I’m Guilherme Bortolotto!
Hello there! My name is Gui - say it like "gui" in "guitar" ;) - and I'm from Floripa, an Island in the south of Brazil. Right now I'm working as a postdoc in the University of St Andrews, researching polar marine ecology. My job is to travel to Antarctica and tag Weddell and elephant seals with oceanographic tags that collect information about the water around Thwaites Glacier, while the tagged seals swim and dive. This information is mega useful to understand how the ocean is influencing the changes we see in the area, and I feel extremely privileged to be part of such a cool and important research effort.
I'm inspired by every researcher (early career or senior) that is humble and respectful towards their colleagues.
Going to Antarctica has been a dream since I was very young, probably brewed during watching documentaries about the natural world. It finally came true when I joined the Thwaites (ITGC) cruise in 2019 and I couldn't believe how fortunate I was to have that opportunity. I remember standing for a whole hour at the ship's deck, at the bow, staring at icebergs, seals and whales, sometime around mid-February, and feeling so grateful just to be there.
I love music and try to play the guitar (and bass) and create my own songs whenever I can. Other things I enjoy are cycling, sailing, racket sports, cooking, watching (and discussing - afterwards!) movies.
My family are happy for me to be working on something that is at the same time so interesting and so important. They are my "first-line" for outreach efforts!
Everyone can do something to improve the world. It is true that a person alone won't be able to do much, but if we can be part of a society that cares about the planet, make good and healthy choices in large scales, and if we support leaders that also care, I believe we could make real changes.
One thing that inspires me is the opportunity to work in the most beautiful place on Earth, be in direct contact with the coolest animals, and share my time with so many nice researchers that care about our planet and about other people.
In the future, I hope to research diverse aspects of human impacts on marine wildlife. That includes impacts due to climate change. Also, teaching has been a passion that I couldn't dedicate much of my time to so far, but I'm very inclined to pursue a career as a lecturer and form my own research group. I'm inspired by every researcher (early career or senior) that is humble and respectful towards their colleagues.
To someone wanting a similar career path as mine I would suggest to take every opportunity to learn from diverse experiences. A diverse personal and multidisciplinary academic backgrounds are increasingly needed in the environmental sciences research. The other, and most important, advice would be to remain yourself humble as you progress your career, no matter how tired you may become from the many difficulties an academic job may have.
You can find Gui on Twitter (@BortolottoGui) and Instagram (bortolottoga).
