Soapbox Science 2021

Soapbox: What is your scientific superhero power? Or what superhero would you be?

Viktorija Glembockyte: I do not have a scientific superhero power – I think most of the scientists are just regular people like everyone else. However, if I had to pick one quality that definitely helps a lot in science, I would say –  it’s curiosity. Besides being very exciting, scientific career also has some setbacks (think of all the failed experiments along the way!). I think that approaching these setbacks with a curious mindset and treating it as an opportunity to ask more questions and learn more is what really moves one forward.

SB: What is the most exciting aspect of your research?

VG: If I would have a superhero power, it would be the ability to sustain without oxygen and use the oxygen produced by algae, which live inside my blood vessels. With that I could fly to extreme high altitudes, fly to space, and dive into the deepest oceans

SB: What is the most exciting aspect of your research?

VG: In my research I combine two different techniques – DNA origami and single-molecule imaging – to build nanosensors. Like paper origami, DNA origami allows me to “fold” 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional structures, but on the nanoscale. What I find really exciting is how many different functionalities one can place on this tiny nanostructure using the programmable nature of DNA base pairing and this can be done with one nanometer precision! As a chemist, I see this as a molecular playboard where number of different functionalities can be combined and this provides endless possibilities to design new functions, build nanomachines, or study processes taking place at the nanoscale. Another aspect that I am really fascinated about is the ability to visualize and study these nanostructures on the single molecule level – this provides an ultimate sensitivity one can hope for when it comes to really understanding what is happening on the molecular level.

SB: If you were stranded on a desert island, what scientific equipment would you bring with you?

VG: I imagine the life on the desert island could be rather boring – it would not take long until you know every corner of the island as the back of your hand. For this reason, I would take a microscope as it would increase the size of the world one can still explore!

SB: What challenges do you encounter in science?

VG: For me one of the most challenging things is a constant self-doubt that I experience – I can frankly say that at every part of my scientific training I did have this nagging thought – am I good enough to do this, am I good enough to stay in science? This can be particularly tricky when your intrinsic motivation and what you find rewarding in the scientific career (e.g. teaching and mentoring, solving problems, discussing science with others) are not fully aligned with sometimes purely numerical factors (e.g. publications and citations) that determine your performance in highly competitive “publish or perish” environments. However, over the last decade I met many young as well as experienced scientists who shared this struggle as well and seeing them define for themselves what it really means to be a good scientist and succeed despite these lurking doubts is what inspires me as well.

SB: What motivates you to give a talk in Soapbox Science?

VG: I think my motivation is to encourage more girls or more young students in general to see the scientific career as something that is open for everyone. Over the last decade, my image of a scientist has changed completely – I got to experience how diverse and international research groups can really be and how this diversity brings so many perspectives to science. These advantages are felt not only when it comes to gender, cultural or racial diversity, but also when it comes to different personalities in general. We often portray scientists as lonely geniuses locked up in their laboratories, but especially for the modern research problems we are facing today where the projects are more and more interdisciplinary and require massive collaboration efforts (think about the climate change or even the current pandemic) we also need scientists who are team players, communicators, great leaders and mentors.

SB: Do you have a few words to inspire other women or young scientists?

VG: My advice for the younger scientists would be not to shy away from exploring new things until you find one topic or one research question that really motivates you and that you find really exciting. This might require you to step out of your comfort zone and do things that you have no previous experience in or even give up certain directions, but in the end the excitement that this brings is worth all this effort and perhaps many detours! Also never take ‘no’ for an answer – if your dream path as a scientist does not exist yet, create one! Find other inspiring people who did the same and who’s values you can relate to, do not let the past or the things that seem established to scare you away – the scientific environment is changing and developing in many progressive ways and it’s up to us to keep up these positive changes and to make science more open and diverse!

SB: In these quarantine days, what funny/interesting experiments, books, talks or podcasts can you recommend to our audience?

VG: For audience who is excited about science in modern world and great story telling I could recommend one of my favorite podcasts of all time – Radiolab (radiolab.org).