Region

Manawatu

Job

Jocelyn is a senior scientist with Crop & Food Research in Palmerston North, where she manages a small group of plant researchers. Their research focuses on the genetic control of cell death, particularly during flower and vegetable senescence (aging). The work involves analysis of plant genes to determine whether the encoded proteins have a significant role in regulating senescence. This includes DNA analysis, protein isolation, and measuring enzyme activity.

Career Pathway

Jocelyn has always been interested in science (both animals and plants), and found it a relatively straight-forward subject to study at school. For these reasons, and the fact that she couldn’t find a technical job after leaving school (in Southland), she pursued science at Otago University. She majored in Botany and Biochemistry for her BSc degree, but also managed to get a smattering of other scientific skills (e.g. chemistry, microbiology, statistics) and gained “people skills” through the odd summer holiday job (e.g. Tiwai Aluminium Smelter, Cromwell Chafer Beetle Research, Fish & Chip cooker, tutor). She says she studied the subjects that she found most interesting.

Jocelyn then travelled with friends overseas (the great kiwi OE). She found this break away from full time study a time to reflect on what she had achieved, think about her future, and simply “blob-out.” She says, “I think this complete break from study gave me more focus when I returned a year later.”

Jocelyn continued studying at Otago University, and in 1993 graduated with a PhD in plant physiology from the Botany Department. Her first research position was at Crop & Food Research in Levin. She has remained with Crop & Food and grown with the position into a Senior Research Scientist for the Institute. On-the-job training in molecular and biochemical techniques has kept her up-to-date with the most current technologies.

Interests

Jocelyn says, “I am very passionate about my research, but leave it in Palmerston North at the end of each day when I drive to the Kapiti Coast and switch into a wife/mother role.” She has three children who attend a local school, play sports at the weekend, and generally keep her very busy outside work hours. She enjoys the outdoors (gardening, walking, cycling), and the indoors (movies, shopping, food, and coffee).