\n” I am thrilled to welcome Anne-Sophie, an amazing young researcher with a stellar trajectory, in our institute. She will be a considerable asset for our scientific community, bringing new expertise!<\/em><\/mark> “<\/mark><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nWords of Laurent Groc, IINS director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nCould you present your career path?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nAnne-Sophie Hafner:<\/strong> First of all, I grew up in a village close to Coulommiers in Seine et Marne and I was the first in my family to pursue studying at a university! So, I moved to Paris, and there I first obtained a Bachelor degree in human biology and then a Master degree with a specialization in neuroscience. During all this time, I was working about 20 hours per week on the side: first as a secretary, then as a cashier, and finally at McDonalds.<\/p>\n\n\n\nI moved to Bordeaux for my PhD at IINS in the team of Daniel Choquet, who was my supervisor. I had an amazing time! I was given a lot of freedom which was priceless for my scientific development. After a very productive PhD, I joined the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt, Germany, for my Postdoc. Within a year while setting-up my new project I had some novel observations that led me several years later to publish in Science<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nI met my husband in Frankfurt and since he is also in academia, I restricted my next job search to central Europe. This was a risky move and as covid-19 pandemic shadowed the world, I ended up having to take a staff scientist position at the EMBL (European Molecular Biology Laboratory) in Heidelberg, Germany, where I was recruited to set up a local transcriptomic imaging facility. Thankfully, soon after I started, I got an offer for a research group leader and assistant professor position at the Donders Institute in the Netherlands. Thus, I moved again and shortly after I was awarded an ERC Starting Grant which was key to kicking off my research! Five years later, I am moving back to Bordeaux. It is not because I didn\u2019t like my time in the Netherlands, but because it was difficult to manage my personal life. In the meantime, I had two beautiful children and my husband is still working in Germany. Coming to Bordeaux is both a professional and a personal choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You have been awarded two ERC grants \u2014 one on the mechanisms of memory storage and the other on gene therapy for Alzheimer\u2019s disease. These topics are at the heart of current neuroscience research. What led you to focus on these areas in particular?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nI have been fascinated about memory storage and started working on this subject during my PhD, trying to understand how memory is stored at the molecular level. In the team I worked with at IINS, we studied proteins located at the post-synaptic side, which is the side that receives signals. When I moved to Germany for my Postdoc, I wanted to understand how proteins make it to the synapse and tried to understand the molecules which produced the proteins \u2013 the messenger RNA- and whether there were additional regulations at this level. While setting up a new technique, I had this observation: I could actually see messenger RNA on the other side of the synapse, on the pre-synaptic side! At that time, it was highly debated whether pre-synapses could produce their own proteins locally. Overall, my aim has always been trying to understand how from some molecules that \u201clive\u201d for only a couple of hours or days, human brains can store information for multiple months, years and decades. For me, it is one of the biggest mysteries of neuroscience!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I think that science is also a lot about human connection. In fact, my work on Alzheimer\u2019s disease really started thanks to Akshay Kapadia, the first Postdoc I hired in the Netherlands. During his PhD, he worked on Alzheimer\u2019s disease. When starting in my lab, he asked to work on a small side project on the disease. I have always been interested in this topic but I would have never initiated a project alone. I told him: \u201cFine. However, I want us to focus on the physiological roles of the proteins involved in the disease (APP and its proteolytic products)\u201d. Surprisingly, we have identified a new toxic pathway that could be responsible for the development for the disease and we are starting to test a gene therapy to block Alzheimer\u2019s disease at an early stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to you, what can you bring to IINS community?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nI think I am very strong from my international experience, in Germany and the Netherlands, and I hope that I can bring this experience at IINS. I have seen other ways of organizing work and how scientific collaborations can be made in different cultural contexts. I hope I can share this experience and help the institute to continue thriving and produce good science!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your arrival in Bordeaux is something of a homecoming, since you completed your PhD at IINS in Daniel Choquet\u2019s team. Why did you choose to establish your new team here?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nI chose to comeback to Bordeaux because it is an amazing place for my research. The infrastructure and the topics studied by the many research teams in Neurocampus make it a really good place for my research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The scientific world is demanding, perhaps even more so for women. How do you find your place in this still very male-dominated field?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nIt is not easy every day! It is challenging to be a female and a young group leader. Some people tried to discourage me from becoming a team leader and aiming higher in my career. I think the reason why there are less women team leader is that they were led to believe they are not capable and that their goal was not achievable. Many strange things were said to me over the years, like \u201cbeing a group leader is very difficult, you have a family, you should focus on your kids\u201d. Out of curiosity, I asked one of my friends -a talented male young group leader- if something similar has ever been said to him since he also has a kid. He replied in surprise with a big no! I think as women it is very important to show that it is not acceptable not to treat us correctly. If someone says something inappropriate or even insulting, you have to call them out on it EVERY time and don\u2019t accept paternalism: you<\/em> know best what\u2019s good for you<\/em>!<\/p>\n\n\n\nAt the same time, I was also very lucky because my Postdoc supervisor told me I was capable of achieving my goals -and I am so thankful she did. Hold on to people who believe in you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is important to me to be a role model for the new generation, particularly for young women and for people who don\u2019t know the academic system. In fact, I always try to know my students and if necessary guide them through the academic system -because for me it was a bit challenging. I also want to show young men and women that female scientists can be excellent scientists, and still be caring and respected at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We often hear that being a researcher is a vocation. How do you balance your professional and personal life?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nBeing a researcher was for me a vocation. Since I was ten years old, I wanted to be researcher even if I didn\u2019t truly grasp what it meant! I wanted to understand how life works and I thought: \u201cthis may be the job of a researcher\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Balancing my professional and personal life is not always easy. My husband is also in academia and we talk about science at the dinner table! I actually had one very good idea for a study debriefing with my husband for hours on a long drive towards our holiday destination. My professional life is part of my life 24\/7. I work a lot but my job also gives me flexibility, which I use as much as I can. My kids see their parents very passionate about their work, which is I think very precious! I have to say nothing would be possible without my fantastic husband and my amazing mother. They are my first supporters and, without them, raising two kids while moving my career forward would be simply impossible. So, my advice for young people: surround yourself well!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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