Peter Puskic

PhD Candidate - IMAS, University of Tasmania

"I hope that young, queer, rural youth can have exposure to all different career paths, and the people they are seeing represented are diverse and have different perspectives to make these kids realise that the only prerequisite you need is to have a passion in order to follow your dream.”

Peter is a marine biologist currently studying his PhD at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies. He loves the ocean and all the wonderful and diverse forms of life it supports. When not in the lab or doing fieldwork on a far flung tropical island, you can find Peter surfing, hiking and spending time outdoors. Peter sits on the organizing committee of Queers In Science Tasmania, which aims to provide a network of queer scientists to help mentor those starting out in their career and foster a more inclusive, diverse and collaborative research environment for all.

“A lot of us have felt excluded or had challenges, but we are still all here. You ride the highs and lows. When it is rewarding, it is all worth it.”

“There is such distrust in science and scientists, but it is only for certain things. Hearing information straight from the horse’s mouth is only a good thing. You can’t talk down to people you need to speak at a level that can be understood by anyone. Knowing that I am not doing this science just for the sake of it, but that I can see a real outcome is so rewarding."

“I love that feeling of discovery and curiosity. We are always learning new things and figuring out new ways to do our research. There is something so invigorating and lively about finding out more and more about the world.”

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