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Dr Daniel Ruiz Gabarre
Name:
Dr Daniel Ruiz Gabarre
Job Title:
Research Fellow
Place of work / study:
UKDRI at the University of Edinburgh
Area of Research:
Small vessel disease in the context of vascular dementia
How is your research funded:
UKDRI
Tell us a little about yourself:
I am a Spanish pharmacist and I got my Neuroscience PhD at Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, where I focused on tau pathology in the context of Alzheimer’s disease, describing new tau isoforms with important implications in the disease. Currently, I work as a postdoctoral Research Fellow at University of Edinburgh within the UK Dementia Research Institute. I’m researching molecular mechanisms of Small vessel disease and its implication in vascular dementias, with a focus on preclinical models such as the Atp11B KO rat model.
While dementia as an heterogeneous clinical entity constitutes my main scientific interest, I am equally interested in diverse areas of research including neuroendocrinology, clinical pharmacology, sex biology or linguistics.
Out in the wild, I am a committed activist in fighting bias in science and in LGBTQIA+ matters in general, an amateur dancer, an avid fantasy reader, and, above all, a diehard swiftie.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself:
I am a huge Taylor Swift fan – full on swiftie: lyrics tattoo, a quote on the start of my thesis, a quote on my email signature, Taylor stickers in the lab… you name it. Perhaps the funniest of them all is a candle with a picture of Taylor Swift’s face photoshopped over a saint with a flaming heart and a halo that we light up when we are doing important experiments.
Why did you choose to work in dementia research?
I became fascinated by the nervous system during my undergrad and I have never been able to shake it off so I figured I might as well do a career out of it. I decided to work on dementia in particular because it both intrigues me and terrifies me as I believe it is and will be the greatest Public Health issue of this century.
What single piece of advice would you give to an early career researcher?
Since I am still on that same stage I don’t know if I am the most qualified person to give advice, but I would say the lesson I keep learning is that science is about the people – for good and bad. The best thing of working in science is get to know other people who share the same interests and curiosity for the world and its workings, the most difficult part of working in science is dealing with people. It is really the most meaningful thing in science and it influences how we do our work: science is only as objective as the people who make it!
What book are you reading right now? Would you recommend it?
I am reading “None of the above” by Travis Alabanza and “Heir of fire” from the Throne of Glass series, by Sarah J Maas. I would wholeheartedly recommend anyone to read Travis’ book, it’s a deeply personal, honest and intimate reflection on the experiences of the author as a nonbinary person and how existing outside of an imposed binary has conditioned their life experiences. As for “Heir of Fire” I can’t recommend enough to any fantasy lovers to step into the Sarah J Maas literary Universe, that’s the best choice I made in 2023.
Favourite ways to unplug and unwind?
Reading, playing guitar and singing are always my go-to ways to unplug and escape reality for a bit. When reality doesn’t bother me that much but I still need to unwind, going out for a dance or for a nice meal is always a nice choice too.
Favourite film of all time?
It changes every now and then, but the two I keep coming back to are “Still Alice” and “Legally Blonde”.
Can we find you on Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn?
Follow Daniel Ruiz Gabarre on LinkedIn
Dr Clíona Farrell