Case studies: PhD student: Darren

Darren is in the second year of his PhD funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) at Rothamsted Research in Hertfordshire. He graduated with a BSc in Biology from the University of York in 2007.

I enjoyed my degree in that it provided me with the broad theoretical framework I needed to be able to think flexibly about biology. However, it was my year in industry in my third year that gave me a clearer idea about what I wanted to do. I worked at the Millennium Seed Bank in West Sussex, where I investigated seed dormancy and gathered lots of lab experience. This led me to look more closely at soil and I took a soil module in my fourth year, which is when I realised its great importance to many of our basic needs.

My research title is a Soil Molecular Microbial Ecologist and I’m investigating the spatial distribution of soil bacteria and soil carbon. The panel awarding me the grant was looking for someone with a good degree indicating a sound grounding in biology and excellent lab skills. But I also think they were impressed by the fact that, as well as my year in industry and final year projects, I had communication, time management and delegation skills from my stint managing a bunch of volunteers at the hospital coffee shop I ran for the WRVS.

What I like about doing a PhD is the autonomy; you have to like planning your own work and setting deadlines for yourself. Although I have a great supervisor who challenges me, it’s down to me to get the research done and that means working late or at weekends if necessary. As an outdoors person, I enjoy going soil sampling, but I can feel differently about it if it’s pouring with rain and I have to spend all day trudging through mud.

On the plus side, I take part in conferences a few times a year across Europe and Brazil. The British Society of Soil Science (BSSS)  provides grants for PhD students to go to conferences. And, my grant from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)  is tax free and enables me to live reasonably.

As to the future, I’m as yet undecided. The two most common options are to apply for a postdoc position in the commercial field, offering a balance between research and industry, or in the academic field either at Rothamsted or another research organisation. There is also the possibility of working abroad if I find the right position. The skills and training I’ve received allow me to consider a wide range of options from the environment to the biomedical sector, through to the Civil Service.