(Biochemistry, BSc, 2021)
Clara and I wanted to create a podcast that was a halfway point between pop-science and a scientific journal. In our podcast, Neuroverse, we don’t aim to lecture, we strive to explore ideas and venture into different areas of understanding and draw connections between disciplines.
What did you enjoy most about your degree?
Studying biochemistry is fulfilling because once you understand the fundamental principles of biochemistry, then understanding the structure-function relationship of proteins and cellular mechanisms becomes beautifully clear. It fits into place, like a puzzle. Some of the modules that clarified my understanding were: “Protein Structure, Folding and Assemblies” and “Enzyme Catalysis”, especially regarding enzyme-directed evolution. I was also inspired by the module "Biochemistry Communication", which encouraged us to think critically about biochemistry and science more widely by posing questions, such as whether it is true that all life needs water? And if it is more energetically favourable for proteins to be folded then why are a third of all proteins intrinsically disordered?
Did you take part in any extra-curricular activities such as sports or societies, or volunteering?
At Queen Mary, I volunteered as part of the STAR Refugee society and aided students in a local community college with their English. I also participated in the salsa society as Treasurer and in the performance team.
Studying BSc Biochemistry will allow you to have incredible scientific foundations which you can then apply to other sciences, in academia, industry, or even the corporate world. In addition to the content of the biochemistry degree, actually studying it will help shape your way of thinking and your worldview.
You have recently finished your Masters in Neuroscience at the University of Edinburgh, what is next for you? What are your future career aspirations?
My Masters in Neuroscience has confirmed my interest in research and academia. I have recently started working as a research assistant in the SWC (Sainsbury Wellcome Center) institute in UCL, part of Sonja Hofer’s lab. The research project and lab are part of a larger organisation, International Brain Organisation (IBO), which focuses on increasing the validity and reproducibility of electrophysiological data. The project is investigating decision-making in the brain through electrophysiological techniques.
Regarding future career aspirations, I hope to continue researching neuroscience in topics involving decision-making, sense-perception, or predictive coding.
This year you started a podcast with fellow student, Clara Lenherr, called Neuroverse. What prompted you to create this podcast and what have been some of your favourite episodes to date?
Clara and I wanted to create a podcast that was a halfway point between pop-science and a scientific journal. In our podcast, Neuroverse, we don’t aim to lecture, we strive to explore ideas and venture into different areas of understanding and draw connections between disciplines.One of my favourite episodes to date was when we had science-art duo “Takt”, composed of Adele Tilouine and Tyler Kaufman, feature on our podcast, who performed at the FENS conference. We discussed the importance of interdisciplinary practice, whether scientists are innately artists and if artists are also scientists.
Another episode called “Understanding the world through physics” featured Liza Rozenberg, who is currently doing her PhD at Harvard, where we discussed the data and phenomenology divide and whether we can ever measure a system without altering it. We also compared the structural features of neurons with space! These unlikely observations arise when two different disciplines converse and we can explore different ways of thinking.
Related to exploring different ways of thinking, “Scientific Planes of Understanding”, our most popular episode to date, explores exactly this. How different disciplines require different planes of understanding. Myself with a BSc in Biochemistry and Clara with a BSc in Neuroscience, we both view biological problems with a different lens. Biochemistry appears to require a more linear and mechanistic way of thinking; whereas with Neuroscience, there are multiple planes of understanding, not only molecular but also electrophysiological, anatomical, behavioural and even philosophical.
What future podcast episodes are in the pipeline, and do you have any plans to introduce some guest speakers?
Some of the topics of future episodes in the pipeline are the gut-brain axis, inequality in medicine and science, synaptic plasticity and many more! We invite guests on our podcast regularly and our next guest is Dr Ginger Campbell who also hosts the award-winning podcast “Brain Science”. I would like to take this opportunity to invite everyone to suggest future topics by commenting on Twitter, and to reach out if you would like to discuss your topic of interest/expertise with us!
Frances Arnold won the Nobel Prize in 2018 for her research on enzyme-directed evolution. I find her methodology motivational in the sense that she was able to create bonds previously thought to be impossible and test the limits of the natural world!
What do you love most about science/how is science relevant to our everyday lives?
I find it incredibly fulfilling to understand theoretical concepts, design experiments, carry them out, collect data, analyse the data and finally have clarity on whether the proposed hypothesis is confirmed or not - both outcomes are equally important for the development of knowledge. Science is part of our everyday life, whether we are aware of it or not. A great example was the speediness of developing the COVID-19 vaccine, which allowed us to leave lockdown quicker.
Why would you encourage prospective students to study BSc Biochemistry based on your own experiences?
Studying BSc Biochemistry will allow you to have incredible scientific foundations which you can then apply to other sciences, in academia, industry, or even the corporate world. In addition to the content of the biochemistry degree, actually studying it will help shape your way of thinking and your worldview. Being able to conceptualise the seemingly chaotic metabolic processes, and dynamic organic chemistry mechanisms, while honing in and understanding the precision involved in protein structure-function relationships, will undeniably change the way you reflect and think.
Who has inspired you in your life so far and why?
There are many biochemists and neuroscientists whom I find inspiring. Focusing on one, I’d like to point out Frances Arnold’s incredible work. Frances Arnold won the Nobel Prize in 2018 for her research on enzyme-directed evolution. Her Nobel Laureate lecture clearly outlined her motivation to utilise what nature has already provided and to simply build upon it. I find her methodology motivational in the sense that she was able to create bonds previously thought to be impossible (carbon-silicon and carbon-boron bonds) and test the limits of the natural world!
If you would like to get in touch with Carolina or engage her in your work, please contact the Alumni Engagement team at alumni@qmul.ac.uk.