CPS Grad Spotlight - Milagros (Mili) Gutierrez Seia
Name: Milagros (Mili) Gutierrez Seia
MSc or PhD Candidate: PhD Candidate
Location of Undergraduate Education: Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile
Name of the Lab at CPS: Schoenbohm Lab
Selected Awards: Hugh Snyder International Scholarship In Earth Sciences
Selected Research Contributions: First author on paper: Pre-Andean deformation and its influence on the shortening of the Southern Precordillera, Mendoza, Argentina. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsames.2023.104322
Mili, please tell us about yourself and your journey as a PhD Candidate!
How did you come to UTM? What interested you to join a lab here?
Well, coming to UTM was pure luck, coincidence or destiny depending on what you choose to believe. I had worked on preparing my own research plan in the Andes and I contacted Prof. Schoenbohm to pitch it to her but because of timing she wasn’t able to get back to me at first. Six months later she reached out to share she was interested and that I should apply to the PhD program at UofT and that my lab would be at UTM. I got in and the first time through campus and meeting everyone I felt like I belonged.
When did you realize that you wanted to pursue graduate study?
To graduate from an undergrad degree back in Chile you have two options: either you work for a company for a couple of months or you do a thesis project. I chose the latter. This is actually a crazy anecdote because it was just the end of the pandemic and I had to travel to Argentina to get my data in the field. I got there and joined some PhD students that were helping me to collect samples and I was supposed to be in charge!!! Long story short, I fell in love with their work and doing research, and I knew this was the path that I wanted to follow.
What are your research interests? Tell us few exciting things about your research.
Currently I work in the Neotectonics and Landscape Evolution Research Group. My main focus is to understand the uplift history of the Southern Central Andes and what is the relationship between subsurface processes like faulting with surfaces processes like erosion.
What is your goal when you finish your degree?
I want to become a professor. My goal is not only to continue doing research, but also to spark curiosity in students — to help them feel empowered to ask difficult, creative, and meaningful questions about the world around them.
If I can create the kind of academic environment that once made me fall in love with research, I’ll consider that a success.
What are some of your achievements you'd like to share?
One achievement I’m especially proud of is successfully planning and leading two field campaigns in the Andes as part of my PhD research. Organizing fieldwork in remote mountain regions requires much more than scientific preparation — it even included managing donkey-supported transport to move equipment and samples across difficult terrain. It was challenging, but incredibly rewarding.
I’m also deeply proud of the meaningful collaborations I’ve built with researchers in Argentina. With the generous support of local scientists, I’ve been able to carry out fieldwork more effectively while fostering genuine academic connections across borders.
Do you have any advice for students considering to pursue graduate studies in research?
You don’t have to be “the best” to do research. You don’t need to have all the answers before you start — in fact, not having them is kind of the point. Graduate school is about learning how to think, how to ask better questions, and how to be comfortable with uncertainty. Science is deeply collaborative; we are constantly learning from each other. There is always more to learn, and that’s what makes it exciting rather than intimidating.
I also think it’s important to remember that graduate school is not only a professional experience — it’s a personal one. It challenges you, pushes you out of your comfort zone, and teaches you resilience. You grow not just as a researcher, but as a person. In many ways, grad school is more about the journey than the destination. If you’re curious, open to learning, and willing to embrace the process — even when it feels uncertain — then research can be an incredibly rewarding path.
