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We want to expand our group to include even more diverse perspectives on Brain-Body Interactions. Given this, as well as interest from the community, we are currently accepting applications to join our organizing committee. Below, you will find a link to apply, a brief description of what we do as a committee, and testimonials from each of us about our experience as BBI committee members.
DON'T WAIT - FILL OUT THE FORM TO JOIN OUR FANTASTIC TEAM!
click here to apply
About the committee
In our meetings, where we mainly organize the BBI seminar series, we have fun discussing which amazing speakers to invite, the format of our seminar series, as well as the exciting future avenues of the BBI events. As committee members, each of us suggests speakers to invite, invites speakers and hosts seminars. In addition, each of us is responsible for a particular small task, such as maintaining this website, sending out email updates, coordinating speaker lists, and managing our social media presence.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at: brainbodyinteractions.seminars@gmail.com.
COMMITTEE TESTIMONIALS
ZITA
Being a cell biologist by training I have always been fascinated at how cells assemble structures and perform the functions which confer them their own identity. However, cells do not exist in isolation. In multicellular organisms, cells come together to form tissues and organs, and they are constantly exchanging information with other cells within the same tissue and between different tissues. This is at the base of all animal physiological aspects, allowing animals to sense external and internal cues and reach homeostasis. With this in mind, during the past years, I became interested in understanding how organisms satisfy the metabolic needs of different tissues. In the laboratory of Carlos Ribeiro, I have been working at the interface between dietary nutrients, tissue-specific metabolic programs, cell-autonomous functions and whole-animal physiology, with a particular focus on female fertility. During the past years working in such a multidimensional problem, we have come to realize that a space where scientists that bring together multiple fields of research and take multifaceted approaches to answer such questions, was missing. And the need to fill this gap was even amplified by the COVID-19 pandemics that in its start, led to an increased isolation between scientists, with so many institutes needing to shut down, conferences and seminars cancelled, etc. Fortunately, this pandemic also created new possibilities, and we have decided to put together a virtual space, where scientists working in the interface between Brain-Body Interactions come together to discuss their findings and lines of research. It has been extremely rewarding to be enforcing and contributing to this emerging field by being part of the organizing committee of BBI virtual series. It has been amazing to listen to all our fantastic speakers, working on so many different aspects but with one common interest, and to discuss and get to know them. Finally, it has been great to work along with an amazing group of scientists with the same vision and drive – that was key in making the BBI series possible and running. If you are passionate and/or work in the interface between brain and body, and would like to be in the front line of organizing these series, pushing forward the field, let us know!
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MARIAM
As a PhD student in Asya Rolls’ lab, we study the interactions between the brain and the immune system and how the brain ultimately influences immune activity in ways that are sometimes completely unexpected. The Brain-Body Interactions series has been an excellent resource for expanding my familiarity with research relating to the brain. It has also given me the opportunity to form connections with scientists (organisers, speakers, and listeners) outside my field of research, and discuss both life as a scientist and their research. Since joining the organising committee, I have gained a deeper appreciation for the various body systems and how beautifully the brain interacts with them, as well as for the shared experiences and struggles all scientists face.
SAM
I am a postdoc in the lab of Brad Lowell in Boston, MA, USA, where I study the neural circuits that control appetite in mice, and how they are regulated by and predict the state of the body. This interest in how the brain knows about the nutritional state of the body began my exploration into interactions between the brain and body, so I was delighted to find a like-minded group of researchers, with diverse perspectives on this field, with whom to set up this seminar series in early 2020. Being involved in this seminar series has really broadened my horizons on the ways in which the brain and body interact, and the types of approaches we can use to understand these interactions. I have really enjoyed being part of the committee, and particularly building a worldwide community with the other committee members, our audience, and the fantastic speakers that we get the opportunity to meet. It’s also important to all of us that this community is diverse and inclusive of different people and perspectives, and building on this aspect of the community has been very rewarding.
RITA
I'm a PhD student in the Ribeiro lab and I'm really interested in understanding how cell specific metabolism impacts on feeding behavior and physiology. This inspired on work from the lab showing how the female fly germline' specific metabolic needs impact on sugar appetite through inter-organ communication. Being part of the committee of these series has been an amazing opportunity to discuss Brain-Body Interactions encompassing many different and exciting fields. I also find it an amazing opportunity to be able to do so with a great scientific community from across the world! All these ingredients together make these series really fun to organize!
RAQUEL
How different organs communicate with the brain is key to maintain organism homeostasis. In my personal experience during my PhD in Kausik Si’s lab, we discovered that antimicrobial peptides (produced by different tissues like the brain and the head fat body) modulate long-term memory. Now, as a postdoc at Carlos Ribeiro’s lab, we study how the brain senses the nutritional state of the organism to modulate feeding behavior. The BBI seminar series are key to expanding our knowledge about different brain-body interactions, crucial for animal’s health and disease. Being in the BBI committee has given me the opportunity to directly interact with our fantastic speakers, as well as to learn from and work with an amazing group of people to organize the seminars with participants from all over the world, different disciplines, and different perspectives of this amazing growing field!
JERIKA
As a PhD student in the lab of Anna Molofsky, I am interested in how the innate immune system - both peripheral and brain resident players - shapes brain and synapse development. Working at the interface of neuro-immune research, I constantly draw on knowledge from across fields. I came to join the BBI organizing committee after it was successfully established during the pandemic. In fact, the series aided our connection via my PI, a demonstration of how this series brings scientists together! It has been a fantastic opportunity to meet and work alongside lovely colleagues across the world. I have enjoyed the regular exposure to diverse science and perspectives that stimulate cross-disciplinary research.
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