Profile

I’m originally from Montreal, Canada and I have been living in Cambridge, UK for almost 2 years. My boyfriend is also a neuroscientist but he lives in Germany so we travel a lot. I have two younger siblings: a brother and a sister, who live in Montreal. I really enjoy cooking and baking and trying new recipes, so the people I work with are always happy to be taste testers! I like science-fiction, including things like Star Wars and Star Trek. I also like to be creative when I knit, crochet and cross-stitch. I’m a huge nerd and I’m always looking for new things to learn!

I’m interested in the proteins that we have in our brains. Some of these proteins are very important for the communication between brain cells, and these are called neurotransmitter receptors. Sometimes, when they’re not working properly, they can play a role in some disorders, and that’s why it’s important to understand how they naturally work. This way, we can try our best to solve these problems in the future.

During my PhD, I asked questions like “How do these protein work?”. Now, I’m asking different questions, like “What do these proteins look like?” and “Do they partner up with other proteins and does this change the way they work?”. These different kinds of questions can be answered by using different methods. For example, to find out how the neurotransmitter receptors work, we can use electrophysiology, a method that allows us to measure electrical currents. On the other hand, to find out what they look like, we can use very powerful microscopes. I love my work because I think of it as a kind of “Magic Schoolbus”!

On a typical day at the lab, I start by taking a look at my plan for the day and organizing all the things I would like to do. That can include reading papers, planning and doing experiments, and even helping others with their experiments. I often ask others whenever I have a question or when I don’t know how to do something. The people I work with are very friendly and very helpful! Sometimes, I even chat with people without having a particular question, but it’s always nice to exchange ideas and get to know the people you work with.

My experiments usually involve putting specific DNA into cells so that they can make lots and lots of proteins (the ones I’m interested in are called neurotransmitter receptors are and very important in the brain!). When all these proteins are made, I can use them to prepare special samples that will go into very powerful microscopes. This lets us see what the proteins look like! I always get excited when I go to the microscope! 🙂 It’s a lot of hard work but it’s also very rewarding.