Environmental Microbiology and Me!

Researcher profile: Karen Scott (@DrKarenScott)

As an environmental microbiologist with a biological background I didn't think I would end up working in a geography department. In fact thinking back to my childhood I never thought I would end up in academia, or geography come to that - to be honest my only memories of geography from my school days involved writing a news article on the Exxon Valdez oil spill and drawing a cross section of the Earth! Having always been fascinated by animals, I grew up wanting to work with them in some way or another (once my dad had burst my bubble about a career in bricklaying not being like an episode of ‘Auf Wiedersehen, Pet’!).

I got a place on a BSc Animal Behaviour and Science course at Bishop Burton College in the East Riding of Yorkshire, which I thoroughly enjoyed. However, I found studying animals less engaging than I expected and instead was drawn towards modules assessing the impact of the environment on them. Developing my skills in this environmental sector made me re-evaluate the direction of my career.

Anaerobic workout in the lab

Once I’d completed my degree I got a job working in a microbiology laboratory testing a wide variety of samples ranging from fresh food to environmental water samples. It was a demanding job with long hours but it had its perks, such as free turkeys for the family at Christmas! After a year of working there I’d managed to save up enough money to cover the fees for a Masters degree. I joined the University of Hull Biological Sciences Department and spent a year assessing the effect of contaminated water on shore crab behaviour.

Thoroughly enjoying my year researching and writing I decided the research route was for me, and that’s when I started looking for PhDs. I picked up another microbiology role, similar to the previous one, while I hunted for a PhD and after a few months of looking I found one back at Hull based in Geography. The project investigated the ability of organic matter to decompose within the drainage system in the City of Hull, in particular studying the microbial community, and assessing if it could be increased in some way (outlined in my earlier blog post). Although the project was out of my area, it was cross disciplinary with biology so with a bit of extra background reading before starting, I was able to hit the ground running.

Nice day for fieldwork at Winscar 

After I completed my PhD, I commenced a six month research position in the department where I was split between two environmental projects. I'm now based in the School of Geography at the University of Leeds for the next 13 months working in moorland management and hydrology. The project enables me to expand my skill set within the environmental area, while allowing me the opportunity to get my teeth into some research within the department, which remains a great passion of mine. While I'm not sure if after this project’s completion I will take my career into industry or remain within the academic sector, I am excited by the opportunities for both that come my way.

The Road to Graduation

Phinally Done

By Dr Karen Scott (@DrKarenScott)

On the 19th December 2012 I submitted my PhD thesis. 6 months and 20 days later and I have just graduated! The process in between these two dates was most surreal, with a never ending feeling about it. Until yesterday!

My research focused on investigating sustainable solutions for roadside gully pot management, which came as a result of the 2007 Hull floods. The fortnight leading up to my thesis submission was one of the most stressful and tiring times of my life, but the massive feeling of accomplishment I had when I handed those two large copies in was overwhelming. After the celebratory buzz (and the hangover) settled down, it quickly sank in that the PhD process was still not over, and wouldn’t be for a while. Not until after the Viva Voca. And then the corrections. 

This was the strangest feeling, the thing which I had been so focused on and had taken over my life for the past three and a half years was written up, bound and handed in, all my lab work was completed and my bench space cleaned, but the process was not finished. It was now in the hands of the gods (or the Professors that were marking it). I felt a little lost to be honest, like all PhD researchers I had got into the system of thinking of nothing else but the PhD, thankfully I had the gluttony of Christmas and New Year to take my mind off this.

When I returned to uni I bumbled along trying to get back into a ‘normal’ routine. My time was filled doing bits of work on a new paper and applying for jobs. The false feeling of it being over snuck in, then I received an email with the Viva date.... and the stress twitch came back. 

I had one month until the exam. I spent the first two weeks trying to work out how to prepare for this thing which had terrified me since the day I had signed up to do the PhD. Eventually after asking just about everyone in (and out of!) the department, I started to revise my thesis, the area around it and anything else I could grasp at.The day came incredibly fast! 

My hands were clammy and my mouth was dry, and this was just on the approach to the department. I was absolutely terrified! My examiners were lovely, they tried to relax me at the beginning with compliments, easy introductory questions and questions about my finds while sampling (bowling balls, money and plastic Gary Lineker legless toys seemed to raise a smile). Then the real questions came, quick and fast. Thankfully I was able to answer most with confidence but there were some hairy times where I felt I was just digging myself deeper into holes. After about two and a half hours they called an end to it, and I was sent out while they made their decision. I went to wait in my supervisor’s office (who looked like a new parent waiting for his first child to make an appearance) and although I was only out for 10 minutes it felt like it lasted longer than the Viva itself! I was called back in to smiling faces, as I was told I had passed with minor corrections. I was over the moon! The celebrations started straight away but I found myself being so exhausted from the whole thing I had to head home for an early night and resume the celebrations on the next day!

After a week of soaking it all in that I had actually passed, it dawned on me it still wasn't over, there were the corrections to do. Thankfully I only had minor corrections, which didn't take too long, but it did take a while to get my head back into it and get them done for the summer graduation deadline. As you can guess from this blog, I made it. It’s officially over. I’m finally done. There is no more work to do, apart from squeezing one or two more papers from the thesis and then put it on the shelf to gather dust. And that feels amazing. Knowing all the ups and downs, late nights, early mornings, retests, retrials and re-jigging of work was worth it, and collecting that piece of paper amongst the rest of the graduates who have all been through this makes it that much sweeter.