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Professor Patrick Lewis
An undergraduate placement working on Alzheimer’s disease set Patrick Lewis on a research career spanning prion disease, Parkinson’s disease and the mechanisms linking faulty genes to brain cell death. He reflects on the value of fellowships and trusted colleagues, the demands of a varied academic role, and the reward of developing the next generation of researchers.
“The most rewarding thing, by far and away, is training and developing the next generation of researchers.”
The placement that changed my plans
I studied biochemistry at the University of Manchester from 1997 to 2001. During my degree, I spent a placement year at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, working on Alzheimer’s cell biology in Todd Golde’s laboratory in 1999–2000. That was the biggest single turning point in my career. Before the placement, I had not considered a career in research. Afterwards, it was all I wanted to do.
Building a research career
From 2001 to 2005, I completed a PhD at the MRC Prion Unit, UCL Institute of Neurology, working on prion disease. I then spent two years as a Visiting Fellow in the Laboratory of Neurogenetics at the National Institute on Aging in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, before returning to UCL as a Senior Research Fellow from 2007 to 2013, working mainly on Parkinson’s disease.
My research at UCL was supported by a Brain Research Trust fellowship from 2007 to 2010 and a Parkinson’s UK fellowship from 2010 to 2013. My Parkinson’s UK fellowship, along with funding from the Michael J. Fox Foundation, made me competitive for a faculty position. At the same time, the University of Reading was undertaking a major recruitment campaign, bringing in multiple new academic roles.
In 2013, I became an Associate Professor in Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience at the University of Reading School of Pharmacy. I moved to the Royal Veterinary College in London in 2020 as Professor of Neuroscience. My research focuses on understanding why brain cells die in dementia and the mechanisms linking faulty genes to that process.
A varied working week
My working week includes writing papers and research grants, supervising research students, teaching undergraduates, reviewing other scientists’ work, and meeting researchers to discuss our research. The balance changes from week to week. I have sometimes considered moving wholly into teaching or into industry, but have never quite made the leap. Instead, I have continued doing a little bit of everything.
Managing rejection and competing demands
The different parts of the job bring different challenges. Grants or papers get rejected, seemingly always just before a holiday, while periods of intense teaching can crowd out everything else. The result is an ever-increasing list of things to do, with very few moments to pause and reflect on what has gone well.
Being able to move on from rejection is one of the most important traits in research. Papers and grants can be rejected multiple times, and having the determination to keep going is critical. But it is tough, and it takes its toll.
Raising two children has fundamentally altered the tempo and pace of my work, squeezing my capacity to get things done, albeit in the most wonderful way.
Finding support
Trusted colleagues and friends are essential. They provide sounding boards for ideas and constructive criticism of papers and proposals. Individual fellowships have also been critical to sustaining my research over the course of my career. In my experience, competition for them is fierce and getting tougher.
Alongside the Brain Research Trust and Parkinson’s UK fellowships earlier in my career, I have held a Royal Society Industry fellowship running from 2023 to 2027.
What makes the work rewarding
The most rewarding part, by far, is training and developing the next generation of researchers. There are also those moments when you gain a new scientific insight and are the first person to realise how something works. Those moments are rare: perhaps two or three in my career so far.
Career development is as varied as the roles I perform, with no clear template or road map. The freedom to shape your own career is amazing, but can also feel terrifying and sometimes lonely.
Three practical ways to get started
First, read. Learn about the field you want to work in, including its science, history and people. A detailed understanding gives you the foundations to push knowledge forward. It can cost relatively little financially, but it takes time.
Second, talk to people: potential supervisors, group leaders and mentors, as well as students and postdocs. Third, share your ideas and proposals with people you trust and respect, and invite their criticism as early and as often as you can.
I am still learning all the time. Keep your mind open to new experiences and opportunities to learn, whenever and wherever you can.
Harriet Greene