Scientist  Spotlight,  2nd  Edition,  January  2014  

From  Our  Field…      Scientist  Spotlight:  Marina  Picciotto  

As  Dr.  Marina  Picciotto  moves  on  from  her  position  as  co-­‐chair  of  the   SRNT   BSN   network,   we   are   grateful   for   her   significant  contributions   over   the   past   few   years.   We   have   asked   her   to  provide  us  with  some  insight  into  her  pathway  to  success,  as  well  as  her  thoughts  on  the  direction  of  the  field.  Dr.  Picciotto  received  her   PhD   in   Molecular   Neurobiology   from   The   Rockefeller  University   under   the   guidance   of   Dr.   Paul   Greengard   and  subsequently  pursued  her  postdoctoral   fellowship  with  Dr.   Jean-­‐Pierre  Changeux  at  the  Institut  Pasteur.  Currently,  Dr.  Picciotto  is  Charles   B.G.   Murphy   Professor   and   Deputy   Chair   in   the  Department   of   Psychiatry,   and   Professor   of   Pharmacology   and  Neurobiology  at  Yale  University  School  of  Medicine.  Throughout  her   career,   Dr.   Picciotto   has   made   significant   advances   to   our  understanding  of   the   role  of  nicotinic  acetylcholine   receptors   in  addiction,   depression,   feeding,   and   learning/memory.   This  leading-­‐edge   research   has   resulted   in   over   188   publications,  

many  of  which  appear  in  high  profile  journals.  Dr.  Picciotto’s  status  as  a  leader  in  the  field  is  not  only  evidenced  by  her  research  but  also  by  the  many  prestigious  honors  and  awards  that  she  has  received  throughout   her   career,   including   the   Jacob   P.   Waletzky   Memorial   Award   and   two   NARSAD  Investigator  Awards.  Moreover,  Dr.  Picciotto  has   served  on   the   editorial  board   for  multiple   journals  and   is  a  member  of   the   Institute  of  Medicine,  Faculty  of  1000  and   the  National  Advisory  Council   on  Drug  Abuse.  Dr.  Picciotto’s  responses  to  the  interview  from  December  of  2013  are  below.    1. Why  did  you  choose  to  become  a  scientist?    I   loved  science   from  early  on,  but   I  didn’t  know  what  a  scientist  did.  When  I  was  a  senior   in  high  school,  I  had  to  get  an  internship  and  got  a  job  in  a  lab  studying  the  neurobiology  of  feeding.  Once  I  started  working  in  neuroscience,  I  became  a  lot  more  focused  and  I  was  subsumed  into  life  in  a  lab.  

 2. What  are  your  current  research  interests?    My  research  focuses  on  the  role  of  nicotinic  acetylcholine  receptors  in  behaviors  related  to  nicotine  and  opiate  addiction,  and  in  models  of  depression,  learning  and  appetite,  all  of  which  are  affected  by  tobacco   smoking.   The   studies   in   our   lab   span   molecular   genetic,   biochemical,   cell   biological,  anatomical,   electrophysiological,   behavioral   and   human   clinical   studies.   My   philosophy   is   that  strong  basic  neuroscience  can  be  clinically  relevant,  and  that  translation  of  molecular  and  cellular  neuroscience   to   understanding   psychiatric   and   neurological   illness   can   have   real   public   health  benefits.        3. How  have  your  research  interests  evolved  over  the  course  of  your  career?      At   the   time,   it   seemed   like  my  choices  of   topic  were  all   random,  but   it   turns  out   that   I  have  been  working   toward   understanding   the   molecular   basis   of   behavior   from   the   earliest   stages   of   my  career,   just   from   different   vantage   points.   I   started   out   doing   behavioral   pharmacology   and  measuring   feeding   behavior   and   when   I   got   to   college,   my   undergraduate   advisor   gave   me   a  

 

Scientist  Spotlight,  2nd  Edition,  January  2014  

pipetteman   and   said,   “you’re   never   going   to   understand   how   the   brain   works   doing   those  experiments,”   and   introduced   me   to   molecular   biology.   Once   I   started   working   on   molecules,   it  satisfied  the  part  of  my  brain  that  wants  to  be  able  to  understand  a  system  (in  this  case  a  molecular  complex   or   signaling   pathway)   fairly   extensively.   At   the   same   time,   I   became   a   neuroscientist  because   the   brain   is   the   most   interesting   organ,   and   I   wanted   to   understand   more   complex  phenomena,   like  behavior,  so  after  doing  molecular  biology  and  biochemistry  experiments  for  my  PhD,  and  learning  some  drosophila  genetics,  I  came  all  the  way  back  around  and  put  all  my  passions  together  by  doing  molecular  genetic  experiments   in  mouse  models.  This  allowed  me   to  study   the  molecules  involved  in  behavior  in  great  detail,  while  also  studying  neural  circuits,  connectivity  and  behavior.  Combining  these  levels  of  investigation  keeps  me  interested  and  excited,  but  also  allows  us  to  conduct  studies  that  are  rigorous  in  different  ways.    4. What  do  you  view  as   the  main  challenges   for  your   field?  From  your  perspective,  what  do  

you  view  will  be  the  next  biggest  breakthrough(s)?    I   think   the   biggest   challenge   to   brain   science   is   managing   and   making   sense   of   the   enormous  datasets   that   are   being   generated   from   deep   sequencing,   functional   and   structural   imaging   and  genetic  studies   in  animal  and  human  studies.  Computational  methods  are  still  being  developed  to  link   these   different   levels   of   observation.   We   will   also   need   to   make   breakthroughs   in  bioengineering  to  translate  these  studies  into  new  treatments  for  brain  diseases.  I  believe  that  the  biggest  breakthroughs  in  treatment  of  psychiatric  and  neurological  illness  in  the  next  few  years  will  come  from  applying  new  ideas  in  engineering  to  neurobiological  systems.    5. Do  you  currently  or  have  you  served  as  a  scientific  consultant  for  a  company,  as  an  editor  

for  a  journal,  and/or  a  position  in  a  scientific  organization  (e.g.,  SRNT,  SfN,  etc.)?  Based  on  your  experiences,  what  are  the  pros  and  cons  participating  in  this  respect?  

 I  have  served  as  an  editor  for  several  journals  (I  was  a  Senior  Editor  at  the  Journal  of  Neuroscience  and   am   currently   a   Handling   Editor   at   Nicotine   &   Tobacco   Research   and   the   Journal   of  Neurochemistry).  The  advantages  of  doing  editorial  work   is   that  you  can   learn  about   the   current  direction  in  your  field  and  how  reviewers  (your  colleagues)  view  the  ideas  and  techniques  that  are  pushing  the  field  forward.  The  disadvantage  is  that  this  can  take  a  lot  of  time  and  may  pull  you  away  from   your   own   research,   where   you   need   to   focus   in   order   to   be   productive.   Finding   the   right  balance  between  service  to,  and  a  broader  view  of,  your  field,  and  focus  on  your  own  research  is  a  lifelong   effort,   and   one   that   can   shift   over   time.   I   am   also   an   active   member   of   a   number   of  committees   in   scientific   organizations   I   am   involved   with,   particularly   SRNT   and   SFN.   This   is   a  terrific   thing   to  do  as  a   junior   scientist.   It   lets  you  get   to  know  your   colleagues  beyond   just   their  published  papers,  and  it  lets  them  know  you  and  how  you  think  about  your  field.  Again,  it  can  take  a  significant  amount  of   time,   so  balance   is   important,  but  getting   involved  actively  with  a   scientific  organization  relevant  to  your  work  is  a  way  of  becoming  integrated  into  your  scientific  community,  even  as  a  young  scientist.    6. Have  you  achieved  a  balance  between  work  and  personal  priorities?  How  do  you  prioritize  

work  and  non-­‐work  activities?    The  balance  between  the  many  activities  in  life  is  one  that  is  very  personal  and  which  every  person  has  to  determine  for  themself.  What  works  for  one  person  may  drive  another  person  crazy.  For  me,  it   was   important   to   have   a   family   life,   enjoy   my   daughter   and   be   there   for   her   while   she   was  growing  up,  and  that  required  me  to  spend  evenings  and  weekends  at  home.  For  another  person,  that  might  have  been  an  unacceptable  sacrifice.  At   the  same  time,   I  was  not  a  stay  at  home  mom,  

Scientist  Spotlight,  2nd  Edition,  January  2014  

and  came  back  to  the  lab  very  soon  after  my  daughter  was  born  because  staying  away  from  science  would  have  been  very  hard  for  me.   I  also  continued  to  give  seminars,  attend  meetings  and  travel.  Having   excellent   childcare   at   my   university   and   a   helpful   partner   allowed   me   to   do   that.   For  another   person,   not   spending   their   early   years   at   home   with   their   kids   might   have   been   an  unacceptable   sacrifice.   Balance   is   elusive   and   shifting,   so  making   sure   that   you   follow   your   own  values  and  not  those  you  think  you  “should”  have  is  important.    One  piece  of  advice  I  got  from  a  colleague  is  that  there  is  never  a  “good”  time  to  have  children,  so  you  should  start  a  family  and  have  children  when  you  are  ready  to  be  a  parent,  not  when  it  works  with   your   career.   There  will   always   be   obstacles,  whether   professional,   financial   or   personal,   so  figure  out  what  those  are,  and  find  as  many  strategies  as  possible   for  getting  around  them.  There  are  many  creative  solutions.    7. What   strategies   have   you   found   to   be   most   beneficial   for   managing   all   of   your  

commitments?    The   first   strategy   is  not   to   let   things   sit   on  your  desk   too   long  –   get   the   little   stuff  done   in   those  moments  that  are  too  short  to  concentrate  on  writing  a  paper  or  a  grant  and  get  them  off  your  desk  as  quickly  as  possible.  It  is  a  truism,  but  learn  how  to  delegate  as  soon  as  you  can.  If  there  is  a  task  that  can  be  taken  care  of  by  a  student  that  will  free  up  time  for  you  to  focus  on  a  bigger  project,  go  ahead  and  ask  them  to  take  it  on.  Finally,  try  to  manage  your  perfectionism  –  learn  what  is  essential  to  do  with  perfect  attention  to  detail,  and  learn  which  details  are  not  as  important.  For  example,  I  go  through  data  that  will  go  into  a  grant  or  a  paper  with  an  eye  on  every  detail,  but  I  do  not  spend  as  much  time  or  attention  on  routine  clerical  tasks.    8. In  your  opinion,  what  is  the  best  balance  of  postdocs,  graduate  students,  and  technicians?    I  don’t  think  there  is  a  perfect  mix  or  balance,  but  I  never  invite  anyone  to  join  the  lab  unless  I  know  that   there   is   someone   who   can   supervise   and   mentor   that   person   currently   in   the   lab.   For   an  undergraduate,  that  person  may  be  a  graduate  student  or  postdoc,  for  a  new  postdoc,  that  person  might  be  a  more  senior  postdoc  or  more  senior  research  fellow.  Even  if  the  person  joining  the  lab  has   a   lot   of   experience,   it   is   good   to   have   a   buddy   to   share   data   with   and   to   learn   about   the  laboratory  culture.    9. What  advice  would  you  have  for  students  starting  their  academic  career?  What  qualities  do  

you  look  for  when  recruiting  graduate  students  or  postdocs?    A   love  of  science   is  essential   for  starting  an  academic  career   in  research,  but   it   is  not   the  only,  or  most  important,  quality  for  success.  One  of  the  most  useful  characteristics  for  a  successful  academic  researcher   is   the   ability   to   see   things   through   all   the   way   to   completion.   I   have   seen   brilliant  scientists  fail  because  they  could  not  overcome  their  perfectionism  and  get  a  paper  submitted  and  published.   I   have  also   seen  very   smart   scientists  put  off   submitting   a   grant  until   they  had  all   the  data   they   thought  was   necessary,   which   resulted   in   running   out   of  money   before   the   grant  was  funded.      An   important   mentor   of   mine   once   told   me   that   "Genius   is   seeing   what   others   have   seen,   and  thinking  what  they  have  not."    In  my  lab,  I  look  for  smart  people  who  think  creatively  but  who  can  also   translate   that   creativity   into   feasible   experiments   (as   demonstrated   by   a   track   record   of  publishing  their  studies).      

Scientist  Spotlight,  2nd  Edition,  January  2014  

10. What  advice  would  you  have  for  postdoctoral  trainees  transitioning  into  faculty  positions?    The  first  few  years  as  a  new  faculty  member  were  some  of  the  most  scary  for  me,  and  the  first  time  I  ever  felt  like  I  might  have  a  bit  of  the  imposter  syndrome.  I  knew  how  to  do  experiments  and  think    about  science,  but   I  hadn’t  been  taught  most  of   the  other   information  or  skills  necessary   to  run  a  lab.  Get  as  much  information  as  you  can  about  the  promotion  process  at  your  university  early  on,  and   find   an   older   colleague   to   tell   you   the   things   everyone   already   “knows”   so   you   won’t   be  surprised  when  the  time  comes  for  promotion.  Be  ready  to  be  a   jack-­‐of-­‐all   trades  for  a   few  years,  being  the  engine  behind  the  experiments   in  your  new  lab  while  also  writing  grants  and   lecturing.  Once  you  have  shown  the  scientific  world  that  you  can  be  creative  and  productive  on  your  own  by  publishing  your  first  papers,  you  will  be  able  to  attract  good  people  to  work  with  you.