Chris Rodrigues
What is your current role and what does a typical week look like?
I am currently Associate Professor (Reader) in Microbiology. My typical week involves a variety of activities/tasks and meetings related to research, teaching and supporting management of the school, through my role as a principal investigator, my role as MBio Director and my role as Director of People & Culture.
Nationality: Australian / Portuguese - Born in Australia to Portuguese parents.
Which part of your role do you enjoy the most, and what are the biggest challenges?
I enjoy the fact that I get to experience many different facets of being an academic, such as developing research, contributing to teaching and to school management. While it is mentally stimulating to switch between different tasks and meetings throughout the week, it can be a little challenging because you often have to communicate at different levels and with different types of detail (and on different scales) for each role.
Who would you say is your role model in your personal and/or professional life?
In my professional life I have been inspired by the people I have worked with such as my PhD (Liz Harry) and Postdoc advisor (David Rudner) and well-known scientists such as Charles Darwin (and his work on the morphology of flowers and pollinators). In my personal life, I have been inspired by friends who have followed their dreams and found their true calling in life and scientists I know that despite their amazing careers, still retained a sense of humour and fun.
Which skills help you most in being able to perform your role?
I think communication and organisation are probably the skills that help me the most in my roles, as the various roles I have require that I switch between communications styles and organise vastly different things.
How has your education or roles previous to joining Life Sciences, informed your interests, and why did you choose this career direction?
My career direction came somewhat naturally. As a boy I was very curious about biology; I enjoyed looking for small animals in creeks and water streams, I became fascinated by plants and their seeds, once I even hatched a chicken egg under a broody pigeon. There was always something going on that required I observe some aspect of biology. Naturally I fell into biology in High School and then into Applied Biology at University for undergraduate and MSc studies.
What is your favourite place on campus and why?
I enjoy the walk between the two campuses and the area that grows the bluebells in Spring. It's nice to be surrounded by the blue flowers on a sunny spring day.
Can you give an example of something that has made you feel part of the community while in Life Sciences, and what could be improved to enable this?
This type of initiative where colleagues get to "bring themselves to work" is a good example of how SLS creates a sense of community. Another good example is the Christmas social with all the games. I think it would be nice to have additional initiatives - perhaps a SLS bake-off?
What are your main interests or passions, outside of work?
Outside of work, I spend my time taking care of my orchid collection; I have a few orchids from different parts of the world, so I enjoy catering for their needs and seeing them grow and eventually bloom. I also enjoy travelling, going out for dinner, going out for cake & tea, going to garden centres, walking in nature and listening to music (I have a decent vinyl collection) and occasionally going for out for cocktails and maybe a dance if the music is right.
Interview date November 2024