Which organisation do you work for?
University of Aberdeen
How does your job fit within Soil Science?
My job spans teaching and research in soil science, including coordinating two of the senior level courses focussed on the topic.
Why is this an interesting area to work in?
Working in academia in any discipline is extremely rewarding. Each day you go to work and make new discoveries, finding out something about soil that pushes our understanding further. Seeing the students that I have taught prosper makes me proud.
Why Soil Science?
I had an inspiring geography teacher in high school and my father worked for a mining company with a dodgy environmental track record. I put these two influences together to seek a career in land reclamation since I thought there would be plenty of work.
It wasn’t until a summer job working beside a soil scientist in the field that I developed a keen interest in the subject.
What did you study?
I studied a BSc Agriculture, with a Major in Resources Management at the University of Guelph. This was based in the Land Resource Science Department, which was a powerhouse of soil science. Looking back, my degree was ahead of its time due to its multidisciplinary. In addition to many science courses, including on soils, we studied economics, social sciences and land use planning. Canadian degrees are quite flexible, so by the end of my degree I was missing one course in Biochemistry to qualify as a Soil Science major.
I then moved to the UK for a PhD in Soil Physics. Most of the work was done at Silsoe Research Institute, but I was enrolled in the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of Birmingham. My primary supervisor was Tony Dexter, one of the pioneers of soil structure and biophysics research. The co-supervisor was an expert on powder mechanics, so I learnt from two disciplines.
What has your career path been so far?
My undergraduate degree had a Cooperative Education programme that combined work with study. My first placing was with an environmental consultancy setup by a former University of Guelph soil science academic and one of his students. Initially I was the ‘soil donkey’, digging pits in heavy clay, slogging samples, and getting verbally abused by one of the senior surveyors. I worked on varied projects including soil contribution to phosphorus pollution of the Great Lakes and the impacts of building utility corridors on soil compaction. The latter sparked an interest in soil physics.
I had several other placements with the consultancy company, but decided I needed more education to get ahead. Initially I was set on a MSc but applied to a PhD in the UK on a whim. The rest is history. Â I went from the PhD to a brief postdoc position, and then out of sheer luck was hired on a permanent contract at the Scottish Crop Research Institute. My boss at the time claimed it was because I was given a sports car by the rental company and it impressed the Director at my interview. After 16 years I was then recruited by the University of Aberdeen.
What is the best thing about your job?
Independence is the best thing about my job. Providing the research can get funded, and the teaching produces broad learning outcomes, I have a huge amount of freedom. Working with people from across the world has also been fascinating.
What skills, abilities and personal attributes are essential to success in your job/this field?
Soil scientists need core scientific skills that I think have dwindled in undergraduate teaching. It is tedious to be continuously told that soil is complex, but it is. Without this comprehensive understanding, there are people branded as soil scientists who think a little knowledge can go a long way.
A good soil scientist needs to appreciate what they do not know.
What advice would you offer to young people interested in a career in soil science?
Go for it! A quick look on LinkedIn careers yields a huge pool of jobs in consultancy and industry. Soil degradation is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity, but soil scientists have shown the potential to rebuild soils and have a positive impact on the planet. If you find any of the sciences, geography or modern studies interesting, then there is a specialisation in soil science waiting for you. If you like all these subjects, even better.
The jobs are diverse, ranging from working primarily outdoors in the field on surveying and sampling, being based in a lab, or in an office. There are soil scientists employed by government to guide on policies, in industry to ensure environmental protection and effective land use, and in research institutions to gather new understanding and teach the next generation.
Can you recommend other journals, magazines or professional associations which would be helpful for professional development?
Search the web for soil resources. There are some great YouTube short-courses that can be accessed for free. The FAO also produces material targeted at farmers that is very informative. Of course look at the BSSS website too, where educational material is available.
If you could do it all over again, would you choose the same path for yourself? If not, what would you change?
I would have studied a MSc before my PhD. It was tough going directly into a PhD and some of my core skills, like in statistics, would have benefited.
Tell us one thing about yourself that not many people know…
My first summer job in university was eradicating invasive sea lampreys from the Great Lakes in Canada.
Is there anything else that you would like to share relating to your work in soil science?
Like most people, soil science came to me rather than it being a conscious career choice. Hopefully it comes to you too!
