Beyond the bench, this postdoc finds inspiration in mentoring young scientists as they grow into independent researchers.
Q | Write a brief introduction to yourself including the lab you work in and your research background.
My name is Adam Schuller, and I work in the lab of Dr. Ronald B. Tjalkens at the Colorado State University, studying the role of environmental toxin exposure in the context of Parkinson’s disease and related dementias. We apply high-content microscopy and deep learning-based image analysis to quantify cellular changes that occur in glial populations during the prodromal phases of disease and correlate this data with transcriptomic and epigenomic changes in astrocyte populations to generate phenomic data across longitudinal time points in disease pathogenesis. The ultimate goal of our work is to identify druggable targets to curb the rising disease burden across the US and worldwide.
Q | How did you first get interested in science and/or your field of research?
I have always possessed an innate curiosity regarding the origins of neurodegenerative disease and why some individuals are more susceptible than others in this context. This has been fostered by research experiences from my undergraduate and graduate work culminating in my research goals now as a postdoc in the Tjalkens lab.
Q | Tell us about your favorite research project you’re working on.
I am most excited about our ongoing work characterizing the effects of viral infection in the context of Parkinson’s disease pathogenesis. For centuries, researchers have been acutely aware of the risks of viral infection on the development of post-encephalitic lethargica and Parkinsonism. We are now starting to fully understand and characterize the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying these phenomena, which will greatly increase our ability to eventually intervene and prevent these disease cascades from being initiated.
Q | What do you find most exciting about your research project?
I am most excited every time I mentor another budding scientist in their journey towards autonomy. Watching junior trainees develop their own independence and confidence to pursue intrinsic curiosities and research questions of their own is the most rewarding part of an academic career.
Q | If you could be a laboratory instrument, which one would you be and why?
I would likely be a multichannel pipette because I have become very accustomed to balancing the dispersion of multiple lines of communication at once in my role in our laboratory.
Are you a researcher who would like to be featured in the “Postdoc Portraits” series? Send in your application here.
