An interview with
Clare Howarth
Introduce yourself
I’m Clare Howarth, a Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow in the
Department of Psychology. I carry out research into
neurovascular coupling and, in particular, the role
astrocytes play in regulating blood flow in the brain.
Tell us about your research
For the brain to function properly, the energy brought into the brain by the
blood must match the energy required by brain cells to process information. If
this is not the case, the brain cells (neurons) can die. In order to ensure
neurons receive the energy they need, they have developed a mechanism by
which to control local blood flow in response to neuronal activity. This local
increase in blood flow is also the basis of non-invasive imaging techniques
(fMRI) which allow us to study how the brain works in living people. The exact
mechanisms by which the brain’s blood flow is regulated are incompletely
understood. My research uses a variety of imaging techniques to investigate
the role that supporting brain cells (astrocytes) play in this regulation. The
regulation of brain blood flow in response to neuronal activity is dysfunctional
in many diseases, including epilepsy, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and
stroke. My work will investigate how the regulation of brain blood flow occurs
in healthy conditions and will then look at what goes wrong in disease.
Why did you choose Sheffield?
I chose Sheffield because its Neurovascular Research Group hosts worldleading experts in my field. Combining my expertise with the skills, techniques
and equipment which exist within the Group has allowed me to undertake
exciting research at the forefront of my field. Combining my multi-photon
imaging experience with the equipment and expertise available at Sheffield
places me in a unique position to address my research questions from the cell
level through to whole brain.
What support is available to you as a VC Fellow?
As a VC Fellow I have benefitted from various career and personal
development training. I have quarterly meetings with Charlotte Harden, the
Fellowships Development Officer. During these meetings I can plan my
research and funding strategy for both the next few months and longer term. I
have also taken part in a well-structured mentorship programme.
What are your aspirations for the future?
My long-term career goals are to understand the cellular mechanisms which
underlie the regulation of brain blood flow in response to neural activity. Once
we have an understanding of the cell types and signalling pathways involved
in healthy conditions, we can begin to investigate why this coupling between
neural activity and blood flow is dysfunctional in some diseases (eg
Alzheimer’s disease, dementia). Such dysfunction could be a therapeutic
target, improving outcome in these diseases.
I plan to grow my research team to include PhD students and postdoctoral
researchers. My group will use multi-modal imaging techniques to answer
questions which will increase our knowledge of normal brain function, allow
us to better interpret functional imaging signals, and to begin to investigate
how brain blood flow regulation goes wrong in many diseases.
How does the work you’re doing impact on the world?
My research provides critical information about how the brain functions.
Neurovascular coupling (how neural activity and associated increases in local
cerebral blood flow are linked) is essential in order that the energy demands
of active neurons are met. If these energetic demands are not met, the
neurons can die. In many diseases, there are dysfunctions in neurovascular
coupling. By understanding how neural activity and local blood flow are linked
in normal conditions, we can begin to understand how this coupling changes
in disease. These dysfunctions could be potential targets, either in terms of
understanding a disease, or in terms of therapy. Furthermore, the local
increase in blood flow which is associated with neural activity forms the basis
of non-invasive imaging techniques such as functional magnetic resonance
imaging, which is commonly used in research to investigate how the brain
works in living humans. By better understanding the relationship between
neural activity and the increase in local blood flow, we can better interpret
these functional imaging signals.
What has been your biggest achievement since you started your
Vice-Chancellor’s Fellowship?
In November 2014 I was awarded a five-year Wellcome Trust/Royal Society Sir
Henry Dale Fellowship.
This will provide me with the funds necessary to
conduct my research, expand my group and improve my standing as a leader
in my field.
For further information about Clare go to:
www.sheffield.ac.uk/ris/vcfellows/clarehowarth
An interview with
Genevieve
LeBaron
Introduce yourself
I’m Genevieve LeBaron, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow
attached both to the Department of Politics and the
Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute (SPERI).
Tell us about your research
The overarching aims of my research are to understand how and why severe
labour exploitation – including forced labour, human trafficking and slavery –
emerges in the global economy, and to evaluate the effectiveness of initiatives
to eradicate it. I am currently working on two projects. My first project,
‘Governing the Global Factory’ investigates the politics and effectiveness of
corporate social responsibility initiatives to ‘slavery-proof’ global supply
chains, such as ethical auditing. My second project, ‘Understanding and
Governing the Business Models of Forced Labour,’ analyses how businesses
make money from forced labour. I unearth the darker side of formal industry
to analyse the growing business demand for forced labour, and the practices
that perpetuate it. These projects involve collaboration with colleagues at the
European
University
Institute,
Schulich
School
of
Business
and
the
International Labour Organization.
Why did you choose Sheffield?
I chose Sheffield because of its world-class politics department, as well as the
unique opportunities offered through the VCF scheme. In the first case, The
Department of Politics has a reputation for excellence in research and,
especially, a longstanding strength in political economy. It is home to leading
scholars in my field, a leading journal, New Political Economy, and a terrific
interdisciplinary institute, Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute
(SPERI). Sheffield thus offers the perfect intellectual ‘home’ for my research.
Secondly, Sheffield’s VCF scheme offered a unique opportunity to join an
interdisciplinary cohort of scholars, and to benefit from tailored career
development support.
What support is available to you as a VC Fellow?
A huge amount of support is available to me as a VC Fellow, which I think is
very unique for early career scholars! I have benefitted from a mentoring
scheme, through which I meet often with two senior scholars from the
Departments of Politics and Law. My mentors advise on things like funding
applications and strategies to catalyse the societal impact of my research. I
have benefitted from the support and friendship of my VCF colleagues. And
perhaps most of all, I have benefitted from working with Charlotte Harden,
the Fellowships Development Officer, who is a trusted adviser, research
strategist, and grant proofreader extraordinaire!
What have you been doing to disseminate your work?
During my fellowship, I have disseminated my research to three audiences:
policymakers, the public, and fellow academics.
To reach policymakers, I
submitted evidence to the UK Parliament on the Draft Modern Slavery Bill; my
research was cited in the Draft Bill as well as other parliamentary publications.
I also engaged with policymakers as a panellist in a December 2013 Guardian
live debate on ‘Tackling Slavery in Supply Chains,’ which included
representatives of the US Department of Labor and International Labour
Organization.
To disseminate my work to the public, I write widely for the media and
frequently give radio and newspaper interviews. I have written recent articles
for The Guardian, Salon.com, The Hindu, and The Brown Journal of World
Affairs, and have been quoted in The Independent, The Guardian, and Fortune
Magazine. With a handful of colleagues across Europe, Asia and Africa, I have
just launched an Editorial Partnership called Beyond Trafficking and Slavery
with openDemocracy, a ‘digital commons’ with a global readership of over
3.5 million readers a year. By publishing research-driven journalistic articles on
slavery, trafficking and forced labour, we are hoping to broaden and
complexify public debates on the causes of, and solutions to, severe labour
exploitation. It’s also been an amazing way to get my research out to the
general public.
Finally, to disseminate my work to other academics, I have given invited talks
across the UK and Europe. In 2013–2014, I gave talks at the Universities of
Cambridge,
London,
Amsterdam,
Manchester,
Warwick,
Nottingham,
Liverpool, York, Leuven (Belgium), and British Columbia (Canada).
How does the work you’re doing impact on the world?
My research impacts on the world by showing that forced labour is not a
hidden or random crime; it is traceable to certain business models, and
associated with specific types of industries. By applying the knowledge of the
business of forced labour generated through my research, we can design
more effective ways of detecting and eradicating it, in the UK and in global
supply chains.
For further information about Genevieve go to:
www.sheffield.ac.uk/ris/vcfellows/genevievelebaron
An interview with
Philip Elks
Introduce yourself
My name is Phil Elks and I’m a Vice-Chancellor’s
Fellow in the Department of Infection and Immunity. I
am interested in finding novel strategies to treat
bacterial infections that don’t rely on antibacterial
therapy.
Tell us about your research
Antibiotics have been used effectively to treat bacterial diseases, such as
tuberculosis (TB), for over a hundred years. More recently however, TB has
become increasingly resistant to antibiotics. As a result, death and disability
from untreatable TB has re-emerged as a major public health concern, and
new medicines are urgently required. One potential way to enhance the
body’s response to infection is to trick white blood cells (our first line of
defence against disease) into thinking they are in a low oxygen (hypoxic)
environment. Sites of long-term infection are often hypoxic and white blood
cells are hard-wired to detect hypoxia and increase their activity. I aim to
understand these processes and investigate if increasing a hypoxia response
improves the response to infection and clears bacteria before disease
develops. I use zebrafish to understand human disease because they share
many biological processes with humans. Importantly, their embryos are
transparent so we can observe how cells move and behave in a living
organism down the microscope. I can alter hypoxia signalling and observe the
white blood cell response to infection. Using a live system means all the cells
of the body are present; this complete approach cannot be accurately
replicated any other way.
What do you love about your subject?
I love the challenge of breaking down complex biological questions into
constituent parts which can then be experimentally understood and put back
into context. An exciting part of using an in vivo system such as the zebrafish
is that different biological questions require different experimental techniques,
ranging from molecular biology to microscopy, meaning that the lab work is
varied and rarely dull. Innovative emerging technologies in genetics and
microscopy allow the field to progress at a rapid rate and the extensive
collaborative network of zebrafish researchers in Sheffield means that I can
remain on the cutting edge of technology to answer my research questions.
What are your aspirations for the future?
My future aspirations are to develop my research group into a world leading
lab for the study of host–pathogen interactions. I was recently awarded a
Wellcome Trust/Royal Society Sir Henry Dale Fellowship which will allow me
to fund and further establish my research group over the next five years.
Acquiring external funding is a key step in developing a research group, and
I’m very excited for the future as I build my group and make key
observations/discoveries in this increasingly important area of research.
What do you like about your department?
The Department of Infection and Immunity has been a fantastic place to
develop as a young research fellow. They have provided lots of support
towards my applications for funding and have an impressive record of
attracting independent fellowships for junior PIs. I was delighted to be able to
contribute towards this continued success by my appointment as a VC Fellow
and more recently as a Sir Henry Dale Fellow.
What do you like about Sheffield?
Sheffield is a fantastic city and I have greatly enjoyed returning to the city
where I completed my PhD. The best thing about Sheffield, in my view, is that
it combines the best parts of living in a large city with the feel of living in a
smaller country town. There’s plenty to do, with extensive music and sports
opportunities in a bustling city centre, while having the Peak District National
Park on the doorstep for when you want a breath of fresh air. Sheffield’s
affordability meant that I could afford to buy a house, something that would
be impossible in many other university cities.
Tell us about one of your collaborators
I collaborate closely with bacterial/zebrafish groups in the Netherlands. Before
starting my VC Fellowship, I spent a short fellowship period in Leiden, Holland.
This was a fantastic experience, not only from a personal side where living
abroad let me experience a different culture, but also from a professional side,
where I gained the expertise to progress my research career. Developing my
own research area during my VC fellowship has allowed me to maintain close
links to groups in the Netherlands in the form of active collaborations, where
we can both help each other with our specific expertise to further our research
in a more efficient manner.
What are your main duties?
I have been able to expand my professional duties in my department
compared to being at a postdoc researcher level. Alongside the more obvious
duties of a junior PI, such as collecting research data, writing journal papers
and applying for external funding opportunities, having a more stable position
means that I’ve been able to begin to start developing my own research
group via supervision of masters and PhD students.
For further information about Phil go to:
www.sheffield.ac.uk/ris/vcfellows/philipelks