I Am Gabriela Hajduk Too This Is How One Work

Today, I am interviewing Gabriela Hajduk inward the "This is How I Work" series. Gabriela has a background inward behavioral ecology. She has done her undergraduate plane amongst integrated masters yr at the University of Sheffield (MBiolSci inward Animal Behavior, graduated summertime 2014). Her masters yr projection focused on the mechanisms of sperm storage inward avian woman mortal reproductive tract. She is currently pursuing a PhD inward evolutionary ecology at the University of Edinburgh. Birds are her preferred study organism as well as she has a item involvement inward the genetic as well as evolutionary footing of their reproductive as well as social behaviours. Beyond that she has a wider involvement inward wild fauna conservation as well as animate beingness welfare, every bit good every bit scientific discipline communication as well as the challenges faced yesteryear minorities inward scientific discipline as well as academia. In her costless fourth dimension she enjoys the bang-up outdoors as well as is a keen stone climber, when at domicile she enjoys drawing, every bit good every bit food-related things. Follow her on Twitter @AmidstScience and/or check out her blog.

Current Job:PhD Researcher
Current Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
Current mobile device: cheapy Android smartphone (not getting much use)
Current computer: MacBook Pro (13 inch)

Can y'all briefly explicate your electrical flow province of affairs as well as inquiry to us?
I am an Evolutionary Ecology PhD researcher at the University of Edinburgh. Due to the nature of my projection I also have got potent links to the Australian National University.

My operate focuses on inbreeding as well as infidelity inward an Australian passerine bird, the cooperatively breeding superb fairy-wren. It is an absolutely fascinating system! Socially monogamous pairs are oftentimes supported during breeding flavour yesteryear manful mortal helpers. The whole grouping takes attention of the chicks, yet due to extreme rates of woman mortal infidelity most nests have got at to the lowest degree 1 chick fathered yesteryear a manful mortal from a dissimilar territory - the social manful mortal as well as all those helpers are raising babies who are unrelated to them. I am trying to sympathize the dynamics of this system: practice females cheat to avoid mating amongst relatives, amongst whom they are socially paired? Or perchance they paired upward amongst those relatives because they were going to cheat anyway?

On the to a greater extent than practical side the projection involves analysis of multigenerational long-term dataset, working amongst pedigrees as well as statistical modelling, every bit good every bit behavioural observations of wild birds during their breeding season.

What tools, apps as well as software are essential to your workflow?
I practice the bulk of my operate on my laptop. I utilisation Scrivener for scientific papers’ banknote taking as well as whatever work-in-progress that is probable to require substantial changes (especially structural changes), LaTeX for afterwards stages such every bit sorting out figures/tables, formatting references (from Mendeley) as well as terminal output. I utilisation Skim for reading as well as practice information analysis inward R. I have got lately started using Aquamacs for all my R as well as LaTeX needs. This laid upward gives me plenty options thence that I tin flame utilisation the correct tool for each chore as well as the bulk of the programs operate together real nicely, for illustration the combination of R as well as LaTeX allows me to create dynamic reports of my analysis (I am a sucker for literate programming as well as reproducible science).
When it comes to scheme Evernote is my weapon of choice, it is bang-up for banknote taking during seminars as well as meetings, for collecting bits of random information as well as keeping those “must have” emails, lab rotas as well as trial schedules handy. I also utilisation it every bit a Lab Journal, which helps me larn closer to working paperless. I also couldn’t truly practice without a digital calendar to proceed rail of my life.

You tin flame read to a greater extent than most my PhD tools on my weblog too

What does your workspace setup await like?
I have got been allocated a workspace inward a mixed PhD purpose (there are 8 of us, mainly showtime as well as 2nd years, all working nether dissimilar supervisors). I have got a fairly prissy laid upward inward the office, although I practice wishing I had a to a greater extent than comfy chair. I effort to proceed my desk clear of clutter as well as I dearest having 2 screens dedicated to work. I practice the bulk of my operate at the office, but every at 1 time as well as and thence I demand a alter of scenery thence I operate from home. Being able to operate from domicile also comes inward handy when the purpose is getting likewise chatty or when I demand to grab upward on menage chores (I tin flame squelch the chores, 1 at a time, betwixt pomodoros of work). My domicile desk tends to live on a flake to a greater extent than messy than my purpose desk, but benefits from a higher character secondary concealment as well as a tea maker. I don’t practice whatever lab work, but I practice become away for fieldwork.



What is your best advice for productive academic work?
I am correct at the start of my academic career, thence I am in all likelihood non the best mortal to give advice! One affair I would state is to non live on scared to experiment inward guild to abide by the time, place, laid upward or workflow that makes y'all to a greater extent than productive AND to halt messing amongst it 1 time y'all flora it! Otherwise it turns into never-ending playing amongst novel “productivity hacks”, which is truly counterproductive.

How practice y'all proceed an overview of projects as well as tasks?
I dissever the PhD into several questions as well as arranged those to live on tackled inward a item order. It is easier to intend of 1 “chunk” rather than effort to bargain amongst the entire PhD all at once. Each enquiry as well as thence needs several analyses inward guild to live on answered. At the minute I only proceed a listing of those things as well as a listing of other ideas that appear along the way, but I intend it mightiness operate amend every bit a mind-map, every bit all those ideas are real interconnected as well as all feed into 1 PhD project.

On a weekly as well as day-to-day footing I utilisation my Lab Journal inward Evernote; each Mon forenoon I review the calendar week earlier to reckon what got done as well as what’s slipping throughout the cracks, as well as and thence I excogitation the calendar week ahead. While planning I utilisation my Calendar, thence that I tin flame accept into job organisation human relationship all scheduled events as well as whatever approaching deadlines. Obviously this relays on inputting all those of import things into the Calendar inward the showtime place! For weekly planning I focus on the Calendar events for that week, but I also have got a quick await at the calendar month ahead for anything “big” similar a fieldwork trip on which I’m demonstrating, a stats course of study or a conference. I also excogitation weekends to ensure that inward all this madness I tin flame reckon my partner regularly (like thence many others inward academia, nosotros have got the infamous 2 trunk problem).

This helps to lay my hear at ease, I tin flame focus on 1 calendar week or fifty-fifty 1 twenty-four threescore minutes menstruum at a time, but I don’t have got the nagging feeling at the dorsum of my hear that I have got forgotten most something of import inward a slightly to a greater extent than distant future.

Besides hollo upward as well as computer, practice y'all utilisation other technological tools inward operate as well as daily life?
I have got an iPad mini that accompanies me to all lectures, seminars, talks as well as meetings - I utilisation it to accept notes inward Evernote. The notes sync to my job organisation human relationship as well as are cook for me when I larn dorsum to my laptop. It is also real handy to have got access to my calendar as well as Lab Journal during meetings. I thought I would practice to a greater extent than reading on it, but that doesn’t seem to live on happening (Skim iPad app would probable alter that!).

Which science makes y'all stand upward out every bit an academic?
Perseverance.

What practice y'all hear to when y'all work?
I rarely hear to anything patch working, I truly abide by it quite distracting. Sometimes, when purpose is going through 1 of the chatty days, I volition hear to classical or instrumental music (it is nonetheless distracting, but less thence than a conversation). If I’m doing something less taxing, for illustration looking for papers or sorting out references I mightiness hear to science-related podcasts or TED talks.

What are y'all currently reading?
Dune yesteryear Frank Herbert. To live on honest I struggle to abide by every bit much fourth dimension for reading every bit I would similar as well as it is something that I definitely demand to form out. I intend that the best shot at regular reading is incorporating it into my evening/bedtime routine. I read shorter things similar essays as well as weblog posts on my iPad when I am on world transport, but I prefer to read books when I tin flame truly immerse inward the story. I am a mass mortal as well as dearest having the physical re-create of a book… But travelling is much easier amongst my Kindle than amongst a bunch of heavy books.

What's your slumber routine like?
I effort to larn seven hours of slumber every night. I tin flame “make do” amongst less than that, but it is non sustainable long term as well as my productivity drops too. I effort to proceed a regular schedule as well as become to bed at the same fourth dimension each night, but it is incredibly difficult to practice since I’m away from domicile real often. I utilisation f.lux on my computers thence that the backlight gets adjusted according to the fourth dimension of twenty-four threescore minutes menstruum as well as I read on a Kindle rather than on a backlit device. I also have got 1 of those wake-up lamps that gets progressively brighter. I was initially sceptical most it, but wintertime inward Edinburgh left me amongst piddling alternative - I at 1 time dearest the lamp, it truly plant for me.

I to a greater extent than oftentimes than non have got no problems falling asleep as well as slumber quite well. However, inward guild to avoid whatever anxiousness that could bring down the character of my slumber I pass a piddling fourth dimension organising as well as prepping things inward the level - I mightiness brand a task listing or a grocery list, cheque what needs to live on done the side yesteryear side twenty-four threescore minutes menstruum as well as banknote it all down, thence I don’t demand to worry most forgetting things. Each level I also tidy upward the house, launder upward the dishes, gear upward my luncheon as well as breakfast for the side yesteryear side day. This makes the mornings less stressful as well as thence makes relaxing earlier bed easier.

What's your operate routine like?
Just similar my slumber routine, I effort to proceed my operate routine fairly consistent, but oftentimes life gets inward the way. During a regular calendar week I’m inward the purpose as well as cook to start operate yesteryear 8 am. I operate till anywhere betwixt 4:30 as well as 6:30 pm, although effort to larn out no afterwards than 5ish. On Mon mornings I pass a piddling fourth dimension planning the calendar week as well as figuring out what needs to live on done as well as what is viable given the events scheduled for that item calendar week (some weeks are to a greater extent than meeting/seminar heavy than other).

I similar to start every twenty-four threescore minutes menstruum amongst an threescore minutes or 2 of reading as well as writing - mostly notes as well as ideas at this stage, although hopefully volition motion onto putting it all together soon. I have got laid upward Shut upward & Write sessions on Tuesday mornings to larn just about company, which plant truly good for me. I wishing I had a writing buddy for every morning!

I as well as thence have got a await at emails and/or tackle something little on my to-do list, after which it is fourth dimension for a quick intermission chatting to people & having a snack patch they savour their forenoon coffee. The side yesteryear side dyad of hours or thence are unremarkably dedicated to information analysis (read: fighting amongst R as well as nonetheless getting amused yesteryear its fault messages including “FUN is missing”). By lunchtime I have got an thought of what needs to live on sorted as well as how smoothly a item flake of analysis volition go. Now that it is getting warmer I promise to have got my luncheon exterior every twenty-four threescore minutes menstruum as well as become for a piddling stroll.

After luncheon I deport on amongst analysis till the inevitable afternoon slump. Then, depending on how I feel, I either have got a proper intermission as well as become dorsum to operate or I motion onto less demanding tasks (emails, literature searches, sorting references, admin/expenses etc.). Once my encephalon feels useless or I larn likewise frustrated I halt for the day.

Of course of study non every twenty-four threescore minutes menstruum looks precisely similar this, but my Mon forenoon planning allows me to customise this full general schedule as well as adjust every bit needed. In add-on to my ain inquiry I practice a piddling flake of demonstrating for undergraduate courses from fourth dimension to fourth dimension as well as participate inward diverse workshops. My Wednesdays are jam-packed amongst meetings (3-4 hrs) as well as seminars (1-2 hrs), thence I rarely practice much analysis inward betwixt those. Instead, I effort to form out other things from my to-do listing to costless upward fourth dimension for operate on other days.

What's the best advice y'all always received?
Make your ain choices because y'all are the 1 who volition have got to alive amongst the consequences.