Advisor Spotlight

Tiago’s PhD thesis encompasses the monitoring of the termite (Isoptera) fauna from the region of the Upper Madeira River, in the Brazilian Amazonia, state of Rondônia. He is testing abiotical aspects influencing richness and abundance of termites, giving emphasis to termite guilds and life types.  He is comparing the species’ diversity from both sides of the river. In addition, he is investigating the genetic population structure of some species, to test the existence of gene flow among populations of both side of the river. He is also describing new species of termites that are eventually being sampled during the field expeditions. For detailed information about his work, visit his personal homepage: carrijo.wikidot.com  

Why did you decide to pursue a career in science, and your field in particular?

I like to say that we don’t choose our career, our career chooses us. At least this is what happened (and still happens) to me. I know that many people have one dream and one objective for their career, and they won’t be happy until they get these objectives. I think this can be a very powerful feature. But I am almost the opposite of these people (of course I have dreams, but I will try to explain what I’m saying...). I am quite eclectic and, since high school, many doors were opened to me, and many others were closed. Sometimes the closed door was one of my preferences at that time, but my second or third choices were free and I took one of them. Before I started biology, for instance, I was in doubt between three different courses, and biology was not my first option. I never thought of working with termites, but my last laboratory (where I made my scientific initiation) opened its door for me. And guess what: I love being a biologist, and I really love working with these tiny social insects!
It is very likely that I would also be happy with my career if I had chosen a different graduation, or worked with another taxa. Knowing this characteristic of mine, I normally try to be as versatile as I can, to make more so more doors open to me; so I’ll be able to choose one of them. Today I am a scientist and I am very happy, but I am always looking for open doors; maybe, tomorrow I will choose one that would lead me to another career.

What is the biggest challenge you face as a young scientist?

I think two big challenges converge into one bigger challenge that I believe all young scientists (and maybe all scientists) face today: the challenge of time!
Young scientists today usually have to study until they are around 30 to get their PhD. During this time, they live under constant pressure to finish the PhD or Post-doc with at least a certain amount of publications. I believe that pressure for publication is probably one of the biggest challenges for most young scientists, including me. We face today (and this scenario tends to get worse) a very competitive academic environment, and to apply for a position in an University or get a grant, for instance, you cannot only be good, you need to be very good and productive. It is very rare to see a productive scientist today working 40 hours a week (the standard Brazilian public work hours) that does not take work home at night or at weekends.
The other direct challenge related to time is the huge amount of literature that scientists need to deal with. Today, with the internet and the amount of journals (always increasing), we need to deal with a huge amount of information, many of them good, many bad. Many times I catch myself with a folder in my computer with 10, 20, 50 articles (pdfs) of a subject that I want (need) to read and just don’t have time to. Sometimes I would like to be more interdisciplinary, try to work in different subjects, not be only a specialist in one field of one taxon; but time is a limiting factor, and it is getting harder and harder to be an interdisciplinary researcher, such as the naturalists at the beginning of the last century.