Chris Mays
Dr Chris Mays - Ask a Palaeontologist
This month we chat to Dr Chris Mays, Lecturer in Palaeontology at University College Cork
- Name: Dr Chris Mays
- Job: Lecturer in Palaeontology
- Location: University College Cork
What inspired you to become a scientist?
I think all kids are little scientists, just trying to discover how the world works. Some of us never grew up. If you keep trying to pursue discoveries long enough, and dedicate your life to this pursuit, they start paying you.
What inspired you to become a palaeontologist?
David Attenborough, Carl Sagan and Richard Dawkins, with a sprinkle of Jurassic Park.
Fantasy and science fiction novels were instrumental. These showed me worlds we could only ever see with our minds. Palaeontology (and geology) provide all the same wonder, but with the added bonus of being real.
Describe your work/job.
About 10% of my time is field work. To really understand the stories that the rocks and fossils can tell you, you need to go to where they were once living and listen up close. I’ve been to over 25 countries in search of fossils.
20% of my time is for teaching; delivering lessons to many different audiences, including my students and the general populace at public engagement events.
The remaining time is in the office: preparing classes, preparing fossils in the lab and preparing research papers with my colleagues and students.
What’s the best part of your job?
There are two aspects that deserve equal first place: The sense of discovery. Sometimes this is in the field, but far more common it occurs when collecting or analyzing data, writing or discussing new ideas with colleagues. The pieces click into place. This can lead down a whole new trajectory of discovery. Every now and then, it can leave one with an awe unlike anything else in life. Teaching in all its forms. The questions I receive and the discussions they generate are a cornerstone to my job satisfaction. In essence, I’m trying to provide for my audiences the same sense of discovery that I enjoy so much.
What other jobs have you done?
I had many jobs in my early days: chopping meats as a Delicatessen Hand, helping kids brush their teeth as an Orthodontic Assistant, and entering bland numbers into a computer as a Data Entry Officer (this is an extinct job that has now surely been replaced by AI). Later, I found more satisfaction as a science communicator at a space science centre, complete with a simulated Martian landscape. Very cool! Now, my life has become deeply embedded in research and teaching as Lecturer in Palaeontology.
What were your favourite subjects at school?
All sciences I could get my hands on, but I had a special passion for psychology. It’s only through understanding our own minds that we can be sure of anything in the world.
Where did you study geoscience/palaeontology?
Melbourne (Australia) and Stockholm (Sweden).
What hobbies do you have outside of palaeontology?
Rock climbing and dancing (the unscripted kind).
What is your favourite fossil?
The ‘Berlin specimen’ of Archaeopteryx lithographica. For many palaeontologists, it has the same effect as one might have at a religious site. When you see, it can provide a semi-spiritual sense of awe. The story of discovery, the implications for evolutionary theory, and the absolutely spectacular preservation—if ever there was a fossil deserving of its own museum, this would be it.
What’s your favourite place that you have travelled to study palaeontology?
The Chatham Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. This is about as far from Ireland as you can get while still be on Earth.1-831x454.png)
Why is it important for us to study palaeontology?
If you think we’re going through hard times now, take a look at the fossil record. The world has gone through far worse times. These fossil plants and animals hold the key to understanding how bad things can get (if we’re not careful), and how to prevent it.
What advice would you give to somebody interested in becoming a palaeontologist?
Take as many science courses in school as possible, read science books, watch science documentaries, listen to science podcasts.
Most of us come to palaeontologists via biology or geology. Learning these can be helpful, but you’ll find that you can apply any scientific skills to palaeontology. You will even find that the skills you picked up in a psychology degree apply directly to the job of a palaeontologist – I know I did!
Palaeontology requires a scientific mind. This is more important now than ever. Don’t fill your mind with details that can be easily looked up. Instead, focus on how to discern what is really real in a world increasingly full of fake.
Lastly, get creative. Music, books, art, film. Science requires creativity and scepticism both; learn how to learn, but have a creative outlet.
You need not be brilliant, but most of us (myself included) make up for it with a LOT of hard work. Brilliance usually follows the hard work, not the other way around.
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Follow Chris on Twitter - @palaeomays
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