Dr Sara Hijazi
Dr Sara Hijazi studied for her PhD in Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology at Vrije University in the Netherlands, working on a project which investigated PV+ neuron dysfunction in an Alzheimer’s disease (AD) model. Between 2020 and 2022, Sara was employed as a postdoctural researcher at the Erasmus MC in Rotterdam before being appointment to the prestigious Blaschko Fellowship in Pharmacology in 2022. Sara was successful in 2024 in obtaining a two-year UKRI Horizon MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship
What made you want to pursue a career in science?
I was always into science since I was a kid. I was driven to neuroscience research when I took an elective about cognitive neuroscience during my Bachelor. I then realized how much I am interested in understanding the brain and how complex it is.
What drives you and excites you about your job?
I find Neuroscience research to be fascinating at all levels. I am mostly excited by recording neuronal activity , whether in brain slices, or even better in awake mice. I think using neuropharmacology to induce changes in neuronal activity and then observe its effect on behavior is very exciting. I also think we are so far from grasping the complexity of the brain that there are so many discoveries yet to be made.
What are the high points of your career so far?
I think the first was publishing my first big paper. The second was getting the Marie Curie fellowship.
What obstables have you had to overcome?
So many! Mostly my own insecurities (didn’t overcome this yet), learning to be part of a team, managing people and not losing hope in science given the current politics.
What advice would you give to early career researchers and students looking to develop their careers – what lessons have you learned? What would you recommend and what would you counsel them against?
- They should know that almost everyone in science suffers from imposter syndrome, especially women. So even when it feels like you are not good enough, you should know that most of your colleagues feel the same.
- Try to enjoy the research and follow your own ideas, instead of focusing on publications.
- Networking is very important! Even if it is not for everyone, I realized that to make it in science, you need to force yourself to do some networking.
- My other recommendation is to think of science as very political as opposed to the main narrative of it being distant from politics. We need to change the way things are currently happening in science, and we need people to be engaged in making a difference so science is welcoming to anyone and not only people with a lot of privilege.