Biophysical Society Bulletin | October 2022

Biophysicist in Profile

the challenge of elucidating the role of PIEZO2 in pain sensa tion. In parallel, I started the herculean task of screening for novel MA ion channels. Both these projects required me to learn techniques and biology that I wasn’t familiar with, and extended from mouse genetics to behavior. This was very challenging and resulted in two to three years of negative or no data,” she reveals. “But with perseverance and confidence that if one is asking the right questions, then with patience and determination one can be successful, I was able to achieve my goals. Being out of my comfort zone made me a better and more well-rounded scientist. I also learned a very important skill, which is to recognize when to drop projects and move on. Finally, I could not have faced these challeng es without backing and encouragement from my mentors, Ardem and Gabriela. And that kind of unconditional support from a mentor is what I want to provide for my trainees.” Her future research plans are “to really start etching at un derstanding how mechanosensitive ion channels gate,” she says. “With few known mammalian mechanosensors and the challenging nature of understanding how force is intrinsically sensed by these proteins, the study of mechanically activated ion channels has been impeded. I hope that with our efforts we can start unravelling some of these important questions. From the perspective of community building, I look forward to interacting with the Society to contribute further with their efforts in building an inclusive and diverse culture.”

Murthy joined the Biophysical Society as a graduate student, where she greatly expanded her scientific network. “Through out my career, I have met such inspirational mentors and scientists who are BPS members. Even though in the realm of ion channels I switched fields from grad school to postdoc, the connections and network that I built in the Society as a graduate student continue to support and encourage me,” she says. “I have been inspired by women in ion channel biophys ics and physiology such as Popescu, Miriam Goodman , Vas anthi Jayaraman , Sudha Chakrapani , Indira Raman , and Sharona Gordon (to name a few). These women have been role models to the rising generation of scientists to not just maintain in terest in ion channel biophysics, but also alert the community on inclusivity and spread awareness across different rungs of the scientific society. I feel privileged to be a part of this com munity and use its resources to encourage a new generation of biophysicists.” Outside of her career, Murthy spends her time pursuing sev eral hobbies. She shares, “I am an avid hiker and backpacker and love the outdoors. I also like to illustrate and paint, and often try to marry my love for science and creativity into art pieces.”

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October 2022

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