I am a
QUANTITATIVE ECOLOGIST
Tina Cheng, PhD
Presented by Bat Conservation International
MY PATHHow I became an athlete, outdoors enthusiast, and quantitative ecologist.
Animal Lover
PURSUING MY PASSIONS
01 / As a kid, I never knew what I wanted to do, or what I wanted to be. I would just choose things that appealed to me at the time.
02 / In high school, I went to an outdoor education camp where I learned how humans influence nature. This seated my passion for conservation. Afterward, I started to practice small acts of conservation activism, like starting a recycling club during my senior year of high school.
03 / My sister would tell me stories about field ecology classes she was taking, where they would go out and catch small rodents called voles. It sounded fun so in college, I also took field ecology classes.
Field Jobs
EXPLORING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
01 / During college, I learned I couldn’t thrive in an academic environment. So I found ways to get involved in ecology outside the classroom.
02 / These field projects were my favorite way to travel and explore nature. Not only do I get to go to beautiful places, but I get to experience the local culture and wildlife at a deeper level than I would have as a tourist.
03 / When I wasn’t doing fieldwork, I would lead tours at National Parks in order to teach people about the history of the area. In the process, I discovered I also had a passion for teaching and mentoring.
Self-Confidence
DEVELOPING SELF-CONFIDENCE
01 / I’ve faced challenges with self-confidence throughout my life, but by the end of college, my self-esteem was especially poor. Due to my low GPA, I didn’t feel like I could identify as a biologist.
02 / I started applying to research positions again to build back the confidence I lost in college. I secured a position studying how tree diseases can increase the spread of Lyme disease. During my time here I caught rodents and lizards and surveyed the area for ticks.
03 / Eventually, I decided to get my Master’s. Unfortunately, my GPA was so bad that no program would accept me. Luckily, someone I had previously worked with became a professor at San Francisco State University and convinced the school to let me in.
Data Scientist
BECOMING A DATA SCIENTIST
01 / One of the professors who advised me during my PhD was a quantitative ecologist. But since I didn’t know a lot about statistics, I was afraid they would make fun of me or think I wasn’t smart enough.
02 / I learned that I was suffering from imposter syndrome, which meant that I didn’t feel like I deserved to be there. This almost caused me to quit grad school, but another professor that I was working with encouraged me to keep going.
03 / Eventually, I decided I wanted to become a better scientist and it didn’t matter what other people thought of me. I eventually worked up the courage to talk to the quantitative ecologist professor. In the end, I ended up loving qualitative ecology which is what I ended up pursuing after I graduated.
MAJOR INFLUENCES
Science taught in the formal way didn’t come easily to me.
In undergrad, I struggled a lot with my grades, but I found a lot of success and inspiration from hands-on lab and field work. Rather than letting my discouragement lead me to quit, I decided to stick it out and use my strengths to guide my career as a scientist.
Major Milestones
My Love for Animals & Nature
Even though I grew up in the city, I’ve always loved animals and nature. These interests guided my career path for the rest of my life.
Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
During my Master’s program, I was able to figure out which disease was harming salamanders in Guatemala and Mexico, which made me feel more confident about my abilities as a scientist. Using this newfound confidence, I decided to look into Ph.D. programs.
Finishing My PhD
By the time I finished my PhD, I became passionate about data science and learned how to use statistics to help conserve bats. When I entered my PhD, I knew very little about statistics and programming. Now, I have a job where I use both in order to protect bats.
Things I learned
along the way:
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