Hayley Alena

When do you hope to complete your qualification?
September 2024

What made you decide to pursue this qualification?
I was an animal lover as a child, and in high school I realised I really loved science, particularly biology. I hadn’t spent a lot of time in nature growing up, but I started to do so during my undergrad and I got really into hiking. I also went on a few field trips during my third year at university and learned a lot about birds and plants, and my hikes started to get really slow as I would point out all the bird and plant species that I knew to whoever was with me. Spending this time connecting with nature enhanced my passion for terrestrial ecology, and I knew I wanted to discover more about New Zealand’s ecosystems. I knew I’d need to do a PhD to work in research, and I love both plant and animal ecology, so studying species interactions made the most sense.

What made you choose the University of Auckland?
I grew up in Mount Maunganui and always wanted to live somewhere bigger with more going on, so I chose the University of Auckland for my undergraduate and never left. I’ve made close friends here and couldn’t imagine going anywhere else for my PhD, and it’s great that I’m close to my hometown as well. Luckily, I knew I wanted to do a PhD with my current supervisors as soon as I finished my Master’s degree, so there was no reason to go elsewhere.

What is your research topic?
My research focuses on how New Zealand lizards (geckos and skinks) contribute to seed dispersal, predominantly on Aotea Great Barrier Island, but I’m also studying other ecosystems in New Zealand by using existing data.

What do you like most about the programme and why?
I love that my PhD is so diverse – I have spent a lot of time on Aotea doing fieldwork (which was mostly collecting lizard scats!), and I’ve also done molecular biology, computational modelling, animal behaviour studies and, of course, data analysis and writing.

My favourite part of my programme was working in the lab at Manaaki Whenua where I identified lizard species from DNA in their scats along with everything they’d been eating. I had no experience in molecular biology so I was really worried about this, but I loved it. The staff at Manaaki Whenua were really excellent at teaching me what I needed to know and being there every step of the way until I was confident enough to work by myself – a huge shoutout to Dr Julia Allwood for all of her help and enthusiasm. I’m really keen to keep doing molecular research. I never would have discovered this passion if I’d done a PhD outside of the Joint Graduate School as I would not have had the opportunity to work at Manaaki Whenua.

Where do you hope this qualification will lead you?
I’d like to do a postdoc overseas, probably in the USA, Canada or Australia. I’ve never lived outside of New Zealand and I think a postdoc would be a great opportunity to do so.

If you have a scholarship, what is the name of it and how it has helped you?
I received the University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarship which paid my fees and provided me with a stipend to cover most of my living costs. I’ve also received scholarships from the Auckland Botanical Society, the Society for Research on Amphibians and Reptiles in New Zealand, and a large scholarship from the Rotary Club of Newmarket. My research has been very expensive with frequent trips to Aotea and all of my molecular work, and these scholarships have helped to pay for this work. I am so grateful for these societies for believing in my research and helping me achieve my goals.

Is there anything else that you'd like to mention about your time at University? 

I’ve been involved in teaching throughout my PhD and Master’s which tops up my stipend and is something I really enjoy. I get to teach students about biology, ecology and environmental science in labs and tutorials, and take them on field trips to places like Tiritiri Matangi Island and Great Barrier Island. Outside of university, I enjoy going to circus classes where I do mostly aerial hoop along with some silks and hammock. It’s amazing how I can be so stressed about my research yet as soon as I step into a class I completely forget what I was worried about. I also love reading fantasy, mystery and horror novels which is a great escape from PhD life.