This week’s PhDetails is with Lisa Barrett who studies at the University of Wyoming. Lisa graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Evolutionary Anthropology from the University of Michigan in 2013. She then worked as a research assistant for Think Elephants International in Thailand for a year before beginning graduate school in the Animal Behavior & Cognition Lab at the University of Wyoming. As an NSF Graduate Research Fellow, Lisa carried out her dissertation work with Asian elephants at the Oklahoma City Zoo, the National Zoo, and the San Diego Zoo, and with captive zebra finches. Lisa told me that she is thrilled to defend her Ph.D. in Ecology and start as a Post-doctoral Fellow in Animal Behavior at the Oklahoma City Zoo this Spring. You can find Lisa on Twitter @lisapbarrett
What is your favourite band/musical artist pre 1980?
The Four Tops and The Temptations
Favourite band/musical artist post 1980?
Coldplay, Lana Del Rey, and Glass Animals
Favourite movie?
Old School, The Ring, and Crash
Do you listen to podcasts? What are some of your favourites?
Yes! How I Built This and My Favorite Murder
Where do you study and who are your supervisors?
The University of Wyoming under the supervision of Dr. Sarah Benson-Amram and Dr. Dave McDonald
What year of your PhD are you in?
6th
Who’s giving you the money – and for how long?
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program from 2014-2019 and the Animal Behavior Society Student Research Grant. I also received several scholarships through the University of Wyoming, including funding from the Biodiversity Institute and the Department of Zoology & Physiology.
Do you have any publications ?
I have one publication—an invited review on the cognition of ‘nuisance’ species here—and another is submitted. Three more are in preparation to be submitted soon.
Did you do a masters – where was it and was it about?
No.
Do you do fieldwork? What is the best fieldwork you have ever done and what made it great?
I did “fieldwork” with Asian elephants at U.S. zoos during the summers of 2016 and 2017.
The best fieldwork I’ve done was through a primate behaviour and conservation field course through DANTA (find some of my grad school blogs here: https://dantablog.wordpress.com/2017/05/02/what-not-to-do-in-graduate-school/), and as a research assistant for Think Elephants International in Thailand. What made both experiences great was the people I worked with and the memories we made together.
Do you do any lab work?
A second portion of my dissertation focuses on behavior of zebra finches. I study them in the lab in Wyoming. The best part of that project has been managing and mentoring a team of over fifteen undergraduate students. The worst part has been (once in a while) losing animals ☹
How many PhDs did you apply for – what were you looking for?
I applied to a handful of programs and was looking to study animal social and physical cognition in a lab with good morale, a challenging but helpful supervisor, in a place I’ve never lived before.
What is the most bodged piece of equipment you have had to use during field/labwork – did it work?
An elephant once stepped on a puzzle box and left a huge dent in it, but it still worked!
What one piece of advice would you give to a masters student applying to PhDs now?
Do what excites and invigorates you the most
How often do you meet with your supervisors?
We have a standing weekly meeting, but often meet about twice per month (with email updates in between).
What supervisor traits are important to you?
Someone who looks out for you and helps you take advantage of opportunities that will help you grow as a researcher and accomplish your goals, and someone who will help you think through your project design and identify flaws before it’s too late.
What do you think are the worst supervisor traits?
Selfishness and deceitfulness
In one sentence what is your PhD about?
I examine how personality influences individual variation in cognition, with implications for social relationships and ability to cope with changes in the environment.
What has been your academic highlight of the last year?
My colleagues and I published an invited review paper on the cognition of so-called “nuisance” species, which was a lot of fun to write. I also got to teach my own class!
Have you had an academic lowpoint of the last year – if so what happened?
Yes; my advisor resigned after being on leave for several years.
Which academic idol/scientist have you met?
Frans de Waal, Temple Grandin, and Alison Greggor
Which academic idol/scientist would you most like to meet?
Andrea Griffin and Cynthia Moss
Do you have a favourite paper?
Yes! Van de Waal, E., Borgeaud, C., & Whiten, A. (2013). Potent social learning and conformity shape a wild primate’s foraging decisions in Science
What has been your favourite conference so far – why?
The Comparative Cognition Conference (CO3) is small but mighty, with lots of interesting talks and posters, plus it’s always at the same spot on the beach! I also love going to the Animal Behavior Society Conference every year with my lab, because there are so many great talks and I get to visit a new city every summer.
What hours do you typically work?
8-5 and then a little bit after dinner during the week, and sometimes on the weekend. If I’m doing research at zoos or in the lab, that could start as early as 6 a.m.
What do you do when you’re not working – how do you balance it with your PhD?
I love watching movies, exercising, reading, and playing with my hamster! At 5:00 p.m. I pause my inbox using the Chrome add-on “Boomerang,” and I try not to check email when I’m not working.
What motivates you in your day to day PhD life?
Asian elephant endangerment status, my students, and my family.
If a genie could grant you one wish to help with your PhD what would you wish for?
All the stats and R coding knowledge in the world.
What would be your dream job?
Using knowledge of individual variation in behavior for management and conservation decisions, while educating future scientists and the public.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Starting a tenure-track position and doing conservation behavior work
One word to sum up your future in academia: Purposeful
What do you want to achieve outside of academia in the coming year?
I want to get a dog and give it puzzles to solve. I also want to keep reading books for fun, and get back into tap dancing.
What essential tool hardware/software could you not do your PhD without?
Video cameras and puzzle boxes
Who has been your academic role model/inspiration and why?
Jane Goodall, because she is a leader in the study of ethology and continues to inspire young scientists.
Where would you would like to work in the future?
Somewhere by a beach
Do you have a favourite organism?
Elephants are my favorite, but I am also fascinated by cephalopods and love learning about them, because they are so unique and represent an intriguing example of convergent cognitive evolution.
How do you avoid procrastinating?
I break down my work goals into smaller, concrete, feasible goals with a specific deadline. I also use the Pomodoro Technique, and I share my goals with my friends so I have some social pressure and accountability. I love to cross things off of my daily, weekly, and monthly to-do lists in my planner (https://inkandvolt.com/). I also keep track of my time with Toggl (https://toggl.com/app/timer).
Are there any social interactions/meetings which have enhanced your PhD experience?
Yes! I am a part of the largest Ph.D. program on campus, the Program in Ecology (PiE). PiE is a student-run interdisciplinary program and has been an awesome source of encouragement and motivation for me. I also helped found the Graduate Student Network to fill the void of a graduate school (we don’t have one here). I enjoyed organizing events, such as write-in retreats and coffee hours, for all disciplines of grad students.
If you could change one thing about your group/department structure what would it be?
A centralized graduate school that can look out for grad students and standardize processes across departments.
What major question in your subject area is yet to be addressed – why is it important and why isn’t anyone addressing it?
How we can use individual differences for conservation and management decisions. This is a burgeoning sub-field to which I cannot wait to contribute. It’s critical to address management and conservation issues at the individual level instead of just the population level in order to effectively save species.
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