Name: Gracielle Higino (she/her)
PhD: Ecology and Evolution, Universidade Federal de Goiás - Brazil, 2021
What was your main area of research?
In my PhD, I focused on theoretical ecology, so a lot of things related to biogeography, macroecology, and mathematical models. I studied specifically how species interact in space and time, and how we can use this information to assess where they could be.
What is your current job?
I am one of the coordinators of the Computational Biodiversity Science and Services (BIOS2) training program, affiliated with the University of British Columbia, in Canada. I am also a freelance educator and community manager.
I am responsible for designing the activities of the program and making them happen, including training, community events, selection processes, or internships.
It really is the perfect fit for me! It requires that I put to use my project management skills, and it really requires that I use my knowledge in theoretical ecology to know what the students need to learn and when. I also need to stay on top of what is being discussed in our research area to bring these discussions to our community.
How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now?
I was part of this training program myself when I was a PhD candidate!
PhD graduate ➡️ postdoctoral fellow ➡️ program and community manager + educator
Why did you decide to not pursue a career in academia? Was this a difficult decision or one you felt came easily?
I was never a traditional grad student. I never cared to publish as much as possible because I enjoyed the process of studying a subject more than the bureaucratic process of wrapping up my ideas in a paper and doing some political work to get it published. Plus, I saw how outdated beliefs and methods would make the experience in academia very tough for most students. I didn't want to be part of that. I do love teaching, though, and I still feel like it would be a dream come true to become a professor, but for me to be happy in that position, I would need to be in a completely different environment. One where I could care about students and really help them to overcome obstacles. I try to find other ways to help things change, like advocating for new ways of publishing and reviewing, acting as a science communicator, or mentoring equity-seeking students.
What advice do you have for someone getting their PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?
I guess the only useful advice I could give is that students should try really hard to never disconnect from the "real world". There are social and political contexts in which any research is embedded, and you should never ignore them. This is what will make you exceptional and invaluable to any job and any community. This will also guide you in choosing the right skills to develop, and how to transfer what you've learned into different situations.