Susannah Tysor is a PhD candidate in Prof. Sally Aitken’s lab at the University of British Columbia where she studies the effects of pollination phenology on gene flow and local adaptation in lodgepole pine. We asked her everything from what she likes about being a scientist to what she is reading in hopes of giving you a better understanding of what goes on outside the lab for a Canadian graduate student.
What do you like most about being a scientist?
Finding unexpected synthesis and ideas while talking with other researchers or reading outside my field.
What advice would you give young researchers?
Consider how you can find the things you love about science and research outside of an academic career.
What are you reading right now?
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and The Obelisk Gate by N.K. Jemisin.
What do you like to do for fun?
Ride my tricycle!
If you could do any profession other than your own what would it be?
I’d like to synthesize research for people who design environmental policy. Or maybe be a gardener.
Aside from things for your survival, what item would you most want to have with you on a deserted island?
A library!
Interested in learning more about Susannah’s work? Check out her blog post about using old data to answer new questions about the lodgepole pine.
