Maria Jose, PhD student

Who am I and what is my fieldwork project?

My name is Maria Jose, I am a second year PhD student in the Colautti Lab! My work falls in the intersection of ecology, evolution, quantitative and molecular genetics. More specifically I study the effects of non-random mating on breeding depression under environmental stress and the patterns of population differentiation of the invasive plant Lythrum salicaria commonly known as purple loosestrife. Most of my research happens in the super awesome Queen’s University Biological Station (QUBS). I spent three months last summer working on our 8 year old common garden alongside a great team of SWEP students. During the time we were there, we collected weekly plant measurements and we also performed over 1300 controlled plant cross-pollinations (which makes you feel like a bee!!!!).

What was the best part of fieldwork?

For me the best part of fieldwork is feeling like everyday is a new adventure, it feels like you get to explore and learn something new everyday while also being super productive doing research. I love the ability of enjoying the outdoors with a great group of people as part of my job. Being at QUBS you get to interact with so many different students doing field work and you get to learn about other research projects and have fun with them, which is an incredibly enriching opportunity.

What was the most challenging part of fieldwork?

The toughest part of fieldwork for me sometimes is the weather, in the summer it can be very hot and can be hard to get a lot of work done safely. However, when you get to learn what are the best ways to stay safe, and as long as you are well equipped with good hydration, clothes, work breaks, a good working team and a good music playlist, it makes it much easier and enjoyable to get through the day.