Portrait: Alba Garcia Baos, Post Doctoral Researcher at IMN

To mark the “International Day of Women and Girls in Science”, we’re delighted to bring you daily portraits of women scientists at IMN.
Their backgrounds and professions are diverse, yet they all share a passion for research and science.

Created by Alba Garcia Baos, Jakob Scharnholz, Claire Delattre and Christelle Glangetas.

Alba Garcia-Baos
Postdoctoral researcher, Neurosciences
Neurodegeneratives Diseases Institute

“Pursue your dreams and your desires!”

Can you say a few words about your research?
Alba: I’m studying the effect of exposure to stress, in particular social isolation during the pre-adolescent period, on the development of anxiety disorders. My hypothesis is that this early stress affects a region of the brain called the posterior basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLP). The BLP could mediate some aspects of anxiety disorders.

Alba’s Science in picture:

Can social isolation in pre-adolescence induce anxiety disorders in adulthood? Photograph of a coronal section of mouse brain showing the posterior basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLP). Could the BLP be involved in the development of anxiety disorders? Alba injected a fluorescent tracer into the BLP of a mouse to visualize other brain regions that communicate with the BLP. These regions will turn into fluorescence (green).

Did you always know that you wanted to be a scientist?
Alba: I didn’t know I wanted to do science until I was 17. During a University open day with my high school, I attended a presentation on the Biomedicine degree, and that’s when I thought to myself: this is what I want to do.

Can you describe your daily routine as a postdoc?
Alba: I ride my bike to work every morning, but it’s my only routine. Every day is a new day. It’s a job with a lot of variety. I can be analyzing data on a computer, reading articles or doing histology in the lab, looking at mouse brain sections. I can also be in the animal facility, measuring the anxiety-like levels of mice or doing in vivo electrophysiology. I record  the electrical activity of neurons (brain cells) to understand how different brain regions can communicate with each other.
I’m an inquisitive and dynamic person, and I particularly like science because it offers a wide variety of activities.

Can you complete the following sentence: “ To do Science you need to … “
Alba: be very curious, love knowledge and, above all, love creating knowledge

You studied in Barcelona. Why did you decide to do your postdoc in Bordeaux, France?
Alba: For the development of my career, it was important to gain professional experience abroad. In fact, it’s an essential criterion for obtaining Spanish “Ramon y Cajal” funding, and others. I also like to travel and discover other cultures, and Bordeaux is close to Barcelona. What’s more, the Bordeaux Neurocampus is one of the best places to do neuroscience. Bordeaux is also home to François Georges, the co-director of my team at IMN. I had attended one of his presentations at a conference and was impressed by his research. I wanted to join his team and it worked.

You’ve been awarded three grants: the Fi-AgauR” grant, the Fyssen Fondation grant and recently the Fondation de la Recherche Médicale grant. Congratulations! Can you tell us why you applied for these grants and what they’re for?
Alba: In Spain, there isn’t much funding available for the laboratory. So it’s part of the process to apply for funding in order to free up a salary, for example, or to enable research projects to develop. This proactive approach enabled me to come to Bordeaux with a research project in mind, which I was able to develop. Obtaining funding is also a plus for your CV: it’s a mark of excellence, as they are highly competitive.

 Did you encounter difficulty as a woman to do Sciences? Did you hear that Sciences are not for girls?
Alba: I’m just at the beginning of my career, and so far I haven’t encountered any difficulties, or at least “direct” ones, but I am aware of certain problems. For example, when I was growing up, I never saw women scientists depicted in films or books. In addition, throughout my studies, all my science teachers and professors were men. It’s a well-documented fact: there are more women than men in sciences at the start of their careers, but then this trend reverses as they advance to leadership positions. This is the famous “scissor-shaped curve” phenomenon. This suggests that, as a woman, it is significantly more challenging to reach these leadership positions.
However, I am part of a generation that wants to shake things up, I’m also rather rebellious by nature. If someone tells me, “this isn’t for you” with no logical reason, I’m the kind of person who will push forward and give it my all. I’m fortunate to have had the unwavering support of my parents in all my choices.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Alba: I’d like to finish my postdoc at the Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, in Bordeaux, and then return to Barcelona, where I’m from, to become an independent researcher. I really want to do science in academic research.

What would you like to say to the younger generation (and to girls who love science and are reluctant to go into it)?
Alba: The field of neuroscience is still relatively unknown among young people and difficult to access. So, don’t hesitate to get in touch with researchers (contact them through email), find out more about their projects, and maybe do an internship to discover this fascinating world.
More specifically, I’d like to say to girls who love science, be brave and pursue your dreams if that’s what you want for your career.
Science needs diversity to move forward!

And to finish this portrait, Alba’s Science in music: what are you listening to on the bench?
Alba: I love music and listen to lots of different styles, depending on my mood and the energy I want to be in.
If I have a repetitive, boring task to do, I tend to listen to electronic music to motivate myself. On the other hand, when I’ve got analyses to do or things that require concentration, I’m more likely to listen to calm, classical music.
My artist of the moment is Bad Bunny !