Biophysical Society Bulletin | June 2021

Biophysicist in Profile

the ongoing abuse of power between people higher up the academic hierarchy and people at earlier stages of their ca- reer,” she says. “I stuck it out, kept as professional as possible and when it became clear that I was not supported by the institution I was in, I left for another job. It is a good rule of thumb to have an exit strategy if you find yourself in that situation.”

Hughes’ colleagues are impressed with her science communi- cation skills. Her supervisor at Oxford Instruments NanoAnal- ysis, Iain Anderson , notes, “A great strength that Louise brings to us is her ability to communicate the essence of what a re- search application is all about despite my lack of background knowledge. The passion and drive that Louise brings to all of her work is inspiring, and the ability to flex both the style and content of her communication to her audience is a huge asset to her work.” Errin Johnson , Hughes’ collaborator, is the EM facility manager at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, Oxford University. They have collaborated on and off since 2013. Johnson says, “I have always admired her passion for biological electron microscopy and drive to help improve the field, particularly in volume EM and microanalysis. She also sets an excellent example for using microscopy to engage with the non-scientists, through her blog, her microscopy artwork, and extensive outreach activities.”

Hughes in the lab.

Joining the Biophysical Society has helped Hughes stay con- nected with others in the field, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when maintaining connections has been more challenging. “I joined the Biophysical Society a couple of years ago and have found that it has a great community of people involved in events and the meetings. It has been wonderful to be part of that community and I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to be connected to other researchers via societies such as this one, for knowledge exchange, career opportunities, and for general inspiration, especially in the current environment when physically meeting up with people has been impossible.” Being a BPS member “has given me access to the wide variety of techniques that people are using in this field and information about where people need to go next to address key research topics,” she says. “I have con- nected with a variety of different people and I look forward to seeing where we go next.” For her part, Hughes hopes to expand the range of techniques available to biophysicists and help researchers extract the information they need from their samples. “I see the future involving an increasing array of techniques being brought together and being used on the same samples, enabling us to access and interrogate data in ways that have not been possible up to now,” she shares. “Computing and data analysis are already key to this process and will become increasingly important in the future.”

Hughes enjoying some fun in the surf.

To young people starting their careers in biophysics, she offers this advice: “Make connections, use memberships of societies such as the Biophysical Society to learn and net- work, speak to people in the fields you are interested in, and collaborate as much as you can. Remember that there are many career paths in industry as well as academia!” If Hughes were not a biophysicist, she would be an artist. While the two careers may seem very different, she says, “An electron microscopist is a type of photographer, just one that uses different technology and subjects.” Indeed, she already produces art inspired by her work by “either coloring electron micrographs, making 3D-printed jewelry inspired by biological forms, or using resin as a medium to make art rather than embed EM specimens.” She adds, “I also like baking, doing many different crafts, and am currently working on updating my campervan so that it is ready for travel when lockdown restrictions lift.”

June 2021

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