Guess Who? – Dorota Szalaj and Riccardo Hénin

Dorota Szalaj is a marine scientist and Riccardo Hénin an atmospheric physicist. They both started the Earthsystems PhD Program in 2016. They choose the words “interdisciplinarity” and “challenging” to describe the Program they enrolled in. They are  the “Guess Who” interviewees of this month.IDL - Dorota and Riccardo, you have different scientific backgrounds, but you both entered the Earthsystems PhD Program in 2016. Can you describe the Program in one word and explain the word choice?Dorota Szalaj (DS) - Interdisciplinarity. Why? Because this program is unique as it gathers so many young researchers from very different fields.Riccardo Hénin (RH) - I choose the word “challenge”, because I think it is challenging to bring together, at such a high level of specialization as in a PhD, people with different backgrounds and interests. IDL - What do you like the most about being part of the Earthsystems PhD Program and what do you like the least?DS - I think that again, what I like the most, is the interdisciplinarity of the Program. It’s very attractive because working alongside people that specialize in different fields broaden perspectives, promotes thinking outside the box and is excellent for networking. What I like the least are the problems which are probably common to the majority of PhD programs of this kind: funding difficulties, bureaucracy etc.RH - On one hand, I like the working environment, serious but welcoming. On the other hand, I think that sometimes the multidisciplinarity of the Program impairs the daily synergies I could be having with people working in my research field. IDL - Dorota, you moved from Poland to Portugal and you, Riccardo from Italy to Portugal to start your PhD.  Can you name one thing you miss about your home country and one thing you like about living in Portugal?DS - With regards to my home country, I miss the mountains the most! I love hiking and being in the Nature. My favourite thing in Portugal is the people. In general, they have a very open, outgoing and relaxed nature.RH - I think Portugal and Italy are similar in a lot of aspects. They both have the vibe of a Southern European country. I like that people here are simple and authentic (whereas Italians sometimes pretend to be what they are not...). Of course, I still miss a lot of my home country, above all the mountains! IDL - Is there one thing you can point out that you understood about the Portuguese culture, that you didn’t get when you first came here?RH - I learned with time that Portuguese people are very proud and tied to their traditions, almost to the point of seeming stubborn. I say this in a positive way: I like to see that people keep going their own way, especially when the world around foolishly runs somewhere else.DS - It surprised me that in social situations e.g. dinners, people were never on time. I found it a bit annoying in the beginning, but now I am used to it and I noticed that I also started to adhere to this Portuguese habit. I have to say I like it now.  IDL - Dorota, you are working in MARE and Riccardo you work in IDL. Do you see each other often and do you have the chance to talk about your work to each other?DS - Yes, we see each other every day as we share an office. Therefore, it’s natural that we talk about work. But not only, we are good friends as well, and talk a lot about different things.RH - Yes, definitely. We share the same office and we are used to have lunch and spend break time together. I have to say that work is a recurrent topic during these moments… In addition, the fact that we are both foreigners automatically created a connection and made it easier to hang out also after working hours. IDL - You both research topics with a big societal impact. Riccardo, what have you learned from your research in weather extremes? And you, Dorota what can you tell us about the management of coastal fisheries in Portugal?RH - I learned that research on weather extremes is not pursued only “for the sake of science”. It is strongly motivated by the increasingly disrupting impacts that extreme weather events have on society. Any step forward in the knowledge of the mechanisms and the trends of extreme events can lead to effective improvements in the forecast capability and in the awareness of the risks associated with these events.DS - Fisheries management is a difficult task not only in Portugal, but throughout the whole world. It’s difficult to manage a resource that can’t be seen. Portugal is now struggling with the management of the sardine fishery, as in recent years scientists observed a very significant decline in sardine biomass. With my work, I hope I will be able to contribute to solve the mystery of the sardine decline. IDL - Do you have any advice to give to students who are just starting their PhD?DS – I think that it’s very important to remember that a PhD resembles an emotional roller coaster. It is full of excitement and achievements, but it also brings some disappointments. It’s essential to be patient and be aware that along the way you will have loads of great and productive days but also some less desired times. It’s good from time to time to allow yourself some distance and space from work.  You should be careful not to burn out too quickly.  Becoming a doctor is a long journey!RH - You don’t have to demonstrate every day that you deserve to be a PhD student.  A PhD is a long-term investment: take the chance to increase your knowledge, get the expertise on specific topics and why not, feed your passions. However, at a certain point results (good or bad…) will have to come. Be prepared for that and if you get lost or, even worse, stuck, just be pragmatic: there is no end to perfectionism. IDL - If you weren’t a scientist, you would be…DS - Oh, I can’ imagine doing anything else. I wanted to be a marine scientist since I was 16 years old.RH - (As a joke) I like to think that my back-up plan is something related with agriculture. Ironically, weather would still be a part of my daily life…