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Athena Bratopoulou
Name:
Athena Bratopoulou
Job Title:
Undergraduate Neuroscience student
Place of work / study:
University of Dundee
Area of Research:
Currently I am doing an internship at the School of Medicine, University of Dundee, which is centred around synaptoneurosomes in health and in ALS. This is part of a wider study on synapse engulfment by glial cells in ALS, at the Henstridge lab.
How is your research funded:
My internship is part of a vacation scholarship scheme run by the School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee.
Tell us a little about yourself:
I am an undergraduate Neuroscience student, aspiring to become a researcher in neurodegenerative diseases. I have had my heart set on studying the brain for quite a while, because I truly believe that it is the single most fascinating thing, that we know of, in this universe. The fact that all human experience can be assigned to chemicals in the brain I don’t think will ever stop being mind boggling to me. I came to study in Scotland because neuroscience doesn’t exist as an undergraduate degree in Greece, where I grew up, and I felt that I must start studying the brain as soon as possible.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself:
A lot of people don’t believe that I lived in Greece my whole life before coming to university, because I have quite a strong English accent. This can be explained by the fact that my mother is English but moved to Greece a very long time ago and I grew up with CBeebies and British radio always playing at home. Also, the books I loved as a child were from my mum’s childhood, like ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ and ‘The Tiger Who Came To Tea’.
Why did you choose to work in MND / Dementia research?
A quote by Dr Oliver Sacks (AKA my hero): ‘If a man has lost a leg or an eye, he knows he has lost a leg or an eye; but if he has lost a self — himself — he cannot know it, because he is no longer there to know it’, perfectly encompasses my feelings and motivation to study brain diseases that affect cognition and sense of self.
What single piece of advice would you give to an early career researcher?
As someone very early in their career, what I would hope is that early career researchers when feeling disheartened or hopeless, remember why the set out to do what they are doing and stop themselves from feeling that their work is inconsequential.
What book are you reading right now? Would you recommend it?
Currently I am reading ‘Ways of Seeing’ by John Berger, which is a very quick read. It’s a collection of essays on how our perception of ourselves and of art has irreversibly changed with advancements in technology and how that has been manipulated. I would only recommend if you find that sort of thing interesting.
Favourite ways to unplug and unwind?
Not sure.
Favourite film of all time?
Ever changing but right now it is ‘The Spirit of the Beehive’, as it is the most beautiful film I have ever seen.
Can we find you on Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn?
Non sorry
