This week’s PhDetails is with Sian Green who does her PhD at Durham University. Sian has an undergraduate degree in Zoology from the University of Reading where she was lucky enough to undertake her research project in South Africa, studying leopards and comparing camera traps to identification of spoor as research methods. Sian then took a year out, where she spent 3 months volunteering in Costa Rica on a range of biodiversity surveys and 6 months in Tanzania teaching volunteers and leading coastal bird and mangrove fish surveys. She then returned to the UK to begin her Masters degree at the University of Southampton, in conjunction with Marwell Wildlife. This involved a 9-month research component, 3 months of which she spent in Kenya, collecting data in the Mount Kenya Elephant Corridor using camera traps. Following on from this Sian wasn’t sure what she wanted to do next, and ended up taking a two-year gap before finding the right PhD for her. During this time, she says that she spent two months each summer leading large mammal surveys in Romania for Operation Wallacea, started a remote internship with S.P.E.C.I.E.S, got rejected from a whole lot of jobs, and spent some time at her family home in Devon, supporting the family business which involves the running of an environmentally friendly self-catering cottage and management of an area of land for wildlife conservation and education. Sian is now now based at Durham University working with the citizen science project MammalWeb, which uses camera traps to study UK mammal populations. She is researching how certain factors can influence public engagement with the public, as well factors affecting the quality of the data being collected.
Well let’s start off talking about completely unscientific stuff: What is your favourite band/musical artist pre 1980?
I want to mention David Bowie but wasn’t sure whether to put him in pre- or post- 1980 as he produced incredible music both before and after 1980 but seeing as he started pre-1980 I’m putting him in this section.
Favourite band/musical artist post 1980?
I don’t think I can choose just one, it varies depending on my mood. I listen to a lot of indie like Vampire Weekend, Foals, Arcade Fire, to name just a few, but I also have a big weakness for George Ezra!
Favourite movie?
Okay, I will make myself choose just one (which is pretty tough!) and say The Princess Bride, I loved it as a kid and still love it now – I still like to watch it when I get sick, it always makes me feel better!
Do you listen to podcasts? What are some of your favourites?
Not yet, though I really want to get into them, I have a 30 minute walk in and out of the office each day, which would be perfect podcast listening time (I should check out what everyone else’s favourites have been!)
Where do you study and who is/are your supervisors?
I am currently at Durham University, based in the departments of Anthropology and Biosciences. I have four supervisors, but mostly just have contact with two: Prof. Russell Hill (Anthropology) and Dr. Philip Stephens (Biosciences).
What year of your PhD are you in?
I have just started my second year, though I have no idea where that first year disappeared to….!
Who’s giving you the money – and for how long?
I am funded through an IAPETUS DTP (Doctoral Training Partnership) for 3 and a half years, so until March 2022
Do you have any publications?
I currently have one publication, in the African Journal of Ecology, based on research from my Masters degree.
Did you do a masters – where was it and was it about?
I did an M.Res in Wildlife Conservation with Southampton University and Marwell Wildlife. My research involved using camera traps to study elephant usage of a wildlife corridor in Kenya.
Do you do fieldwork? What is the best fieldwork you have ever done and what made it great?
YES! I love fieldwork and have been privileged enough to work in some amazing places. This makes it incredibly difficult to chose the best. But I think I will have to go with the fieldwork I have been doing in Romania – this involves surveying for mammals using camera traps and tracks and signs across the stunning Târnava Mare region of Transylvania. A big part of the work also involves teaching these survey skills to students from a range of backgrounds, which I find incredibly rewarding. I have participated in this work for the last three summers and it is very important to me as prior to my first season there I was convinced I wanted to only do research in the tropics, but it made me fall in love with European wildlife again and I was inspired to want to work with wildlife closer to home. This has had a massive influence on my choices as is probably the main reason I applied for the PhD I am doing now (which focusses on mammals in the UK).
How many PhDs did you apply for – what were you looking for?
I officially applied for three PhDs (and got the third one) though I sent out a few other email enquiries to supervisors as well. When I first started looking for PhDs I was very set on finding one with a large abroad fieldwork component. After being turned down from the first two PhDs I didn’t apply for another until a year later. During this time my priorities changed and it was more important that I would be able to pursue my own research interests, rather than specifically wanting to go abroad. Doing UK based research gives me much more flexibility to design my own research projects, but also makes it easier to see friends and family, and actually have time for hobbies!
What is the most bodged piece of equipment you have had to use during field/labwork – did it work?
A vital piece of equipment, that many camera trappers rely on, is ‘The stick’. It is rare that you ever find the perfect tree (i.e. tall, straight growing with a nice big, though not too big, trunk with a nice smooth flat surface) to place a camera on. Therefore, its common practice to wedge a stick between the camera trap and the tree to make sure you get that perfect angle.
What one piece of advice would you give to a masters student applying to PhDs now?
Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get it. Apply for stuff even if you’re not sure, find out more and then decide if its right for you, if its not, you can always say no, but if you don’t apply then you may miss the opportunity. Also try to speak with the supervisors, and make sure to ask any important questions and see if you think you can work with them. Also, there is no need to rush, I took a two-year gap between finishing my masters and starting a PhD, which this was a longer gap then I had planned but I gained experience and contacts that have since proved very useful!
How often do you meet with your supervisors?
Formally, every two or three weeks, but I often see them around in seminars, lab group meetings or just popping into the office.
What supervisor traits are important to you?
Being approachable and patient is really important, otherwise students may feel nervous about asking ‘stupid questions’ (which are not actually stupid at all). My supervisors are very relaxed and have said from the start I can pop in and see them any time, which is nice! They have also been very supportive and encouraging of me developing my own project ideas which I feel is really important for development as a researcher.
What do you think are the worst supervisor traits?
Disinterest/ not really caring. If your own supervisor doesn’t even seem to find your research interesting its very disheartening. It can also be very stressful when they don’t reply to emails.
In one sentence what is your PhD about?
Engaging members of the public in a citizen science project to study mammal populations using camera traps
What has been your academic highlight of the last year?
I think my highlight would be my progression viva, which might seem strange as this was actually an assessment of my research plan that decided whether I could progress into second year. But it involved discussing my ideas with two academics (who are not my supervisors) but who took me seriously as a fellow researcher and were genuinely interested in my ideas- and thought they were good! It made me feel validated and definitely helped squash some of the imposter syndrome!
Have you had an academic low point of the last year – if so what happened?
I have been working on a review paper which was recently rejected. I have been invited to make major revisions and re-submit. I think it will work out eventually but it’s still pretty disheartening. And it means more work than I expected before it might get published.
Which academic idol/scientist would you most like to meet?
I’m worried this might not be a very original answer, but as a zoologist, it has to be David Attenborough!
Do you have a favourite paper?
This is the only paper I have ever described as heart-warming. It’s delightful.
What has been your favourite conference so far – why?
I have been to a conference organised for IAPETUS funded students, which was fun and a good chance to catch up with other students but not quite the same experience as an open conference. I am really looking forward to the British Ecological Society Annual Meeting in December, where I will be presenting a poster and which will be my first big conference!
What hours do you typically work?
I aim to work from around 9.30 – 5.30 ish each but I enjoy the flexibility of doing a PhD and will often deviate from this working occasional evenings and weekends, although I try to keep my free time, which I think keeping regular working hours helps with.
How do you avoid procrastinating?
I don’t – but I keep it to a minimum by doing most work in the office, where there are fewer distractions.
What motivates you in your day to day PhD life?
I’m a pretty self-motivated person anyway and I am genuinely interested in my research and excited to go to work.
What do you do when you’re not working – how do you balance it with your PhD?
Exercise is really important to me, and helps me de-stress. I like getting outside for walks when I can, classes at the gym, swimming and recently took up bouldering which I am really enjoying as it’s a sport that also involves problem solving so distracts me completely from any PhD related stresses. I also enjoy cooking and baking and enjoy coming home and looking after myself by listening to music and cooking something nice in the evening.
If a genie could grant you one wish to help with your PhD what would you wish for?
A secretary! Or at least something to help manage my emails, I feel like some days I barely have any time for anything else after I have finished sorting my inbox.
What would be your dream job?
I’m not sure but I find doing my own research really rewarding so I know I want to stay in research.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Maybe doing a postdoc or doing research for a conservation charity or NGO.
One word to sum up your future in academia:
Possible?
What do you want to achieve outside of academia in the coming year?
I have recently taken up bouldering and I’m really enjoying it and want to progress onto some harder climbs over the next year (or three)
What essential tool hardware/software could you not do your PhD without?
Camera traps are the most essential tool for my PhD, as they will be used for most of my data collection. The MammalWeb website is also vital, as this in the portal through which people can participate as citizen scientists in the MammalWeb project – and this participation is central to my research
Where is somewhere you would like to work in the future?
I would love to work across more of mainland Europe – a big forest with bears and lynx please!
Do you have a favourite organism?
I find it impossible to chose but I usually go for pangolin when people ask this question as they are a unique and fascinating group of animals that are highly threatened, but that many people have not heard of – so I feel like they need the publicity.
Are there any social interactions/meetings which have enhanced your PhD experience e.g. social seminars/group meetings?
We have lab group meetings which are great for catching up with other people’s research and for getting advice and feedback, we also regularly head to the pub on a Friday night which is nice way to chill out at the end of the week.
If you could change one thing about your group/department structure what would it be?
I work with some great female PhD students and post docs, but there aren’t many female supervisors which is a shame, as I feel representation matters. It would be nice to see more female staff/ overall diversity higher in the department structure.
What major question in your subject area is yet to be addressed – why is it important and why isn’t anyone addressing it?
I am looking at quite broad topics, and at quite a few different subject areas and I can’t really think of any one major question. Overall, I think there are a lot of questions still to be answered in the worlds of both camera trapping and citizen science, but this is exciting as it means there are lots of avenues open for me to explore.
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