Meet Mireille Consalvey
Meet Mireille Consalvey
What is your job title?
Post-doctoral Researcher and Co-ordinator of the CenSeam (global census of marine life on seamounts) programme.
What do you study and why is it important?
Previously I studied the microscopic algae that live on mudflats and salt marshes. These are important because they produce oxygen (and therefore have been compared to forests in terms of their importance) as well as binding the sediments together to stop them being washed away and also providing food for everything else that lives in these ecosystems. My particular interests were the micro-scale migrations that these organisms undertake on a daily basis to model patterns of primary production.
In moving to New Zealand I moved from the inter-tidal to the deep sea. My role in CenSeam is to coordinate the seamount community to try and develop a global research approach to maximise skills/knowledge/funding as well standardise how we work. If we are to truly understand the oceans its essential to take a worldwide approach.
What will you be doing on the Graveyard voyage?
As well as being the “Education and outreach” person (which will involve recording life on the ship and sending reports back to land) I will be assisting in the biological collection and sorting of samples collected from the seamounts.
Where were you educated?
I grew up in Scotland and stayed there for university, completing both my Bachelors and PhD at St Andrews University (most recently famous for Prince William being in attendance).
How did you become interested in the ocean?
I moved to live besides the sea when I was 8 years old, so began a lifetime of pottering and playing on the shore (not a lot has changed in 21 years).Do you get seasick? And if so, any tips on how not to?
Not to date…………we’ll see!!!!!
What do you enjoy about your work?
I enjoy the people and the new experiences; so far I have travelled to 3 continents to work in a variety of different environments from snorkelling with stromatolites in the Bahamas to being waist deep in mud in Venice to sampling under moonlight in Scotland. I enjoy having control of each day and the freedom to carry on learning new things.
What are some of the challenges you face?
The largest challenges I face are going from short-term contract to short-term contract, I guess it keeps me on my toes!! And like most people there are never enough hours in the day!!
What have you learned/discovered? What do you hope to learn?
In my last job I determined that micro algae never do what you expect, and what you get one day isn’t what you get the next but my work enabled me to fill in some gaps in that black box. In this job I hope to fill in even more gaps in what we know about seamounts, and more so, how better to sample them so we might answer some fundamental questions!!
How do you spend your spare time?
Attempting to mountain bike (very much a fearful rider!!), generally exploring and hanging out with friends.
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