Biophysical Society Bulletin | October 2018

Biophysicist in Profile

Publications

Know the Editor David Sept University of Michigan

In Search of Tweeters and Bloggers!

years!” she says. “Of course, the down side is that you have no security and could be out of a job if you fail to get the next one. Just as well my husband was a banker!” After running her own lab for 20 years, Clarke retired from re- search last fall, as is mandated at age 67 at the University of Cambridge. “In my case this is hard, closing down my lab after only 20 years! My final students are writing up. They have all been working on intrinsically disordered proteins, which fold

The biggest challenge of Clarke’s career has been working in a field in which so few women reach the top. “That can be lonely. There is such a macho ‘got to work long hours’ culture, and it is frustrating watching brilliant young women decide that punishing schedules will be too heavy a price,” she says. “I learned to keep it small — keep your group tight. That way it is manageable, easier to fund, you don’t get hung up with all the admin, and you can still be close to the results — even if it’s your students who are actually collecting the data.”

Editor, Molecular Machines, Motors and Nanoscale Biophysics

“ Follow your dream. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t. But don’t be frightened to take it slowly, to take breaks. Keep your eye on what is important —your science and your family and friends—we’re not in this for fame or fortune. ”

upon binding to a partner macro- molecule —where protein folding and unfolding is part of the function,” she explains. “Plan A was to travel, support and mentor young scientists, and look after the five grandchildren more regularly.” Instead, a new opportunity arose for Clarke — to serve as head of a Cambridge college. “Last October I started my retirement with the posi- tion of president of Wolfson College, Cambridge. This is an amazing job. Wolfson is a relatively young college,

David Sept

Over the years, she has also built a support system of fellow women in science. “I have a number of close friends who I have only met through biophysics, mainly women, who I admire and who have supported me through the last 20 years, and I have supported them back,” she says. “Perhaps I will single out Carol Robinson , who left school at 16, took 9 years out after her PhD to look after her children, and yet is one of the world’s most eminent biophys- icists (she is the Biophysical Society Lecturer this year). She demonstrates

What are you currently working on that excites you? For many years, my group has worked to understand the sequence-structure-function relationship in both actin and tubulin. Our work has always been theoretical and computa- tional in nature, and we have been fortunate to have a great group of collaborators in experimental biophysics, biochemis- try, or cell biology. Just like many other fields, we have seen a massive influx of new sequence and structural data in recent years that has created many new opportunities for us. What I have found particularly exciting and interesting is the new understanding we have gained about disease-causing mu- tations in these proteins as well as the functional effects of post-translational modifications, particularly in tubulin. What has been your biggest “aha” moment in science? Apart from any breakthroughs I may have made through my science, I think the biggest “aha” moment for me was the realization that one could actually do scientific research as a career. I was a first-generation college student and although I knew I wanted to attend university, I frankly understood very little about how the higher education system actually worked. After my sophomore year as a physics major at the University of Alberta, I was awarded a summer research fellowship, and this experience completely shifted my world view. This set me on a path towards graduate school, a postdoc, and now nearly 20 years as a faculty member. That initial research op- portunity that I had now seems like random chance, and this really motivates me to give other students the same opportu- nity that I was so fortunate to receive.

Do you believe in the power of social media? Do you like to write, blog, and tweet about science? The Biophysical Journal is looking for 3–5 junior faculty members or early career re- searchers (post PhD) to tweet about articles in the journal and write related blog posts for the Society’s 3,500 blog readers. You will join the team of Society members who advertise exciting new science published continuously in Biophysical Journal while adding social media contributor to your list of accomplishments. Interested candidates can view the Society blog at https:/www.biophysics.org/blog and follow both the Society and BJ on Twitter @biophysicalSoc and @BiophysJ Tweets will be from the Biophysical Journal account and will not be attributed; blog posts will have attribution. Contribu- tors will be expected to prepare 60–70 tweets and approxi- mately 4 blog posts per year. Selected social media contribu- tors will have their name on the journal masthead, be profiled in the BPS Bulletin , and receive a small stipend. To submit your application by December 15, visit https:/www.surveymonkey.com/r/MQC2WBX

taking only mature undergraduates (returners to learning) and graduates. It is a modern, inclusive, and diverse community of students and researchers in all disciplines. At the moment we have students from 79 countries. It is a privilege to work with young — and not so young — scholars and see them forge their way, follow their passions, their ambitions to change the world,” she shares. “And actually, it turns out that being a biophysicist is a good training for this job. Of the 32 heads of colleges here in Cambridge, 4 of us are biophysicists! There is Greg Winter at Trinity, my old mentor Alan Fersht in Gonville and Caius, and Chris Dobson at St John’s.”

quite clearly that there is not just one way to be a success.” Outside of science, Clarke most enjoys playing with her five grandchildren, aged one to eight years. “I don’t do that enough because none of them live close enough,” she says. Asked what advice she would offer to those just starting their careers in biophysics, she says, “Follow your dream. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t. But don’t be frightened to take it slowly, to take breaks. Keep your eye on what is important — your science and your family and friends —we’re not in this for fame or fortune. And marry a banker!”

Next Generation Science: Start a BPS Student Chapter!

BPS NowAccepting Suggestions and Proposals for Biophysics eBooks Have you thought about writing a book but find the idea daunting? Have you wanted to pick up a succinct well-written book on a biophysics topic but realized it didn’t exist? We want to hear from you. For those interested in writing a book, the BPS-IOP ebooks program offers numerous resources as well as personal help and guidance to assist you. If you are interested in being part of this unique program, please submit your suggestion or a summary of your proposal, detailing the topic, concept, competition, and potential audience to Jessica.Fricchione@iop.org, including a current biography and contact details. Want to knowmore? Visit http:/ ioppublishing.org/biophysical-society-ebooks/.

Are you a mentor to biophysics students who have leadership potential? Are YOU a biophysics student interested in growing your educational and career opportunities? If either answer is yes, get involved organizing a Biophysical Society Student Chapter! The program is building active Chapters around the globe, increasing student representation and

participation within the Society, and promoting biophysics as a discipline across college campuses through activities organized by local Chapters. Chapters may be formed within a single institution, or regional chapters may be developed among multiple, neighboring institutions anywhere in the world. Approved chapters will receive $200 USD in reimbursable expenses to assist with getting started, and have access to special opportunities for Chapter officers and members at future Biophysical Society meetings. To learn more about application requirements, visit www.biophysics.org/student-chapters. Questions can be directed to Dorian Russell at drussell@biophysics.org. Applications are due November 15, 2018.

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