asngrads ECR Spotlight

ECR Spotlight Series: Maria Rebolleda-Gomez

In an effort to showcase and amplify the voices of early career researchers in ecology, evolution, and behavior, we are sharing their stories, in their own words.

Dr. Maria Rebolleda-Gomez

Assistant Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UC Irvine

Tell us a little about your journey as an ECR, from when you decided you wanted to pursue science to your graduate study to your current appointment at UC Irvine? In particular, what first sparked your interest in studying the evolutionary ecology of microbial communities?

In Mexico, you choose the rough equivalent of a major from the start of your college education, and your major shapes all of the classes you will take (if you major in biology, all of your classes are related to biology). I wanted to be a historian, to work in art preservation, to study biology or chemistry. But I think nothing puzzled me more than the origin of life and the evolution of complexity. At the time, I wanted to do molecular biology because I was fascinated by the complexity of the eukaryotic cell. I have moved in multiple directions in biology ever since, but I think those questions are still motivating my research in different ways. I had a few classes in college that shaped my interests and the directions of my career. One of these classes was on prokaryotic biology – learning about all the cool things prokaryotes can do, and all of the environments they can survive in made me fall in love with bacteria!

Continue reading “ECR Spotlight Series: Maria Rebolleda-Gomez” →
asngrads ECR Spotlight

ECR Spotlight Series: Bob Week

In an effort to showcase and amplify the voices of early career researchers in ecology, evolution, and behavior, we are sharing their stories, in their own words.

Dr. Bob Week

Post-doctoral Researcher, Michigan State University

Can you give us the rundown on your ECR journey thus far, from what type of undergraduate institution you went to, to your current position?

My journey into science began at Clark Community College in Vancouver, Washington. I had developed an anxious curiosity for mathematics and electronics, but was undecided about my career path. So I focused on my passions, taking coursework in mathematics, physics and electrical engineering. I enjoyed the smaller class sizes at the community college and the relationships I developed with the faculty. Towards the end of my time at Clark I decided to pursue a bachelors in electrical engineering at the University of Idaho. I chose Idaho for its smaller size (hoping to retain a similar experience to the community college) and because its electrical engineering program was (and I am sure still is) well respected. However, I was caught off-guard by my interests in mathematics and a growing interest in how mathematics can be applied to understand biological pattern formation. At the time the University of Idaho had a program for Undergraduate research in Biology and Mathematics (UBM). I inquired about an open position and the organizer introduced me to Professor Scott Nuismer, a mathematical evolutionary ecologist studying coevolutionary theory. Scott and I really enjoyed working together and I became fascinated by the world of mathematical evolutionary ecology.

Continue reading “ECR Spotlight Series: Bob Week” →
asngrads ECR Spotlight

ECR Spotlight Series: Samreen Siddiqui

In an effort to showcase and amplify the voices of early career researchers in ecology, evolution, and behavior, we are sharing their stories, in their own words.

Dr. Samreen Siddiqui

Post-doctoral Scholar, Oregon State University

Can you give us the rundown on your ECR journey thus far, from what type of undergraduate institution you went to, to your current position?

I got my undergraduate from GBPUAT, Pantnagar, India, and landed in the UK for my first MS degree in Aquatic Ecosystem Management. From there I spent a few years working professionally.  Since a 1 year taught MS was not acceptable to enter into a PhD, I needed to redo a MS in biology with focus on ecotoxicology from Valdosta State University, GA. From there I met my PhD advisor at a SETAC Conference and joined Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi (TAMUCC) for my terminal degree. I graduated with my son last summer and am now working as a postdoctoral scholar at Oregon State University.

Continue reading “ECR Spotlight Series: Samreen Siddiqui” →
asngrads ECR Spotlight

ECR Spotlight Series: Juliano Morimoto

In an effort to showcase and amplify the voices of early career researchers in ecology, evolution, and behavior, we are sharing their stories, in their own words.

Juliano Morimoto, DPhil (Oxon.) FLS FRES FRSA

Research Fellow, University of Aberdeen

Can you give us the rundown on your ECR journey thus far, from what type of undergraduate institution you went to, to your current position?

I started my journey in my home country, Brazil. After completing my basic education in public schools (which in Latin America, are of ever-declining quality), I was miraculously admitted to a public University in 2009, at the age 17, thanks to the social quota system. That was when I started my academic journey in my BSc in Biological Sciences at the Federal University of Paraná. During my first year, I was discriminated in the University and in the society in two ways: by being Latino mixed race and by having benefited from the social quota. In fact, I was denied student housing simply because I came from a low-middle income class family and a few of my classmates told me I did not deserve to be at the University. In addition to this, during my first years of University, I faced several adversities (both financial and emotional) which were difficult to overcome. For example, one of the professors in the course admitted (at the end of the semester) that she “tried to humiliate me in front of the class to prove I wasn’t worth to be there, and did everything she could to give me low grades”. But in 2010, I met my first ‘angel’ – Prof Elaine Benelli – who took me under her wings, mentored me, and gave me not only an undergraduate stipend (which helped with living), but also connected me to her international collaborators in the field of Structural Biology. Despite not speaking English well (in fact, I did not speak at all English until the age of 15), Prof Benelli encouraged me to apply for an international undergraduate scholarship in 2012, to visit my second angel: Dr Silvia Onesti in Trieste. Dr Onesti hosted me and gave me the opportunity to complete my monography in her group (equivalent to an Honours thesis) at the Synchrotron in Trieste, Italy. That was my first international trip – an international trip I never thought it would be possible for me. 

Continue reading “ECR Spotlight Series: Juliano Morimoto” →