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Dr. Patrick Keeling |
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March
2005
 Job
title and general description
Associate Professor and Distinguished University Scholar,
Department of Botany, UBC
Scholar, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Evolutionary
Biology Program
View Patrick's website here
My job involves about 10% teaching and 90% research. My research
focuses on protists, single celled eukaryotes. We study the
evolution of these tiny creatures at a molecular level to
further our understanding of how protists have evolved and
what this can tell us about eukaryotic evolution on a wider
scale.
What specific skills and qualities are
needed to do your job?
My job requires me to be motivated and work well independently.
I need to be able to take a problem and go solve it. Working
in scientific research requires a love of science and a good
imagination. You have to be able to see even what you weren’t
expecting.
My job requires me to be well organized and to have excellent
communications skills.
What do you like most about your work?
I enjoy the variety of things that my job involves. Everyday
is interesting. It is very exciting to make big discoveries.
It makes all of the hard work worthwhile. I also enjoy traveling
to conferences and connecting with other researchers.
What don’t you like about your job?
I would enjoy it more if I had less administrative work to
do so I could spend more of my time on science.
Where do you see your career going from
here?
I enjoy where I am right now. I prefer the academic environment
over industry so I plan to stay at the university. The field
of protistology is becoming more recognized as an important
area in the study of genomics and evolution so I look forward
to moving ahead with my studies.
What is the range in salary that comes
with your job?
A university professor makes between $ 75,000 and $110,000
depending on years of experience, area of study and other
responsibilities.
When did you know you wanted to work in
sciences?
I became interested in science with my grade 9 Science class,
which I enjoyed very much. In 2nd year university I took a
course on cell biology that sparked my interest in this field.
What is your educational background? Degrees?
Specific courses?
I did my H.B.Sc. in Genetics at the University of Western
Ontario and then a Ph.D. in Biochemistry at Dalhousie University.
I went on to a Post Doc position at the University of Melbourne,
where I studied the parasitology of Malaria, and then a Post
Doc position at Indiana University.
What was your favorite course(s) and why?
My favorite course was ‘Bronze Age Greek Archeology’
at UWO.
What other hobbies and interests do you
have?
My new baby keeps me very busy at home. When I have spare
time I enjoy hiking, camping and skiing.
Do you have any advice for young people
thinking about getting into your line of work?
If you find something you love, stick with it. Pay attention
to what goes on around you and make the best of opportunities
that come your way.
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