Jane Carrick

Tell us about your work/research. What kinds of things do you do?

I study the interactions between deep-sea reef-builders (e.g. corals and sponges) and their dynamic physical environment. Reefs are massively important habitats which seem to persist even in parts of the deep-sea that might be considered stressful or "extreme", whether it be in areas of low oxygen, minimal food supply, or highly variable temperature regimes; and yet, they persist! My goal is to tease out the ways in which reefs adapt to these regimes and to understand the oceanographic features that drive them. In order to do this, I need a lot of environmental data--temperature, oxygen, salinity, current speed, turbidity, and organic content just to name a few. Using environmental sensors attached to ROVs and oceanographic landers, I can look for patterns within and across these data profiles and pair the findings with the biology of a site to better understand what drives the lives of these reef-builders in the deep-sea. The more we understand these drivers, the better we can predict reef responses to a changing ocean climate and protect them in the future.

What sparked your initial interest in your career?

I have always known that I wanted to work in marine science, which turned into an obsession once I began SCUBA diving as a teen. My interest in the deep-sea, however, was piqued in high school when I read a book by Cindy Van Dover called "The Octopus's Garden" which detailed her experience as one of the earliest female pilots of the Alvin submersible and the wild and weird creatures that she found on hydrothermal vents. The mystery and adventure of deep-sea science was beyond intriguing to me and I dreamed of exploring parts of the world that had never been seen by human eyes. This dream also evolved into a sense of duty to protect marine habitats, as I watched in real-time how human activity could threaten the health of the oceans. I became interested in reefs specifically because of how they support all types of other marine life and the ecosystem services they provide to humans. To that end, I earned a masters in marine conservation restoring corals off the coast of Miami and then turned my attention to deep-sea reefs for my doctorate in 2020.

Who influenced you or encouraged you the most?

I have my parents to thank for always encouraging me to pursue my interests in marine science. As my father used to tell me, "Make a career out of what you love, and you'll never work a day in your life." I have benefitted from the incredible mentorship of my past and present graduate advisors, Dr.s Diego Lirman and Andrew Davies.

What element of your work/study do you think is the most fascinating?

I think it's incredible the degree of human innovation that has led to our ability to explore deep-sea habitats, which are dark, frigid, and under immense pressure. For example, think about how much time and brainpower have gone into an acoustic current profile sensor, an instrument that detects current speeds by bouncing an acoustic signal off of tiny moving particles in the water column. Humans first had to understand the physics of sound waves and to discover the Doppler effect and how it relates to three-dimensional motion; then engineers had to design a precision instrument which can emit, receive and measure specific wavelengths and amplitudes; those waves had to be accurately translated to meaningful velocity numbers; humans had to have invented the computational technology to record, store, and process these numbers; and all of this had to be engineered to work reliably under hundreds of atmospheres of pressure for months on end. In perspective, this instrument is the result of hundreds of years of human progress which could only be possible in today's era of technology, and we've harnessed it to explore the most remote habitats on earth. Mind boggling!

How did you get involved with the Ocean Exploration Trust?

I became connected with the Ocean Exploration Trust when I was invited to join a Nautilus cruise by one of the Lead Scientists, Dr. Rob Pockalny, who I know as the Associate Dean of Student Affairs at my university (URI).

What other jobs led you to your current career?

I started my marine science career in the SCUBA diving industry, working as a PADI divemaster and open water SCUBA instructor while in college. Diving opened so many doors to me as a networking opportunity alone--turns out lots of scientists are also avid divers! By the time I entered my masters program at the University of Miami, I was extremely comfortable in the water and quickly became authorized as a research diver and small boat operator. Thanks to this skill set, I began diving for and ultimately joined Dr. Diego Lirman's coral restoration research lab at UM. I earned my degree studying how coral restoration techniques could be used to protect coastlines by breaking incoming wave energy, and even got to run coral wave simulations in UM's hurricane wave tank, one of the largest in the world! I continued to work for Dr. Lirman as a researcher and project manager to apply some of our team's findings into real-world solutions which merge coral restoration and breakwater infrastructure, a project which was recently deployed off the coast of Miami Beach. During this period, I learned so many things about shallow water coral ecology and conservation, but also something surprising about myself-- that I actually enjoyed studying learning about ocean physics, a subject I'd historically tried to avoid. I would now say that I have a "biologist's expertise" in ocean hydrodynamics, along with a background in reef ecology and conservation which I am applying to my research on deep-sea corals and reef species.

What are your degrees and certifications?

Masters of Professional Science - University of Miami 2018; AAUS scientific diver

What are your hobbies?

I have a second job bartending, which keeps me busy once a week. When I'm not working, I love to dive for fun in Narragansett Bay and I also love running (ie. plodding), birdwatching, puzzling, and sketching.

What advice would you give someone who wants to have a career like yours?

The paradox of needing experience to be hired for entry level science jobs is tough! However, you can still make yourself a strong candidate by learning practical skills as early as you can. This might include labwork skills like microscopy or PCR from lab courses, fieldwork skills like diving, sampling, or quadratting, and data skills like coding and GIS. You don't need to be an expert in everything all at once, but a few basic skills can go a long way! Allow yourself to pull on small threads that spark your interest--you never know what new things you might learn that could lead to a full blown career or angle of research!