In this episode, you'll hear from Monika Stachura, PhD, about her career as a research scientist and her important work coordinating the UBC program IsoSiM (Isotopes for Medicine and Science) at the University of British Columbia. She also fills us in on how to have a successful interdisciplinary career and how STEM research is heading in a more interdisciplinary direction. Plus, she tells us about her active life outside of work, what she would do if she weren't in her current field, and how to use your network to make connections and thrive.

Guest: Dr. Monika Stachura (LinkedIn)

Please note a small correction: Monika has obtained a double-PhD in Bioinorganic Chemistry and Biophysics.

Dr. Monika Stachura is a research scientist in the life sciences division at TRIUMF. Dr. Stachura has 2 Master of Science degrees, one in biophysics from the University of Copenhagen Denmark and the second in physics from the AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow, Poland. She also obtained 2 PhD degrees from the University of Copenhagen in bioinorganic chemistry and in biophysics. From 2012 to 2015, she was permanently placed at the European Organization of Nuclear Research, also known as CERN, in Geneva, Switzerland, where she was working with nuclear probes applied to biology, chemistry, and medicine. In 2015, she moved to TRIUMF to be a postdoc fellow at the Centre for Molecular and Material Sciences or CMMS, where she took a leadership role on implementing her research that she started at CERN. And in 2016, she was offered a permanent research position at TRIUMF in the division of Life Sciences. Her major interest lies in understanding the role f certain metal ions in health and disease, such as copper in Alzheimer’s disease or lithium in bipolar disorder. Work with radioactive ions is her every day bread and butter.

She is also the program coordinator of the NSERC CREATE training initiative at UBC, Isotopes for Medicine and Science or the IsoSiM program. This program trains students in interdisciplinary research and enables them to spend up to 6 months at a partner research institute in Germany working on a collaborate project, and offers numerous industrial internships and professional development opportunities.

Click here for a full transcription of this episode.

Relevant Links:

• European Organization of Nuclear Research (CERN)
• IsoSiM at UBC
• NSERC CREATE (Collaborative Research and Training Experience Program)
• Role of Copper in the Onset of Alzheimer's Disease
  
• TRIUMF: Canada's particle accelerator centre
• "Universal stardust helps explain why we get sick: nuclear physicist," The Vancouver Star, May, 2018
  

Hosted by: Danniele Livengood (@livengood)
Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott Holmes
Produced by: Vanessa Reich-Shackelford