Tim O'Hara
Invertebrate Taxonomist [organisation: Victoria Museum]
What is your job title?
Senior Curator of Marine Invertebrates at Museum of Victoria.
This is museum-speak for a research scientist. Many people do not realise that
museums have a research arm, dedicated to documenting biodiversity and understanding
our natural heritage.
What do you study and why is it important?
Marine biogeography, ecology and evolution, particularly of echinoderms
(seastars, sea urchins etc). Currently I am attempting to map
the distribution of deep sea animals, work out where they live
and why. Very little is known about the deep-sea although it
covers 2/3 of our planet.
What will you be doing on the voyage?
Sorting, identifying, photographing and preserving biological material
as it is brought aboard ship. It is a big advantage to see your
animals live.
Describe a “typical” day
at sea?
Wake at 2.45 am, quickly pull on clothes and start work by 3am
to relieve the evening shift. The ship works 24hrs a day,
so there are bound to be more samples to sort during the early
morning. You have to be careful going outside on the deck in
the dark, particularly in wet rough weather. Breakfast at 6am.
Process more samples before and after lunch (12pm). Get excited
by rare deep-sea creatures. Finish work at 3pm. Check email,
visit the bridge to find out where you are and look at the surroundings,
visit the data processing area to see the wonderful swath maps
of the seafloor. Snack at dinner (6pm). Collapse in bed by 7pm.
Repeat for 14 days (ie these are not cocktail cruises!).
Where were you educated?
School: Aquinas College, Ringwood, Victoria, Australia
BSC/BA: University of Melbourne
Computing diploma: La Trobe University
Masters in computing: RMIT Universitty
PhD (zoology): University of Melbourne
How did you become interested in the ocean?
At school my biology teacher encouraged my interest in marine biology
and I used to volunteer at the museum. For a while I drifted
out of science and explored a career in computing, however, the
call of the sea brought me back to science.
Do you get seasick? And if so, any tips on how not to?
Sometimes if the weather is rough, particularly if the boat shifts
direction continuously. I find I go off coffee for a few days
at the beginning of a journey until my body settles into a rhythm.
Ginger helps some people overcome seasickness. Lying down only
works if you go before you are feeling ill.
What do you enjoy about your work?
The variety: from observing and examining animals, analysing data
and communicating the results, supervising staff or students.
No two days are the same. You get to visit some cool places.
What are some of the challenges you face?
There is always such a lot to do. There are not many taxonomists
(people who identify and classify things) around so you are always
rushing from one project to the next.
Animals can be difficult to identify as well. There are often slight
differences between animals over the vast areas of the ocean and
you are often left wondering if there is more than one species
involved. Genetic data helps nowadays but that is time consuming
and expensive to obtain.
What have you learned/discovered? What do you hope to
learn?
At present my mission is to understand how animals are distributed
over large areas of the seafloor. Why are some animals restricted
to small areas when there appears to be no barriers to dispersal?
What processes facilitate speciation in the deep-sea? How to animals
get to newly created seamounts?
How do you spend your spare time?
Sailing, surfing, walking, socialising with friends, interacting
with my kids, watching films (rarely TV), reading.
