Getting to know... Julie Boyce

Name: Julie Boyce   
Title: PhD Student, Volcanology and Geochemistry    
Faculty: Science    
Dept: Geosciences 
Campus: Clayton  

How long have you worked at Monash?
Two years.

Where did you work prior to starting at the University?
Before coming to Monash, I completed an undergraduate Master in Geoscience at Keele University, UK, for which my research project focused on welding of pyroclastic air-fall of the Middle Pumice eruption in Santorini, Greece.

I then spent 10 weeks at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. as an intern with Mineral Sciences.

What do you like best about your role?
Getting to go volcano hunting, which is pretty easy in Victoria, as there are more than 400 eruption centres, so plenty to see and get excited over! But studying volcanology has also taken me to places like Santorini (Greece), Mt. Etna (Italy), and Iceland, not to mention awesome fieldtrips I get to lead during semester trips to Merimbula and Mt. Gambier.

Why did you choose your current career path?
Well, I originally studied distance-learning astronomy but discovered a dislike for physics, ruling that out as a career option. My second love was archaeology, and while I was completing my A-Levels with a mind to studying this at university, I discovered geology. It’s such a varied subject with so much to learn, there is never an excuse to get bored. Why volcanology? Just take a look at any active volcano and that should answer your question. Nature is amazing.

First job?
Working in Dover Docks (UK) cleaning tables and making baguettes (french sandwiches). It wasn’t the nicest job in the world.

What research are you currently working on and what does it involve?
I’m currently completing my PhD in volcanology and geochemistry. I study the deposits of a volcano called Mt. Rouse, which is in Penshurst, Victoria. It basically involves taking lots of samples of lava across the 60 km of flows, and pyroclastic deposits from the cones (scoria, ash and volcanic bombs – things ejected from the volcano), then analysing them in the laboratory. I look at things like their geochemistry – so what is their chemical make-up and what that can tell us about the eruption. I do other strange things like sieve my pyroclastic deposits to try and determine the sort of the eruption they came from, and look at their mineralogy under the microscope.

I also bake lots of cakes and bring them in to Geosciences to brighten people’s days. Sometimes this involves organising charity bake-off’s. For instance in December 2011 there was a gingerbread man bake-off which raised $317.60 for World Vision – this paid for the training of a teacher and to help provide water and sanitation for a community, with the leftover money being donated to the child rescue fund.

What is your favourite place in the world and why?
Canterbury in Kent, England. I love it because it’s so full of history – it was an Iron Age settlement before the Romans invaded and there is still part of a Roman pavement in an underground museum nestled among the medieval streets, not to mention the Roman wall which still encompasses the city. It’s also home to the oldest church in England, the remains of a Norman castle, St. Augustines Abbey and Canterbury Cathedral. There is nowhere like Canterbury on a cold December evening. To walk through the old medieval streets near the Cathedral with a hot gingerbread latte in your hand, snow falling around you, Christmas lights twinkling. That feels like home.

What is your favourite place to eat and why?
I love the Pakistani food from Bonfire Cafe in Springvale. Yum.

What is the best piece of advice you have received?
Grab opportunities when they come your way. You might not get offered again.

Tell us something about yourself that your colleagues wouldn’t know?
I have a rare form of Synesthesia. Everything I hear I also see, for instance if I hear a word I can see that word spelt out in front of me.