CAGE’s new researcher Anna Silyakova wants to investigate the Arctic with an interdisciplinary eye.
At CAGE Anna (pictured above) will work across several research groups, mainly investigating methane escape and how this can modify the carbon chemistry in the water column and contribute to on-going ocean acidification.
In her PhD project she worked with chemical oceanography, while her master’s thesis was on physical oceanography. She thinks this broad background will benefit her in her future research.
“The Arctic research is getting more interdisciplinary, and I think a broader overview gives you a better understanding of the whole system,” she explains.
Experience from Norwegian Centre of Excellence
The Russian researcher came to Norway in 2008, and has spent four years at another Norwegian Centre of Excellence – the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research in Bergen – where she did her PhD work.
“I hope to make use of my experience from the Bjerknes Centre here at CAGE,” she says.
She moved to Tromsø a year ago with her husband, and finished the writing of her PhD thesis here. When she heard about CAGE she didn’t hesitate to express her interest in a research position.
“High-quality research and good publications make the Norwegian Centres of Excellence well-known nationally and worldwide,” she says.
– Important to popularise
Anna is passionate about communicating new science, and thinks research is worth little if no-one knows about it. According to her, in addition to publishing papers and presenting work at conferences, there are plenty of ways for researchers to get their message across – using social media, collaborating with schools, or appearing in the media, just to name a few.
“Every researcher has a responsibility to make his or her research known, by presenting it in the best possible way to all kinds of people,” she says, and adds:
“That way you’re also a good representative for your institution”.