Salome Buglass

I'm 2nd year PhD student at the University of British Columbia, keen to kick off my (pandemic stalled) field study. Following the completion of my MSc in 2016, for which I lead a study on climate change impacts on Trinidad and Tobago's (my motherland) coral reefs, I got hired as a marine researcher at the Charles Darwin Research Station, in the Galapagos (Ecuador). During this time, I assisted several marine research programs (e.g. lobster fisheries management and reef monitoring) but was mostly dedicated to the Seamounts Research Project, which is dedicated to heading studies that seek to characterize deep-water habitats in the Galapagos. Here I gained experience collecting and analyzing deep-sea samples and video datasets and received training in identifying, curating and cataloguing new deep-sea species. Having led and assisted on 12 research expeditions, I have acquired an in-depth understanding of the archipelago’s marine environment and the logistical acumen for coordinating local field-based investigations. In 2018 I was awarded a National Geographic grant to lead a pilot project on the use of small ROVs to explore shallow seamounts. This provided me with first-hand experience piloting ROVs and ultimately the discovery of the kelp forests, which compelled me to pursue a PhD to determine the ecological significance of this finding. My post-PhD career goals are to become a senior researcher or professor leading research programs in Latin America or the Caribbean. As an Afro-Caribbean Latina woman, I also aim to serve as a role model to the youth of today, who rarely see young Black female scientists heading exploratory research on the oceans’ last frontier

April 2021