Travel Award Winner Johannes Felsenberg
Johannes Felsenberg is a neuroscientist working in Scott Waddell's lab at the University of Oxford. He is researching the neural circuit mechanisms underlying memory re-evaluation and the award will help to fund his trip to the 13th Göttingen Meeting of the German Neuroscience Society.
I am delighted to receive the Hello Bio Travel Award. The generous support from this award allows me to present my most recent results at 13th Göttingen Meeting of the German Neuroscience Society. Thank you, Hello Bio, for backing up scientific communication. Johannes Felsenberg, University of Oxford, UK, Hello Bio travel award winner
Congratulations Johannes. First, can you tell us a bit more about what you're working on at the moment?
My work in Scott Waddell’s lab in Oxford aims to understand how learned information is changed when animals experience that the acquired knowledge is unreliable. Benefiting from the genetic access to the numerical simple brain of the fruit fly I investigate the neural circuitry underlying memory re-evaluation. Understanding the basic mechanisms of how memories can be changed will eventually help to improve strategies to alleviate consequences of maladaptive memories in humans.
What is it about your field of research that gets you most excited?
The first time I heard that memories could potentially be changed every time we retrieve them, meaning when we use them, I immediately wanted to understand how this works. In the end memories are what defines each of us, so how could something be more exciting?
Which scientists working today do you most admire, and why?
There are so many absolute outstanding and inspiring scientists. One who impresses me the most is Eve Marder. Her work on the crustacean stomatogastric nervous system substantially changed the view of the field on the flexibility of neural circuits. An amazing scientist, if you don’t know about her check her out.
What do you think are the biggest challenges currently facing life scientists and their work?
To work in science is demanding. The intensity and frustration can be, at times, overwhelming. I believe, to balance workload and life to not lose the excitement and drive to discover new things, something nobody else has ever seen before, is the biggest challenge.
What’s your favourite science quote?
“There is not such a thing as a naïve animal.” Randolf Menzel on the naming of control groups in behavioural experiments.
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Thank you Johannes - we hope you enjoy your trip to Göttingen!
You can follow Johannes on Twiitter: @FelsenbergJ
Useful resources for scientists researching memory
Useful resources for scientists researching memory and neural circuits include:
- Travel grants for neuroscientists
- Synaptic Plasticity Mini-Review
- Molarity Calculator & Dilution Calculator
- Low-cost Neuroscience tools
