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McHugh studies the ecology and evolution of marine invertebrate animals, particularly the diverse and beautiful polychaete annelid worms. Her other main research interest is in reconstructing the branches of the evolutionary tree of life that led to the major animal groups like annelids, arthropods, and molluscs. As a teacher, McHugh emphasizes the relevance of biology in our everyday lives. Her courses include Genetics, Animal Evolution and Animal Systematics and Phylogeny.
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I grew up on west coast of Ireland, playing in tidepools where I became intensely interested in marine animals. After high school, I took a year off before attending university to make sure I really wanted to study marine biology. In that time I found that yes, indeed, I really did want to study marine biology, so off I went. In my senior year, I did a benthic survey in the south of Ireland measuring the impact of effluent from a chemical factory on the surrounding marine life. This work involved taking loads of mud samples and comparing the species diversity. I ended up analyzing the worm fauna for over a year with the help of a post-doc and from there I was hooked (no pun intended.) What would you recommend for students wanting to pursue a similar career? I would suggest going to university, studying biology and getting into a research project as soon as you can. Try all sorts of different projects, including field work, lab work; sample different kinds of research. What do you like best about your profession? I love the variety. I get to teach, to do research in the lab and field, interact with lots of people, collaborate with lots of people. I do a lot of writing and reading. I very much enjoy being able to pursue a question over a number of years and trying to formulate a question more clearly. There is a general need for people who understand diversification of animals from an evolutionarily point of view to understand how diversity arose. Understanding that pathway helps inform conservation decisions and helps prioritize which species may be the most pivotal in order to preserve biodiversity. What web sites and references would you recommend for viewers interested in your work that was featured in The Shape of Life series? Annelids from the University of Arizon's Tree of Life |
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