Aquatic Toxicology and Shark Science: An interview with Dr. Lisa Crawford
By Farrah Leone
This interview was given about a month before Crawford defended her thesis. I am happy to announce that she is now Dr. Lisa Crawford!
Hey! Tell us a bit about yourself.
Hi! My name is Lisa Crawford. I’m a senior PhD candidate in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University on Long Island, NY. I study the effects of chemical pollution on sharks in the Atlantic Ocean. I’m originally from Denver, Colorado. Growing up in a landlocked state, my love of the ocean came from the fascination of this massive ecosystem that was so far from home and a special place I only went to on vacation. My love of the ocean and all things nature has only grown since then. I am an avid scuba diver, paddleboarder, fisherman, beach comber, shark tooth hunter, and house plant mom. My super adventurous partner of eight years and even our betta fish, C.J., could tell you how fond I am of all things fish and nature!
Crawford angling a common thresher shark using heavy gear, which helps her land large sharks.
How did you get to where you are now?
I did my undergrad degree at New College of Florida in Sarasota. It’s a super small liberal arts school that emphasises independent research experience and broad liberal arts education through exploration of all academic disciplines. Through this framework I did several internships at Mote Marine Laboratory where I was first introduced to shark behaviour and ecology research. When I applied to grad school I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study, but I knew I wanted to work with sharks. I was accepted to my current lab at Stony Brook University that focuses on aquatic toxicology—a completely unknown discipline to me. My advisor encouraged me to continue working with sharks and build my toxicology dissertation from the ground up. Through the connections I made at Mote, I was able to work with the non-profit organisation OCEARCH that catches, samples, and tags white sharks. My graduate career has been built on the connections I made as an undergrad as well as the path I forged independently at Stony Brook.
Can you explain more about what your job entails?
I often explain that my job is 90% emails, meetings, grant applications, and troubleshooting. But that last 10% is spent on the water doing the best job in the world! I have the amazing privilege to work in the field to catch and sample Atlantic sharks. We spend long days on the water with local fishermen waiting for a bite, and when we get one, it’s 15 minutes of face-to-face interactions with sharks. We take a full suite of samples, measurements, and implant acoustic tags that will tell us the shark’s locations for up to 10 years. We release the shark and set up the fishing rods for the next animal. Back in the lab we process samples like blood, muscle, and skin swabs for long term storage and analysis for a breadth of projects including toxicology, microbiome characterisation, and feeding ecology. We manage to get out on the water for maybe a month total each year. I cherish every exciting moment I’ve had and the wonderful friendships I’ve made on the water.
Crawford holding a shortfin mako in tonic immobility so samples can be taken safely.
Photo Credit: Dr. Michael Frisk
How do you hope your voice and work as a marine educator will influence others?
The ocean is connected to everyone, but not everyone is included in marine science. I hope to not only influence diverse and well-rounded young students to be the next generation of marine scientists, but I also hope to encourage the powerful and influential members of our community to transform the opportunities and training programs to be more inclusive and accessible to a wide range of aspiring scientists. I’m hoping that my highly interdisciplinary work and unconventional pathway to aquatic toxicology will also encourage those who are interested in studying the oceans to pursue a path to their dream jobs, even if that path doesn’t look like everyone else’s. Most importantly, I hope that I can use my voice in my privileged position to call out injustice and fight for improvements in marine science so that the next class of marine scientists can conduct their research with fewer obstacles.
What has the most challenging part of your career been? And how did you solve this?
The most challenging part of my career has been overcoming burnout. In about my third year of grad school I became overwhelmed with the enormity of my PhD track and the magnitude of things that were outside of my control. I lost interest in my work and it was really hard to even motivate myself to come into the office, let alone be productive. The burnout also left me super fatigued and gave me horrible brain fog. I overcame the burnout by being honest with myself that I needed a break and taking a short but very relaxing vacation. I reached out to my support system and found people to talk to and commiserate with. Knowing I wasn’t alone in the burnout struggle helped me feel less alone and more motivated. I also solved this by setting lots of small manageable goals and prioritising my free time, health, and hobbies. As I’m nearing the end of my degree I can feel the burnout creeping in again, but this time I’m leaning on my support network and prioritising myself before I hit the burnout wall.
Who or what do you draw your inspiration from?
I am endlessly inspired by my father. He was a champion of my work ever since I was just learning to read and write. He was perhaps the most well-read person I’ve ever known and could argue any topic passionately. Most importantly he instilled in me my love of nature and science, taking me tromping through creeks and running experiments on the kitchen counter. He allowed me to make mistakes and provided me many opportunities to enhance my skills as a scientist and as a person. Every day before school he used to shout, “Work hard, have fun!” when I walked out the front door—a mantra I’ve adopted as my inspiration for my research. I work hard to be successful at the things that bring me joy.
What has your experience as a woman in marine science been like?
It has been challenging to say the least, but overall my experiences are improving. When I first started working in the field I was surrounded by men who didn’t include me or take the time to teach me. I spent a lot of time learning on my own and making mistakes. It was a very isolating experience to be the only woman on the boat over and over again, being left out of the comradery and professional opportunities. Fortunately, more and more women have joined our lab and started working in the field with me. The environment is much more inclusive and we prioritize training and safety.
One of the hardest things I had to learn was that the marine science community was not simply going to change to meet my needs. I had to speak out continuously to point out misogyny and have my concerns addressed. I acknowledge my privileged position to be able to freely raise my concerns and have my voice heard. Marine science still has a long way to go to support all women and create a community we can be proud of.
Whose work has influenced and inspired you?
This was a really difficult question for me to answer. When I think about the people who have inspired me, typically their tenacity, kindness, empathy, and ambition are the qualities that stand out to me rather than their work. But looking way, way back, the person whose work truly inspired me was Steve Spangler, a Bill Nye-esque science communicator and educator, who sparked my passion for science. Steve frequently visited our elementary school classes to demonstrate experiments and scientific inquiry, and I’ll never forget how fun and exciting he made even the most boring topics. I think my interests might have been a lot different growing up if Steve hadn’t inspired me to pursue science as early as 1st grade. Even today I try to model my science communication skills after Steve—one day maybe I’ll have 10% of his exuberance.
What is one thing you wish someone had told you/taught you a long time ago?
Professionally speaking, ask for forgiveness not permission and apologize less. As I moved through grad school I was often paralyzed with indecision about making the right choice with my research or stalled waiting for the approval of a senior researcher. I learned after many years to follow my expertise, training, and gut and do what I need to do and not wait so long for someone to grant me permission or tell me the right answer. I was amazed by the progress I made when I freed myself to just carry out my research on my own terms and timeline. My self-confidence improved when I reached my goals following my own training and skills. Of course, I made mistakes, lots of mistakes, but I learned from them and moved on without having to ask for permission to move forward. I also had to unlearn to apologize every time I approached a task without 100% confidence and skill. After all, the point of a PhD program is to train you to be a researcher and academic, and it’s expected that you will be a novice in some areas—and that’s nothing to be ashamed of!
Where do you go from here?
I am very excited and grateful to say that I have been selected as a finalist for the John A. Knauss Fellowship. In a few months I will be placed in an office within the executive branch of the federal government to apply my science background to marine policy through a rigorous one-year program. Throughout my graduate school career, the intersection between academic science research and policy implementation has fascinated me. I am very much looking forward to connecting my science background and ocean research experience to marine policy as I delve into a new career sector.
Crawford with a Northern Stargazer caught on a trawl survey before its measurements.
Photo Credit: Allegra Ervin
Twitter: @elusivekidney