Graduate

Taking the road less-travelled to a PhD

Higher education in science can seem like a straightforward path, and that is far from most science students' experience.

Brigo wearing a blue collared shirt with a hat smiling at the camera.
Estimated Read Time:
2 minutes
Brigo Castillo, PhD Student, Department of Biological Sciences
Brigo Castillo, PhD Student, Department of Biological Sciences
Estimated Read Time:
2 minutes
By

Kimia Shadkami

Higher education in science can seem like a straightforward path to many. You enter university to pursue your bachelor's degree and try to secure a summer research position to get a taste of graduate studies. Right after graduation, you have either secured a job in industry or a graduate position, usually a master's program, in a field that interests you the most. The PhD comes after if you find research and being in a lab are your true calling. Well, that is far from how most science students experience their education and professional careers.

For Brigo Castillo, industry sounded like a great plan after obtaining his BSc from the University of Alberta. He was majoring in immunology and infection, and a career as a technician and then a biologist working with the Edmonton Research Farm seemed like the perfect fit. This gave him the chance to learn and sharpen his research skills. Castillo soon realized that a graduate degree in science was required to gain the skills and knowledge he needed for the next steps in his career.

I found that just having a BSc really limited my ability to move into those bigger roles. For example, the biologist role requires a minimum of an MSC. The only reason I was able to do it was because of my experience and my background.

Brigo Castillo, PhD Student, Department of Biological Sciences

Brigo with a student doing field evaluations.
Brigo Castillo teaching a student how to conduct in-field barley disease evaluations.

Although Castillo started his graduate studies in a master's program, he quickly realized his love for research and the challenges he was tackling in the lab. After a conversation with his supervisor, Dr. Mark Belmonte, in the Department of Biological Sciences, Castillo changed his path to a direct PhD.

But his passion for his work in the lab is not the only reason he is pursuing his PhD. Castillo has a unique superpower. He finds opportunities at every corner to present his research and talk in front of an audience. According to him, different audiences will teach you different lessons. For the talks held at the university level, Castillo looks to find his community, learn more about his peers, and communicate what his work is about in hopes of collaborations. This changes when the scope of the presentation is national or international. In those instances, Castillo recommends understanding what the audience is looking for and presenting your work in its most accessible version.

I will take the time to understand my target audience and tailor my talk to really fit those criteria... and I never want to alienate my audience.

Brigo Castillo, PhD Student, Department of Biological Sciences

Brigo wearing a lab coat smiling at the camera.
Brigo Castillo

With convocation around the corner, we invite students to think about the different paths their careers can take and embrace new opportunities. Everyone’s journey is going to look different, and they are as valid as the next one.

Watch the full interview

To learn more about Castillo's research and journey in science, please watch the full interview on the Faculty of Science's YouTube channel.

Boilerplate: Empowering Learners

At UM, we encourage life-long curiosity while providing tools – inside and outside the classroom – to succeed in a rapidly changing world. Empowering learners is one of the strategic themes you’ll find in MomentUM: Leading change together, the University of Manitoba’s 2024–2029 strategic plan.