Scripps Student Spotlight: Olívia Soares Pereira

Olívia Soares Pereira is finishing her fourth and final year of her PhD program at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. Pereira is from São Paulo, Brazil, and received her bachelor’s degree in oceanography from the Oceanographic Institute of the University of São Paulo. She has been engaged in deep-sea science since her first year of college in 2011. Initially, Pereira studied benthic communities associated with whale- and wood-falls — sunken whale carcasses or pieces of wood — in the deep Southwest Atlantic Ocean. In 2017, Pereira moved to the United States for the master’s program at Scripps, and she continued on to pursue a PhD in biological oceanography. She is currently studying deep-sea ecology, specifically benthic communities on continental margins associated with methane seeps and mineral-rich hardgrounds. Her advisor is Scripps biological oceanographer Lisa Levin.

explorations now (en): Why did you choose to attend Scripps?

Olívia Pereira (OP): The first time I heard about Scripps was during college. One of my professors in Brazil would talk about the incredible research that Scripps scientists were leading. I remember thinking about Scripps as an unattainable thing, that I could never study here because I wasn’t good enough. When I was about to graduate college, I was going through some personal issues that made me rethink what I wanted for my life, even though getting a PhD had always been my dream. After I finished college, my college advisor, Paulo Sumida, offered me a fellowship to keep working in his lab as a lab technician and researcher. During this gap year, I continued working on my senior thesis project — which later became my first first-author paper — and Paulo encouraged me to apply to graduate school. He was the one who told me to apply to Scripps because he believed I could. When I got the acceptance offer from Lisa Levin, my current advisor, I said yes without a doubt. Scripps has been a dream of mine since my first year in college, and Lisa is one of the best deep-sea scientists in the field.

I like to tell this story of how I ended up at Scripps because I know I’m not the only one who had thoughts about not being good enough for Scripps. Since I started doing science communication, college students are constantly messaging me asking how I did it and what I had to do to get here. They are mainly from Latin America, and all say the same thing I did back then — that Scripps is a dream, but they’re afraid they’re not good enough for it. But we are.

en: What are you researching at Scripps?

OP: I work with invertebrate communities associated with hard substrates, such as rocks, on continental margins at depths of ~200-2,000 meters, or ~650-6,500 feet. Specifically, I’m looking at community dynamics, trophic ecology, or the study of the relationships between living and nonliving components, and how environmental factors are affecting these communities on carbonate rocks at methane seeps off the Pacific margin of Costa Rica and on mineral-rich rocks off Southern California. My research goal is to understand these ecosystems and communities so we can provide baseline research, insights, and recommendations for conservation and management plans. This is crucial given the increased interest in deep-sea resources and the effects of climate change that have already reached the deep ocean. As a PhD student in the Program for Interdisciplinary Environmental Research (PIER) program, an interdisciplinary specialization offered by UC San Diego, I also do interdisciplinary research where I incorporate economic approaches to understand people’s connection to the deep sea and how much people value the deep sea and methane seeps. My colleagues and I recently published a paper, “Understanding and valuing human connections to deep-sea methane seeps off Costa Rica,” on this topic.

en: How did you become interested in science and your field of study?

OP: I’ve always been fascinated by the ocean. I’m one of those oceanographers/marine biologists who has loved the ocean since I was a kid. I’ve always known I wanted to work with animals and was obsessed with whales and venomous and poisonous animals. When I learned about the deep sea and deep-sea animals with fangs and spines, I saw a link between the ocean and the venomous and poisonous animals that I loved. I found in the deep sea all the things that I’ve always loved and intrigued me; crazy-looking animals that I think are beautiful, whales (although dead ones on the deep sea as whale falls), and all the mystery and the unknown of the deep sea. I used to collect rocks in kindergarten and come home from school with a pocket full of rocks — I now study animals living on rocks. I was also fascinated by natural phenomena, especially volcanoes associated with tectonic activity — I now study deep-sea ecosystems associated with tectonic activity. It’s really beautiful and gratifying to see that I’m living my childhood dreams!

en: What’s life like as a Scripps student? Describe a typical day.

OP: As a final-year PhD student, I have already taken all the required classes, so my days typically consist of lab work, data analyses, writing, and meetings. It depends on the day, but I’m usually in the office working on data or writing my dissertation. I just got back from a research cruise, and this summer I will also be processing the samples we collected with the help of a student who is joining our lab for the summer through the Jane Teranes - Scripps Undergraduate Research Fellowship (JT-SURF) Program. 

en: What’s the most exciting thing about your work (in the field or in the lab)?

OP: Research cruises are the most exciting thing about my work because I love going to sea to do research! Deep-sea cruises are usually long, and we are so far out that we cannot see any land. It is just water surrounding us and it’s the most beautiful shade of blue I’ve ever seen. I love that we get to see amazing animals and work with top-notch technology. Diving into the deep ocean using the human-occupied submersible Alvin is a huge highlight of my research and I’m still in awe every time I get to even just see Alvin! I dove three times to methane seeps located 1,000 meters deep (~3,300 feet) in Costa Rica, 480 meters (1,500 feet) in Southern California, and 4,880 meters (~16,000 feet) in Alaska! Additionally, I really enjoy mentoring students. I’m so passionate about my research and it is amazing to share and pass down the knowledge and see them developing a love for it too.

en: Are there any role models or mentors who have helped you along the way?

OP: My college advisor, Paulo Sumida, was a huge mentor and still is a role model for me. He taught me so much about the deep sea and being a researcher and allowed me to do deep-sea science from my first year in college. I wouldn’t be here at Scripps if it wasn’t for him believing in me and supporting me. Paulo continues doing incredible deep-sea research and I’m always amazed at his research ideas. Lisa Levin, my MS and PhD advisor, is also a mentor and role model. She is a pioneer in deep-sea science and helped pave the way for women in the field. She also breaks the barrier between science and policy. She co-founded the Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative, a global network of deep-sea experts integrating science, technology, policy, law, and economics. Lisa still makes time for her students and research and she has so much passion and excitement for what we do. She is constantly helping me be a better scientist and reach my goals. Some other people who helped me along the way and continue to inspire me are biologist Mauricio Shimabukuro, who taught me so much during college, and Diva Amon, a marine biologist and absolute role model who I’m lucky to also call a friend. My family has given me personal, emotional, and professional support along the way and constantly reminds me to stay true to myself.

en: What are some of the challenges you face as a student?

OP: Sometimes I have a hard time finding a good work-life balance. In the last couple of years, I managed to get better at this, but I have to keep it in mind, especially as I finish my PhD. Additionally, as an international student, it is hard to be far from my family and see them once every year, if at all. My parents are in Brazil and my sister is in the Netherlands, which makes it hard for the four of us to be together in the same place and time. In the beginning, I also struggled a bit with English and the cultural differences in America, but I believe I’m adjusted now. My English improved so much, and I even learned to love baseball! The San Diego Wave women’s soccer team also helps with being away from home — I love a good futebol game!

en: What are your plans post-Scripps?

OP: My long-term goal is to stay in academia and become a professor at a university with my own lab, research projects, and students to mentor. The next step in this academic path is usually a postdoctoral researcher position. I recently received and accepted a postdoc offer, but there is still some paperwork and bureaucracy that needs to happen, which I’m waiting for to announce. I will be defending my PhD dissertation in August, and I am staying at Scripps working with Lisa through the fall as an interim postdoc while I wait for paperwork. I’m super excited for this next step!

You can find Pereira on X @oliviaspereira and on Instagram @seathescience.