Research experience is by far the most important thing. You should be doing research early and often. It’s as simple as cold-emailing professors and grad students and asking them if they need any help with research tasks. We are almost always looking for help! Sometimes that can result in a publication, and if you have a publication, that puts you miles above other candidates when it comes to applying for anything.
I think the most important skill is the ability to quickly gather and synthesize knowledge and then apply that knowledge to new situations. Athough this is a skill you develop over time, a good way to get started is to read primary literature. Some other useful skills are time management (which I struggle with), statistics (this is very important) and attention to detail.
Who is your biggest inspiration? Beyond the paycheck, why do you continue to wake up and go to work each day?
I draw inspiration from many places. If we’re talking about contemporary ecologists, obviously my advisors Justin Wright and Brian Silliman are inspirational to me. I also draw a lot of inspiration from the works of Brian McGill, Ian Wright, Sandra Díaz, Cyrille Violle and many others. If we’re talking about historically influential ecologists, I draw a lot of inspiration from MacArthur and Wilson. Outside of a strictly academic sense, I can look at people who are successful in areas where I want to be successful. One such example is Peter Kareiva, who is a scientist that’s been successful working in the intersection of ecology and society, and whose career is one I’d like to emulate. I’m also really inspired by people who are able to communicate science (Sci-Com) effectively.
