ECR Spotlight is a series of interviews with early-career authors from a selection of papers published in Journal of Experimental Biology and aims to promote not only the diversity of early-career researchers (ECRs) working in experimental biology but also the huge variety of animals and physiological systems that are essential for the ‘comparative’ approach. Seth Shirazi is an author on ‘ How do fish miss? Attack strategies of threespine stickleback capturing non-evasive prey’, published in JEB. Seth is a PhD candidate in the lab of Tim Higham at the University of California, Riverside, CA, USA, investigating evolutionary biomechanics of predator–prey interactions in fishes.
Seth Shirazi
How did you become interested in biology?
As a child, I became interested in biology through watching short nature documentaries with my family. It was very fascinating to observe animals interacting through territorial fights, courtship rituals, nesting behaviors, etc. By high school, I knew I wanted to major in biology, though I was uncertain about which subfield to pursue. Fulfilling the biology requirements in college exposed me to various branches of the field, and by my junior year, I realized I loved my marine biology courses the most. This led me to pursue a career path in this field, which is why I am now studying marine vertebrates for my PhD.
Describe your scientific journey and your current research focus
I had an opportunity to work as an undergraduate research assistant during my stay at the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology (University of Oregon). This is when I was first introduced to animal biomechanics. I explored potential ontogenetic influences on the swimming speed of larval Pacific sea urchins. Although this was not a successful project from a publishing standpoint, I learned a lot. Most importantly, I learned that I love doing research in this field, which further cemented my decision to pursue graduate school.
My current research broadly focuses on vertebrate biomechanics through an evolutionary lens. I'm exploring the evolution of behavior, biomechanics and complex phenotypes by studying predator–prey interactions in fishes.
How would you explain the main findings of your paper to a member of the public?
Predators rely on successfully capturing prey for survival, yet failure is common. What causes a predator to miss? We used high-speed videography to investigate the biomechanical and/or timing errors underlying failure in a predatory fish (threespine stickleback) capturing non-evasive prey. These fish use suction, whereby their mouth is opened rapidly to draw in both water and prey. Our study found that stickleback miss primarily because they open their mouths too early, when the prey is too far away, for suction to be effective. Given that feeding is critical to survival and growth, understanding the underlying reasons for these failures provides great insight into the evolutionary adaptations of these animals.
Why did you choose JEB to publish your paper?
We chose JEB because it consistently publishes high-quality research that closely aligns with our field. It is one of the leading journals in terms of the volume of biomechanics-related articles published. Personally, I have read more articles from JEB than from any other journal. In addition, the editorial board consists of highly respected scientists, and our experiences throughout the publishing process have been exceptionally positive. We also appreciate JEB's commitment to Open Access. It's always a benefit when research can reach broader audiences without barriers.
What is the most important lesson that you have learned from your career so far?
I've found that in research, setting precise time goals is really challenging. It seems that my estimates for when things are going to finish are almost never when they actually finish (and it's never earlier). So, I've learned to not rush through experiments and enjoy the journey as much as the results. I've also learned to expect setbacks – whether it's a method that doesn't work as planned, faulty samples or unexpected issues that cause delays. Recognizing that these hurdles are a normal part of research has helped me stay calm and maintain perspective.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I thrive on variety and I find myself ‘hobby-hopping’ very frequently. Despite this, there are many constants in my life such as sports, instruments, and spending time in nature. For some reason, being outdoors, especially near water, feels more like home than being inside my house. Besides that, I also find a special comfort when listening to old, relaxing tunes by artists like Sam Cooke, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Matt Monro, etc. Their music has this soothing backdrop which is perfect for winding down at night.
What's next for you?
I'm planning to defend my PhD dissertation sometime within the next two years. I have been very enthusiastic about my research topic so I'm hoping to secure an academic or industry position related to my field after I graduate.
Seth Shirazi's contact details: Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
E-mail: [email protected]
