What inspired you towards a career in science?
My primary school science teachers taught me about great scientists and how their discoveries changed the world for the better. That is what inspired me towards a career in science.
What did you study and where?
I finished B.Tech in Industrial Biotechnology from Anna University, Chennai. Then I graduated with a PhD degree in Neuroscience from Brandeis University, USA.
What was the topic of the first thesis you wrote?
My Bachelors thesis was on enzymatic catalysis. My PhD thesis was on how neurons use more than one chemical to relay different messages at the same time (co-transmission).
Why did you choose that topic?
This was part choice, part serendipity. I chose to work on a small neural network in lobsters. I chose it because it has few neurons, and it was possible to figure out how the parts work together to generate an output when the neurons are put together in a network. In mammals, for example, there are billions of neurons, hence it is difficult to conceptually imagine how the information flows or what is being relayed. Having chosen the network, I serendipitously discovered that two peptides found in this network do different things. We later found that the same nerve terminal is releasing the two peptides! So it was pretty exciting to see that the terminal was relaying two different messages at the same time by releasing these two peptides onto different sets of neurons.
Which role do you have right now and what are you investigating?
I am a Principal Investigator and Associate Professor at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore. I am studying how the nervous system generates the command for locomotion.
What are the most enjoyable and the less enjoyable aspects of your daily routine?
The most enjoyable part is discussing experiments and results with my students, giving talks, reading/reviewing papers, writing grants proposing new experiments, approaches etc. When I think about the less enjoyable ones, my mind goes to administrative paperwork of all kinds, committee work.
What is the most important lesson you have learnt during your career so far?
Time is precious. Keep priorities clear in your head. Prioritizing helps one manage time better and also to say no when necessary.
What was the most challenging moment of your career, and how did you go through it?
Not a moment but a few years: my post-doctoral years were dedicated to working on a project that was different from the host lab. The model organisms were different (zebrafish versus tadpole) and the neural systems being studied too (motor circuits versus visual circuits). Looking back, that was a crazy thing to do, but it built up my confidence tremendously.
If you could travel in time, is there a career decision you would like to change and why?
None at all. Those decisions are responsible for who I am today.
Do you have any regrets career-wise?
No regrets.
Who are your role models?
My mom for her grit and courage inspired me to do better every day. And my PhD advisor, Prof. Eve Marder, for showing how mentoring is done.
Do you have a mentor?
I have many. I learn different things from different people.
What did the mentor(s) teach you?
I learnt mentoring skills and how to be a good scientist from Eve. I learnt people management skills from my husband and my sisters.
Which advice would you give to your 18-year-old self?
I’d tell her not to be so serious and to have a lot more fun! I’d also tell her to have an unshakeable belief in herself.
What is your advice for young students who are unsure/undecided about their careers?
Careers and fields are constantly evolving. This is true for scientific research and any career you may want to pursue. In my parents’ youth, there were training centres for short-hand and typewriting and people coming out of these institutes had jobs and careers waiting for them. Many young people don’t even know what short-hand and typewriters are today. What is hot today is passe tomorrow. So what is a young person to do? Identify your strengths, see what interests you and be curious. The secret to career success is to be a learner all through your life. And to be a learner, one needs to be interested in what they are learning. If this is done, one can be ready for the challenges that change brings in by reinventing themselves for these new challenges.
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