Cruise Speck – PhD student with blue mussels in focus
This year's newest PhD student is from Australia and arrived in the middle of the freezing winter! But Cruise Speck is well prepared after master's studies in Trondheim, Norway. Here at the Department of Marine Sciences, he will devote himself to the west coast's blue mussels, with Tjärnö laboratory as a base.
What are you going to do here?
"I’m going to be working with blue mussels and looking into differences that we see between those in natural habitats and those in artificial habitats like mussel farms and jetties and pontoons, along the Swedish west coast."
"Mussels in farms and other artificial habitats can be very abundant and densely populated, while there have been some reports that sightings of wild mussels along the west coast have decreased over recent decades. I will be working to get a better picture of how blue mussels are distributed across different areas and how they might differ genetically, morphologically, or in their ability to survive in different habitats. I will also look into larval dispersal patterns in these regions."
What did you do before?
"I’m from Australia originally, and there I did my bachelor's degree in biology at the University of Queensland. I also did an honours year after that where I researched skull shape in wombats and koalas, which I finished in 2017. After quite a break from studying, I decided to do my master’s degree abroad in Norway in 2021, where I studied ecology and evolution at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. I did my master's thesis on predator-induced phenotypic plasticity in Trinidadian guppies. Now I get to dip my feet into (or rather submerge myself in) marine biology, which is exciting."
What do you do in your free time?
"I love to hike and explore the outdoors, and I also practice archery outdoors when the weather permits. I also like reading – mostly fantasy and sci-fi, playing guitar, gaming, binging a good TV series, and listening to music (which I do a lot of according to my Spotify Wrapped). Besides this, I’m a big fan of karaoke."
Something else you would like to share?
"I’m looking forward to spring and summer on Tjärnö! I’m keen to explore the area with some longer and warmer days, get back into archery, and get out in the field."
Interview: Susanne Liljenström