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# NSPIRING ALUMNI STORIES: TESTIMONIALS OF BLUE DOCTORATE HOLDERS

Elisabeth Bondu, Aurélie Claude, Catherine Meur-Ferec, Philippe Pondaven, Justine Roddier, Marina Bolado-Penagos, Irene Laiz-Alonso, Beata Czechowska-Derkacz, Malgorzata Łosiewicz, Barbara Pawlowska, et al.

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► To cite this version:

Elisabeth Bondu, Aurélie Claude, Catherine Meur-Ferec, Philippe Pondaven, Justine Roddier, et al. NSPIRING ALUMNI STORIES: TESTIMONIALS OF BLUE DOCTORATE HOLDERS. SEA-EU European University of the Seas. 196 p., 2023. hal-04164417

HAL Id: hal-04164417

https://hal.univ-brest.fr/hal-04164417

Submitted on 21 Aug 2023

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DOC

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INSPIRING ALUMNI STORIES:
TESTIMONIALS OF BLUE
DOCTORATE HOLDERS
INSPIRING ALUMNI STORIES:
TESTIMONIALS OF BLUE DOCTORATE HOLDERS
Team Leader:

Małgorzata ŁOSIEWICZ, University of Gdańsk

Editors:

Elisabeth BONDU, University of Bretagne Occidentale

Aurélie CLAUDE, University of Bretagne Occidentale

Catherine MEUR-FEREC, University of Bretagne Occidentale

Philippe PONDAVEN, University of Bretagne Occidentale

Justine RODDIER, University of Bretagne Occidentale

Marina BOLADO-PENAGOS, University of Cadiz

Irene LAIZ-ALONSO, University of Cadiz

Beata CZECHOWSKA-DERKACZ, University of Gdańsk

Małgorzata ŁOSIEWICZ, University of Gdańsk

Barbara PAWŁOWSKA, University of Gdańsk

Avan ANTIA, Kiel University

Viola SCHABER, Kiel University

Ana Grgić, University of Split

Jelena Janković, University of Split

Željka Kovačević, University of Split

Clayton AXISA, University of Malta

Ritienne GAUCI, University of Malta

Nicholas VELLA, University of Malta

Proofreading:

Gabriela BIELIŃSKA, University of Gdańsk

Clayton AXISA, University of Malta

Ritienne GAUCI, University of Malta

Booklet Design:

Michał KRASODOMSKI, University of Gdańsk

Technical editor and DTP:

Michał KRASODOMSKI, University of Gdańsk
UBO
Université de Bretagne Occidentale

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UCA

Universidad
de Cádiz

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Uniwersytet
Gdański

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Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel

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L-Università
ta' Malta

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Co-funded by the
Erasmus+ Programme
of the European Union

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DOC
CONTENTS

11

University of Bretagne Occidentale

53

University of Cádiz

81

University of Gdańsk

113

Kiel University

145

University of Split

167

University of Malta
University of Bretagne Occidentale 11

Camille Andre, Coastal Risks Manager 13

Alexis Beudin, An oceanography consultancy "Our office is our backpack!" 17

Florent Guinot, Facilitating the implementation of Renewable Marine Energies, it's really satisfying 22

Hansy Haberkorn, I am recognised and appreciated by my clients and managers 26

Camille Lacroix, From the study of environmental disturbances on mussels to the fight against marine pollution 30

Soizig Lalancette, Supporting public research! 34

Edouard Lavergne, From Bordeaux to Brest, Frankfort, Socotra, Tokyo and finally Banyuls-sur-Mer! 37

Anne Piron, Manager for Earth Observation and Marine Currents 41

Lia Siegelman, Convincing planetary scientists that physical oceanographers could help understand Jupiter's turbulence 46

Vanilla Temtching Temou, A doctor is not a researcher disconnected from reality. He is a project leader 49

University of Cádiz 53

Ana Borrero, When you work doing what you love you will never work again 55

Jesus C. Compaire, New findings on marine sciences are revealed every day, don't become rusty and keep learning 58

Beatriz Díaz Garduno, There are two options: do what you should do or what you want to do 60

M. Ángeles Gamaza Márquez, Be the change you want to see in the world 63

Cristiano Venícius de Matos Araújo, I always dreamt of working a scientist in a research institute in some area of environmental sciences 65

Maria Puig, The importance of knowledge transfer beyond academia 67

Eduardo Ramírez Romero, At the edge between blue and green 69

María Jesús Bellanco Esteban, Work with passion 71

Emma Reyes, People who feel that Marine Science is just dolphins and whales, might also think that the ocean is just water 73

Pablo Quero García, Science to support local sustainable development 77
<table><tr><td>University of Gdańsk</td><td>81</td></tr><tr><td>Janusz Andryjenko, My whole life in the marine industry</td><td>83</td></tr><tr><td>Tomasz Bednarz, Virtual marine worlds</td><td>86</td></tr><tr><td>Leszek Frankowski, Mission - protection of the environment</td><td>89</td></tr><tr><td>Małgorzata Geringer d'Oedenberg, Environmental protection from a practical perspective</td><td>92</td></tr><tr><td>Andrzej Gierszewski, The sea surrounds us from everywhere</td><td>95</td></tr><tr><td>Dorota Lost-Siemińska, I was born in Gdańsk, with a view of the Shipyard</td><td>98</td></tr><tr><td>Joanna Maciak, Dreams come true</td><td>101</td></tr><tr><td>Marcin Szerle, Gdynia - my love, my passion</td><td>104</td></tr><tr><td>Michał Tuszynski, A practical and academic perspective</td><td>107</td></tr><tr><td>Cezary Wawrzyński, The region as a passion of local government official</td><td>110</td></tr></table>

<table><tr><td>Kiel University</td><td>113</td></tr><tr><td>Verena Dauben, Trust yourself to do something and do it!</td><td>115</td></tr><tr><td>Florian Huber, Archaeologist, Scientific Diver, Author & Speaker</td><td>118</td></tr><tr><td>Kerstin Maczassek, Have the courage to start in other areas that are not directly related to your studies</td><td>121</td></tr><tr><td>Matthieu Povidis-Delefosse, Don't underestimate the value of the broader skills acquired throughout your PhD</td><td>124</td></tr><tr><td>Matthias Schaber, Study what you burn for and it pays off!</td><td>127</td></tr><tr><td>Ruth Gingold, Being passionate about your job will carry you through difficult times!</td><td>131</td></tr><tr><td>Susanne Landis, I combine both my passions - creative arts and science</td><td>133</td></tr><tr><td>Sven Neulinger, Valorising scientific skills as a bioinformatics consultant</td><td>135</td></tr><tr><td>Thurid Otto, Networking during your studies is very important</td><td>137</td></tr><tr><td>Stefan Krause, A leadership position at a state environmental agency</td><td>140</td></tr><tr><td>Evangelia Louropoulou, Using knowledge and skills to contribute to sustainable development</td><td>142</td></tr></table>
University of Split 145

Marijana Sumpor, We can be smart, but we also need to be wise! 147

Igor Glavičić, The most satisfaction comes from seeing how people progress during training 149

Božena Bulum, Maritime lawyer - scientific advisor in Adriatic Institute 151

Irena Đokić, Economist - head of the business development at private company Euro Ekspertiza 153

Ivana Miletić, Agriculturist - Counsellor for Fisheries at Permanent representation of the Republic of Croatia in the EU 156

Sara Roje, Behavioural scientist - Assistant Editor in journal Water 158

Veni Marinković, Geographer - expert for strategic planning, preparation and project implementation in the Cluster organization for eco-social innovations and development CEDRA 161

Igor Ljubenkov, The greatest satisfaction is the "freedom" you have, that is, the opportunity to manage your own time and professional engagement 163

Slavica Čolak, Agronomist - head of the Nutrition Department in Cromaris company 165

University of Malta 167

Adrian Attard, Taking the plunge towards personal growth 169

Michael Borg, Applying research in a real-world project 172

George Buhagiar, Integrating values with knowledge in research 175

Josef Camilleri, Acquiring skills that are desirable to hiring managers 178

Christopher Cousin, Aligning your professional skills to the market 181

Simeon Deguara, Experimental design and commercial application 184

Mark Dimech, Sharing my knowledge and experience with others 187

Edward Sciberras, How my role aligns nicely with my PhD work 189

Daniel Sultana, Aligning your professional skills with the market 191

Marie Louise Zammit Pace, A social perspective through stakeholders 193
This booklet of testimonies retraces the career paths of doctors in marine, maritime and coastal sciences. It focuses on experiences outside the academia. It is a collective output of a European Erasmus+ project involving the universities of Brest, Gdansk, Cadiz, Split, Kiel and Malta working within SEA-EU DOC project. This project aims to broaden employment opportunities for doctors by preparing doctorate students for a wide range of career options matching the reality of the labour market.

The sectors constituting the blue economy are developing very dynamically. It is, therefore, important to analyse development opportunities for PhD holders based on examples of successful careers outside the academia. The method used to examine these "success stories" was an interview. The interview analysis allowed to draw conclusions on the factors that may influence the success of doctorate holders in developing careers outside the academic sector. This, in turn, allowed to identify the key elements that should be included in doctoral training programmes and ensured that doctoral students obtain the qualifications and skills expected by employers of the current and future labour market.

These interviews are used as informative material to present the diversity of employment opportunities for doctorate holders. They are disseminated through open online access on the SEA-EU platform and the partners' websites. The main objective of the interviews is to get a picture of PhD graduates' career path from the moment they decided to undertake PhD studies up to the point when they developed their careers.

During the SEA-EU DOC project, a total of 60 doctorate holders from 6 countries were interviewed (51% of them were male and 49% female). Participants represented diverse scientific fields. The Earth sciences (41%) was the most represented field, while engineering (16%) was the least. The majority of doctorate holders worked at their current job for over three years. Most of them (77%) worked in their home country. Among the interviewed PhD holders three most popular blue economy sectors were environmental monitoring and protection (32%), offshore wind power (16%) and science communication (12%). The two least popular sectors were marine biotechnology and mineral resources (each 2%). Additionally, 22% of doctorate holders worked simultaneously in at least two sectors.

This collection of testimonials presents the diversity of career paths of doctorate holders and focuses on valuable skills acquired during the doctorate that can be transferred to any work context. It is also intended to be a collection of messages sent by these doctorate holders to current doctoral students and to companies likely to hire them.
Completing a PhD is not easy, it presents a multitude of professional and personal challenges, but in my view, nowadays, a doctoral degree strengthens your professional position in the job market, where a master's degree is often not sufficient enough.

Dr Marcin Szerle
University
of Bretagne
Occidentale
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<figure><img src="image_13.png" /><figcaption>Camille Andre</figcaption></figure>

## Coastal Risks Manager

Camille Andre, PhD, a French national currently living in Bordeaux in France. He was awarded a doctoral degree in the discipline of Geography from the Doctoral School of Marine and Coastal Sciences in the University of Brest in 2013. His doctoral thesis, entitled "Analysis of damages linked to coastal flooding and evaluation of the costs incurred by homes based on insurance data: perspectives provided by the storms Johanna (2008) and Xynthia (2010)", was completed under the supervision of Professors Catherine Meur-Ferec and Charlotte Vinchon.

### Which company do you currently work for and what are your professional duties?

Today, I work in Bordeaux, within the Public Interest Group (GIP) Littoral en Nouvelle-Aquitaine. This public structure aims to support local authorities in planning and managing the coastal areas of the New-Aquitaine region. Within this structure, I am in charge of coastal risks management; it is therefore in direct continuity with the subject of my doctoral thesis. I lead the discussions between all the partners members of the structure, from the level of the local authorities, to the regional authority and the State services. It's a job of animating the project, communicating knowledge and synthesising knowledge with all these stakeholders.

### Has your job changed since you started working for the GIP?

Yes, my work has evolved. I joined the GIP in 2015, two years after my doctorate. At the beginning I was in charge of studies on a fixed-term contract, then two years later I took up a permanent situation. Since then, I have been a project manager.

### What was your first job after the thesis?

I started with a postdoc contract, quite short, for 6 months. The originality of this position in Montpellier is that it was a contract in an economics laboratory. So, after a geography thesis, I did economics. But the subject of this mission was directly related to my thesis work. Then, for 18 months, I joined a first public structure for the management of public policies of the Mediterranean coast. It was then that I came to Bordeaux for the GIP Littoral.

### Is your current job fulfilling?

Yes, today I am quite satisfied with my work. I have only been in this business for a few years, so for the moment everything is going well!

### What aspects of your job are the most rewarding for you?

The aspect I find most rewarding is that it is a job where I learn a lot every day. The tasks are not repetitive. We have new projects all the time, new subjects. It's a job in which you renew yourself a lot. As it is a job with multiple tasks, many projects to be carried out at the same time, and new themes, it is never boring!

### Would you be willing to share with us your professional victories and failures?

For successes, as soon as I finished my thesis, there was recognition of my results, recognition by my peers of my work. And very quickly, there were also concrete, operational applications in the public sphere, uses of my work in certain public policies by local authorities and by the Ministry of the Environment. It was really
very gratifying to see that a piece of research could find rapid applications in public policies in the field, in coastal risks management.

And today, in my work, I still find it gratifying to see that stakeholders in the field, mayors, elected representatives, adhere to what we say, adhere to the solutions that we propose, that they take them up, that they appropriate them. Seeing that things are moving forward, that research work is being taken into account by managers in their day-to-day lives, is something I am happy about.

**A failure, a regret?**

Perhaps it's seeing that things aren't moving forward as quickly as we would like, and seeing that there are obstacles in public institutions, resistance to change. No matter how much we know what we want, no matter how much we try to deploy all our conviction, things don't move forward as quickly as we would like. There are times when there is immobility and it is a bit frustrating. It's not a personal failure, but it's a failure in the sense that all the energy we deploy is not always enough to make things change.

**Is your current job related to the doctoral studies you completed?**

The link with my doctoral studies is very strong, as I have remained in the same field. A very precise theme, quite expert! All the knowledge I acquired during my doctorate, all my background, is still useful to me today. However, I have greatly diversified the questions I work on. So, it was a geography thesis, which was already quite interdisciplinary, and which had a lot of economics. But now I work on a daily basis on legal and regulatory issues, even though I have no legal initial training. I learned on the job. I also deal with financial issues, issues of communication with the public and partners. By staying on this topic, on which I have been an expert for a number of years, I have broadened the fields of intervention. Therefore, I have a very interdisciplinary activity.

*"The doctorate is also a springboard for building a network outside the university"*

**Do you think that your doctoral studies enabled you to join the GIP?**

Yes, even if I don't think that having a doctorate had been a determining factor in my recruitment... I am the only doctor in the GIP, there are nine of us, and the others do not have a doctorate. Everyone has nonetheless expertise in his own field. For my job, what was important was the fact that I was a specialist in the subject of risks management. The doctorate was a plus in the sense that it allowed me to build up a network, to have a very complete overview of the discipline, so it was undeniably a plus for my recruitment. But it was not a prerequisite for the job.

**Do you think that after the doctorate there are broad possibilities for career development within and outside the institution?**

Yes, I think so. My personal situation is that when I started my thesis, I knew that I wasn't necessarily aiming for a research and/or teaching position afterwards. My thesis project was the equivalent of a CIFRE (industrial) thesis with partnerships with the professional sphere and public authorities. I was therefore destined to pursue a career in the private sector or in the public sector, and that is what I succeeded in doing. I never had any doubts that it would be possible. The subject of my thesis was particularly suitable. As long as things are well prepared, well anticipated and the thesis is also a springboard for building a network outside the university. When you set aside three years to do this work, there are many opportunities afterwards. So, if you prepare your post-thesis period well, from the beginning of the thesis, as an objective, it is something
that works. On the other hand, if you stay locked up in your laboratory for these
three years, it can be more complicated....

What sort of skills have you developed during your doctoral studies
and which one of them would you rate as the most and least useful?

About core competencies: of course, the fact that you do a thesis on a specific
subject makes you an expert on this field. The time you devote to your subject,
the people with whom you are surrounded make you an expert.

These skills must be maintained after the doctorate, you must not stop at the
doctorate. You have to keep up to date with the latest scientific publications.

About transversal skills, I have the feeling that the doctorate is a lot of self-training. You are sometimes left to yourself. I was lucky enough to have supervisors who followed me a lot and lucky enough to have close exchanges with other researchers who also helped me for three years. The doctoral student has nonetheless a lot of autonomy, he learns to search, to find information, to have a critical look at the information gathered. He learns to sort out this information, to synthesise the information to present it. I found that it was a very strong learning process to be able to build your own idea about a subject. As I said, I had a very interdisciplinary subject, so I had to collect and synthesise data from geography, geology, but also from economics and sociology. So, I was self-educated on many things. It taught me methods to succeed, to synthesise and to bring a critical eye. So, it was very rich!

On a relational level: There are different types of doctorates. For me, it was a doctorate with a partnership with an insurance company and with a public institution, the BRGM (French geological survey). I did not spend my three years at the University. I was housed in the company with which the doctorate was contracted. So, I had contacts in all these areas, both on the administrative and the scientific and technical levels, and this taught me a lot.

I was also involved in the management of the project, I organised presentations to non-scientific partners and managed the budget. So, it took me out of the purely scientific field and it's good to get to grips with the realities of communicating with all the people involved. It's also important to understand their expectations.

For me, the thesis is a real professional experience. It is at this time that I really
created my first professional network, which I still have today.

How would you evaluate the skills you acquired during your doctoral training
and their relation to your current professional requirements?

It is clear that I still use some of my scientific and technical skills, but some
less and less. Because the further you progress in your career, the further you
move away from technical production, and the more you are involved in cross-
disciplinary work, in leading projects and people. There are quite a few tools
and computer models that I no longer use on a daily basis. On the other hand,
I use my interpersonal skills more and more and they have developed. Continuing
to be curious, to research new information and use these skills, will always be
useful for my entire career I think. What I appreciate most is always trying to
improve myself, that's what gives salt, that's what gives spice to everyday life!
It's important to constantly question yourself, to look for new solutions to
a problem, to be curious about what's being done elsewhere, to have time to
keep an eye on watch and to know how to pass on information to the people
you work with.

Did your employment after doctoral studies go without problems or was it
rather a challenge?

For me, it was very easy! I needed little time to look for a job. Thanks to my
contacts, I had a proposal for a postdoc contract before my defence. I knew
that I would start one month after my thesis. Then, thanks to exchanges with
my network, I was informed of my next position, and then of the third position
I took! So, everything went smoothly. I knew how to seize opportunities as they arose. It was a natural process.

**What would you like to share with the current doctoral students and future doctoral graduates?**

Being able to do a thesis is a chance!

At the beginning of your career, you have a form of stability, you start with a three-year contract (sometimes more) to do your project. I know that afterwards there is not much stability when the thesis ends for many, it can be very complicated to find their first job, to go through short and precarious contracts. But during the three years of the thesis, we have a form of comfort, that's how I felt. But you have to project yourself. Above all, you must not restrict yourself, not limit yourself. Of course, working on your subject takes up most of your time, but you really have to try to create networks, to meet people in the academic world by going to conferences, by taking part in events, but also outside the academic world, really.

My subject lent itself to meeting experts in non-academic structures, to go and collect data in the field, to question them about their way of doing things, about their jobs. So, I learned a lot outside the academic sphere. From the start, you have to consider finishing your thesis with contacts in the business world and in local authorities, especially if you are not aiming for a research career.

In fact, these people are in demand for contacts with academics. Very often they don't know who to contact, so you mustn't hesitate to go out, to go towards these circles. They welcome us with interest and know that we are doctoral students, we have time, we can make ourselves available, we can start to exchange ideas and so they are really very interested. Then when the thesis ends, people remember you, that you were able to answer a question, or bring something interesting for them. It is what will make doors open, that a recruiter will contact you, it is the memory effect! Three years is more than enough time to achieve this result.

I consider that the beginning of my professional career is not the end of my thesis. My thesis is part of my career. I went presenting myself as a young researcher, a professional, not as a student. In the end, that's what we are when we are doctoral students, we are young researchers. If today the doctorate sometimes has difficulty being recognised in professional circles, it is perhaps because it is presented as three years of training studies, whereas in fact it is the first three years of the beginning of a career and later of an expert in his or her field. If we consider that from the outset we are legitimate to go and establish relations with the non-academic world, I think that it works.

**What message would you like to pass on to people who employ or would employ doctors?**

I would like to say that many employers stop at the diploma, but for me, it is not having 5 or 8 years of higher education that was the determining factor. On the other hand, during these three years, I have acquired skills. This is what should be valued, much more than having the title of doctor. The most important thing, in my opinion, is not the degree, it's the fact that I've been able to say for three years that I've done research with academic partners, with professionals, and project management. It is valued, it allows us to say 'I have skills to showcase'. If we explain it in the language that recruiters understand, I think it can work. Recruiters should not stop at the title of doctor, and the preconceived ideas they may have about a title. They need to ask each doctor candidate what they did during their doctoral thesis. They need to see what skills they have acquired. We have to look at what lies behind a doctorate subject, it's a professional experience full-fledged. From the beginning of my thesis, I considered myself not as a student, but as a professional who is training. You train throughout your career, permanently and this is still the case for me today.

Thank you Camille!
<figure><img src="image_14.png" /><figcaption>Alexis Beudin</figcaption></figure>

## An oceanography consultancy
"Our office is our backpack!"

Alexis Beudin, PhD, a French national currently living in France, at Lège-Cap-Ferret. He was awarded a doctoral degree in the discipline of Physical Oceanography from the Doctoral School of Coastal and Marine Sciences of Brest University in 2014. His doctoral thesis, entitled "Dynamics and sediment exchanges in the Brest bay impacted by the crepidula invasion", was completed under the supervision of the researcher Georges Chapalain.

### Which company do you currently work for and what are your professional duties?

I work in Lège-Cap-Ferret for an independent design office. I was recruited three years ago by another doctor from the University of Western Brittany, who created this company BW-CGC (Benoit Waelles - Coastal Engineering Consultant). The company is legally domiciled in Brest, but its director B. Waelles works in Tenerife in the Canaries. He recruited me and another doctor from UBO three years ago. Since then, four other doctors have joined us. We are therefore seven doctors. It is a young innovative company with the status of a single-person simplified joint stock company. Our activity is partly devoted to research and development (R&D). We finance the R&D part through the research tax credit. We work mainly in the field of coastal engineering for energy companies and local authorities in the areas of coastal protection, development, ports and the definition of innovative structures for coastal protection. Here is an example: we are working on a project for a company to create an artificial reef that allows the regeneration of mangrove forests while protecting the houses located behind them. These are the types of R&D projects that we are implementing.

My job, my title in the company is very general: I am an oceanographic engineer. The organisation is horizontal; there is no hierarchy, no accountant, and no boss. Everyone is responsible for his own projects, and B. Waelles, the manager, is our main contact person. He is our reference when we have questions. He supervises but we are all very autonomous and that is also why the company works very well. We are all PhDs, and I think that it is really thanks to our PhD training that we can operate in this way. The PhD has made us independent and autonomous.

### When you say that you are all on the same level, apart from the creator, does that mean that you are more heavily invested than you would be in another company?

Yes, clearly, we have automated things a lot. We have a consultancy firm in Brest that helps us with the finalisation aspects, invoicing, tax returns and so on, and we simply have an email box for our invoices and personal business cards. On the other hand, everything that concerns the management of our clients' projects is the responsibility of each of us. B. Waelles gave us a head start, because none of us had been aware of these issues. We are a small team (7), we do these administrative operations as we go along, and we are becoming more and more independent in these matters.

### Have you been employed anywhere else before?

I have had several jobs since my thesis. I went to the United States for a post-doc at the Woods Hole Research Center - Massachusetts. I even left before
the defence of my thesis. It was an incredible experience in a beautiful place. However, I did not want to continue in the academic race, which was very competitive. I didn't plan on having 15 days of annual holiday, I also wanted time for my family. Furthermore, I had the status of a civil servant on secondment because I am a public works engineer. So I have a double degree, an engineering public school and then a doctorate, and I am therefore still attached to the Ministry of the Environment. That's why I applied for a position as marine environment officer at the Guadeloupe Department of the Environment, Planning and Housing (attached to my Ministry). This was a more administrative position, dealing with governance and the protection of marine environments, and more particularly coral reefs, mangroves and sea grass beds. For a year, I evaluated the work of private companies, drafted specifications, and I was able to instigate a European project that was recently launched. I had the will to do research, but this position was very dependent on the hierarchy and I could only devote about 20% of my time to this European project.

A personal constraint led me to return to metropolitan France, and I took up a contract research post at the University of Bordeaux, where I was a young doctor in post-doctoral studies... Thanks to this post, I built up a network of researchers in the Aquitaine region, the Gironde estuary and, in particular, the Grand Port of Bordeaux.

B. Waelles contacted me, asking me if I was available immediately, and I 'followed' him, because he was offering me an interesting job and the opportunity to work wherever I wanted. It was a very surprising offer.

It was royal?!

Yes, and I didn't think that this kind of job existed. This autonomy! But on the other hand, I work alone. Interactions are done by video conference, on the phone. The non-verbal interactions, in this period of covid, the face-to-face interactions, the shared coffee, it's a bit lacking, even though I have an incredible balance by having an office very close to home. This is the case for all my colleagues: our office is our backpack! As I was saying, there's just the disadvantage of not having this improvisation in the relationships between us.

Is your current job fulfilling?

In many ways, YES!

What brings you the most satisfaction?

Autonomy: even if the tasks are not always the most intellectually accomplished and developed. The constraints of the private sector, even if you have this scientific awareness as a former researcher, are linked to the time constraint, and therefore to the financial constraint of the cost of the service. We charge by the day, a mission can last two days, for example. Our objective is to answer the question posed by our client, a local authority that is not necessarily aware of the scientific aspect of the request. We don't have the time to push our scientific curiosity to complete the answer given. However, sometimes, with self-financing or research tax credits, we develop a theme that interests the company.
> My greatest success is having juggled different positions: research in the USA, administration and governance in Guadeloupe, research at the University of Bordeaux and now consulting! It is to have been able to juggle from one position to another easily for short periods, but allowing me to take charge of a mission, and to have always adapted to the different positions with my double hat of engineer and doctor.

**So you go beyond your mission?**

Yes, unlike other design offices, this is also the reason why we recruit. And we are also subcontractors for larger companies (e.g. Actimar). I think we do a really good job!

**Would you be willing to share with us your professional victories and failures?**

Does the thesis count? That I went through with it; and that it went badly. I still dream about it at night ....

**When you look back, do you think that it was not easy?**

Yes, but it taught me! It taught me about human behaviour. I developed "antennae"!

My greatest success is having juggled different positions: research in the USA, administration and governance in Guadeloupe, research at the University of Bordeaux and now consulting! It is to have been able to juggle from one position to another easily for short periods, but allowing me to take charge of a mission, and to have always adapted to the different positions with my double hat of engineer and doctor. This dual competence allows me to dialogue with both the technicians and the researchers.

I'm not at all an exceptional scientist, but there are many things that interest me. I have this desire to scratch; I have this 'Swiss Army knife' side that interests me a lot in my career profile!

**A failure?**

Not having completed the mission in Guadeloupe, but sometimes you have to have other priorities than the professional.

**Is your current job related to the doctoral studies you completed?**

My studies are totally in line with my work: coastal physical oceanography, the study of currents, waves, sediment movement (sand, silt) on beaches, in ports, wind transport in dunes. I work on submersion issues, erosion hazards, harbour siltation and everything related to energy quantification. I did a thesis on the hydrodynamics of the Brest harbour, so these are skills that I use in my work. My thesis was already very applied.

**In your opinion, do doctoral studies create ample career opportunities, inside and outside academia?**

Very much so! But perhaps not in France... In countries like Germany, the Netherlands, England and the United States, doctors are really well regarded. The title of doctor immediately puts you in a management position, in a hierarchy recognised in large companies. In France, you have to be a Polytechnic engineer!
Recruiters have a vision of doctors that is far removed from them : long hair, unshaven, with fangs, cool (laughs). They are afraid that the doctor will take them far away... It's still a battle between the engineer from a "grande école" and the doctor from the university. This is despite the fact that today the doctoral schools integrate engineering schools and have public/private partnerships, notably with the CIFRE.

Obviously, the thesis is a job, a professional experience, in which you don't have
too much pressure and in which you are integrated by the research world. The
doctoral student can make mistakes, he benefits from a lot of information, he
learns, people are generous when you are at this stage. Then there are the
rivalries that arise.

I'm not telling you that I would do another one!

There is also the problem of salaries, if the salary was higher... It is difficult to
make personal plans, which is why doctoral students often start their family life
later.

Of course, doctoral students should flood the corporate job market! Our
company only recruits doctoral holders, which means that doctors are talented!

Did the university open up its perspectives for you or not?

Because of my rather special status, I was not completely in the university
environment. I was aware of the process because I was interested in it. In fact,
I was not in contact with many university researchers or research organisations.
It was in Bordeaux, as a post-doc, that I saw what academic opportunities were
available within the university. But I was not attracted, probably because the
working conditions (building, teams) were nothing like those in Brest and more
particularly those at the European University Institute of the Sea (IUEM). There,
at IUEM, the researchers know why they are doing oceanography!

Moreover, the path to becoming a lecturer is a labyrinth; it is a lot of investment for little financial recognition. Maybe it's a question of ego, of idealising research, which I didn't have in the first place.

On the other hand, I do some training as an external speaker for coastal
engineering modules, and I like it.

I don't know what I'll be doing in five years' time, and I have the feeling that in
an academic post I would have had many more constraints.

What sort of skills have you developed during your doctoral studies and
which one of them would you rate as the most and least useful?

I acquired technical skills on tools related to my scientific field which allowed me to create links with local researchers. Socially, the skills related to the doctorate are important, I created a professional network, but also friends! I have built up a character, a shell.

Did your thesis teach you to work in a team?

In my personal case, no. But I loved working in a team in the USA, it was really great. But I can work alone, I'm not dependent on others to get ahead. I don't put myself in a situation of dependence, but I love working in a team.

How would you evaluate the skills you acquired during your doctoral training
and their relation to your current professional requirements?

Totally in line: it was essential on a technical and scientific level. My doctorate allows me to face the time constraint in the projects for which I am responsible, and to approach the pressure in a positive way. It brought me maturity.

Which skills are the most important in your current job?

The technical and scientific skills are the most important ones, the cross-cutting skills were forged later. Company management, for example, it was by developing the desire that I succeeded, that was indirect.
**What acquired skills do you appreciate the most?**

Clearly my scientific training.

**Did your employment after doctoral studies go without problems or was it rather a challenge?**

It just fell into my lap! They came looking for me, so it's pretty easy! I don't know if it would go so well in a big firm, which is very vertical in terms of hierarchy. I like the team, with a certain amount of freedom, I don't really like authority!

**What would you like to share with the current doctoral students and future doctoral graduates?**

A lot of doctorate students call me, and I tell them that there are vacancies in the field of coastal engineering. There is a lot of work to be done. You have to know that in the course of a career, you can also go back and forth between research organisations, companies and vice versa. Many public-private partnerships, 'guest' researchers, within a laboratory, hosted companies or incubators are possible.

If you like to do research and not just research, it is possible to project yourself into a company, because companies like mine are called upon by research organisations in the framework of partnerships, and it is very gratifying. We deal with a very wide range of projects, the operating funds come from many countries, and many types of clients.

I find that the activity is more diversified, and what is not negligible, the remuneration is really much more interesting. And then, in my case, I can work from wherever I want, and that's a real plus.

So do a thesis, learn as much as you can for three years and join the business world because it is very rewarding to provide answers to people who need them in a short time (this time factor is really very different from that of academic research), while taking into account the human and financial stakes.

I also encourage doctoral holders (and doctoral students) to go abroad, doors are opening, international mobility is really important!

**And what message do you want to give to people who employ, would employ doctors (or who are not yet doing so) about doctors, their skills, their adaptability to the job?**

Employ doctors, because they have a great deal of autonomy, much greater than holders of an engineering degree. And I can say this because it is my initial background.

Engineers are given a hand to answer problems. An engineer is not armed, he is disoriented when faced with a problem that he has never solved. The engineer is rational.

The doctor finds a solution, he knows how to bring out the positive in all its complexity. A doctoral student can be given a subject for a thesis with no end in sight, he will go to the end of the question, he will find a solution!

The thesis gives the person who prepares it the time, the time to also work on himself.

The doctor has technical and scientific skills, but you really need to have 'lost yourself' in a thesis in order not to lose yourself in the world of work!

Doctors will bring a breath of fresh air to your company.

Thanks to Alexis!
<figure><img src="image_15.png" /><figcaption>Florent Guinot</figcaption></figure>

## Facilitating the implementation of Renewable Marine Energies, it's really satisfying!

Florent Guinot, PhD, a French national currently living in Bristol in United Kingdom. He was awarded a doctoral degree in the discipline of Physical Oceanography from the Doctoral School of Coastal and Marine Sciences of Brest University in 2010. His doctoral thesis, entitled "Wave-current interactions in variable bathymetry: numerical and experimental approaches", was completed under the supervision of Professor Vincent Rey.

**Which company do you currently work for and what are your professional duties?**

Since June 2021, I have been working for Wood Thilsted in Bristol, an Anglo-Danish company that does foundation design for offshore wind turbines. I am therefore involved in the offshore theme of wind energy. I'm responsible for the company's oceanographic issues, all the site studies, waves, wind currents, etc. It's my responsibility to be in charge of all these issues. It's my responsibility to make sure that datas are collected and defined in the right way for the projects. So I carry out and exploit a lot of studies done by third parties

**Have you been employed anywhere else before?**

Previously, I was in a similar position, in a French company called Naval Energies, which was designing offshore wind floating units also for the offshore wind market. I started by studying oceanography, and then I evolved into my position. I went from being in charge of the site characterisation department (meteorology-oceanography and geosciences), to being in charge of the site characterisation and mooring department. So there was a theme very much in line with my thesis and another slightly new one, on mooring, all linked to oceanography, and the problems of engineering at sea.

**What prompted you to choose Bristol?**

I just had the idea of leaving, of discovering something else, our generation is a bit restless! But this desire for mobility came at the time when our company, Naval Energies, was being partially closed. I already had my job project before the closure was announced, and everything came together at the same time. Naval Energies was bought out, a third of the engineers were hired in another entity; it was the end of an adventure, a bit sad for this beautiful company.

**Did you choose Wood Thilsted, or did they come looking for you?**

I did!

**And why did you choose it?**

To be honest, the destination suited me, it is a personal project to go back abroad, and the company was totally in line with what I was looking for professionally.

**Is your current job fulfilling?**

Yes, I'm very happy with what I do, with the people I work with, with what I work for ... the purpose of renewable energy. If I had to find a negative point: spending our days behind a computer!
The content of my work is very interesting and suits me perfectly.
**And what brings you the most satisfaction?**

The importance of the studies that I do, because this has a real impact on the cost of the projects and on the work of the engineers. The site studies are essential to do all the dimensioning of systems, and we are usually the first ones involved in this project. If we do our work well, it will facilitate the work of others who will move on to the technical phase and will facilitate the implementation of all these renewable energy projects. It's really satisfying!

**Are you in charge of a team?**

No, not anymore. It's a choice too. I was in charge of a team in my previous job, and now I wanted to go back to being in charge of myself! (Laugs). I wanted to go back to being a technician and taking care of my work. It's clearly a choice to stop managing and focus on the technical aspects.

**And why this break from management? Did you find it complicated, exhausting...?**

No! I really enjoyed it, I was lucky enough to have a nice team. It was really the need to alternate. I'm now in the technical field, in a problematic that I knew a little less about. Besides, I'll probably want to go back to management again later. I would like to alternate.

**Would you be willing to share with us your professional victories and failures?**

I'll start with the failure, a collective failure, with the company dying out. It's a big disappointment because we had excellent technical teams, and we were doing a good job. There were strategic choices and things that we didn't control. It's sad to see 10 years of work come to a halt... It started with the wave energy activities, the tidal energy; there was a whole area of activity, which disappeared as we went along, even though we were quite good in our field. The fact that a large part of it has disappeared is a disappointment.

> For young people, I have the impression that doctors are increasingly valued by companies. Moreover, we can clearly see that salaries on recruitment are clearly better for a doctorate than for a bachelor's degree! In engineering, there are companies that recruit engineer profiles (low+5), but now they opt for doctoral profiles, because of the development of new and original themes.

**Any successes?**

My biggest success is the current projects. I'm working on some great projects and it's having a real impact! On the farms we've worked on, there are dozens of machines that have been or are going to be installed all over the world. The company is really involved in this dimensioning, this development, and it's very satisfying to put these projects in the water!
**Is your current job related to the doctoral studies you completed?**

Completely, I have the chance to be totally in line with my studies: oceanography studies, wind, wave and current studies. And globally, on a daily basis, I use everything I have learned, not in the same way of course, but all the knowledge acquired is useful.

**In your opinion, do doctoral studies create ample career opportunities, inside and outside academia?**

As far as I am concerned, YES! I am in a field where there is a lot of engineering associated with it. For other doctorates, it is more difficult to find links with industry. There is a huge need for work in marine engineering, whether in the offshore oil industry, in renewable energies or in port development. All the knowledge we can develop in oceanography is directly applicable to engineering problems. We are in a field where there are bridges, it's simple!

**What sort of skills have you developed during your doctoral studies and which one of them would you rate as the most and least useful?**

There are plenty of them!

It is very important to start by building a network. Right from the start of my thesis, I joined a network specialising in renewable energy. We know each other, we exchange, we cross paths; it facilitates exchanges in the different companies. We got to know each other during the thesis, and we continue to cross paths! It is really important to have a social network, and to have started it during the thesis!

On skills, 2 important points:

- Learning how to present results, how to synthesize information, how to write and present, this is really the main part of our work. It's really the biggest part of our job. No matter how much research we do, if we can't explain it, if we can't make it accessible to the people who are going to use it, it's useless. So it's really important! This is what the doctorate teaches us to do (publishing,

<figure><img src="image_16.png" /></figure>
communication, ...). It is essential to emphasise the transmission of information. Having a lot of knowledge and skills is useless if you don't know how to pass it on.

- Learn to search for information. It is not necessary to reinvent everything on every project. There are many studies that have been done. The bibliography reflex is extremely important. It is not necessary to redo, we can draw inspiration; we can improve. This is really particular to the doctorate student to have an adapted research and development approach.

**Did your employment after doctoral studies go without problems or was it rather a challenge?**

Very easily. I had no fear, and I did not encounter any particular difficulties. I was lucky enough after my doctorate to work for a private company linked to a university (in Belgium). So the transition was smooth. I was doing academic research for the university and in parallel, I applied research for the company. Today, I am less involved in R&D; we have short-term needs, we draw on fundamental research to come up with very rapid solutions. We can also be involved in collaborative projects with universities,

**When you spoke of networks earlier, could you tell us more?**

It was the INORE network (International Network on Offshore Renewable Energy), which was born during my thesis on the initiative of Norwegians who wanted to bring together all the doctorate students working on Marine Renewable Energies, whatever their subject (electrician, oceanographer, jurist, economist...). The aim was for us to get to know each other, and to be able to work together easily afterwards. In this network, we had similar projects, similar ages, and we still rub shoulders on a daily basis.

**What would you like to share with the current doctoral students and future doctorate holders?**

For young people, I have the impression that doctors are increasingly valued by companies. Moreover, we can clearly see that salaries on recruitment are clearly better for a doctorate than for a bachelor's degree!

In engineering, there are companies that recruit engineer profiles (low+5), but now they opt for doctoral profiles, because of the development of new and original themes. Researchers are very much appreciated, because they are used to digging deeper and not just applying codes, standards, formulas... I'm caricaturing a bit.

**What message would you like to pass on to people who employ or would employ doctors?**

Having people who have developed skills during a doctorate is a real plus for the company. The company is faced with very new problems. Each project has its own particularities, technology evolves very quickly, and you need people who are capable of developing new approaches, of digging into all the science that already exists on the subject and making it their own. Doctors have this ability to dig into subjects naturally, to look for the flaws, the limitations of each approach, what could be improved.

Sometimes the doctor is reproached for never being satisfied, for always wanting to go further, for always wanting to improve, but in fact, it is a real advantage, if well supervised, it is a big added value for the company.

Many thanks Florent!
<figure><img src="image_17.png" /><figcaption>Hansy Haberkorn</figcaption></figure>

## I am recognised and appreciated by my clients and managers

Hansy Haberkorn, PhD, a French national currently living in France in Nantes. He was awarded a doctoral degree in the discipline of Marine Biology in the Doctoral School of Coastal and Marine Sciences of Brest University in 2009. His doctoral thesis, entitled "Impact of the toxic dinoflagellate, *Alexandrium minutum*, on the oyster, Crassostrea gigas: an integrative approach" was completed under the supervision of researchers Philippe Soudant and Christophe Lambert.

## Which company do you currently work for and what are your professional duties?

Currently, I work for CGI, (Management and IT Consultants) which is a Canadian ENS (Digital Services Company), an information technology and management consulting company which has a presence in France. We have 70,000 employees worldwide, about 11,000 in France.

## What are your professional responsibilities at CGI?

I am a business analyst, which means that I act as a bridge, the link between the users of a software or software solution and the teams of developers. In fact, I will get clients to express a need for a new feature in their software and I will help them determine that need. Then I explain to the developers what is expected, and finally, I make sure that everything is done and works.

## Since you joined CGI, has your job changed?

Not really, but I did some different assignments. I was a consultant, that was a bit different; I supported a big team of a client to try to find ways of improving its business. Then I did three business analyst assignments for two different clients; I had to learn to imbibe the clients' trades.

## How long have you been with CGI?

Five years.

## Have you been employed anywhere else before?

I did two post-docs in two different laboratories, a temporary teaching and research position at the University of Nantes, and a position as a project manager at Ifremer at Rephy (phytoplankton and phycotoxin monitoring network), a mission that aimed to review the network's activities to try to find ways of improving them. The post-docs were in my field of specialisation.

## What prompted you to choose CGI?

It was linked to my choice to change my professional life. I took a Master's degree in computer science and at the end of the course, I had to do an internship in a company. I explored the field in Nantes. There are many offers in the IT sector in the broad sense of the word, and I wanted to join an organisation that offered different activities. I did not want to find myself locked into a speciality (as I did after my thesis). That's why I decided to work for an Digital Services Company, which makes it easy to change missions. And CGI is also where I did my end-of-studies internship for my Master's degree, at the end of which I was offered
a permanent contract. I accepted the offer and I was well supported in this company. The managers believed in my abilities, so it was a great opportunity.

**Is your current job fulfilling?**

Yes, I am satisfied with my current work!

**What brings you the most satisfaction?**

I should say that is the trust and responsibility that has been placed in me. At the beginning, the transition is a bit strange between the world of research and that of IT, in the broadest sense of the term. But quite quickly my managers realised my abilities, what I knew how to do, and they also quickly gave me responsibilities. They tell me that they are happy with my work, which may seem trivial, but it's not the case everywhere, and it's good to hear it!

I am given opportunities in relation to what I want to do.

I have a certain number of social benefits which are rather nice, (dynamic works council), interesting career development and salary prospects.

**Would you be willing to share with us your professional victories and failures?**

No particular example, but my professional reconversion is rather successful. At the beginning, I had a lot of doubts. It's difficult to go back to university. It is a bit strange, there are doubts. Did I make the right choice? Today, I am satisfied with what I am doing. It is rather a success, and I am recognised and appreciated by my clients and managers.

If I had to talk about my failures, I would say that some of my post-doctoral experiences left me with a bitter taste, and pushed me to look for something else. A bitter taste because you can find yourself in situations where you lack the means to work, where you are not very involved in research projects. I was a bit frustrated and that is among other what pushed me to look elsewhere.

**Is your current job related to the doctoral studies you completed?**

At first sight, there is no link between marine biology and computer science! In fact, there is a lot of know-how and interpersonal skills that you learn in a doctorate or in a research job that you will find in my current job: there is the whole teamwork part, you never work alone in my job; the whole project management part, planning, coordination, knowing how to apply a method, these are essential things.

And also the whole part about knowing how to express yourself, both in writing and orally, knowing how to write, synthesise, present a result, and mastering English.

The fact of analysing problems, envisaging solutions, proposing scenarios, I find all aspects that I liked in the research profession.
> Even if a doctoral student's speciality may seem far removed from a company's activity, you have to trust them, because all this knowledge acquired during the thesis can be transposed. If I were to paraphrase Montaigne, I would say "a well-done head is better than a full one".

**In your opinion, do doctoral studies create ample career opportunities, inside and outside academia?**

Yes, clearly! As far as I'm concerned, I was attracted to IT!

**Were you aware of this when you were finishing your doctorate?**

No, I felt like I was a bit stuck, that I'd done the rounds. I wanted to settle down geographically when I discovered all the opportunities in IT. So I can/could change employers quite easily. Moreover, the means we are given to work have nothing to do with the research field!

On the other hand, you still have to be prepared to do some training, even a small one, sometimes in-house in the company. This is necessary because it is not possible to transfer directly from a researcher's job to an IT job, but it can be done quite easily.

**Did the university where you obtained your doctorate open up opportunities for career development? And, did you have any opportunities in the non-academic world?**

I had done a training called the "New Chapter of the thesis". That gave a window into the private sector, which was pretty good. Apart from that, in terms of opportunities directly, no, I don't feel I've been offered anything. In 6 years, I saw one post of Senior Lecturer at Brest University, that corresponded to my profile. It's linked to the situation, it's the same in Nantes, and it's quite sad.

**What sort of skills have you developed during your doctoral studies?**

In terms of fundamental knowledge, I have not transposed my knowledge of toxic microalgae into my current work, and my knowledge of bivalves is not really useful either!

If it is true that one uses the computer tool in thesis, it is not either the computer knowledge that I use today.

On the other hand, the cross-disciplinary skills, knowing how to express oneself orally in writing, knowing how to synthesise and deconstruct a problem, can be transposed very well from research to what I do today.

As for team skills, pedagogy to accompany a user who has a problem, these are important things in my company. The human aspect, building teams whose members get along, is essential.
**How would you evaluate the skills you acquired during your doctoral training and their relation to your current professional requirements?**

They are very good, they are the ones I just mentioned. We have a very good level, we adapt very well to the business world. Not all private employers are aware of this, but we must encourage them to trust us.

**What are the most important ones in your current job?**

There are several, being organised, methodical, being able to manage a project, expression to rephrase explain, and really being able to work in a team.

**What training have you taken that would not serve you, or that would not be relevant to your career path?**

The scientific skills and the technical skills. You could say that flow cytometry is not really useful to me...

**What skills do you appreciate the most?**

Clearly teamwork, and breaking down a problem. We ask ourselves questions, we look for the strategy to put in place to tackle a problem, to envisage solutions. And also imagination, finding the best answer. These are elements that I find in my current work.

**Did your employment after doctoral studies go without problems or was it rather a challenge?**

It has not been easy, with a series of short contracts. This does not allow one to see the end of the tunnel. The transition was not easy. You have to take the plunge, go back to training at almost 40 years of age, at university...

**Without a salary?**

I had the help of the Pôle emploi (French employment agency). But the doubt is there: did we make the right choice? The first courses in programming, I did not understand anything... And I got over it, I continued, even if the doubts persisted. But in the end, I am positive and happy with my path.

**What would you like to share with the current doctoral students and future doctoral holders?**

I really enjoyed my doctorate; it was the rest that was difficult. I had a great time, despite the inevitable tensions at the end of the thesis. If I had a message to pass on today... I still talk to doctoral students. They see the future, which may seem uncertain; it may seem discouraging. But if it's a passion, you have to live it to the end, you have to do your best. You must not be discouraged, because if it does not work out, you can bounce back. We have training that provides us with enough know-how that we can transfer to other fields. I do not regret having done a thesis and I do not regret my choices, I like what I do today.

**What message would you like to pass on to people who employ or would employ doctorate holders?**

Even if a doctoral student's speciality may seem far removed from a company's activity, you have to trust them, because all this knowledge acquired during the thesis can be transposed.

If I were to paraphrase Montaigne, I would say "a well-done head is better than a full one".

It is a beautiful conclusion, many thanks Hansy for this exchange!
<figure><img src="image_18.png" /><figcaption>Camille Lacroix</figcaption></figure>

## From the study of environmental disturbances on mussels to the fight against marine pollution

Camille Lacroix, PhD, a French national currently living in France in Brest. She was awarded a doctoral degree in the discipline of Marine Biology in Coastal and Marine Doctoral School of Brest University in 2014. Her doctoral thesis, entitled "Impacts of environmental disturbances on a sentinel organism of anthropized coastal environments, the blue mussel Mytilus spp.: genomic and ecophysiological characterization of stress adaptation", was completed under the supervision of professors Dario Moraga and Michel Auffret.

### Which company do you currently work for and what are your professional duties?

I am currently employed on a permanent contract at CEDRE (Centre for Documentation, Research and Experimentation on Accidental Water Pollution) in Brest. I am head of department, so I have managerial responsibilities. The CEDRE has the status of an association with a public service mission, and we have functions like a private company. So we work on different actions. We have public service missions financed by the State, by the Ministry of the Environment. The purpose of these public service missions is to assist the authorities in the event of accidental water pollution and also to provide solutions to public policies concerning pollution by waste in the aquatic environment. We therefore benefit from public funding in this context. We also carry out projects that may be financed or co-financed by national (such as the National Research Agency, ANR) or international (European) agencies. We may also be involved in private screening. When we break down our budget, it is 50% state funding and 50% project funding.

### Have you been employed anywhere else before?

I have been head of department for a year. Before that I was an engineer at CEDRE. I worked on the impact of accidental pollution on the marine environment. I then changed jobs, so I focused on the impact of pollution by aquatic waste.

### What prompted you to choose CEDRE?

First and foremost for the theme. I always wanted to work on the marine environment and chemical pollution. I am a chemist by training and it is something that has always interested me. I liked the applied side of CEDRE and the diversity of jobs within the company. At CEDRE, we are a bit like "Swiss Army knives", we get to do everything, not just anything, but a lot of things.

### Is your current job fulfilling?

I am very satisfied!

### Would you be willing to share with us your professional victories and failures?

The most rewarding aspect of my job is the fact that I have responsibilities, the fact that I can lead the department's actions as I see fit, and decide on the main strategic directions. Not alone of course, but I really contribute to the work of the department and CEDRE in this sense. I also like the diversity of the work and the themes addressed. I like the diversity of the people I work with, I interact with authorities, academics, managers, private people.
And the last thing, we have a lot of activities in France or abroad, missions in the field. I also like these territorial interactions with other regions, and other countries.

**Are you still doing fieldwork?**

Less so now that I'm head of department, but still a little. On the other hand, I still have an activity and I have more and more meetings, especially abroad.

**What are your greatest successes or failures?**

In terms of successes, if we look at the post-doctoral period, it is my hiring on a permanent contract at CEDRE in 2018: it is a very great satisfaction. I was fully aware of what I was getting into, since I had done several fixed-term contracts, and I knew, I know, how complicated it is, given the background of some colleagues, to get this type of contract. In the end, I was lucky enough to have very few periods of unemployment and to have a series of fixed-term contracts. My second success was my internal development and the move to responsibility for the department I manage. This is a new activity within the association, as the department did not exist before I took over. For me, it is both a great sign of confidence and a great step forward.

**A failure, a bitter note?**

No ...

**Is your current job related to the doctoral studies you completed?**

Yes, there is a direct link with my doctoral studies. When I joined CEDRE, I continued with the theme I had worked on during my thesis. I was doing ecotoxicology for my doctoral research, and I am still doing ecotoxicology. Since we are a small team, and the skills at CEDRE are multiple, I am the one who brings this skill to the association today. Thanks to my doctorate, I have developed a whole professional network that I continue to have and extend in my current activities. My job is completely compatible with the framework of doctoral studies.

**In your opinion, do doctoral studies create ample career opportunities, inside and outside academia?**

If I take the theme of the doctorate and the skills acquired during the thesis only, I don't think there were many opportunities outside the institution. I have a double degree, I obtained a degree in chemical engineering before my doctorate. That's why I don't think I would have had too much trouble getting back into chemistry, or into a more engineering job. On the other hand, if you only consider the doctorate, I have doubts... In fact, I did not look too much outside the academic world, I was lucky to have this opportunity (the CEDRE). I had the impression after the doctorate that I had a lot of opportunities and positions outside the academic world.

**And, did you have any opportunities in the non-academic world, or did you know from the start that this would not be your choice?**

No, the opportunity didn't really arise. I had applied for a few post-docs, and the CEDRE opportunity arose. In fact, at that time, there were a number of positions created on permanent contracts, which I did not obtain, but on the other hand, I was quickly integrated on a fixed-term contract. So I didn't have to look very hard in public research.

**What sort of skills have you developed during your doctoral studies and which one of them would you rate as the most and least useful?**

I gained a lot of fundamental skills during my doctorate. I was a chemist and
I learned what biology is! I was lucky enough to have a thesis project that dealt with a lot of technical aspects and problems in the biological sciences. It really helped me develop technical and scientific concepts that are useful to me today.

**Such as?**

The functioning of the marine environment, organisms, the impact of pollution on these organisms. How to monitor the marine environment, what to do to study in the field. It's really a set of things, the basics for environmental science with a more biological component, in addition to my chemistry background (industrial chemistry and laboratory chemistry). So I acquired all these field skills and knowledge of this field.

**In more transversal skills?**

The ability to work in a team, to interact, to integrate into the organisation, the use of certain equipment, the pooling of ideas, the creation of synergies between different experts, and also all the interactions and scientific reflections between colleagues. I would add that the experience of supervising trainees during the thesis has given me skills. Finally, the ability to analyse and synthesise is essential, I did not have these skills before doing my thesis.

**How would you evaluate the skills you acquired during your doctoral training and their relation to your current professional requirements?**

Very very good, in terms of technical and scientific skills, everything that was mentioned before.

But there are maybe some small things that would have been interesting, but it depends on the thesis project, the supervisors, the opportunities... But I would have liked to have been taught to plan, to organise, via retro-planning. The importance of deadlines is a notion that I did not have in my thesis. I think that we are not sufficiently trained in this. But it is also mainly because research encourages us to go further in the development of the thesis project. Maybe we develop too much this capacity to want to dig, dig, dig again and never want to stop! I think this is something that in the private sector is very difficult to accept. You have to stop one day, without having gone as far as you would have liked from a technical and scientific point of view. But this is perhaps not compatible with the purpose of doctoral studies.

I would have liked to have been more involved in setting up the project. But that also depends on the thesis supervision. I would have liked to deal with the planning, management and budgeting aspects, and the management of human resources and subcontracted equipment. These are activities that I now do every day! It's really important for understanding how things work, for better understanding scientific and technical work, for optimising what we do. This can also be learned very well afterwards, but it could be interesting to train future doctors in these aspects.

> "When you start a thesis, you want to continue in public research, and when you finish it, you think, is this really what I want? "
**Which ones are the most important in your current work?**

These are the ones that have been mentioned. The technical and scientific skills, the valorisation skills, in the form of reports and oral communication, or publications are essential. The relational skills, the ability to know how to solicit the skills of team members or technical equipment.

**What training courses have you taken that would not be of use to you, or that would not be relevant to what you are planning to do?**

I don't see any non-essential skills.

**Which acquired skills do you appreciate the most?**

Finally all of them!

**Did your employment after doctoral studies go without problems or was it rather a challenge?**

Smoothly, everything is a logical sequence. First an opportunity: a retirement, then the creation of a department... Everything was done in a serene and well-constructed way, so that I was never in difficulty.

**What would you like to share with the current doctoral students and future doctoral graduates?**

Certainly, to anticipate during the thesis what they want to do at the end of the preparation of their doctorate. When you start a thesis, you want to continue in public research, and when you finish it, you think, is this really what I want? Maybe if you already had some idea of where you want to go, you could try to adapt the content of the work and the skills you develop during the thesis, through training. Anticipating the career path, trying to take a step back during the thesis seems important to me, even if it is complicated. You shouldn't deny yourself a position, it's not because you're doing a thesis that there's only public research as an outlet.
Above all, stay open!

**What message would you like to pass on to people who employ or would employ doctors?**

Through their ability to think, to propose solutions or approaches, to respond to specific problems, for their scientific skills on the subject on which they are an expert, for their ability to communicate in French and in English, both orally and in writing, doctors are an asset to the company.

**What difference do you see between an engineer and a doctor?**

The engineer will have a spirit of synthesis and an ability to adapt to the deadline; he or she has an advantage in meeting deadlines. At the beginning of my work at CEDRE, I had difficulties in meeting this time factor. It is important to bear in mind that the time limit for an action in the private sector is crucial: once the time is up, it is up, even if from a scientific point of view, the study could continue. In engineering studies, you learn to set time limits, to respond only to demand, that is the engineer's advantage.

**And the doctor's advantage?**

The thesis is a form of freedom, the researcher sees something..., and pfff, he goes there... and can spend weeks, months working on this point. It's a totally different approach. The doctor therefore has specialised scientific skills, the ability to propose solutions and develop collaborations and synergies.
These are really two different profiles. This is also my personal experience.

Thank you very much Camille!
<figure><img src="image_19.png" /><figcaption>Soizig Lalancette</figcaption></figure>

## Supporting public research!

Soazig Lalancette, PhD, a French national currently living in France. She was awarded a doctoral degree in the discipline of Economic Sciences in the Coastal and Marine Doctoral School of Brest University in 2019. Her doctoral thesis, entitled "Economic analysis of the territorial footprint of marine renewable energy projects, the case of offshore wind power in Brittany", was completed under the supervision of Pascal Le Floc'h.

**Which company do you currently work for and what are your professional duties?**

I work for a Scientific Interest Group (GIS), the GIS Marsouin (Armorican Research Cluster on the Information Society and Internet Uses), which brings together 200 scientists in the Human and Social Sciences who work on digital issues in Brittany and Pays de la Loire territories. The GIS is subsidised by the Brittany Region and aims to support and federate digital research with regional aid. The special feature of this GIS is that it has its own data observatory. Every year we organize quantitative surveys to measure the evolution of digital in our society.

**What are your responsibilities?**

I was hired in January 2020 as head of the GIS data observatory called OMNI. So, every year we produce surveys or products, barometric on digital with three populations: communities, individuals and companies. Thus, since 2002, we have had monitoring data on digital technology in the Region. Initially, my job was to construct the questionnaires, to liaise with the researchers on the execution and then on the valorisation and transfer of data.

Since September 2021, I have been the coordinator of this GIS, so my responsibilities have changed. I work more in relation with the community of researchers working on digital technology; my role consists in federating them by proposing calls for interest on scientific themes. I manage the life of the GIS, I organise the scientific councils (every two months) and relations with the Brittany Region. I go to the laboratories to present the group. I generate the call for papers for the annual seminar, and I follow the evaluation. It's a very varied activity.

**Have you a human resources management part?**

Yes, I coordinate the activities of the team, which includes a development officer and a statistician, in particular the organisation of activities, the production of the observatory, etc.

**What prompted you to choose the GIS Marsouin?**

I joined the GIS because I wanted to improve my skills in data analysis, so I applied for the position of statistical data manager. I found it interesting to bring together researchers on digital issues and to discover the organisation of research in Brittany and Pays de la Loire. Then, my rise in rank and skills was logical. I wanted to understand how calls for projects were made, how communication evaluations were carried out, how partnership agreements were managed, etc.

**Is your current job fulfilling?**

Yes, absolutely, I am happy to do it now, to see how research is organised and works. I am learning a lot about all these aspects.
**What brings you the most satisfaction?**

It's helping researchers to progress in their research, finding solutions to get their project funded, following the progress of their work, and trying to find collections that could help them. And then there's the whole aspect of reporting what's happening in the field in terms of digital.

**Would you be willing to share with us your professional victories and failures?**

I think it's finishing my thesis. I succeeded; I proved to myself that I could go all the way, that I could achieve my goal!

So there is the completion of the thesis, and yes, there is the position of SIG coordinator. I realise that I am trusted to manage big files. I have gone from an applied position to a team leader. It's up to me to make the SIG live!

I am satisfied with the way my career path has been built, a path that suits me.

**Is your current job related to the doctoral studies you completed?**

My experience in economics, in research in Human and Social Sciences, allows me to approach researchers easily. Exchanges are easier because I come from research; I understand the interest they have in their project. I think it's great to work in a supportive environment!

**Is your job compatible with doctoral studies?**

Yes, totally!

Sometimes I wonder about being just a mentor, it makes me realise that I might miss research. In fact, I could do much more in my job.

**In your opinion, do doctoral studies create ample career opportunities, inside and outside academia?**

After my thesis, I had several interviews for companies. But I wanted to work in research promotion, it is important to support. There are a lot of issues at the moment, especially environmental ones, on which researchers are not heard enough.

"the fact that I worked alone,
to organise my thesis project, is what helps me
today to coordinate all the projects simultaneously;"

**What sort of skills have you developed during your doctoral studies and which one of them would you rate as the most and least useful?**

The skills I have developed are many!

I learned how to organise and manage a project.

I learned how to work.

I learnt about rigour (not great before .... Laugh)
I learnt how to present an argument so that people listen to us.

I learned to write, which is essential in the working world, the thesis is an excellent exercise!

I learned to talk with researchers from other disciplines.

I learned to be daring, to communicate, to go towards people.

I learnt to be open-minded, to trust, and to realise that when you work together you can build ideas.

I think that our training courses, particularly on publication, presentations, student supervision and post-thesis, are comprehensive.

**Which skills are most important for your current activity?**

The organisation of time: the fact that I worked alone, to organise my thesis project, is what helps me today to coordinate all the projects simultaneously; it is essential!

**Which skills acquired during your doctorate do you appreciate the most?**

Project management, curiosity, freedom! I have this curiosity to go and see what others are doing, open-mindedness.

**Did your employment after doctoral studies go without problems or was it rather a challenge?**

At the end of the thesis, I felt the need to take a break; I needed time to step back. I wondered what I was going to do with my thesis. I had many skills, and I wanted to give it a try! It takes a little time to start another project with the same energy as the thesis.

**What would you like to share with the current doctoral students and future doctorate graduates?**

Finishing your thesis is a big deal!

You need time, to step back at the end to see what you want to do, whether it's a company or public research.

For me, public research is important. There are companies that invest in research with substantial budgets, but in my discipline, economics, it seems to me more complicated.

What is essential is to have confidence in yourself, everything is open to you, everything is possible!

**What message would you like to pass on to people who employ or would employ doctors?**

Give doctors a chance!

Doctors are interesting, they know how to adapt to a project, how to adapt to any public. We, doctors, have this desire to learn, we have developed a great curiosity, we are really interesting profiles for your companies, to bring you new ideas. Don't be afraid of doctors!

Thank you Soazig!
<figure><img src="image_20.png" /><figcaption>Edouard Lavergne</figcaption></figure>

## From Bordeaux to Brest, Frankfort, Socotra, Tokyo and finally Banyuls-sur-Mer!

Edouard Lavergne, PhD, a French national currently living in France. He was awarded a doctoral degree in the discipline of Marine Biology from the Doctoral School of Coastal and Marine Sciences of Brest University in 2012. His doctoral thesis, entitled "Biodiversity of estuarine fish in Socotra Island (North West Indian Ocean): from the fish population to the functioning of Terapon jarbua populations", was completed under the supervision of Professor Jean Laroche.

### Which company do you currently work for and what are your professional duties?

I work for Plastic@sea, a startup housed in the oceanological incubator of Banyuls-sur-Mer (Arago laboratory). I am in charge of Research and Development since September 2021.

### Have you been employed anywhere else before?

After my thesis in Brest, I did a post-doc, then I was a professor at high school (Lycée Naval of Brest). I was then recruited as an Associate Professor in Japan at Kyoto University. For 6 years, I taught and did research in the field of integrated coastal zone management, on the marine biology aspect, and I worked a lot on the connectivity between estuary and marine environment, in the field of environmental DNA genetics (types of fish in Japanese estuaries). After that, I was a Temporary Teaching and Research Assistant (ATER) at the University of Bretagne Occidentale (18 months).

### What prompted you to choose your Company Plastic@sea?

Two main reasons: firstly, I know the CEO and the Director of Operations who recruited me; they both come from the University of Brest and the Coastal and Marine Sciences Doctoral School. They were faced with an increase in activity during the Covid pandemic, and they contacted me to reinforce their team. I was then involved in the ATER position and with colleagues in Brest. My plan was to take the competitive examination that would allow me to become a lecturer in a position that was being created in Brest. In the end, in June, I was ranked but did not get a position. So I contacted Plastic@sea again, and I joined the team!

So it was not my first choice, I wanted to be a lecturer, but it was not a choice out of spite either. After twenty years of successive positions all over the world, I have seen and done quite a lot, so it was less of a heartbreak than it could have been a few years ago.

### Is your current job fulfilling?

Yes, I am very satisfied; my activities are very interesting and varied.

### And what brings you the most satisfaction?

In terms of research and development, it's the setting up of new experiments to test the toxicity and biodegradability of plastics at sea. This ranges from experimentation in the natural environment to laboratory experimentation, with the use of aquario systems that are being patented. So there is also this innovation aspect which is interesting.
The field aspect is also very satisfying.

We also do scientific communication. For example, we are working on the "Plastic under the microscope" project with schools. Children go to the beaches to collect and count plastics (as part of a European protocol); an operation like this is quite rewarding. This is also one of the reasons why I went into the corporate world; there is an impact of our research work on society. My thesis work in Yemen affected far fewer people!

Furthermore, I continue to publish, as I am co-supervising two doctorate students and soon a third (all funded by the CIFRE : Industrial Research Training Agreement).

"Doctors have, because of their thesis experience, this capacity to be imaginative, which is a real plus in R&D for the company!"

**Would you be willing to share with us your professional victories and failures?**

The biggest regret is not to have become a lecturer!

**Did you give up for good?**

The vision of the company within the University has evolved, and I tell myself, especially as I was once a teacher-researcher, that at the end of my career, .... I don't have any regrets, I feel good at Plastic@sea, and I still give some courses and supervise young doctoral students.

**Your best success?**

The position at Kyoto University! The day it happened, it was a great satisfaction, even if I knew that the position had a limited duration (6 years). Kyoto University is the second largest university in Japan, ranked in the top 25 in the Shanghai ranking. In Japan, when people ask you in which university you teach, and you come from Kyoto, they respect you, it's quite special! (On the other hand, you should not introduce yourself by saying that you come from Kyoto University, you would be considered as a proud person)... On the other hand, when you come back to France.... Laughter.... Whether you come from the Sorbonne or elsewhere, you are an eternal student....

**Is your current job related to the doctoral studies you completed?**

My studies are entirely compatible with the framework of my work with a lot of skills transfer, scientific rigour, bibliography, and all the skills for working upstream, in aquario, ... Even if the subject is different "the bacteria that are on the plastic", my doctoral knowledge is transposable.
**In your opinion, do doctoral studies create ample career opportunities, inside and outside academia?**

I have the impression that university professors are training future teachers. I don't think this is voluntary. The question of the context of entrepreneurship is not asked, unless the thesis student has a precise idea of his professional project and has an idea of his transferable skills. I think that CIFRE doctoral students are more sensitive to this aspect. As far as I'm concerned, I also think that when you talk to a company director about the environment (my discipline), he hears a constraint...

**What sort of skills have you developed during your doctoral studies?**

In terms of fundamental skills, of course, the whole research aspect is important. In the doctoral school, we had the advantage of being able to choose our courses without restriction, depending on our needs. So I took a lot of courses during my stays in Germany.

On the aspect of social and relational skills, I followed courses with an external speaker that I found very interesting. These were courses on interpersonal relations, team management and conflict prevention. I thought what he presented was great, but we realised that in everyday life, in reality, it didn't work the way it was presented to us... It was paradoxical.

In terms of crosscutting skills, I developed all the skills in terms of project management and budget management. Especially as far as I was concerned, I really managed the budget of my thesis (financed by the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle and by the University of Frankfurt). I was autonomous on this management and had to ensure the means of the thesis, my missions and also my salary.

**Which one of them would you rate as least useful?**

None of them! You always use what you have learned, at one time or another. There are some areas of expertise that I don't use any more, such as fish taxonomy... but the process of description remains the same for other areas.

**What are the most important acquired skills for your current activity?**

Scientific rigour, of course, but above all the organisational aspect: planning meetings, appointments with doctoral students, experiments that start on such and such a date and must be completed by another date. At the moment, I feel like I'm working on five theses at the same time!

My background, having done a thesis, allows me to manage this situation, of course with the help of the laboratory technicians, the doctoral students, but everything has to be coordinated.

**You didn't mention your language skills?**

I don't talk about it, because for me it's obvious, I did my master's in Wales, my job in Japan, it was essential. Even if I can also communicate in Japanese, but yes, of course English is essential!

**Which acquired skills do you appreciate the most?**

Project management! For everything scientific, you can train yourself, with tutorials on the internet, but for project management, it is essential to be trained, to learn from someone.

**Did your employment after doctoral studies go without problems or was it rather a challenge?**

Long, if I look back... I defended my thesis in 2012, and I got a job with a permanent contract in 2021.
**And your integration into the company, did it happen naturally?**

It happened quickly, but it was something I didn't know. I discovered a totally different world of work, with deadlines to be respected in relation to clients, and sometimes deadlines that are not achievable.

**And you may feel that you are not going to finish?**

If you want to go to the end of the scientific process, that may be the case, but for the company and the client the question of going further may have very little interest or not at all. This can be frustrating. That doesn't mean that we don't try to answer it, it may happen that we do, and that is a plus. But it's all a question of time.

**What would you like to share with the current doctoral students and future doctoral graduates?**

Being in a thesis shows that you have a passion for your field of research, you show that you want to know more, you must continue, you must not give up! It can sometimes be complicated, but there is nothing insurmountable. Few people do not find a job at the end of their thesis. On the other hand, you should not focus solely on the world of teaching and academic research. This can be an objective of course, but you should also look at what is going on in the surrounding area, and this will be all the easier if you have anticipated it. You have to have a plan A and a plan B!

**And a good network?**

In my case it helped, for my current job, and for my job in Japan. It's true, a meeting, a discussion can open doors.

**What message would you like to pass on to people who employ or would employ doctors?**

At Plastic@sea, we have colleagues from engineering schools. Engineers have, during their training, learned to apply and develop precise techniques, they are very "square", a little less flexible than a doctor is.

Having spent three years in the world of research brings a lot to the table; you realise that not everything works in a model. To find solutions, you have to be imaginative and use inequalities. This is a plus for the company, a plus that allows you to move forward and avoid having to go backwards; you can change direction a lot in research.

Doctors have, because of their thesis experience, this capacity to be imaginative, which is a real plus in R&D for the company!

Thank you Edouard, for your time!

<figure><img src="image_21.png" /></figure>
<figure><img src="image_22.png" /><figcaption>Anne Piron</figcaption></figure>

## Manager for Earth Observation and Marine Currents

Anne Piron, PhD, a French national currently living in France in Brest. She was awarded a doctoral degree in the discipline of Physical Oceanography in the University of Brest in 2015. Her doctoral thesis, entitled "Observation of deep convection in the Irminger Sea over the period 2002-2015 by Argo floats", was completed under the supervision of Researcher Herlé Mercier.

**Which company do you currently work for and what are your professional duties?**

Since mid-December 2021, which is very recent, I have been working for eOdyn, a company based in Brest that offers expertise in measuring ocean currents and sea state by analysing AIS data used for maritime traffic. I am responsible for operational services. I am responsible for the development of the company's activities. I manage the commercial relationship with our different clients and I participate in the follow-up of the different projects.

**Can you explain what AIS data is and what it is used for?**

AIS data combine two types of information: static, which characterizes the ship or its cargo; and dynamic such as position, date, speed, heading, etc. This data is mainly used in the context of safety at sea.

**Have you been employed anywhere else before?**

Before joining eOdyn, I had worked for 5 years for Altran, one of the biggest French consulting companies. First as a consultant in oceanography and meteorology, then as Head of Scientific Activities and finally as Sales Manager for the Brest branch.

**What prompted you to choose eOdyn and Altran? To answer this question, please start by talking about your choice of Altran, and then tell us what brought you to eOdyn.**

What interested me in choosing Altran was the possibility of working on different projects and of acquiring various skills that were complementary to what I was doing during my thesis. It allowed me to increase my skills in these areas. I found it very rewarding. I had the opportunity to develop professionally, so it was an interesting and rich experience.

I then chose to join eOdyn for two main reasons. Firstly, to refocus on an activity where the stakes are scientific above all. My recent functions at Altran had gradually distanced me from science, which was a regret. The second was to rediscover the dynamics of a company on a human scale. Altran is now part of the CapGemini group. When I left, the group had just reached 300,000 employees. At eOdyn, the team consists of about ten people. It's a big change, but it's a guarantee of proximity to the people and the teams

**Is your current job fulfilling, and if so, what brings you the most satisfaction?**

Yes, I am very satisfied with my job!

I left the technical side in 2019, when I took up my position as Scientific Manager and then Commercial Manager. This is a career move that I am extremely satisfied to have made. It has allowed me to open up to the professional world in a much broader way. Before, I was only focused on my scientific projects. This development has enabled me to understand how a private company works
in a large group, how business development works and how to be a manager. Through the accounts, I was responsible for, I discovered the world of banking, defence and the agri-food industry. These five years have been very rich.

The least satisfying aspects of the job for me were the very fast pace of work, the emergencies to be dealt with on a daily basis, all the time... It was psychologically heavy, more than physically.

The pace and atmosphere at eOdyn are calmer.

What seems to me to be important in a job is also the confidence given to a person to entrust him with new responsibilities. It is this trust that is given to me that is most rewarding in my eyes.

**Would you be willing to share with us your professional victories and failures?**

This is not an easy question!

For "success", on a personal level, I would say my professional development. And professionally, the maintenance and development of Altran Brest's scientific team, notably with the setting up of research agreements with Ifremer and the recruitment of two young doctors who are now involved in projects for our clients. One of them has just taken up the position of Scientific Leader, which will open up new professional prospects for him, and I am very happy for him.

As far as "failures" are concerned, if I can count my thesis experience as professional experience, I regret that I was not allowed to participate in an offshore campaign during my thesis, when the opportunity was there.

**Is your current job related to the doctoral studies you completed?**

At Altran, I was recruited as a young doctoral student, an interesting status for companies that can benefit from the Research Tax Credit (a tax provision in France). This allowed me to work on both internal research projects and projects for our clients. Without a doctorate, I would not have had such opportunities. Altran is a service provider. We therefore work on projects for our clients. Thanks to my status as a young doctor, I was able to work on internal research projects at the same time, thanks to the Research Tax Credit. This allowed me to develop my skills in scientific subjects. This is a model that Altran uses for its scientific teams, which makes their research more dynamic. This company collaborates with research organisations such as Ifremer, which is directly linked to the laboratory where I prepared my thesis.

I have now (since 2019) moved away from the operational aspect of the research work but my scientific training gives me the scientific credentials to exchange with the different actors we work with, which is very important.

**In your opinion, do doctoral studies create ample career opportunities, inside and outside academia?**

In my opinion, yes. The ocean is at the heart of the balance of our planet. It is a vulnerable system whose resources are immense and precious, but fragile and limited. As we become collectively aware of the need to preserve it, the economic sectors must rely on research and expertise in marine sciences. There is an increasing number of private players working on this issue.

**Did the university, your host laboratory, where you prepared your PhD, open up opportunities for you?**

At the time of my doctorate, we were not encouraged. But as far as I was concerned, I knew when I started my thesis that I would not continue in a post-doctoral process. I was not planning to apply for positions in public research, at the CNRS, at IFREMER, for a whole host of reasons.

I wanted to move towards the business world, without really knowing where I was going, because I didn't have much information. When I went to the research teams and tried to get information, I didn't really get an answer. Because it
wasn't their idea to train a doctor to do anything other than basic research in universities or research organisations.

**In your opinion, has this evolved?**

Yes, and in the right direction! It is very good. When I think back to the image of companies that I had six years ago, it is not at all the reality of the field today. For me, I was very lucky to have the Altran opening. One of their consultants worked at Ifremer. I met her, she explained to me what the activity of the company consisted of and indicated to me what the possibilities were. Then there was a combination of circumstances, a job opportunity a year after obtaining my doctorate.

Apart from Altran, I think there were other possibilities, but I really did not have the information.

**What sort of skills have you developed during your doctoral studies and which one of them would you rate as the most and least useful?**

In fundamental knowledge, it is mainly scientific skills, particularly in physical oceanography.

For transversal skills, clearly my synthesis and writing skills; oral communication; popularisation and of course respect for deadlines, autonomy and rigour. I would add analytical skills and English.

**You don't mention the method of setting up a project?**

Not really, because I was not involved in this aspect during my thesis.

> I wanted to move towards the business world, without really knowing where I was going, because I didn't have much information. When I went to the research teams and tried to get information, I didn't really get an answer. Because it wasn't their idea to train a doctor to do anything other than basic research in universities or research organisations.

**Ok,...**

And so, for interpersonal skills, teamwork, listening skills, flexibility, communication. Listening, in fact I learned more in the field!
**How would you evaluate the skills you acquired during your doctoral training and their relation to your current professional requirements?**

When you look at my career path, you quickly understand that the technical and scientific skills I acquired during my thesis served me during my first years, and currently they do not serve me in my daily life. They are not the ones I use the most. It's rather the rigour, the respect of deadlines. The thesis teaches us to develop our analytical skills, which is essential in everyday life. Our writing and communication skills are essential. These are the skills that have helped me the most to meet my professional requirements.

**What training courses have you taken that would not be of use to you, or that would not be relevant to what you are planning to do?**

I would say that the most important ones are really communication, listening and autonomy.

I had the opportunity during my thesis to test and parameterise Argo floats in the Ifremer test tank. Argo floats are autonomous underwater instruments capable of measuring different parameters (T°, salinity, pressure, oxygen...) of the ocean up to 4000 m deep, as they drift in the ocean waters. I have never used the skills I acquired during this experience, which I did find fascinating. (laughs).

**Which acquired skills do you appreciate the most?**

The ones I appreciate the most are perhaps oral communication, and I spoke about this a little earlier, the popularisation of scientific results. I really enjoy exchanging and sharing around a scientific subject. For me, sharing knowledge is very important for raising awareness of our subject among young people and outside players. It is a part that I like very much and I am quite comfortable in this exercise.

**Did your employment after doctoral studies go without problems or was it rather a challenge?**

Finding a job was not complicated in the sense that the Altran opportunity arrived a few months after my thesis defense when I was on a fixed-term contract in a public organisation, which I left to sign this permanent contract. I was aware of the opportunity that was offered to me, it was a real chance. On a personal level, it was a bit complicated. I joined Altran when I had just had a little boy, he was just three months old...(smile). But my employer was very understanding and gave me the time I needed to combine my family and professional life. So it went well.

How did I feel about my first status as an employee? I did not enter my thesis as a student but as someone involved in a research mission that would be validated by a diploma, I did not live it as simple studies. My transition to professional life in a company was therefore not a break. The difference when I joined Altran was the word "permanent" on my contract.

**Is that reassuring?**

Yes, it's totally reassuring! To be honest, I didn't really know what I was getting myself into, but the word "permanent" was reassuring, and it allowed me to think about the next step in my career.

**What would you like to share with the current doctoral students and future doctoral graduates?**

For doctoral students, a piece of advice perhaps: open up to the business world during your thesis. In terms of awareness it is important, considering the difficulty to integrate in a post-doctoral research position in the academic world.
So establish and maintain a network of different actors in your field, be present on forums, meet and maintain exchanges with your network. At least for yourself, but also so that the different actors identify you.

**You talk about networks, which networks do you mean? LinkedIn?**

Yes, but more widely. There are a certain number of information sites, such as the World Sea Campus, and fairs like Sea Tech Week in Brest, which bring together all the players. We must not hesitate to meet them, to open up to the world, this is what I call going towards the networks. You have to dare, there's no risk...

Academic research is one thing, but the world of companies is extremely rich and fascinating; it's worth taking an interest.

And, another thing, there are other sectors to explore: education and the associative field. I will give the example of a friend, guided by her passion for the ocean, who became the scientific coordinator of an association that contributes to the implementation of oceanographic expeditions under sail in little or unexplored maritime areas to promote a better knowledge of the ocean.

**Can you give us the name of the association, and we will give you the link?**

Yes of course, OceanoScientific.

One last piece of advice: if you want to present your CV in a company, adapt it to the "company" format, it is very important! Be relevant and concise, don't forget to highlight the transversal skills acquired during your doctorate, they are as important as your technical and scientific skills. This will also show that you are able to take a step back.

Finally, express your motivation and passion for your subject. Be positive and smiling and the world of work will smile on you!

**What message would you like to pass on to people who employ or would employ doctors?**

I have noticed that there is a gap in the perception of the doctorate in France. Companies have the image of doctors who have worked on very specific and theoretical subjects, and who are trained exclusively for academic research. But things are changing, the reality is that thesis subjects are often close to the reality of the market.

Thus, in addition to their specific and specialized technical knowledge, it is necessary to convey the message that doctors possess many crosscutting skills such as communication, teaching or project management, for example. By opening up to the business world, the doctor is at the junction of the two worlds, which is a huge asset for becoming a key element in the field of innovation.
To employers, I say: Trust the doctors!

Thank you Anne!

<figure><img src="image_23.png" /></figure>
<figure><img src="image_24.png" /><figcaption>Lia Siegelman</figcaption></figure>

## Convincing planetary scientists that physical oceanographers could help understand Jupiter's turbulence

Lia Siegelman, PhD, a French-American national currently living in California in the USA. She was awarded a doctoral degree in the discipline of Physical Oceanography from the Doctoral School of Coastal and Marine Sciences of Brest University in 2019. Her doctoral thesis, entitled "*Ageostrophic dynamics in the ocean interior*", was completed under the supervision of Prof. Patrice Klein and Pascal Rivière.

### Which company do you currently work for and what are your professional duties?

Since July 2020, I work at SCRIPPS, Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego. My responsibilities are those of a post-doc, so most of my working time is dedicated to research.

### Has your job changed?

On paper it has not changed that much, I started with a study that involved observations, then a modelling study, the content has changed but the responsibility of the job has remained the same.

### Have you been employed anywhere else before?

I did a first post-doc of 5 months at NASA (Jet Propulsion Laboratory and California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California) mainly to finalize my thesis results.

### What prompted you to choose SCRIPPS at the University of California and this post-doc?

I applied for a postdoctoral fellowship at Scripps, which I was awarded. Scripps funds my work entitled: "Genesis and persistence of Jupiter's polar cluster of vortices". It is a great to be able to choose your own research topic, but also the person you want to work with, because I have a lot to learn from this particular professor.

### Is your current job fulfilling, and if so, what brings you the most satisfaction?

Yes, I am certainly very satisfied with my job!

For me, I would say that the most rewarding aspect of my job is teamwork, the fact that I get to interact with people with different expertise. It is very rewarding to regroup all these competencies to answer questions that one could not answer on its own.

What might be trickier is to maintain a healthy work-life balance, but it is up to me to be rigorous about it. When research gets exciting, I tend to get carried away (laughs)!

### Would you be willing to share with us your professional victories and failures?

I would say that one of my accomplishments is the transition between my doctorate and my postdoctoral research and managing to convince planetary scientist that physical oceanographers could help understand Jupiter's turbulence.
**Is your current job related to the doctoral studies you completed?**

During my doctorate, I studied on vortex interactions in the ocean, and now I'm looking at these interactions in the atmosphere of Jupiter, basically applying the same fluid dynamics concepts, ... just on a different planet!

Yes, so it is pretty much completely linked with my doctoral studies. I would even say that without my doctorate studies; I absolutely could not do it.

**In your opinion, do doctoral studies create ample career opportunities, inside and outside academia?**

Yes, of course, because when we study oceanography, it is related to the Climate, which is one of the major problems we are facing. There are many opportunities outside of academia: in the green industries, climate advisory policies, but also machine learning and big-data related jobs or even outreach opportunities with organisations like Océanopolis in Brest.

**What sort of skills have you developed during your doctoral studies and which one of them would you rate as the most and least useful?**

The fundamental skills are very important. Thanks to my thesis supervisor and the people I was in contact with during my thesis, I acquired solid hard skills.

My thesis supervisor taught me everything I know about geophysical fluid dynamics. Remote sensing experts at NASA explained the intricacies of various satellite products. I also used data collected by instrumented elephant seals in the Southern Ocean. The scientists who developed the tags explained me how they worked as well as their limitations. As a by-product, I developed data analysis skills and programming skills that are translatable for others jobs than being a researcher. For instance, in the field of big data and, machine learning.

I should also mention all the vital soft skills. For instance, in my job, I am in contact with people from around the world; it is an opening to different cultures, to different ways of working. You need to show openness and flexibility in your way of thinking and working, to truly understand your collaborators. The goal being to form a team that is better than the sum of its parts.

**How would you evaluate the skills you acquired during your doctoral training and their relation to your current professional requirements?**

They are totally in line with my current job. Doing a post-doc can be seen as a direct continuity of doctoral studies.

The scientific skills and the soft skills that I developed as a graduate student are essential to the job I am currently doing.

**What training courses have you taken that would not be of use to you, or that would not be relevant to what you are planning to do?**

... I don't really know, maybe Physics/biology interactions. Even though they are not so useful today, they may well be in the future!

**Which acquired skills do you appreciate the most?**

I was really lucky to meet a great doctorate advisor. He taught me a lot of things, from an oceanographic point of view, but also from a human point of view, how to do research, how to navigate the entire research world. I will be eternally grateful to him for all our exchanges.

> During my PhD, I studied on vortex interactions in the ocean, and now I'm looking at these interactions in the atmosphere of Jupiter, basically applying the same fluid dynamics concepts, ... just on a different planet! Yes, so it is pretty much completely linked with my PhD studies. I would even say that without my doctorate studies; I absolutely could not do it.
**Did your employment after doctoral studies go without problems or was it rather a challenge?**

So far, it has been a pretty smooth transition from being a graduate student to being a postdoc.

**What would you like to share with the current doctoral students and future doctoral holders?**

Do research on a subject you are passionate about, with people you genuinely appreciate. I even think that working with someone that inspires you can be even more important than the research topic!

**Is a thesis work a partnership?**

In my experience, absolutely!

**What message would you like to pass on to people who employ or would employ doctors?**

I am under the impression that in France, the degree of doctor is not always recognized to its true value. It is important to know that doctors are not bookworms who are not adapted to the professional world. On the contrary, they are rigorous and assiduous people who have dedicated three years of their life on a specific subject. They are therefore people capable of carrying out a complex project, and of facing the eventual difficulties encountered along the way. Doctors are full of qualities that makes them well suited for the industry!

Many thanks Lia for this exchange!

<figure><img src="image_25.png" /></figure>
<figure><img src="image_26.png" /><figcaption>Vanilla Temtching Temou</figcaption></figure>

## A doctor is not a researcher disconnected from reality. He is a project leader

Vanilla Temtching Temou, of Cameroonian nationality, currently living in France. She was awarded a doctoral degree in the discipline of Mechanics, Mechanical Engineering, Fluid Mechanics and Energy in the University of Brest in 2020. Her doctoral thesis, entitled "Experimental and numerical study of fluid-structure interactions on flexible composite hydrofoils", was completed under the supervision of Professors Jacques-André Astolfi, Gilles Ausias and Benoit AUGIER at the Research Institute of the Ecole Navale, in partnership with the company SEAir, the IRDL and IFREMER of Brest. The defense took place on September 18, 2020.

### Which company do you currently work for and what are your professional duties?

After my thesis, I continued on a permanent contract with the company SEAir which financed my thesis. I am currently in charge of CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) calculations and hydrodynamic experiments. SEAIR is involved in the nautical field as an expert in the flight function on boats via the addition of hydrofoils. On a daily basis, I am in charge of the numerical simulation of the hydrofoil behavior in water and of the experimentation part on this theme. I also intervene on the experimentation part, in particular on the behavior of structures in water. My work is therefore focused on the whole experimentation part, from the organization to the technical process. I am also involved in the financing of research at SEAIR, mainly in the drafting of technical files for research tax credit or innovation tax credit.

### Has your job changed since the end of your doctorate?

Yes, there have been changes in both my responsibilities and the content of my missions. During the thesis I was working mainly on the needs of my research subject, which was more focused on sailboats and flexible hydrofoils, whereas today, thanks to the expertise acquired during my thesis, I perform all the hydrodynamic studies, and my work has direct application to customer projects and internal research. I am now involved in the financing part of the research, an aspect I did not address previously.

### What prompted you to choose to stay at SEAir?

Well, I started my thesis at SEAIR right after graduating from engineering school, in the aeronautical field. I was seduced by the research topic on "boat flight" which is, in my opinion, halfway between the hydrodynamic and aerodynamic fields. Integrating the company and applying the expertise developed while improving it was the logical continuation of my thesis.

To continue the adventure with SEAir is exciting, because their practices are very innovative and this arouses my interest enormously. We are working on foil technologies (flying boat) which are becoming more and more popular but there are still many open fields to research.

### Is your current job fulfilling?

Yes, I am very satisfied with my current job, which is in my field of interest. My expertise allows me to carry out my missions.
**What brings you the most satisfaction?**

Anything to do with research culture is very rewarding. There are things that are not necessarily all done, sometimes you have to do a lot of bibliography work to answer problems, consult scientific articles, look at the work of the competition and make sure that you develop new methods and can develop them. All this research is really rewarding.

**So everything is fine?**

I would say Yes, everything is fine. I would like to point out that when you are doing a thesis and working on a specific academic field in a laboratory, you are not privileged enough, you have three years to complete your research project. In a company, you work more often in project mode in a team and there are several constraints that you have to know how to manage, notably the respect of the budget and the deadlines. It is important to be aware of this

> I am in charge of the numerical simulation of the behaviour of hydrofoils and I am also involved in the experimental part, in particular on the behaviour of structures in water. My work is therefore focused on the whole of the experimentation part, from the organisation to the technical process.

**Would you be willing to share with us your professional victories and failures?**

In terms of failure, I could cite as an example, a study on the navigational failures of a boat. It was not quite working as expected... and so I had to study the reasons for its failures, one on its practical behaviour and the other on its dynamic behaviour. I fulfilled the first part of the contract, but on the second, due to lack of time and the company's imperatives, I was unable to provide an answer. For me, there is frustration in this type of situation.

Fortunately, there are success stories, several projects that have been completed. You may have heard of EFLyCO, a project that SEAIR carried out for the military. It was about experimenting hydrofoils on the fast boats of the navy commandos, the ETRACOs. This equipment has several operational interests for the military: sailing faster, reducing fuel consumption, stabilizing the boat, limiting the wake, reducing noise, etc. I was in charge of the fluid part of the foil design. I worked on modelling the behaviour of the foils in the flow in a design
loop with the naval architect and the structural engineer. To be able to carry out
these interactions and see the foil being manufactured and then sailing on the
boat is a real achievement for me.

**Is your current job related to the doctoral studies you completed?**

The link between my thesis and my work is direct, because of my particular
case, a doctorate prepared in a company.

**In your opinion, do doctoral studies create ample career opportunities,
inside and outside academia?**

Yes, absolutely, in France, there are wide opportunities available to us, outside the academic field. In industry, industrial research, but also in consultancy firms, doctors are recruited. They may not all be involved in fundamental research, but rather in R&D (research and development) and they help companies with technical part of funding processes. And let's not forget the law firms for all that has to do with patterns or intellectual property !

**Were you aware of this when you were finishing your doctorate?**

Yes!

**And, did you have any opportunities in the academic world, or did you know
from the start that this would not be your choice?**

Yes, in addition to my opportunity with SEAIR, I had a postdoc opportunity in
the research center that I declined.

**What sort of skills have you developed during your doctoral studies
and which one of them would you rate as the most and least useful?**

In terms of fundamental skills, during my thesis, I worked on mechanics. It's
a multidisciplinary theme: I worked on aspects of fluids and material structures.
I developed a lot of skills in these areas, so I refined my expertise. Within the
laboratory, at the Naval School Research Institute, the collaboration with the
other doctoral students and researchers has been extremely enriching, both on
the fundamental side and on the teamwork aspect.

What are the most important ones in your current work?

My sense of pedagogy, which I acquired by participating in teaching.

I prepared my thesis in partnership with four different companies, so I had to
show a sense of organisation, the ability to manage interactions, to manage the
project and to ensure coherent follow-up.

I would add writing skills, through the publication of scientific articles. And of course English skills!

**And what about social and relational skills?**

Life in a research team undoubtedly develops our social and relational skills.

We have to be in contact with other researchers, work as a team, present
our work internally and at conferences. Exchanges allow us to create links,
collaborations, networking, it's important!

**How would you evaluate the skills you acquired during your doctoral
training and their relation to your current professional requirements?**

With my job, my current position, I know that the skills I acquired during my
thesis are essential. They allow me to carry out the projects, I work on in terms
of research. My training allows me to go far beyond the work of an engineer, of
someone who does not have a doctorate. And on the relational level, my skills
allow me to communicate with the architect, with the structural engineer, ...
with all the people involved in the construction of a boat.

**Which acquired skills do you appreciate the most?**
The technical and scientific aspects and the teamwork side. I think all our skills are important. I really enjoy the communication side, which I have developed at international conferences and networking.

**Did your employment after doctoral studies go without problems or was it rather a challenge?**

For me it was easy, I would say, because it was really continuity. I was already in place and the difference is just that now I'm full time in the business.

**What would you like to share with the current doctoral students and future doctorate graduates?**

To the doctoral students, I would say that you have to anticipate the end of the doctorate. From the beginning of the thesis, you have to try to prepare a real professional project in order to be able to orientate the acquired skills and above all to know how to communicate on your skills, how to sell yourself. You have to bear in mind that the doctorate is a major research project. During their work, they are 'project leaders', they work with different actors, they are responsible for their work. At the end of the thesis, they are therefore able to carry out other projects within a company or an organisation.

**What message would you like to pass on to people who employ or would employ doctors?**

I would tell them that a doctor is not a researcher disconnected from reality. He is a project manager who is an expert in his field and who is able to integrate into the industrial world and bring a lot to a company.

Thank you Vanilla!

<figure><img src="image_27.png" /></figure>
University of Cádiz
<figure><img src="image_28.png" /></figure>
<figure><img src="image_29.png" /><figcaption>Ana Borrero</figcaption></figure>

When you work doing what you love
you will never work again

Ana Borrero, PhD, a Spanish national currently living in Norway (Trondheim). She was awarded a doctoral degree in Marine Science and Technology at the University of Cadiz in 2016. Her doctoral dissertation, entitled Kinetics of mobility and toxicity in marine sediments due to possible CO2 leakage: Effects and responses of bacterial communities, was completed under the supervision of Inmaculada Riba and Tomas Angel del Valls.

What is your current place of employment,
your position and professional duties?

Since January 2021 I am the Environmental Research Coordinator of Seaweed Solutions AS (SES) based in Trondheim (Norway) as a permanent staff, although I started in April 2019 as a seaweed cultivation assistant with a temporary contract. My duties were to maintenance of the cultures, conditioning kelp in the lab, run some experiments depending on the needs and assisting in the farm during the monitoring and oceanographic data collection.

In SES we cultivate Saccharina latissima (sugar kelp) and Alaria esculenta (wing kelp) in two different locations in the Norwegian coast (Frøya). Our kelp is sold to farms to feed pigs or cows, to companies such as Bettafish in Germany which produce vegan food like Tu-Nah pizza, among others. We also provide/sell seeds to other different sea farms along the Norwegian coast. My responsibilities as environmental research coordinator include many different tasks such as management and follow-up environmental research projects; monitoring the growth and quality of the seaweed from the farm; collection, management and analysis of oceanographic data; and planning and execution of hatchery R&D tasks to improve the cultivation protocols.

Have you worked at another institution
or company before, or as self-employed?

Between my PhD and this job, there is a gap of time of 3 years where I did a Postdoc at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and I worked with a temporary contract in 2 different private companies called Cryo-genetics AS and Planktonic AS. Both are in Trondheim.

Why did you decide to work at your current employment?
Is this the best place for you?

To be honest, I always thought that my path was going to be in the academia. That is exactly why I continued my scientific career doing a postdoc. I never thought on doing something different. My brain, energy, passion, and my heart were just focused on that goal. However, when I finished my postdoc, I had to work to survive and pay the bills, but of course in the meantime I was continuing applying for funding/projects/positions, publishing papers, having meetings to expand my network to be an outstanding candidate and stay in the academia. That period was the most stressful period in my life. Not even the PhD! Basically, I had two jobs and I was not getting paid for one of them. I worked during the day at SES and as soon as I arrived at home I worked in my "not paid job" until night. However, I was still thinking that it was worthy because I was working on what I wanted to be. So, for some months I kept me in that situation until
I started to work in SES with a temporary contract. A new way of seeing the life was opened in front of me. I discovered that there is plenty of manners to do science being part of the R&D and participate in research projects with less stress and normal working hours. So, when the CEO offered me a permanent position, I just accepted. I found the perfect job for me and my family because now I have quality time with them.

**What brings you the most satisfaction in your current job?**

I can combine my two passions: family and science. This job allows me to feed my needs as a professional and as a mother.

**Would you be willing to share with us your professional victories and failures?**

I always consider myself very positive and I am the typical person who see the glass as half full. So, I like thinking that my professional failures (like not getting a job after two rounds of interviews, not getting funding after several months of work, among others) helped me to reach my major victory which is having a job which fulfils all my desires to do science and have a fantastic family life. So, in one way or another my failures are also victories.

**In which areas (if any) does your current job correlate with your PhD studies?**

This question is super important. When you are doing your PhD or you are done, you feel like any of your skills/knowledge cannot be applied outside of what you have been doing until now. You can feel like academia or research is the only place you can work. But that is NOT true. Private sector offers you the same opportunities in terms of science but more applicable.

In my case, being a chemical oceanographer with expertise in environmental chemistry, marine microbiology, and ecotoxicology, help me a lot in my current job working with seaweed, in terms of design and run experiments, understand the water column to improve our production, work with oceanographic instruments to get reliable data, etc. If you just stop for a second and make the exercise of evaluating how your skills they could be applied, you will realize that you have more potential than you thought.
> Having a PhD does not mean that you will not have any challenges in your future jobs/career, but you will know how to face them, how to solve them, or at least where to look for options.

**In your opinion, does completing doctoral studies provide more job opportunities?**

This is a tricky question. From my experience, my answer is yes and no. I know, I know. It is ambiguous but let me explain it to you because it depends on what type of job you are applying for. Some job offers are focused for MSc level for example, so if you have a PhD, you will be considered as overqualified by the recruiters. Thus, your application can be declined soon. However, not all the recruiters have the same vision. So, you never know basically.

Besides, I feel that today there are more people with PhD studies so having a doctoral degree does not guarantee you more job opportunities. Maybe it was like that in the past. What makes you attractive is to differentiate from others.

**What sort of skills did you develop in your PhD studies and which one of them would you rate as the most and the least useful?**

Anything you do/learn/read during your PhD will be useful. I am 100% sure about that. But if I have to say the most useful one, I will say: problem solving!

**Did your employment after obtaining the PhD go smoothly or did it present you with any challenges?**

Having a PhD does not mean that you will not have any challenges in your future jobs/career, but you will know how to face them, how to solve them, or at least where to look for options.

**What message would you give to PhD students who dream of finding a satisfying job?**

Never give up, explore other sectors, and always apply; even if you think that your profile is not suitable. You never know who you are competing with, and you never know if the recruiters see something interesting which makes you stand out.

**What message would you give to PhD advisors?**

Encourage your students to collaborate with both research and private institutions.
<figure><img src="image_30.png" /><figcaption>Jesus C. Compaire</figcaption></figure>

New findings on marine sciences are revealed every
day, don't become rusty and keep learning

Jesus C. Compaire, PhD, a Spanish national currently living in Argentina. He was awarded a doctoral degree in Marine Sciences at the University of Cadiz in 2014. His doctoral dissertation, entitled Life cycles, trophic relationships, spatio-temporal distribution and habitat preferences of the resident fish fauna in a rocky intertidal zone of the Gulf of Cadiz: Assessing the state and indicators for conservation, was completed under the supervision of Milagrosa C. Soriguer.

What is your current place of employment,
your position and professional duties?

Currently, I am working a Postdoctoral researcher at Research Center for the Sea and the Atmosphere (CIMA/CONICET-UBA) and French Argentinean Institute for the Study of Climate and its Impacts (UMI-IFAECI/CNRS-CONICET-UBA) in Argentina.

Have you worked at another institution
or company before, or as self-employed?

Previously, I was a postdoctoral researcher in the Biological Oceanography Department at CICESE in Mexico. My research there assessed the connectivity and dispersal levels of the coastalneritic ichthyoplankton community in the western Gulf of Mexico, in order to infer its vulnerability to oil spills.

Why did you decide to work at your current employment?

Is this the best place for you?

I decided to work at CIMA/CONICET-UBA - UMI-IFAECI/CNRS-CONICET-UBA because this institution has an outstanding international prestige in the field of marine sciences and climate change.

What brings you the most satisfaction in your current job?

This postdoctoral position to work with fisheries and oceanographic data jointly is a great opportunity to improve our knowledge on physical- biological coupling processes that affect marine resources. That information is key to achieving sustainable management of the resources.

Would you be willing to share with us your professional victories and failures?

Every time that I learn or unveil something in my field of knowledge it is an enjoyable moment, which fills me with emotion because I am collaborating to improve our comprehension of the marine environment. Yet, at the same time, I start to think that marine sciences are a complex field of knowledge where a lot of variables are connected... So, I would say that victories and failures are feelings which go together unfailingly in the research journey day by day.

In which areas (if any) does your current job correlate with your PhD studies?

My PhD studies were based on the study of intertidal fish biology and ecology and how the environment could affect them. And as I mentioned above, in my
current job I am evaluating how fisheries landings could be influenced by the
shifts in ocean conditions. So, the answer is... in all areas!

**In your opinion, does completing doctoral studies provide more job opportunities?**

Yes, there is a lot of job opportunities for a PhD. However, at the same time, job offers at this level are very specific. I mean, you will have the possibility to apply for a wide variety of vacancies but you have to ensure that your expertise fully fits the job offer to avoid wasting time.

**What sort of skills did you develop in your PhD studies and which one of them would you rate as the most and the least useful?**

I learned about marine ecology, physical oceanography, statistics and programming tools. Marine sciences are a multidisciplinary study field, so I can't rank them. Nevertheless, based on my expertise and collaborations with colleagues of other areas, I would say that statistics and programming are transversal for any scientific study.

> Every time that I learn or unveil something in my field of knowledge it is an enjoyable moment, which fills me with emotion because I am collaborating to improve our comprehension of the marine environment.

**Did your employment after obtaining the PhD go smoothly or did it present you with any challenges?**

There are several challenges after ending a PhD, and getting a job is one of the most outstanding. When you end your studies you have to decide what you want to do and that is not easy. When I ended, I looked for a job abroad in other groups to be able to learn new things. That is a great experience to increase your knowledge, but it is also true that sometimes is hard to deal with it (usually you will go far away and keeping in touch with your family and friends become a tough task).

**What message would you give to PhD students who dream of finding a satisfying job?**

Work hard every day. Working on science to live is a hard challenge. Every single day that goes researchers are more competitive, and you must not (you can't) fall asleep and stay behind them. Nevertheless, you must also be able to disconnect from work and enjoy your leisure time.

**What message would you give to PhD advisors?**

I am plenty grateful to my advisors. I am a lucky person, dealing with a researcher in training is not easy, and all of them were patient and friendly to me. I learned from them about science, but also about human relationships. only have two messages: i) Thank you!, and ii) I would like us to see one another more frequently.
<figure><img src="image_31.png" /><figcaption>Beatriz Díaz Garduño</figcaption></figure>

## There are two options: do what you should do or what you want to do

Beatriz Díaz Garduño, PhD, a Spanish national currently living in SPAIN. She was awarded a doctoral degree in Conservation and Management of the Sea at the University of Cadiz in 2018. Her doctoral dissertation, entitled *Environmental risk assessment of effluents from wastewater treatment plants in marine ecosystems*, was completed under the supervision of Catedrática María Laura Martín Díaz y Prof. Titular Carmen Garrido Pérez.

**What is your current place of employment, your position and professional duties?**

Currently, I have been working as a freelancer on my own project for two years. I am a copywriter and content creator, I am dedicated to communication and digital marketing for the environment sector, and animal life. I have clients from the private and public sector, from freelancers, SMEs or larger companies to universities and research teams.

**Have you worked at another institution or company before, or as self-employed?**

Before dedicating myself to copywriting, I worked for the private sector in companies related to the Environment and others that did not. As for the public sector, I have had contracts at the University as a technician and at the CSIC.

**Why did you decide to work at your current employment? Is this the best place for you?**

When I finished my doctorate my passion was to disseminate the results obtained and make them interesting for all types of audiences. Transforming that content into formats that could be attractive to anyone motivated me a lot. This is how I decided to train in the world of marketing and communication and start the new adventure of being the communication link between the person who discovers and generates solutions and the population that needs it. It really is a job that I am passionate about, but working conditions as a freelancer in Spain are very complicated, so if I had the opportunity to work with a company that shared my values and let me continue to grow and develop as a professional, I probably wouldn't mind working for others.

**What brings you the most satisfaction in your current job?**

What really satisfies me the most is being able to grow and pivot my profession to where I feel I should and with my own values, learn with each project I collaborate for and constantly meet incredible people.

**Would you be willing to share with us your professional victories and failures?**

I believe that there are no professional failures in my career, everything is learning and every step I took was necessary to be where I am right now. If you mean more difficult moments, without a doubt leaving the path of investigation was one of the most complicated. On the one hand, my family and friends expected me to follow a path that as I progressed, it was ceasing to make me happy. Without a doubt facing myself and accepting that was not
what I wanted to be, it was a turning point. And on the other hand, leaving the path that you are supposed to follow, to choose a "risky" professional life such as being a freelance self-employed person, is not always welcomed, supported or understood by your environment.

I am passionate about science and research, but I do not agree with the evaluation parameters, the way of measuring success and the sacrifices that the sector requires to continue on the crest of the wave. This was clearly what made me change course.

I loved my time as a researcher, but I like my current role as communicator and transformer of these messages to the rest of the world even more. In a way, I feel that I continue to be linked to the sector but from another perspective that is equally important and necessary.

Although it is a role that perhaps in Spain is not well known, in a few years all research groups, universities and national and international projects will need to incorporate specialists in digital communication and marketing.

The need to disseminate their work in a professional manner and to be able to free themselves from this burden for which they do not have material time, have no training and are not within their competencies as teachers or researchers is increasingly evident.

On the other hand, the gulf between academia and ordinary people (who pay and subsidize part of the project money with their taxes) must be made so narrow that it disappears. Citizens have to know that science is at their service and they have the right and duty to know that knowledge is generated and tested and what it is for in each case.

**In which areas (if any) does your current job correlate with your PhD studies?**

My doctorate was very applied to the conservation of ecosystems, the use of natural spaces and the legislation on environmental pollution.

Specifically, it could be said that I do not apply anything directly in my day to day, but indirectly, I work with the scientific method on a daily basis and use all the tools and experience that those years gave me to deal with my clients, whether they are entrepreneurs or researchers, helping me to put myself in their place, understanding their technical language and helping them achieve their goals through communication.

**In your opinion, does completing doctoral studies provide more job opportunities?**

In my opinion, doing a PhD makes you show yourself that you are capable of doing what you set out to do.

It is not so much that you learn about the subject in which you specialize, but also, if not more about work discipline, methodology, organization, the ability to work as a team, to coordinate with different departments, colleagues, work in environments multicultural, learning languages, traveling, developing as a person, etc.

Therefore, I would say that the doctorate gives you tools and qualities that are very suitable for new job opportunities, but that they are not measurable or demonstrable in the current job search system in Spain.

**What sort of skills did you develop in your PhD studies and which one of them would you rate as the most and the least useful?**

As I listed in the section I think the qualities are many but it is difficult to demonstrate if you are going to leave the academic field. And although it is difficult to say from most to least useful without knowing what you aspire to, they could be in this order due to learning difficulty.

1. Ability to overcome and resolve conflicts

2. Coordination with other professionals and colleagues
3. Achievement of objectives

4. Application and monitoring of methodologies and protocols

5. Work in multicultural environments and languages

6. Management and analysis of data sets and statistics

7. Ease of adapting to other countries and moving from residence

**Did your employment after obtaining the PhD go smoothly or did it present you with any challenges?**

My case was special because I already started working at the CSIC before finishing my thesis on a subject that was not exactly my PhD.

Really, each stage always has something challenging, but if I had to say something, reconciling family life with a research career was really a full-blown "challenge".

**What message would you give to PhD students who dream of finding a satisfying job?**

Well, I would tell them to squeeze each stage and live it without thinking about the future but visualizing, from time to time, where they would like to go to know if they are on the right path.

At the same time, I would say that there are no pre-established paths. You can make the decision you prefer, change as many times as you need and get what you were looking for in several ways. The important thing is not how you will do it but what you want to do. The how has many forms, what moves you inside is only one. Do not regret „what you did not do", do whatever you want.

And finally, that dreams always come true when you do what you are passionate about and what comes from your heart. Dream, because reality always surpasses fiction.

> I loved my time as a researcher, but I like my current role as communicator and transformer of these messages to the rest of the world even more. The important thing is not how you do it but why you do. In a way, I feel that I continue to be linked to science but from another perspective that is equally important and necessary.

**What message would you give to PhD advisors?**

I would tell supervisors that each person is different and has their circumstances. When they did the thesis, there were different working conditions than those of each of their doctoral students according to their class; therefore, it is good to be informed of the new labor paradigm and to be consistent.

And finally, that their role is to accompany and support the students in this stage, but to remind them that they are not their property, that they continue to have life outside of the thesis and that after the thesis ends and life goes on. And to sum up, as the saying goes: the one who knows more is not the best teacher, but the one who teaches the best. This is my general opinion regarding the PhD tutoring process and is also based in the experience of other colleagues.

I think it is important to me to act as everyone's voice. I was very lucky with my supervisors, Laura and Carmen, both personally and professionally, and couldn't imagine having had a better path during my PhD. Thank you so much for everything!
<figure><img src="image_32.png" /><figcaption>M. Ángeles Gamaza Márquez</figcaption></figure>

Be the change you want to see in the world

M. Ángeles Gamaza Márquez, PhD, a Spanish national currently living in United Kingdom. She was awarded a doctoral degree in Marine Resources at the University of Cadiz in 2019. Her doctoral dissertation, entitled Managing multi-species trawl fisheries in southern Europe for biological and economic sustainability. The gulf of Cádiz case study, was completed under the supervision of Ignacio Sobrino y Karim Erzini.

What is your current place of employment,
your position and professional duties?

I work at the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) based in Lowestoft (UK). I have been working here for over two years as fisheries regulatory advisor and fisheries scientist. I have a permanent contract working for the British Government as a civil servant.

Have you worked at another institution
or company before, or as self-employed?

Yes, I worked at the Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO) in Cádiz (Spain), as a senior research technician. The IEO is a public research institution focusing on marine research, that also provides technical advice and support to the government, and that has various centres around the country.

Why did you decide to work at your current employment?
Is this the best place for you?

It was a good opportunity to work at a higher category (and pay band) than the one I had whilst working at the IEO. Besides, CEFAS is a well-recognised marine scientific organisation where I saw a window to learn new methods, broad my knowledge and take new challenges.

What brings you the most satisfaction in your current job?

Using scientific evidence in the real world by advising on National Infrastructure developments offshore. Also, networking across national and international organisations. Besides, the possibility of being promoted based on knowledge and experience is very rewarding.

Would you be willing to share with us your professional victories and failures?

Yes. As victories, I would highlight finishing my PhD whilst actively working, as well as receiving positive feedback on my performance from my colleagues and supervisors and being promoted in a short time. As failures, not being able to develop the methods and results of my PhD within the area of study.

In which areas (if any) does your current job correlate with your PhD studies?
Fisheries research and management

In your opinion, does completing doctoral
studies provide more job opportunities?

Yes and no. I could have applied (and get) the same job role without a PhD. However, I recognise that having a PhD helped to support my application. It definitely depends on the role; most of my colleagues at CEFAS do not hold a PhD.
**What sort of skills did you develop in your PhD studies and which one of them would you rate as the most and the least useful?**

Apart from a strong fundamental knowledge, as without it I would not have passed the interview stage and would not be able to understand and deliver my daily tasks, I also developed important soft skills, as well as interpersonal and social ones. Among them, stress control, project management, innovation and creativity, critical thinking, flexibility, and adaptability. While stress control has been the most useful one, I would not rate any of them as the least useful.

> In fact, there are many people working in the same company, doing the same job I do, that do not have a PhD or intent to follow this path. Therefore, my advice is making sure the PhD students are genuinely willing/needing for a PhD and do not encourage those who are unsure to follow this path.

**Did your employment after obtaining the PhD go smoothly or did it present you with any challenges?**

It went smoothly, as I applied for my current job and was selected for it before my PhD Viva. The only difficulty was to have to move countries.

**What message would you give to PhD students who dream of finding a satisfying job?**

Don't give up, try different routes and paths to achieve your goals. Be creative, positive and attend as many seminars and congresses as possible. Do networking. Give yourself a break, travel. Apply for jobs elsewhere.

**What message would you give to PhD advisors?**

PhD studies take much time, energy and self-esteem from PhD students, to the point to make them sick, feel of little value or brainless. In some instances, it is not worth the suffering for what you get. In my case, although my knowledge and experience (partially acquired during my PhD studies) got me to where I am at the moment, I could have got the same job without being a doctor. In fact, there are many people working in the same company, doing the same job I do, that do not have a PhD or intent to follow this path. Therefore, my advice is making sure the PhD students are genuinely willing/needing for a PhD and do not encourage those who are unsure to follow this path.
<figure><img src="image_33.png" /><figcaption>Cristiano Venícius de Matos Araújo</figcaption></figure>

I always dreamt of working as scientist in a research institute in some area of environmental sciences

Cristiano Venícius de Matos Araújo, PhD, a Brazilian national currently living in Spain. He was awarded a doctoral degree in Ecotoxicology at the University of Cadiz in 2010. His doctoral dissertation, entitled *Desarrollo de ensayos de medida de toxicidad basados en la respuesta de microalgas bentónicas (microfitobentos) (Development of tests to measure toxicity based on the response of benthonic microalgae (microphytobenthos))*, was completed under the supervision of Ignacio Moreno Garrido and Julián Blasco Moreno, from the Instituto de Ciencias Marinas de Andalucía (ICMAN-CSIC).

In 2002, I had my first contact with ecotoxicology, a science that fascinated me. From this point, I set a goal that was to study how contaminants affect the species and ecosystems. As I always felt a special interest by animal behaviour, since 2011, when I started my postdoctoral period, I have worked in behavioural ecotoxicology, which is my main research line.

What is your current place of employment,
your position and professional duties?

I am currently working as a Researcher at the Instituto de Ciencias Marinas de Andalucía (ICMAN-CSIC), where I got a permanent position in December 2021 within the Ecology and Coastal Management group. ICMAN-CSIC is a public research centre, located in the province of Cadiz (Spain). My main duties include project management, laboratory work, and the publication of research papers, but I also supervise students (undergraduate, master, and doctoral students) and participate in science dissemination activities.

Have you worked at another institution
or company before, or as self-employed?

When I finished my PhD, I was granted a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Coimbra (Portugal), where I worked for five years. In 2016, I gained a two-year postdoctoral contract from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation as a Juan de la Cierva Incorporación researcher at the ICMAN-CSIC research centre. Then, in 2019 I was granted a very competitive postdoctoral position from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation as a Ramón y Cajal researcher, also at the ICMAN-CSIC.

Why did you decide to work at your current employment?
Is this the best place for you?

The work environment is very good. I already enjoyed it while doing my PhD and that's why I decided to return and try to find a permanent position there, after a few years of postdoctoral training elsewhere. Furthermore, I have access to good infrastructure, and I can fully develop my research duties with all the support from the staff (laboratory technicians, administrative staff, etc). Finally, the quality of life in Cadiz is great, which is an added value.

What brings you the most satisfaction in your current job?

Having the opportunity to produce knowledge and to learn on a continuous basis is very satisfactory. Moreover, it is very rewarding to be able to train students and technicians and to provide them the possibility to work.
**Would you be willing to share with us your professional victories and failures?**

I would say that my main professional victory is to have reached enough independence to be able to manage my own line of research. As for failures, I would stress the difficulty to communicate in English.

**In which areas (if any) does your current job correlate with your PhD studies?**

My field of research focuses on environmental studies, specifically in ecotoxicology; that is the same area I developed my PhD studies.

**In your opinion, does completing doctoral studies provide more job opportunities?**

No, only if one wants to be independent researcher at research centres or universities.

**What sort of skills did you develop in your PhD studies and which one of them would you rate as the most and the least useful?**

I believe that all the skills I developed during my PhD are useful, although I would emphasize critical thinking. Some other skills include communication capacity, creativity, initiative, and flexibility.

**Did your employment after obtaining the PhD go smoothly or did it present you with any challenges?**

It was very hard and challenging, due to the excessive pressure to maintain a high productivity.

**What message would you give to PhD students who dream of finding a satisfying job?**

Do not go with the flow, choose the job that you feel fulfilled with.

**What message would you give to PhD advisors?**

PhD students should be considered more than simply technicians. Our role is to help their training as researchers.

I believe that all the skills I developed during my PhD are useful, although I would emphasize critical thinking. Some other skills include communication capacity, creativity, initiative, and flexibility.
<figure><img src="image_34.png" /><figcaption>Maria Puig</figcaption></figure>

## The importance of knowledge transfer beyond academia

Maria Puig, PhD, a Spanish nationality, currently living in Basque Country. She was awarded a doctoral degree in Marine Sciences and Technologies at the University of Cadiz in 2017. Her doctoral dissertation, entitled "Natural factors affecting shoreline behaviour. Case study of Bay of Cadiz", was completed under the supervision of Laura Del Río and Javier Benavente.

### What is your current place of employment, your position and professional duties?

My current place of employment is TECNALIA Research and Innovation. TECNALIA is the largest centre of applied research and technological development in Spain, a benchmark in Europe and a member of the Basque Research and Technology Alliance.

I have been working in this research institution for the last year on a 2-year fixed term contract. I am a senior researcher and my professional duties are:

* Development of national and international bids for private and public entities (e.g. municipalities, regional governments, European Commission).

* Technical development of projects related to climate change adaptation, such as climate risk assessments, analysis of pluvial floods and definition of adaptation.

### Have you worked at another institution or company before, or as self-employed?

Yes, I worked at an engineering company (Idom, architecture, engineering and consulting). I had a permanent contract and I had similar responsibilities, but they were not focused on research.

### Why did you decide to work at your current employment? Is this the best place for you?

I decided to work in my current company because it allows me to continue doing research and participating in European research projects. For this reason, I consider my current company a good place to further develop my career.

### What brings you the most satisfaction in your current job?

The greatest satisfaction is to be able to work with a multidisciplinary team.

### Would you be willing to share with us your professional victories and failures?

Yes, I wouldn't mind. As victories, I consider having led international projects and conducted workshops with stakeholders from different cultures. As failures, I would highlight the fact that I have not been able to fully develop certain studies due to lack of time.

### In which areas (if any) does your current job correlate with your PhD studies?

Climate change adaptation is a cross-cutting area that allows you to work on many aspects. Although my current projects in Tecnalia are linked to the study of river and pluvial flooding, I have also been able to develop other studies, such as the adaptation action plan for the Basque Country's coastline. The latter study is closely related to my undergraduate and master's studies but not to my PhD.
**In your opinion, does completing doctoral studies provide more job opportunities?**

The two jobs I have had after my doctorate have been thanks to being a doctor in the coastal field. However, I have been able to experience in job interviews how the private sector does not consider having a PhD beneficial as they are looking for profiles with experience in the world of work and not in the world of education.

**What sort of skills did you develop in your PhD studies and which one of them would you rate as the most and the least useful?**

Among the main skills I acquired was to be decisive and executive. I consider both of them fundamental.

**Did your employment after obtaining the PhD go smoothly or did it present you with any challenges?**

Managing stress was one of the first challenges I had to face. In addition to that, working in other areas in which I was not an expert was also a challenge.

**What message would you give to PhD students who dream of finding a satisfying job?**

I would suggest that they should not only focus on their field of study.

**What message would you give to PhD advisors?**

I would recommend that they give continuous support to doctoral students. To this end, I would recommend setting up regular meetings to guide and orient the student. Provide the necessary tools for the development of the thesis and encourage research into new aspects.

> Climate change adaptation is a cross-cutting area that allows you to work on many aspects. Although my current projects in Tecnalia are linked to the study of river and pluvial flooding, I have also been able to develop other studies, such as the adaptation action plan for the Basque Country's coastline.
<figure><img src="image_35.png" /><figcaption>Eduardo Ramírez Romero</figcaption></figure>

## At the edge between blue and green

Eduardo Ramírez Romero, PhD, a Spanish national currently living in Spain. He was awarded a doctoral degree in Marine Sciences at the University of Cadiz in 2013. His doctoral dissertation, entitled Plankton patterns in the Strait of Gibraltar derived from tidal and meteorological forcing, was completed under the supervision of Dr. Carlos M García, Dr. Miguel Bruno and Dr. Diego M Macías.

### What is your current place of employment, your position and professional duties?

I am currently employed as a postdoctoral fellow at the Instituto de Ciencias Marinas de Andalucía (ICMAN-CSIC), which is a public research centre. I started working there about one month ago with a temporary contract linked to a research project.

My tasks involve data processing and analysis (e.g. biogeochemical models, environmental variables and climate change projections, fisheries stocks), as well as developing ecological models.

### Have you worked at another institution or company before, or as self-employed?

Since I finished my PhD in 2013, I have gained several research positions at various institutions, including: (1) the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research (Kiel, Germany); (2) the Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados (IMEDEA), a public research centre belonging to both CSIC and the University of the Balearic Islands, that is located in Mallorca (Spain); (3) AZTI, a technological research centre (Basque Country, Spain); and (4) the Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO), a public research institution belonging to the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, focused on marine research; more specifically, I worked at the IEO centre in Cadiz (Spain). All those positions were short-term contracts linked to specific projects.

### Why did you decide to work at your current employment? Is this the best place for you?

On one side, I found the project very interesting, and, on the other side, I thought it could potentially improve my career development chances. Furthermore, the research centre is placed in Andalucia, close to my hometown.

### What brings you the most satisfaction in your current job?

Being able to explore new scientific hypothesis is very satisfactory. Besides, as a researcher I can manage my own time which provides a good degree of freedom.

### Would you be willing to share with us your professional victories and failures?

The main positive aspect of being a marine scientist is to have acquired a broad and multidisciplinary vision of the oceanography, both from a theoretical and methodological point of view. However, due to the job instability inherent to this profession and the fact that all the postdoctoral contracts are short-term, I have not been able to fully develop all the ideas and projects I have been involved with.
**In which areas (if any) does your current job correlate with your PhD studies?**

My current position is strongly related with my PhD studies. I'm in charge of conducting oceanographic data analysis, physical-biological coupling, biogeochemical modelling, etc., which were the same mains tasks I did during my PhD.

**In your opinion, does completing doctoral studies provide more job opportunities?**

Yes, but only within academia (universities or public research institutions).

**What sort of skills did you develop in your PhD studies and which one of them would you rate as the most and the least useful?**

The main skills I developed include planification, time organization, perseverance, problems resolution, teamwork, writing skills, science communication, critical and analytical thinking, or computer programming.

The most useful ones were critical and analytical thinking, and computer programming.

The least useful one was to avoid problems among researchers or research groups.

> *My current position is strongly related with my PhD studies. I'm in charge of conducting oceanographic data analysis, physical-biological coupling, biogeochemical modelling, etc., which were the same mains tasks I did during my PhD.*

**Did your employment after obtaining the PhD go smoothly or did it present you with any challenges?**

Considering that I still don't have a permanent position and that all my contracts have been temporary, I would say that my employment has been very challenging. There's a generalized lack of opportunities, mostly related with the lack of financing, that has forced me to continuously move from one place to another. This continuous emigration has not allowed me to settle down anywhere. Besides, it is very tiring to be continuously looking for a new job.

**What message would you give to PhD students who dream of finding a satisfying job?**

Focus on specific targets. Learn to evaluate where to make the biggest effort, so you can choose correctly. Do not forget to take enough time to rest and that your mental health is important.

**What message would you give to PhD advisors?**

Do not forget that the PhD students are persons and, as such, they might have personal issues, they need to take care of their mental health, and they need to have time to rest. Do not get your PhD student involved in your disagreements with other colleagues.
<figure><img src="image_36.png" /><figcaption>María Jesús Bellanco Esteban</figcaption></figure>

## Work with passion

María Jesús Bellanco Esteban, PhD, a Spanish national currently living in Spain. She was awarded a doctoral degree in Earth Sciences at the University of Cadiz in 2019. Her doctoral dissertation, entitled EL FLUJO MEDITERRÁNEO EN EL GOLFO DE CÁDIZ: TRANSFORMACIÓN, EVOLUCIÓN Y ACOPLAMIENTO CON AGUAS SUPERFICIALES (The Mediterranean flux in the Gulf of Cadiz: transformation, evolution, and coupling with surface waters), was completed under the supervision of Ricardo F., Sánchez Leal, PhD

**What is your current place of employment,
your position and professional duties?**

For the past five years, I have been working at a company related with the offshore wind power sector. This company provides wind resource measuring campaigns using buoys. The buoys, powered by means of renewable energy sources and batteries, provide wind, wave, current, and meteorological data. I am responsible for data project management and buoy-fleet monitoring.

**Have you worked at another institution
or company before, or as self-employed?**

My academic and professional life has been built around the ocean. I am a graduate of the Cadiz University in Marine Sciences. During the college years, I collaborated with the Marine Geology department. After my BSc degree, I obtained a Master of Science in Oceanography at the same university. When I finished the master's degree, I worked at the Applied Physics Department of the Faculty of Marine Sciences for some time until I obtained a PhD fellowship in the Spanish Institute of Oceanography, at the Cadiz Oceanography Centre. I was offered my current position at the company before finishing my PhD, and I have been working there for the last 5 years. I spent the first 3 years at the headquarters in Barcelona and since 2020, I was allowed to work from Cadiz for personal reasons.

**Why did you decide to work at your current employment?
Is this the best place for you?**

I was fascinated by the company since the very beginning: it was a young company, dedicated to the renewable energy sector, and that operated at sea, where they sampled a massive amount of meteorological and oceanographic data. Besides, when I started working there, we were only four employees; the work environment was so friendly that we even used to joke about our roles by saying that one person was dedicated to the money, another one to the iron, another one to the electrons and myself to the data... We are currently more than 30 employees. I must say that it has been an amazing experience to see the company grow bigger.

**What brings you the most satisfaction in your current job?**

I get the greatest satisfaction when we are about to finish one project: it is amazing to see how, after we work on a database spanning one or two years, we obtain results that help increase the number of homes that can get energy from renewable sources.
**Would you be willing to share with us your professional victories and failures?**

All the professional victories are a result of the teamwork. However, I believe that our biggest victory was to successfully finish the first project. At that time, we only had one buoy, there were only four of us, and yet we managed to demonstrate that we were as competitive as others. Regarding failures, of course there were some, but the most important thing is to learn from them so you can avoid them in the future.

**In which areas (if any) does your current job correlate with your PhD studies?**

In my current position, I have to analyze a large amount of field data and to write reports. That is quite similar to the tasks I had to do during my PhD. Moreover, the oceanography knowledge I developed during my PhD has greatly helped me to identify problems or to find an appropriate explanation to certain patterns in the datasets, among others.

**In your opinion, does completing doctoral studies provide more job opportunities?**

I believe it depends on the job position, the company, and the person themselves. Many companies do not value a PhD and might even reject candidates because they hold a PhD, simply because they fear that those candidates will have big salary and career growth expectations. However, other companies are increasingly giving more importance to hiring doctorate holders for certain positions, since they consider that it gives more credibility to have doctors covering those positions.

**What sort of skills did you develop in your PhD studies and which one of them would you rate as the most and the least useful?**

The most useful for me are the ability to control stress and to be able to face challenges by elaborating a plan to achieve them. Perhaps, the least useful skill is creativity, but understood as inventing new ways of doing something that is established and proven to work well in the world of industry. One needs to be creative in many aspects, but without trying to reinvent the wheel.

**Did your employment after obtaining the PhD go smoothly or did it present you with any challenges?**

I defended my PhD thesis when I was already working at the company where I currently work, so in my case there was no challenge in that regard. The challenge was to combine work and thesis during a long time, which I remember especially hard.

**What message would you give to PhD students who dream of finding a satisfying job?**

They have to fight to achieve their goals; they have to aim high and think that the effort is worth it, but not at the expense of everything that matters to them and makes them happy.

**What message would you give to PhD advisors?**

I would advise them to remember those mistakes that their PhD supervisors made with them, so that they do not make the same mistakes with their students.

> In my current position, I have to analyze a large amount of field data and to write reports. That is quite similar to the tasks I had to do during my PhD. Moreover, the oceanography knowledge I developed during my PhD has greatly helped me to identify problems or to find an appropriate explanation to certain patterns in the datasets, among others.
<figure><img src="image_37.png" /><figcaption>Emma Reyes</figcaption></figure>

## People who feel that Marine Science is just dolphins and whales, might also think that the ocean is just water

Emma Reyes PhD in Marine Sciences (University of Cádiz), is the Head of the HF radar Facility at SOCIB. She is a physical oceanographer with over 15 years of experience in operational ocean observing and forecasting systems. Her research interests include coastal ocean dynamics at key circulation chokepoints, air-sea interaction, remote sensing oceanography, oil spill transport and dispersion. She has been involved in several projects (CMEMS -SE INCREASE, Jerico NEXT) focused on HF radar data standardization, harmonization of HF radar maintenance best-practices, advanced products development, and its integration in downstream services (as PI of the project IBISAR). She is currently part of the HF radar task team of several European projects (e.g. CMEMS-In Situ TAC phase II, EuroSea, Jerico-S3). In addition, she is a member of the EuroGOOS HFR Task Team, being also a cochair of MONGOOS -HFR since 2019.

In the framework of the SOCIB's end-user engagement strategy, it must be highlighted the participation of Emma as a member of the Steering Committee to support the implementation of the agreement between SOCIB and the Spanish Maritime Safety and Rescue Agency, since 2017, and SOCIB and the Spanish Port System, since 2019.

In addition, aligned with the SOCIB's strategy for stimulating the training of new generations of oceanographers and technicians, Emma is also a member of the Steering Committee between SOCIB and the University of Cádiz, since 2021.

Emma Reyes, PhD, a Spanish national currently living in Spain. She was awarded a doctoral degree in Marine Sciences at the University of Cádiz in 2015. Her doctoral dissertation, entitled "A high-resolution modelling study of the ocean response to wind forcing within the Strait of Gibraltar", was completed under the supervision of Dr. Alfredo Izquierdo and Dr. Miguel Bruno.

## What is your current place of employment, your position and professional duties?

I have been employed as Head of the High-Frequency Radar Facility at SOCIB (Balearic Islands Coastal Observing and Forecasting System) since 2016 under a fixed-term contract. SOCIB is a Unique Scientific and Technical Infrastructure (ICTS) that operates a coastal ocean observing and forecasting system, belonging to the public research sector.

Over the last six years, I have been specifically involved in: the calibration, configuration and operation of High Frequency Radars (HFR); the implementation of data standardization and data quality control tests as well as quality assessment procedures; the study of spatio-temporal variability in different dynamic environments; the development of added-value products and downstream data services to enhance maritime emergency response; the writing of research grant proposals; the coordination of public-private partnership projects; the collaboration with other researchers in the context of the HFR network at the European and regional level and in the scope of international funded projects; and the representation of SOCIB HFR facility at local, national and international scene.

## Have you worked at another institution or company before, or as self-employed?

I have previously worked in different research positions at the University of Cádiz under several fixed-term contracts.
**Why did you decide to work at your current employment?**
**Is this the best place for you?**

SOCIB is an internationally recognized and well-established institution in operational oceanography and marine research. During the last years at the University, I have considered SOCIB as a benchmark institution for contributing to scientific excellence, technology transfer and knowledge dissemination. I have always been interested in narrowing the gap between science and society, since I have always firmly believed that scientific evidence is critical to solving major societal challenges, but also that it alone is not enough. My greatest motivation over the years has come from transferring my research's outcomes to operational tailored products and science-based societal applications providing user-oriented services to different stakeholders, being this fully aligned with the SOCIB's mission.

My best place will always be where my career and core values align and where I feel happy, satisfied and fulfilled, while enjoying my day-to-day work.

**What brings you the most satisfaction in your current job?**

I carry out several and very diverse tasks related to operational, research, training, networking, management and outreach activities that challenge me in my current role so thus, I rarely feel bored at work. That means I have the chance: i) to learn new things, in a very multi- disciplinary and collaborative framework and taking advantage of training opportunities; ii) to gain new skills, as part of the HFR team of big international projects, that can support my future goals and my career prospect; iii) to exchange thoughts with my colleagues and to have friendly relationships with other researchers of my and other scientific fields; iv) to engage with end-users by means of collaborative projects and agreements; and v) more recently, to contribute to training the next generation of marine scientists and technicians, in favour of my personal satisfaction and benefiting the establishment of a win-win relationship with the students.

**Would you be willing to share with us your professional victories and failures?**

One of the accomplishments I am most proud of is the coordination of the IBISAR public- private partnership project (www.ibisar.es) as Principal Investigator, the first time in my career. The second one is the achievement of the record high in terms of HFR data availability last year, after having completely rebuilt the HFR radial site from Ibiza in a record time of 4 months (after an unfortunate incident in 2017). The most recent milestone has been the publication of a collaborative work, together with 42 co-authors from 22 institutions belonging to 7 different Mediterranean countries, which has been achieved during the difficult times of the COVID-19 pandemic. The signature of the agreement of collaboration between SOCIB and the University of Cádiz in June 2021, in which I have been actively involved together with several colleagues from both institutions, has been very important to my personal motivation and my job satisfaction.

Examples of failures are linked to the rejection of different proposals, after putting a lot of efforts in their submissions and pooling many scientists from several intersectoral and international institutions: one of them was the proposal under the acronym "CRUSOE", a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions - European Training Networks (ETN); "ROSOME" was another proposal in which I have actively participated. This COST Action was submitted for several consecutive years without success. Recently, I have made great efforts to participate in a call for equipment from the State Subprogram for Research Infrastructures and Scientific- Technical Equipment that was finally rejected. But by falling all over again, I am starting to learn to pick myself back up without forgetting that "today's defeats will be tomorrow's victories". Undoubtedly, my personal fight has always been trying to improve my work-life balance, avoiding to put my job
before family, friends, relationship and personal growth.

**In which areas (if any) does your current job correlate with your PhD studies?**

I think that my previous work experiences are very well related to my current job profile.

My research is focused on coastal ocean dynamics at key circulation chokepoints, combining met ocean multi-platform in-situ and remote-sensing data as well as atmosphere-ocean models. During my PhD I was more focused in the implementation and validation of met-ocean models and in analysing their outcomes, while in my current position, I am more concentrated on the multi-disciplinary data, particularly derived from HFRs, while I continue the collaboration with modellers.

Models and HFR data are both gridded data so thus, the geophysical data analysis and their applications are very similar. However, their challenges and limitations are different, especially in the coastal areas.

In addition, both the Strait of Gibraltar and the Ibiza Channel, are well-known circulation chokepoints.

> My greatest motivation over the years has come from transferring my research's outcomes to operational tailored products and science-based societal applications providing user-oriented services to different stakeholders (...).

**In your opinion, does completing doctoral studies provide more job opportunities?**

Yes, it does, at least in my case and in my environment. I think that a doctoral degree is worth it, particularly in terms of personal satisfaction by achieving your personal goals, by meeting your career objectives and, of course, by gaining extensive knowledge and expertise that will contribute to broaden our understanding of the world. Furthermore, I firmly believe that my first job opportunities were heavily influenced by the transferable soft skills (i.e. self-motivating, project management and teamwork, analytical and critical thinking and reasoning, problem-solving, creativity, writing and communication skills, empathy), combined with the technical skills and knowledge, that I gained during my PhD thanks also to my supervisors. In addition, on the one hand, being goal oriented helps me to stay focused for long periods of time to be able to complete research projects and to understand what it takes to achieve big goals. On the other hand, the building of a close network of colleagues and peers over the course of my PhD (e.g. participating in conferences, summer schools, research stays, oceanographic cruises, etc.) has allowed me to build further connections in my current position and to collaborate with recognized experts and researchers in the subject.
Nevertheless, pursuing a PhD does not always mean being paid more, reaching more senior positions, accessing more high-level and leadership jobs, being regarded as prestigious or becoming an asset.

**What sort of skills did you develop in your PhD studies and which one of them would you rate as the most and the least useful?**

I think that it was a combination of knowledge, motivation, aptitude and technical capabilities with soft skills, as above mentioned. The most useful skill that I developed in my PhD was the proficiency with different programming languages and scripting languages, working with a Linux environment. The least useful were highly specialized courses out of the scope of my PhD that provided me a limited skill set that I have never used.

**Did your employment after obtaining the PhD go smoothly or did it present you with any challenges?**

I think my employment after obtaining the PhD went very smoothly. I obtained my doctorate degree in February 2015 and I joined SOCIB in February 2016. During the year, I was working as a Post-Doc in the Applied Physics Department of the University of Cadiz.

**What message would you give to PhD students who dream of finding a satisfying job?**

Besides technical skills developed and the knowledge gained related to your research, I think that it is worth seizing every opportunity during your PhD for developing and further improving your soft skills, by participating in PhD contests, workshops, summer schools, conferences, internships in other institutions, scholarships across various countries, etc. It is also helpful to embrace every challenge to take on something completely new (e.g. offer yourself to be the one in your group who gives the project presentation, start using Linux environment, participate in teaching and training activities, join a research team at some department in the University, embark on an oceanographic cruise, start learning Python or R with online courses, help your supervisors to manage projects and to write proposals, etc.). Keep always in mind that most of the science's greatest achievements are the result of cooperation, so thus, you should never forget the positive impact of collaboration and teamwork and act consequently (e.g. build your own network of contacts, participate in task teams, discuss periodically your experiments and your findings with your colleagues and evaluate their feedback, join newsletters from projects or institutions of your interest aligned with your research, etc.). It is also important to talk to your peers, friends, family and supervisors to avoid isolation and to keep you motivated and inspired.

**What message would you give to PhD advisors?**

I will always be grateful and deeply indebted to my supervisors for their commitment and dedication during my PhD program and research work, for their invaluable guidance and research advice and for their understanding and support. They offered me many opportunities that allowed the development and the further improvement of my soft-skills, providing me a wide range of competences to conduct a transdisciplinary research. Furthermore, they inspired me to be brave for embracing the challenges ("If they think I can do it, I can probably do it or at least I must try it") and to live real world experiences while I was student. Thank you for not telling me the answer, instead showing me how to ask the right questions.
<figure><img src="image_38.png" /><figcaption>Pablo Quero García</figcaption></figure>

Science to support local sustainable development

Pablo Quero García, PhD, a Spanish national currently living in Spain. He was awarded a doctoral degree in Management and Conservation of the Sea at the University of Cadiz in 2021. His doctoral dissertation, entitled *Marine renewable energy and marine spatial planning: analysis of the European context and recommendations for the case of Spain*, was completed under the supervision of Juan Adolfo Chica Ruiz and Javier García Sanabria.

What is your current place of employment,
your position and professional duties?

Currently, I work as a project manager in the Provincial Energy Agency of Cádiz -permanent staff-. It is a non-profit foundation with funding by the Provincial Government of Cádiz. The Agency was created in 2006 within the framework of the Intelligent Energy for Europe (Directorate-General for Energy and Transport - European Commission) from a growing concern surrounding the deficiencies existing in the current outlook on energy and fostered by the plan of establishing energy management agencies on both local and regional level.

The Agency (APEC) works in close contact with local public entities and key stakeholders, developing and disseminating sustainable energy management throughout the province on behalf of the Provincial Government (45 municipalities, 1.2 million inhabitants): it develops legal and technical assessment among municipalities and other stakeholders, offering assistance about sustainable technologies, good practices or the best financial solution to perform renewable or efficient energy projects. APEC has also experience in international and national projects management (including H2020, Interreg, etc.) and in behaviour change through actions such as education, training and increasing awareness among specific target groups (especially public representatives and civil servants) on topics dealing with the energy efficiency and renewable energy, climate change and so forth. It is, therefore, ideally placed to act as the link between public administrations, private sector, knowledge centers and citizens to promote innovation, knowledge transfer and skills and attitudes improvement on climate change, sustainable development and environmental protection.

Have you worked at another institution or company before,
or as self-employed?

No.

Why did you decide to work at your current employment?
Is this the best place for you?

Don't know if it is the best place but in my opinion it's an excellent position to work as it offers me the opportunity to develop different skills and use knowledge learnt during my degree (and PhD now) and delve into interesting topics such as renewable energy and climate change. As regulation and knowledge/ technology related with these topics is still evolving, daily work is a constant challenge that pushes you be up-to-date with the latest available knowledge in order to offer the best answer. It also let me share experiences with other European colleagues and gives me the chance to build up a wide professional network.
**What brings you the most satisfaction in your current job?**

Climate change and energy transition are two of the most important challenges that European society must face in the beginning of the 21st century. I really feel my work is useful and valuable for developing European and national policies sustainable energy and climate action goals in my region. European projects also let me to exchange experiences and to learn from best practices already implemented in other EU regions.

**Would you be willing to share with us your professional victories and failures?**

During the last ten years that I have worked in my current position at the Agency I had the opportunity to participate in many projects. If I had to highlight any, I would say promoting and implementing European initiatives in the region (such as Covenant of Mayors, or different EU funded projects) or supporting municipalities to improve their public procurement procedures by including sustainability criteria. Regarding failures, I have to admit that after all this time it is still difficult to face some tasks, like for example to develop proposals about innovative topics or to engage some target groups in participatory processes.

**In which areas (if any) does your current job correlate with your PhD studies?**

Renewable energies are both main topics in my thesis and my job.

**In your opinion, does completing doctoral studies provide more job opportunities?**

In general, I'm convinced that improving your qualification is always positive in order to access to labour market. In this particular case, and focusing on energy-climate project management sector, topics are relatively new, so many projects may include research and innovation tasks that require experts with PhD studies in order to ensure proper project implementation and successful results. So, despite the fact that it is not a mandatory requirement, completing doctoral studies could have a positive effect on employability in this sector.

**What sort of skills did you develop in your PhD studies and which one of them would you rate as the most and the least useful?**

The capacity to study and analyze topics from a scientific scope, and also the ability to present data/information in an interesting way for the target audience have been principal skills developed during my PhD. These soft skills and interpersonal skills are especially important for my current job as I have to deal daily with other project managers and local representatives, managing data from different sources (including raw data, scientific or policy reports, etc.) that needs to be presented in an intelligible way. Projects also require the participation of
In general, I'm convinced that improving your qualification is always positive in order to access to labour market. In this particular case, and focus-ing on energy-climate project management sector, topics are relatively new so many projects may include research and innovation tasks that require experts with PhD studies in order to ensure proper project implementation and successful results.

some colleagues in different tasks, so team working and communication are essential to this job. I believe there are no irrelevant skills. Perhaps I would say that scientific text writing is not so important as most part of the time the real need is to "translate" scientific texts to political representatives or citizens.

**Did your employment after obtaining the PhD go smoothly or did it present you with any challenges?**

As previously stated, some of the skills acquired/trained during the PhD are really useful for developing my current job, so in some way we could say that PhD has improved my performance and the quality of my work.

**What message would you give to PhD students who dream of finding a satisfying job?**

I would like to encourage them to continue with their PhD studies. In some moments they could feel that the effort isn't worth it, but, even if the PhD doesn't give them a direct employment opportunity, the experience and the knowledge acquired during the PhD is valuable at personal and professional level.

**What message would you give to PhD advisors?**

For PhD advisors I would like them to remember that their mentoring is essential for PhD students to achieve their goals. A good PhD advisor could save time/efforts and bring PhD results to another level of excellence.
<figure><img src="image_39.png" /></figure>
University of Gdańsk
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