Dr. Emily Wright is an F32 award recipient who used the funding opportunity to investigate how stress affects neurotransmitter release. The F32 funding opportunity supports the research training of promising postdoctorates early in their postdoctoral training period.
The NIH BRAIN Initiative funding portfolio enables the collaborative and multidisciplinary research necessary to help us understand the brain’s complexities. Dr. Emily Wright received a BRAIN Initiative F32 Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship award to support her research on understanding factors important to chronic stress and the biomechanisms of medical intervention. The F32 program rewards promising postdoctorates early in their careers by enhancing their research training in project areas that advance the goals of the NIH BRAIN Initiative. This article is part of a series that highlights the careers of NIH BRAIN Initiative F32 grantees. The next deadline to apply for an F32 award is April 09 and December 10, 2024.
Check out the interview below to learn more about Dr. Wright’s post-doc research. She discusses how she became interested in research, what she hopes to achieve next, and the advice she’d give to other potential F32 researchers.
Would you please briefly introduce yourself, your research interests, and your academic background?
My name is Emily Wright (she/her), and I am currently a BRAIN F32 Fellow in the lab of Dr. Lin Tian at Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience. I received my bachelor’s degrees in biology and psychology and my PhD in biological psychology from University of California, Davis. My current research aims to understand how stress changes patterns of serotonin release in the brain and how that is modulated by pharmaceutical intervention.
What led you to research? What continues to drive your ambitions as a scientist?
As an undergraduate research assistant, I was fortunate to have a fantastic introduction to lab work. I was in a supportive lab with a Principal Investigator (PI) that allowed me to grow, taking on greater responsibility as my ability increased. This supportive start boosted my confidence as a young scientist and strengthened my ability to work hard and persevere throughout the challenges of research.
As a result, I am always looking to pay it forward and consider the mentorship and support of junior scientists to be one of the most important parts of my work. My scientific ambitions are driven by a desire to find the answers to important questions. I truly believe in the importance of my research—that is what keeps me motivated.
What major unanswered questions do you hope to address?
I come from a psychology-focused research background and the desire to better understand the biology of mental illness to improve the quality of life for those who need it ultimately drives my research. More specifically, I am interested in understanding differences in brain function that occur due to chronic stress and the biological mechanisms behind treatment options. Through my dissertation project, I found that testosterone exposure during puberty acts on androgen receptors to reduce both behavioral and neuronal responses to social stress in adult male mice. I am investigating how Prozac and other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) modulate real-time serotonin activity in the brain. SSRIs are commonly prescribed to treat conditions, including depression and anxiety, but it takes around four weeks to see the benefits of these drugs and short-term use can increase negative feelings. The Tian lab recently created a genetically-encoded serotonin indicator, iSeroSnFR, that allows researchers to record changes in serotonin concentration in specific brain regions at the sub-second timescale. Using the iSeroSnFR, I have found striking differences between the impact of short-term versus long-term use of SSRIs in adult mice. I am interested in further investigating how exposure to sex hormones during puberty may drive differences in serotonin response to stress and explain sex differences in SSRI efficacy.
What are some of the challenges you have encountered in your research and/or career? How have you or how are you working to overcome them?
Science is full of dead ends and when you are working with new technologies—one will likely encounter a lot of troubleshooting. One of the biggest challenges I have faced is learning how to successfully manage my efforts and productivity to balance risk versus innovation. The higher the level of innovation in an experiment, the greater the risk of failure, but innovative questions are the most interesting and impactful. By thoroughly piloting my work and being purposeful in my study design and early analysis, I can better troubleshoot and improve my experimental plan as needed.
What would be the next step in your research (or professional development)?
My goal is to run my own lab. I am passionate about my research and it’s important to me to push it forward and see the work done to the fullest extent I can. I also really enjoy mentoring and interacting with students, so that aspect of a PI position appeals to me. Most would agree that academia would benefit from fostering a more supportive and inclusive community, and I would like to be a part of that positive change.
What would be your advice to others who may want to apply to the BRAIN F32 program?
Don’t be afraid to apply early! F-series grants are heavily awarded based on the training potential an individual demonstrates. So, make sure to include a really detailed professional developmental plan that showcases how you want to grow as a scientist.
Are there any specific relevant training and professional development opportunities that you find useful during the fellowship?
One of the biggest benefits has been the travel stipend that allows me to present my work at multiple conferences each year. The Annual BRAIN Initiative Conference has been particularly great for meeting other postdocs in similar fields as well as keeping me up to date with some very interesting new research!
Fill in the blank: When I’m not working on a research project, I am…
At the beach! Florida has such wonderful beaches and I’ve been enjoying them during my time at Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience. I also enjoy cozier hobbies like knitting and crochet, growing my collection of tropical plants, spoiling my cats, and spending time with friends and family.
Stay tuned for more highlights on BRAIN Initiative award recipients in some exciting, upcoming series on the BRAIN Blog. If you are a BRAIN Initiative F32 fellow and would like to be featured on our blog, let us know by sending an email to BRAINfeedback@nih.gov!