We are back with our 'spotlight on' interview series, shedding light on inspiring women working in the field of neuroscience and reflecting on their distinct backgrounds and career journeys. The questions posed to these individuals explore the themes of job perks and challenges, developing new skills, inspirations in the neuroscience field, and goals for the future. Stay tuned to see new interviews every few weeks from women in a range of neuroscience-related professions!
Being a woman in neuroscience can be challenging, but facing strong gender bias from an early age, by being a woman in physics, can be even more so. Dr Eva Kreysing is both. Equally fascinated by these research areas, based at the University of Cambridge as a postdoctoral researcher in the group of Professor Kristian Franze, Dr Kreysing uses her advanced training in the physical sciences to shine light on some of the biggest questions in developmental neuroscience. What can physics tell us about the way that neurons mature as our brains are built? I sat down with Eva to learn about her journey into cross-disciplinary science, her current projects, and where her career is heading.
How did you first decide to become a scientist?
I would probably say in eleventh grade which, in my school, was the first time we were properly introduced to the sciences in class. There were two key moments that come to mind. The first was in my first real school physics lecture where we were taught, in one go, how to differentiate, integrate and solve differential equations. I was amazed to see just how powerful maths is and how elegantly you can apply it. That made me see that I really love the approach that physics gives you in science.
From the biology side, it was around the same time. I was looking through my biology textbook at the beginning of term and came across neurons – I was so intrigued, but perhaps a bit lazy and didn’t keep reading! Instead, I went to see my father, who used to be a biology teacher, and asked him to tell me everything he knew about neurons. We sat down for an entire afternoon, and I was hooked. I knew then that I wanted to study neurons, but I wanted to take a physics approach.
Your undergraduate and PhD studies were both in physics – what made you take that particular path?
I spoke to various people with backgrounds in neuroscience, medicine and physics, and from these conversations, I decided that the best way to combine a love of physics and neuroscience was to study physics as a primary subject and explore neuroscience independently. I felt learning physics by myself would be harder, but with biology I could focus on the areas I was specifically interested in and explore them in depth. I thought this approach would be the best way forward.
What parts of your training in physics then helped you in neuroscience?
I would say less of the techniques, but more of the approach. Being a physics student teaches you to be independent in your learning. You know you will not understand everything in the beginning, but you just have to keep going. No matter what it is, you will manage. We used to call it ‘frustration tolerance’! I took that lesson with me into neuroscience – if I keep trying, then I can find the answers to the questions I am interested in.
So training as a physicist helped you to train yourself as a biologist?
I think so!
Can you tell me about the research you are doing now? What excites you most about your current work, combining physics with neuroscience?
At the moment, I am taking on the question of how mechanics impacts the electrical development of neurons. For example, how quickly do neurons start to communicate with one another depending on their mechanical environment, such as the stiffness of the surrounding brain tissue? I absolutely love trying to figure out all of the different components that feed into the mechanics of the cell. Sometimes I put myself into the neuron’s shoes and try to imagine what it would actually feel, what the world looks like from the perspective of this tiny neuron. If I am a neuron, and I grab hold of this and pull on it, how will this affect me?
So cool! What sort of lab techniques help you to understand this?
There are so many different techniques. On the one hand, I use a lot of microscopy tools that are grounded in physics to probe how the mechanics of a cell work. Using traction force microscopy, I can measure the forces that a cell applies to its environment, for example as an axon extends and grows, by looking at how it deforms its environment. Optics tweezers let me pull a super thin tether of cell membrane to see how much tension there is. These physical principles tell us lots about how neurons behave and develop over time, and this feeds back into more traditional biological measures, such as gene expression. Figuring out how mechanical interactions can change biological pathways is, for me, the coolest thing, because it really combines these two worlds.
How do you investigate the mechanisms that link mechanics to biochemistry?
I have done a lot of RNA sequencing, and more Western blots than I can count, to compare gene expression from cells that are cultured in different mechanical environments, in particular on gels of different 'stiffness'. This can pinpoint interesting candidates that may be important in the signalling cascade, even if you have never heard of them before! I then specifically target these candidates with molecular techniques, like CRISPR-Cas9, and see if the result is what I would expect, depending on my hypothesis.
Is there such a thing as a typical ‘day-to-day’ in your job?
My days vary so much, which is definitely part of the appeal. I have some days where I am fully engaged in the lab, doing tissue dissections and neuronal culture. Now that I have so much experience, it almost feels like a handicraft, and I get into a sort-of ‘flow state’ when the muscle memory just kicks in. It gives lab work a totally zen feeling.
I then look at my cells under the microscope and, particularly if it is a new experiment, I might see things I have never seen before – I get so curious about what I am about to see! When you see something interesting, it is really eye opening, especially if it is not the observation you expected. I take the time to think about it and prepare to doubt all of my assumptions. I dive into the literature and search through papers for the missing pieces of the puzzle that explain what I just saw with my own two eyes. With more research, the picture becomes clearer, and I get such a sense of reward.
I also supervise students, which is immensely satisfying because I can share my knowledge to help people avoid making some of the frustrating mistakes I faced myself! Some of my students are actually taking on my own previous projects, so supporting their progress is truly fantastic because I still feel so invested in this research, despite not having the opportunity to progress with my own two hands in the lab. I’m still following the story, all while giving advice and mentoring the next generation of scientists.
Of course, there are also desk-based days. I write a lot of my own custom software to analyse the data that I have collected, such as the dynamic calcium signalling of cells. On other days, I’m writing papers and research proposals (have a look at Eva's latest preprint here).
Sounds really intense! When things get tough, what keeps you going?
As soon as I start to feel uneasy, I turn to the people around me. In the lab or the office, I am fortunate to be blessed with the most amazing team of colleagues who are such a source of support. After work, I focus on spending time with the people I love, and my adorable black Newfador, Sam. Sport is also a fantastic mental release; whenever I exercise, like taking Sam for a walk or jog, the world looks completely different when I get home. It gives me a new perspective and helps me forget about things.
Do you think there are particular challenges faced by women in progressing in their careers in both neuroscience and physics?
I would say it has become more ‘normal’ to be a woman in neuroscience than a woman in physics. This probably also depends what country you are in, as Germany (where I come from and did my PhD) has a very different scientific culture to the UK. I have always felt more accepted here, not by specific individuals, but in an overall sense. I do feel that I belong in science and that I am respected.
On the topic of respect, who would you consider a scientific inspiration to admire?
I have been thinking a lot about this question, as I thought it might come up! I have to say, if it is really a question of inspiration, I must admit that it is not people that inspire me, but problems. When I am faced with a problem, I am compelled to learn everything that I need to in order to tackle it. It is this that really inspires me in my work, rather than a desire to follow in the footsteps of someone else. Every scientist, just like every person, is completely different. No scientist I have met is someone I have felt able to compare myself to.
There are so many problems out there to face! What problems do you want to face in your future research?
My dream is to combine my research from both my PhD and my postdoc and take them to the next level. Together, they could give much deeper insights into how mechanics impacts circuit formation in the brain. This is a huge question, and to face it we have to learn a lot more about how mechanosensing actually works at the subcellular level – how are neurons ‘feeling’ their environment? Then we have to take the story all the way through to the development of organs in vivo. If I could start a lab that works to achieve this, it would be incredible.
Last but not least, if you could go through your career again, is there anything you would change?
Honestly, I would probably do exactly the same. During my undergraduate studies, people used to ask me what I was interested in, and when I told them I wanted to work at the interface of neuroscience and physics, they just looked at me in a funny way. Many tried to talk me out of studying physics at all. They gave me the impression that they thought what I wanted was wrong, or was not possible. Now, having gone through my journey, I know they were wrong. This has been the right path for me.
This article was written by Rachel McKeown and edited by Rebecca Pope, with graphics produced by Lilly Green. If you enjoyed this article, be the first to be notified about new posts by signing up to become a WiNUK member (top right of this page)! Interested in writing for WiNUK yourself? Contact us through the blog page and the editors will be in touch.
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