Case studies: Postdoctoral research fellow: Dan

Dan is a postdoctoral research fellow working at Oceanlab, University of Aberdeen. He is currently researching carbon cycling in deep-sea sediments. Dan began his university study at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and got his PhD in 2005.

I’d originally planned to study for a BSc in Zoology, but finally opted for Marine Biology and completed my dissertation on coastal zooplankton. Whilst at university, I learnt to scuba-dive and subsequently participated in coral reef survey projects off Zanzibar (Tanzania) and Utila (Honduras).

Weeks after graduating, I was analysing samples from krill feeding experiments at the British Antarctic Survey’s headquarters in Cambridge. That job was followed by a less prestigious spell on a building site, which prompted me to qualify as a dive master. This led to me spending a year at the Red Sea (Egypt), working first as a dive guide and then as an underwater field assistant.

After Egypt, I returned to the UK to work as a seagoing research assistant at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton. This involved analysing deep-sea video survey data and enabled me to participate in two research cruises, sampling animals from depths greater than 5,000 metres.

I started my PhD a year later, examining how the quality of food influences growth in Calanus, one of the most abundant animals in the North Atlantic. My PhD involved a diverse array of experimental and analytical techniques, and saw me participate in three further cruises. I’ve since undertaken two post-doctoral positions, studying the ecological impacts of fish farming and investigating how omega-3 fatty acids influence carbon cycling in deep-sea sediments.

Current research involves:

• planning and participating in scientific research cruises; 
• conducting state-of-the-art, stable-isotope ‘pulse-chase’ incubation experiments;
• biochemical and statistical analyses;
• presenting research finding at international conferences.

My work contains a good mixture of experimental field work, laboratory analysis and data publication. I also supervise undergraduate, Masters and PhD students, as well as writing research proposals. Contemporary marine scientists are expected to draw upon a broad skills base, and must be flexible and inventive in their approach to work. A PhD is almost a prerequisite in this increasingly competitive field. Prospective employers are looking for intelligent, highly self-motivated and committed individuals who can work both alone and as part of a multidisciplinary team.

There are downsides - it’s a hugely competitive field that necessitates long working hours. There’s a constant need to balance numerous tasks at any one time. There’s little job permanence in the early years, and the only way to guarantee the next contract is to be highly proactive with grant applications.

The upside? Well, the salaries are reasonable and the travel opportunities are there for those who want to live and study abroad. The single most motivating factor is undoubtedly being able to study the natural world and contribute to the global debate on how mankind is affecting it.