Kelly Greig

"Most people that pursue a biological science degree will quickly notice that entomology isn’t a popular subject within the curriculum, so a large part of my undergraduate degree was spent volunteering with an ecologist who focuses largely on Coleoptera (beetles), and I grew to love it. Getting to where I am now was just a case of following my interests, which led me to pursuing my PhD at the University of Auckland.

"Since starting my undergrad I’ve had several different jobs. I worked in bushland management as a park ranger for about 3 years, and after I completed my honours I worked as a research assistant at Chown Laboratory at Monash University for 2 years. After that I was offered the PhD position at Landcare Research, however I couldn’t start right away due to Covid-19. While I was waiting for the borders to open, I worked as a research assistant on a large bushfire project for Nick Porch at Deakin University in Australia.

"It's safe to say I love my job, and more specifically, field season. There have been several memorable occasions throughout my degree; I’ve stood atop Mount Arthur in the South Island and found myself in awe of the view, I’ve looked across the reflective waters of Riviera Bleu in New Caledonia, and I think to myself each time “I cannot believe I get paid to do this”. I get the chance to see some of the most beautiful places in the world, while studying a topic I find endlessly fascinating. Throughout my degree, I’ve had the chance to work with people I deeply respect and I’ve met enthusiastic scientists from all over the world."

"My honours degree focused on the taxonomy of extinct and extant Pycnomerus, a genus in the family Zopheridae, which is the same beetle family my doctorate is focused on. During my honours, I noticed several specimens had a crust built up on their cuticles, and I always wondered what it was for, and my current project focuses on answering that exact question! When I saw the position advertised, I knew I had to apply. It was one of those rare moments when I felt like the position was tailor-made for me. My project is funded through a Marsden Grant at Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research. My entire degree I owe to that grant, I wouldn’t even be in New Zealand otherwise.

"When I first arrived in New Zealand, I found Auckland University strange. Students seem to do their undergrad here, then their masters, then their PhD, then never leave. However, over time, I understood why. My personal experience has shown the School of Biological Sciences to be welcoming and encouraging to everyone, and full of infectious curiosity. All my supervisors, both at Landcare (Thomas Buckley and Rich Leschen) and at Auckland University (Greg Holwell) have been incredibly supportive every step of the way and I’ll be forever grateful for the things that lead me here, even covid."