Meet our Early Career Scientist Grant Winner Kenza Amroune
Have you applied for an Early Career Scientist Grant from Hello Bio? That’s exactly what Kenza Amroune did, and she’s the latest winner of a $500 grant to support her research!
Each month we’re proud to award one lucky life science PhD or postdoc with a grant to help support their career development. The grant is totally flexible and can be used to cover travel expenses to a conference, publishing fees, lab supplies, or anything else that will help to advance the research of an early career life scientist. To date we’ve awarded more than $18,000 in grants - could YOU be our next winner? Apply here.
Kenza is a PhD student working in the Cortico-Basal Ganglia Circuits and Behavior Lab at Institut de Neurobiologie de la Méditerranée (Inmed), Marseille, France. She will use the grant to help fund her attendance at the upcoming FENS Forum 2024 in Vienna, Austria.
We asked Kenza how she felt about receiving the award, and she told us:
I'm excited about receiving this grant as it allows me to share my research at FENS2024, an international neuroscientific congress in Vienna. I’ll be able to showcase my work, receive valuable feedback, connect with fellow researchers, and stay current with the latest advancements in neuroscience. I can’t wait to be there! Kenza Amroune, Institut de Neurobiologie de la Méditerranée (Inmed), France, Hello Bio Early Career Scientist Grant winner
Congratulations Kenza! First, can you tell us a bit more about your current research work?
During my PhD, I’ve been working on the organisation and role of corticostriatal projections. My goal is to study the integration of sensory information at the single cell level in the striatum, and to do so I’m using a functional approach combining patch clamp recording in the striatum and Laser Scanning PhotoStimulation in the barrel cortex. We also developed a new whisker-guided navigation task in order to investigate the plasticity of corticostriatal projections after learning. If you want to learn more, it’ll be a pleasure to meet you at my poster at FENS2024!
What excites you most about your field of research?
What excites me most is the perpetual curiosity it implies. Every answer sparks new questions, creating an ongoing cycle of discovery. It feels truly magical, knowing there's always more to explore and uncover. This perpetual quest for knowledge keeps me engaged and motivated in my research.
Which scientists working today do you most admire, and why?
I deeply admire Eve Marder for her outstanding contributions to neuroscience. Her groundbreaking research on neural circuits and innovative studies on the variability of biological systems, where the same circuits can produce different outcomes, have greatly advanced our understanding of brain function. Equally inspiring is the innovative approach of Bence Olveczky, who, through the development of novel motor tasks, strives to untangle complex functional questions in neuroscience. Their contributions motivate me to pursue excellence in neuroscience, with creative approaches.
What do you think are the biggest challenges currently facing life scientists and their work?
Life scientists around the world are struggling with a lack of funding for research, like the recent €904 million budget cut in France (recent articles in Science and Nature). This lack of funding slows down research progress, puts ongoing projects at risk, and makes it harder for new scientists to start their work. To address this, it is crucial for authorities to ensure adequate funding, establish clear policies, and foster international collaboration to support life sciences globally.
And finally… what’s your favourite science quote?
'If it was easy, it would already be done.'
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Thank you so much Kenza! We wish you all the very best with your future research and we hope to meet you in person at booth 412 at the FENS Forum 2024!
Connect with Kenza:
- X(Twitter): @KenzaAmroune
- LinkedIn: Kenza Amoroune
- Lab website: https://www.inmed.fr/en/en-avenir-dynamiques-neuronales-et-fonctions-des-ganglions-de-la-base
Why not apply for our next monthly grant?
Application is quick and easy, just fill out the form here: https://hellobio.com/early-career-scientist-grant-application
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