Biophysical Society Bulletin | September 2025

Biophysicist in Profile

Today, Peixoto serves as an associate professor of biology in the Department of Natural Sciences at Baruch College, City University of New York—“It’s a mouthful, and I love it, just like my full name: Pablo Marco Veras Peixoto,” he quips. Peixoto’s current research sits at the intersection of cellular biophysics and neuroscience. His lab studies mitochondrial hydrogen peroxide signaling in synaptic function and plastici ty, work that has yielded surprising insights into how neurons communicate and adapt. “We recently showed that mito chondrial H₂O₂ is released during normal synaptic activity and that high-frequency stimulation enhances its release to drive plasticity,” he describes. Using an optogenetic fly model, his team demonstrated that simply turning on H₂O₂ release from presynaptic mitochondria was sufficient to induce plasticity without stimulation. Like many scientists, Peixoto has faced times of doubt and adversity. “I’ve had moments when I questioned my path or felt everything was at risk,” he reveals. “Some of these chal lenges were acute, others accumulated over time.” Although he developed resilience through these trials, the most signif icant challenge came after achieving a major milestone: ten ure. “I had reached the goal I had chased for years, but I was still overworked, anxious, and running on empty,” he reflects. A series of anxiety attacks forced him to confront a pattern he had maintained throughout his career: “I realized I had spent my life focused on the next milestone—graduation, PhD, postdoc, job, tenure, grants—and had neglected my well- being.” With support from his doctor, therapist, husband, and friends, he began to understand that “well-being, like science, requires sustained attention and care.” When asked about the most rewarding aspect of his work, he recounts receiving a photo from Ma Su Su Aung , a former student, at her neurology fellowship graduation. “I replied with one from her college graduation,” he says. “Seeing what students go on to achieve, and knowing I played a small part in their journey, makes this the best job in the world.”

Peixoto sees exciting developments ahead for biophysics, noting that “some people are now using it to tackle deeply subjective questions like consciousness.” In his own research area, he’s eager to measure emerging and unknown mito chondrial signals in real time during neuronal firing. “There are huge technical hurdles, but the questions are ripe,” he asserts. Throughout his career, BPS has been his home society, offer ing support and community at each stage. “I say I ‘grew up’ in the Society, and I mean it. I work at a primarily undergraduate institution with a small but growing research footprint,” he shares. “Being part of BPS helps me think big. It keeps me connected, engaged, and inspired, and it’s been a place where my students find the same support I did back in 2004.” Asked what he finds special about the Biophysical Society, Peixoto offers, “The Subgroups have my heart, especially Bioenergetics, Mitochondria, and Metabolism. I also love the SoBLA [Sociedad de Biofísicos Latinamericanos] meetings, which happen late on Tuesday nights at the Annual Meeting and often include Society leadership showing up to support Latin American biophysicists.” Outside the laboratory, Peixoto maintains a rich life that in cludes reading science fiction and nonfiction, practicing yoga, spending time in psychoanalysis, scuba diving, rock climb ing, and attending the opera. This diverse array of interests speaks to the same curiosity that drove him to science. For young scientists entering the field, Peixoto’s advice is characteristically direct and encouraging: “Join a committee, a Subgroup, Black in Biophysics, SoBLA, student chapters. Go to the microphone. Ask the question.” It’s advice that reflects his own journey from that curious child asking endless questions in his mother’s kitchen to a respected researcher unraveling the mysteries of cellular communication.

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September 2025

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