Life under the microscope – Ines Dias

Being from Portugal meant I spent most of my summers at the seaside. Growing up, I would often go explore rockpools with my family and try to count how many different things I could see.

I have always been a very curious person, and always found it easier learn new things by understanding why things happen the way they do. As I grew older, I started questioning why animals looked a certain way or did certain things so my parents decided to introduce me to some documentaries. I was marvelled by all the different animals and how they adapt to different habitats.

Science was then a natural selection for me. I decided to study marine sciences in order to understand the fundamentals of the ocean and what makes it possible to have such an amazing ecosystem, and then a master’s in marine biology to focus on marine biodiversity. For my master’s thesis, I researched the epifaunal biodiversity associated with gorgonians, or the benthic community that lives on sea fans.

Loving to learn what different animals were in different habitats and why, I found it really fascinating that you could do that by being a marine biologist. So that’s what I decided I wanted to do! I really love seeing all the different animals in a single sample.

What’s it like working in our BioLabs team?

We sieve samples into fractions of similar size and then pick every animal in that sample. We then proceed to identify everything we find. It is a very interesting and challenging job but everyone in the lab is very keen on helping each other. The marine BioLabs is a very tight knit group and it’s a great feeling to know that if you are struggling to identify something that there’s always someone you can go to for help.

What excites you in your field of expertise?

I believe the most amazing thing in biology is the existence of habitat forming species. It is unbelievable how one single species can be so crucial to hundreds of others. I was very excited, when the opportunity came along to study biodiversity of gorgonians for my master thesis. It is incredible how one species can not only provide a feeding resource but also a physical substrate and refuge against predators.

When you are away from the lab what interests and hobbies do you have?

I am passionate about murder mysteries novels. I believe the scientist in me is still very keen in discovering clues, putting things together and finding out the ‘why?’ of things. There is a great sense of realisation when you can keep up with Poirot or Sherlock Holmes and find out who the killer is.

Additionally, I’ve always loved football. Since I was a child, I would spend all my time playing football. When my parents started telling me I needed to spend more time studying, I used to hide a football in my backpack not realising it was obvious I had it with me. Not being able to play it as I did when I was a child, I now limit myself to watch as many games as possible.