What Two Neuroscientists Would Tell Their Younger Selves

The following Q&A is adapted from the webinar, In First Person: Tips to Survive and Excel as a Woman in Neuroscience.

If you could, what advice would you give your past undergraduate self?

Susan Amara: I would probably tell myself to have more of a plan. In some ways, going through my entire career felt like I was Alice in Wonderland. It turned out to work for me, but in many ways, things are more challenging now. Thinking ahead and having a plan that you can modify can help.

I feel like I was very fortunate in that I made some good decisions with respect to the people I worked with and the things that I did. But I would have been better off had I known: Yes, you do this, and you do that, and that once you have a plan, you can modify it, but at least you’re building towards something. Particularly now, when we have things like K-awards in the United States and things where timing is important, I would encourage people to really anticipate some of the next steps rather than just wait for it to happen and realize that you’re set back because of it.

Sheena Josselyn: I also sort of went through without having a plan. I never really thought things through. I just sort of went with my gut with every decision and it worked out very well. I think that younger people today do have plans. I think plans are great, but I also like trusting your instincts. If I were to see my undergraduate self right now, I would say, “Enjoy it. Enjoy the ride. Don’t worry. Things do work out if you work really hard, and good things will come. Don’t worry.”

Watch the full webinar, In First Person: Tips to Survive and Excel as a Woman in Neuroscience.

Speakers

Susan G. Amara, PhD

Susan Amara, PhD, is currently scientific director of the National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Research Program. She has previously held faculty positions at Yale University School of Medicine, at the Vollum Institute in Portland Oregon, as chair of neurobiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Work in her laboratory has examined the impact of psychostimulant and antidepressant drugs on the signaling properties and acute regulation of biogenic amine transporters. Her group has also addressed the structure, physiology, and regulation of glutamate transporters. She received her BS in biological sciences from Stanford University and her PhD in physiology and pharmacology from the University of California, San Diego.

Sheena Josselyn, PhD

Sheena Josselyn is a senior scientist in the neurosciences and mental health program at The Hospital for Sick Children and professor in psychology and physiology at the Institute of Medical Sciences at the University of Toronto. Sheena’s current research focus studies how information is encoded stored and used in the brain, primarily using mouse models. She received her Bachelor’s Degree at Queen’s University at Kingston and her PhD at the University of Toronto which are both located in Canada. Her previous position being a Research Associate in the Department of Neurobiology at UCLA and prior to that she worked in the Department of Psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine.