Sandra E. Savinen, PhD

Invasion ecology, plant ecology, population genetics.

A beer snob who loves boardgames, DnD, and knitting. Mom to a wonderful rescued greyhound.

She/her

[Roseanna Gamlen-Greene @TheToadLady]

Realized today that I've lost access to journal articles (since it's been a few months since I graduated from UBC). 😭 Being an early career researcher between jobs is hard! We've got to change our model for scientific publishing.

[Sandra E. Savinen, PhD @sandrasavinen]

@n_j_day @TheToadLady This is handy, but doesn't always work very quickly (I just got an article I asked TWO YEARS ago) and most definitely doesn't work with really old papers.

[Sandra E. Savinen, PhD @sandrasavinen]

@may_gun @BotanyRules You could just do a PhD in English, that's what a lot of PhD students in Finland do anyway, because many of the research groups are international. Unless you specifically want to do (Finnish) linquistics or local policy, in which case English is probably not enough :-)

[Sandra E. Savinen, PhD @sandrasavinen]

@BotanyRules Unfortunately the sword and tophat are not just given, they cost a lot of money (tophat over 700 euros last I checked*). Apparently you can borrow them from your faculty for the ceremony, though.

*I'm a Finn but in NZ and really wanted a hat anyway. Not with that price, though.

[Sandra E. Savinen, PhD @sandrasavinen]

@Leila_FAS Thank you Leila <3

[Sandra E. Savinen, PhD @sandrasavinen]

I've just submitted my first manuscript to a scientific journal 🥳 huge thanks to my supervisors and collaborators, what a team! Now I can spend the rest of the day cuddling with Sharkie, the goodest of bois 💕
#scicomm

[Sandra E. Savinen, PhD @sandrasavinen]

@femme_podcast There is also an app called Paprika 3, which lets you organise recipesa and create meal plans. It has a shopping list function that you can create based on the planned meals! It also converts recipes in blogs to proper recipes etc. Super handy! Not sponsored, haha, just love it😄

[Sandra E. Savinen, PhD @sandrasavinen]

@karlincubus @mikebok @B3Director Awesooooome, congrats <3

[Sandra E. Savinen, PhD @sandrasavinen]

@LeenaLindstrom Ja ihan totta kylla, etta aika on mennyt mahdottoman nopeasti!! Vaikka sitten toisaalta myos tuntuu, etta kaikesta koronaa edeltavasta on kulunut iaisyys, eli gradu oli varmaan edellisessa elamassa :-D

[Sandra E. Savinen, PhD @sandrasavinen]

Two months from submitting my PhD, and after travelling to Finland to see friends and family, it's time to get back to work. I'm writing publications, I got asked to review my first scientific article, I'm hunting for jobs, and we're adopting a greyhound!!! Busy, but so exciting!

[Sandra E. Savinen, PhD @sandrasavinen]

@LeenaLindstrom Kiitos Leena, ja kiitos ihan hirmuisesti tuesta ja opeista graduaikaan (ja oikeastaan jo ennen gradua kaikilla kursseilla) ❤️ Niilla evailla oli hyva tehda vaikkaria :-) Ja toivottavasti seuraavalla Suomen-reissulla mulla on kunnolla aikaa, niin voidaan kayda kahvilla!

[Sandra E. Savinen, PhD @sandrasavinen]

@karlincubus Yeah I know, so sad :( I'll organise bigger celebrations after we're back from Finland, but I'd like to grab beer with a small group after sending the email, haha. It really doesn't have the same ring to it than walking over, but oh well, we'll make do 😁

[Sandra E. Savinen, PhD @sandrasavinen]

Three weeks until thesis submission and I'm feeling good! I've gotten really nice feedback from my supervisor, and I've really enjoyed seeing everything come together. Even writing has been fun - not easy, though, haha, but fun. What a much needed confidence boost!!

[Sandra E. Savinen, PhD @sandrasavinen]

@karlincubus I would really like that ❤️ I will text you closer to the date!

Unfortunately uni doesn't accept in-person submission anymore, so we have to come up with another tradition instead of walking to submit together :-(

[Sandra E. Savinen, PhD @sandrasavinen]

@elllalehtonen Voi ei, parane pian <3

[Sandra E. Savinen, PhD @sandrasavinen]

@SierraHarken @verymessyjamie @OpenAcademics @PhDVoice @PhD_Genie @PhDspeaks One option is talking to their other students. My supervisor shares email addresses of his students to the new candidates :-)
Alternatively, you can also ask the supervisor questions about the style of supervision, conflict management, support etc.

[Sandra E. Savinen, PhD @sandrasavinen]

This whole thread is so good and so relatable! R is amazing when things work, but can sometimes be such a rollercoaster ride!

[Amani Webber-Schultz @Curly_Biologist]

Hello I successfully ran 3 lines of code in R please clap

[Sandra E. Savinen, PhD @sandrasavinen]

This is epic!! Nature is just so cool (also we definitely need more feel-good content like this at the moment).

🇺🇦

[Horace Zeng @horacezhl]

Another remarkable example of tool use in ants: fire ants “paving” sticky surfaces. I’ve seen signs of this behavior, but I didn’t expect it to be so robust until my friend told me about it (Wang et al., 2021 Insect Science).

[Sandra E. Savinen, PhD @sandrasavinen]

This is a great infographic and a timely reminder :)

[Sandra E. Savinen, PhD @sandrasavinen]

@kayteeflick This is where I'm at too, and some days things work, some days it's a struggle.. But maybe my (and my supervisor's) biggest pieces of advice: be kind to yourself and take care of yourself, take proper breaks, try your best and have regular chats with your supervisors! Good luck!!