Profile
Carlos Rivera
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About Me:
I am originally from the Spanish-speaking Caribbean and have been living in Bristol for 3 years now. I love walking on forests (especially rainforests), snorkeling in beaches, and going on walks to flip rocks over. I can fly an airplane and the longest I’ve held my breath underwater was 5 minutes and 20 seconds.
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I absolutely love nature and will go out of my way to have a wildlife encounter with a new species.
I wanted to learn about animals ever since I can remember, and my motivation was always to learn more (there are SO many interesting facts about animals!). This took me to be a biologist.
That said, I like to interact with nature in as many other ways as possible: camping, fishing, sailing, flying. I see my work as a biologist as just another way to interact with nature.
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My pronouns are:
he/him
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My Work:
Did you know that the way every animal and plant looks tells us who their relatives are? I am a specialist in finding long-lost relatives in animals. Currently, I am asking around animals to see if anyone knows who was the oldest great-great-great-great grandparent who had a nervous system. I design and build robots that can read very fast and tell me information about the families of different animals.
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The main source of information I use is the genome. Genomes are like microscopic memory sticks inside us, and they store all the information on how to build us, and on how our bodies should react to certain things (thirst, hunger, cold, heat, for example). This information can be difficult to read – a lot like finding a cave with paintings and letters that have never been seen before! My job is to invent robots that can read and think about them much faster than I can, so they can help me decipher the information genomes have stored in them.
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My Typical Day:
I wake up and make breakfast for my family (porridge, often!), then I cycle my daughter to nursery, and head over to my office, lunch at midday with colleagues, where we talk about many subjects (often – dinosaurs!). At around 5 pm, I pick my daughter up from nursery again, and we both head home in the bicycle.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I would donate it to the Bristol Natural History Consortium, so they can continue promoting BioBlitzes in the City.
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Education:
School:
years 1-12 (6-18 years old): Primary and Secondary Schools of the University of Puerto Rico (schools were student teachers learn to teach)
University:
- Undergrad: University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras campus – Bachelor in Biological Sciences (2006-2010)
- Masters: University of Geneva, Switzerland – Master in Biodiversity and Systematics (2012-2013)
- Doctorate: University of Geneva, Switzerland – PhD in Biological Sciences (2013-2017)
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Qualifications:
American grading system grade point average (GPA)- 0.00 to 4.00
15/16: 4.00
16/17: 4.00
17/18: 4.00
University
Bachelor year 1: 4.00
Bachelor year 2: 3.80
Bachelor year 3: 3.75
Bachelor year 4: 4.00
Swiss grading system: 0-6, below 4 is a fail
Master courses (5 courses): between 5 and 6
Master’s thesis: 5.5
PhD: Distinction (no grades)
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Work History:
16 yo – Worked in a clothes shop retailer for a summer, selling school uniforms.
During my bachelor’s:
- tutor in zoology for a year (unpaid).
- field assistant for researchers (unpaid).
In between the bachelor’s and the master:
- school tutor at a tutoring company
- parking valet at a hotel
During my master:
- as a paid researcher thanks to a stipend.
The PhD was a paid job as a researcher.
In between the end of my PhD and this job:
- Many months of being at home, preparing ideas for research projects, and learning new things (unpaid).
- 3-month job as a researcher in the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama.
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Current Job:
I’m hired as a researcher to complete a project that is a mix of ideas I came up with in my free time, and ideas from my current boss.
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Employer:
University of Bristol
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My Interview
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What did you want to be after you left school?
a 'zoologist' (but I didn't know what that meant)
Were you ever in trouble at school?
no
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Orishas
What's your favourite food?
Thai red curry
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
a big loving family, a kind boss, and a healthy mind
Tell us a joke.
what do fruit flies do when they're in love? They go on a date
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