…and the Mad Biologist answers. Over at the World’s Fair, David asks scientists:

1. What’s your current scientific specialty?
Microbial population biology.
2. Were you originally pursuing a different academic course? If so, what was it?
Yep. I was originally a marine evolutionary ecologist. I studied botrylloid ascidians (specifically, the evolution of histocompatibility). Sadly, I had far more cache than a microbiologist.
3. Do you happen to wish you were involved in another scientific field? If so, what one?
Nope. Given the crappy wages, long hours, and work to get to the point where I can do this, it would be really depressing if I did. Besides, there’s so much we don’t know that I would like to know, that it will keep me interested for a very long time.