What are you investigating?

I came into my post-doc at the VIB as an immunologist, thinking I was going to study the immune response in asthma. One way or another, I have found my project now to be based around mucus, and the biophysical properties of snot, wondering why our mucus is so sticky in certain diseases, like asthma. Even though it wasn't in my plan, I really enjoy what I work on now, and have found it a really interesting gateway to many fundamental, clinical and also translational questions which are all possible to answer being at the VIB. 

What’s your favorite thing about your job?

My favorite thing about my job is that every day is different and challenging. Whether that comes in the form of scientific experiments, mentoring students, attending conferences, writing papers/grants - no two days look the same. For me, science is really a career where you can explore and push the limits, where you can think up any crazy experiment or idea, and really get to try it out. And there is no feeling like the moment where everything comes together, and when you see something new for the first time. That is the feeling that pushes us to go on every day, so it's important to hold onto! We get a huge amount of intellectual freedom, particularly in an academic environment, and I love the range of possibilities, and the huge potential that comes with that. I think that makes us incredibly lucky in our chosen careers! 

Do you have any tips to manage stress? / How do you cope with the stresses of a research career?

The question we all want the answer to! I think every researcher realises that stress is an inherent part of the job, and it doesn't get any better the longer you spend in science. But also the longer you spend in science, the more you realise that everyone has stress, even if they don't show it. I think when you feel like you're failing, or your research isn't going well, it's important to know that everybody feels like that at some point, and you are always your own biggest critic. Also, even when your experiment has crashed and burned, even when your amazing grant has been rejected - the sun will always come up tomorrow, the world will keep on turning and life will go on. Have a little cry, eat a tub of ice-cream, kick in a wall (whatever works for you) and then take a deep breath, wipe the tears/ice-cream/bricks off and keep on going!