my lab is located in is in desperate need for a renovation. It is creepy, super dusty and has only one elevator with a mind of its own. I want that building to be redone so bad!
What major question in your subject area is yet to be addressed – why is it important and why isn’t anyone addressing it?
I think there is a lot of debate right now about whether plants have a germline or not that prevents the inheritance of somatic mutations. I am looking into this because it would fundamentally change how we view plant evolution and how we view varying levels of selection.
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