Question: what is so good about your job?

Sarah Jose answered on 11 Mar 2014:

I’m a PhD student researching shiny surfaces of leaves (made by wax) and the pores that allow plants to breathe. They’re both really important because they control how much water is lost by the plant by evaporation.

The first reason I really like my work is that I think it is important for the future. If we can understand what combination of leaf wax and pores work best under different conditions, we can plant the right crops in the right areas and keep producing food even in droughts.

Secondly, every day I face a lot of little puzzles of how things fit together or what causes a specific effect in a plant. I like to think I am a detective, and my research gives me the clues that I can use to piece together the answer (at least, I hope it will!).