Dr Valentina Rossi - Ask a Palaeontologist

29 May 2023

This month we chat to Dr Valentina Rossi, Postdoctoral Researcher at University College Cork

• Name: Dr Valentina Rossi
• Job: Postdoctoral Researcher
• Location: University College Cork

What inspired you to become a scientist? 

I think I was always curious about how the world works, but if when I was a child someone would have said to me that I was going to be a scientist I would not have believed it. My passion for geology and palaeontology gently pushed me in the direction of becoming a scientist.

What inspired you to become a palaeontologist?

Palaeontology was initially a passion of mine that came late, when I was in University studying to become a geologist. (No, I was never obsessed with Jurassic Park as most people would think, I watched it for the first time in 2017 and honestly I didn’t really like it). In reality, the first lesson of “Introduction to palaeontology” in my first year as an undergraduate student was mind blowing for me. After that I decided I wanted to be a paleontologist!

Describe your work/job

My job varies a lot during the year, but sometimes even during a week. Usually, I would spend time in the lab doing experiments that will help me understand how fossils can form, and then I analyse the experimental data and fossils with various instruments, from powerful microscopes to particle accelerators to go deep into the chemistry of fossils. I also get to travel a lot, visiting modern research facilities and museums and also to go into the field around the world to look for new fossils to study.

What’s the best part of your job?

For me the best part of my job is fieldwork, looking for fantastic fossils that preserve traces of soft tissues, like skin, eyes and internal organs.

What other jobs have you done?

After high school I worked as an artistic gymnastic teacher and judge. I also practise for a couple of years as a surveyor before enrolling into the Earth science undergraduate programme in Rome. I never left the science world since.

What were your favourite subjects at school?

Ah this is tough question for me. I feel I have to be honest and say that I actually hated most of the subjects at school. I really liked practical subjects like chemistry and biology but also technical and artistic drawing.

Where did you study geoscience/palaeontology?

For my undergraduate and master’s degrees I studied in Italy, respectively Geological Sciences and Exploration Geology, at the University “La Sapienza” of Rome. Then I did a short internship at the University of Bristol before moving to Cork to start my PhD at University College Cork.

What hobbies do you have outside of palaeontology?

I really enjoy being outdoor when I can, but if I can’t, I like sketching and painting and also playing videogames.

What is your favourite fossil?

This is easy! Ammonites, no particular one, just all of them.

What’s your favourite place that you have travelled to study palaeontology?

My favourite place so far is probably Australia. I went there in October 2022 to do fieldwork. It was the first fieldwork after the pandemic and it was also on the opposite side of the globe where animals and plants look so different from those here in Europe. And the fossils…we found some incredible fossils down there! I feel very privileged, and I am grateful for that fantastic experience. 

Why is it important for us to study palaeontology?

Palaeontology is often perceived as a dead field (yes we do study dead things) but it is far from that. Nowadays Palaeontology is becoming more and more an applicative and analytical science, strongly interdisciplinary and highly technical. We get to look at ancient creatures that lived before us at the molecular level and from this, we can understand better their biology, ecology, behaviour and even perhaps why some of these organisms went extinct. Palaeontology can really tell the story of how “we” (the living) are where we are and why. I think there will be many incredible discoveries in the near future, and this is exciting.

What advice would you give to somebody interested in becoming a palaeontologist?

In my experience, having good grades at school (and/or stressing about it) is not essential. What you need is passion, curiosity, grit and cleverness. You would need these to get your degrees and surpass the obstacles that life and the actual job will throw at you. I am not going to lie, becoming a palaeontologist is hard work, but you can do it and it is worth it!

Valentina online

• Follow Valentina on Instagram - @she_paleo