Podcast – 2022 End of Year Reflections from Dementia Researchers

Adam Smith:

Hello and welcome to the Dementia Researcher Podcast. It’s Adam Smith here, and today we’re throwing away four years of tradition, trashing the usual end of year festive highlights reel, and instead bringing you a very special show talking with our brilliant team of research bloggers. In an unscripted and possibly disastrous show, we’re going to be talking about our personal highlights from the year and what we’re looking forward to in 2023, and getting to know our bloggers a little better with some offbeat questions that may reveal more about the people behind the blogs. It’s my pleasure to introduce the brilliant Dr. Gaia Brezzo, the amazing Dr. Anna Volkmer, the incredible Dr. Kamar Ameen-Ali, who is actually about five seconds behind everybody else. That’s why she’s not waving. The resplendent Dr. Sam Moxon, the dazzling Dr. Connor Richardson, the stunning Dr. Yvonne Couch. You wondered what you were going to get then, didn’t you? The astounding Beth Eyre, almost certainly soon to be doctor. One of the few people here without that little detail. The extraordinary Dr. Aida Suarez-Gonzalez, and sadly, apologies from today come from Hannah Hussein, Clarissa Giebel, and Nathan Stevens, three other bloggers who I’m sure you’ll recognize who sadly can’t be with us. Hello, everybody.

Dr Sam Moxon:

Hello. Hello.

Adam Smith:

Well, normally we do a round of introductions, and this could take a while with so many of us, so let’s keep this quick. Sam, you go first.

Dr Sam Moxon:

Yeah, so I’m Dr. Sam Moxon. I’m a research fellow. I work in mostly 3D bio-printing, interested in trying to develop models for studying diseases without heavy reliance on animals. That’s where my research sits, so you can keep an eye out for my stuff in the monthly blogs and the occasional podcast.

Adam Smith:

Is it a secret that you’re moving?

Dr Sam Moxon:

No, that we’ll talk about later.

Adam Smith:

We’ll talk about that. Yeah.

Dr Sam Moxon:

I’ve already moved, so.

Adam Smith:

Oh yeah, I don’t want to give away your highlight already. Anna, you go next?

Dr Anna Volkmer:

Hi everybody, my name’s Anna Volkmer. I’m a speech and language therapist and an NIHR funded advanced research fellow. I’m based at UCL and UCLH, and I’m particularly interested in developing interventions, speech and language therapy interventions, for people with primary progressive aphasia and other dementias. You can also read my blogs and listen to some of the podcasts that I host for Adam.

Adam Smith:

That’s the subtle difference, isn’t it, from senior to advanced? What does that actually mean? Is that, you know how you get advanced drivers, you can steer around corners quicker? Less likely to crash?

Dr Anna Volkmer:

Oh, yeah. When I hit 40, I was advanced, and below 40 I was senior. No, I believe it’s just the difference between, the NIHR use the term advanced fellowship, and the UCL use the term senior researcher. I’m not sure. I think it’s the same. Same-same, different word.

Adam Smith:

Just advancing in age.

Dr Anna Volkmer:

Probably.

Adam Smith:

Connor.

Dr Connor Richardson:

Hi, I’m Connor Richardson. I’m an epidemiologist at Newcastle University. My research is mainly on looking at dementia in population studies, both social and neuropathology risk factors.

Adam Smith:

You had to think about that then, didn’t you?

Dr Connor Richardson:

I did a little bit. Yeah.

Adam Smith:

Did you just forget what you do, then?

Dr Connor Richardson:

Always.

Adam Smith:

This is only Connor’s second time on the podcast, and the last time he was still drunk a little because we were at a conference. He is doing it without the benefit of alcohol this time, although, I don’t know, it’s two o’clock in the afternoon, maybe. For those who are watching on the video perversion of this podcast, you can see he is at home. Oh wait, does that mean we can also get dogs joining us? Have you got the dogs there?

Dr Connor Richardson:

Oh yeah. Yeah, they’ll probably be here at some point.

Adam Smith:

I expect a highlight. Yvonne?

Dr Yvonne Couch:

Hi, I’m Yvonne Couch. I’m an associate professor and Alzheimer’s research UK fellow at Oxford, and I’m interested in the long-term vascular consequences of stroke.

Adam Smith:

I want a witty thing to come back on.

Dr Yvonne Couch:

You’ve got nothing.

Adam Smith:

Except, you look very Oxford.

Dr Yvonne Couch:

Thank you.

Adam Smith:

Again, only for the benefit of the video podcast. She’s got books behind her. This is a deliberate setting to add to her academic stature.

Dr Yvonne Couch:

This is not my office. I would just hasten to add that. I have Bogarted the office for the purposes of a good shelf behind me.

Adam Smith:

They all look like books from the 1850s. None of them are up-to-date, are they?

Dr Yvonne Couch:

Some of them are. They’re really old medical textbooks. They’re great to read, and useful on the shelf, but I don’t think useful.

Adam Smith:

Now we know where you get your inspiration from, all your blogs that start with a little bit of history. You just walk off the bat, pull a book off the shelf and go, “Oh that’s a bit interesting.”

Dr Yvonne Couch:

Exactly.

Adam Smith:

Well, Gaia?

Dr Gaia Brezzo:

Hello. Yeah, so my name is Gaia Brezzo. I’m a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Edinburgh based in the Dementia Research Institute. My work is looking at how we can improve cognition after stroke. I’m especially interested in the role of neuro-inflammation, particularly microglia and monocytes coming in following stroke, and how manipulating these cells, we would be able to help people that develop cognitive decline in stroke.

Adam Smith:

Sounds a bit like Yvonne, then.

Dr Gaia Brezzo:

Yeah, I was going to say, maybe Yvonne, this is the time where we will collaborate more.

Adam Smith:

I do like those stories. Every now and again somebody tells me that they came on a podcast together and something matches.

Dr Yvonne Couch:

I literally just opened Twitter and went, “I should probably follow Gaia.”

Dr Gaia Brezzo:

You mean you don’t follow me already, Yvonne? Oh, yeah.

Adam Smith:

Don’t just stop there because I think our next person might also have a foot in that camp. Beth?

Beth Eyre:

Hi, I am Beth Eyre and I am a final year PhD student. I’m very close to submitting my thesis and doing my [inaudible 00:06:28], so I’ll hopefully be a doctor soon. I research neurovascular coupling in Alzheimer’s disease and in mixed disease models of atherosclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease. I’m also very interested in the vasculature and how that’s impacted by Alzheimer’s disease. Yeah, some similar interests.

Adam Smith:

I don’t want to jump ahead to what’s planned in 2023 for you either, but I’m guessing you’re at that time when you might need to think about a job. Yvonne, Gaia, if you happen to …

Dr Gaia Brezzo:

I’ll talk to my boss. I’ll put it a good word.

Adam Smith:

Kam.

Dr Kamar Ameen-Ali:

Hi everyone. I’m Kam. I guess I can still say I’m a new lecturer. I’m a new lecturer in biomedical science at Seaside University. My research, I guess I’m another person kind of interested in neuro-inflammation. I guess it’s kind of the hot topic right now, but I’m kind of interested in it from not just the neurodegenerative disease side of things but also traumatic brain injury as well. That’s kind of what my research interests are.

Adam Smith:

A new lecturer. Does that mean, have all your students … Have you got a cupboard full of mugs, are you just about to finish, that say, “World’s best teacher,” and things like that, or bottles of wine? Do you get gifts?

Dr Kamar Ameen-Ali:

I hope so, but maybe not. Yeah, maybe at the end of the academic year, if I do well.

Adam Smith:

I mean, do they not like you yet enough to give you gifts?

Dr Kamar Ameen-Ali:

I think it’s dissertation students, isn’t it?

Adam Smith:

She’s smiling.

Dr Kamar Ameen-Ali:

It’s dissertation students, so maybe when they get their dissertations, if they do well in their dissertations, they might get me something. I hope so because I’ll stick it up on my wall in my office if I get anything. Yeah.

Adam Smith:

We’ll expect to see pictures on Twitter. Aida?

Dr Aida Suarez-Gonzalez:

Hello everyone. I’m Aida Suarez-Gonzalez. I’m a clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist, and a principal research fellow at the Institute of Neurology at UCL. My research is focused on understanding the inter and intra-phenotype expression variability of young onset dementia, and then on how to use that information to develop targeted and personalized rehabilitation and behavioral therapies.

Adam Smith:

You’re not even in the UK right now, are you? You are joining us from overseas.

Dr Aida Suarez-Gonzalez:

From rainy and cold north of Spain. Yes.

Adam Smith:

From north Spain. Have you got snow, though? Have you got as much snow as Gaia’s got snow?

Dr Aida Suarez-Gonzalez:

No. Not snow in the place where I am. I’m very close to the sea so it is very difficult to get the snow here, but it is cold and rainy.

Adam Smith:

Well, it’s pretty frosty and drizzly here in Oxford, but we don’t have snow. Thank you very much everybody for joining us. Shall we start with a Christmas joke, seeing as this is Christmas? Today is the 12th of December, but actually this is going to be coming out the 19th. Right. Festive spirit. What do you get if you cross Santa with a duck? Anybody?

Dr Sam Moxon:

Can we dare ask?

Adam Smith:

Go on, Sam.

Dr Sam Moxon:

I’m not going to guess.

Adam Smith:

Are you going to guess? No?

Dr Sam Moxon:

No, I’m not going to guess.

Adam Smith:

A Christmas quacker.

Dr Sam Moxon:

Oh, I should have seen where that was going.

Adam Smith:

Yay. Everybody is laughing. Come on. You need to laugh audibly. Otherwise …

Dr Yvonne Couch:

No, I think that just encourages the behavior, Adam.

Adam Smith:

It won’t work on a podcast if you all a smile except for those watching the video.

Dr Sam Moxon:

I don’t think that’s the reason that joke doesn’t work.

Dr Gaia Brezzo:

Burn.

Adam Smith:

Has anybody else got one better? I’m a big fan of cheese jokes. I quite like a good cheese joke. Connor’s got one. He just, he’s thinking. Look, I can tell.

Dr Gaia Brezzo:

It’s not Christmas themed, though.

Adam Smith:

Oh, okay. Well, I don’t know. I eat a lot of cheese at Christmas. Do you not eat lots of cheese?

Dr Gaia Brezzo:

Cheese is the best all year.

Beth Eyre:

Yeah, I agree with that.

Adam Smith:

It is. Does anybody disagree? I bet Sam disagrees.

Dr Sam Moxon:

Oh, no.

Adam Smith:

Sam probably can’t have … I bet he can’t have cheese.

Dr Sam Moxon:

I like cheese. I just can’t eat it.

Adam Smith:

Everybody who knows Sam’s blogs knows he has to watch what he eats. I bet cheese is off that menu. In fact, do you eat a lot of sprouts though? Big fan of sprouts?

Dr Sam Moxon:

You have to be careful with sprouts because you can turn to a biological weapon if you eat too many.

Adam Smith:

You’re allowed sprouts, you’re just banned from eating them. I don’t know why, I always get the feeling that sprouts are a bit of a northern thing, for those … I don’t know if it’s a northern thing. I grew up on sprouts.

Dr Sam Moxon:

Yeah, you just cut them in half, roast them, bit of salt and pepper. Really nice.

Adam Smith:

Absolutely. Well, thank you very much everybody for joining us, and for those who don’t recognize these marvelous people, where the hell have you been? Some are regulars on the podcast, but all of them write and narrate blogs for us every month on a whole range of topics, talking about their work, their lives, their careers, and occasionally science. They are all incredible writers who have very generously shared lots about their work and research, so let’s start on a high note and ask you what your research or career highlights have been from the year. Sam, I’m going to start with you. What’s been a highlight for 2022 for you?

Dr Sam Moxon:

I think the things I’m most proud of is, got a couple of papers out this year, and then managed to land a new job, so moving to the University of Birmingham as a research fellow. I’ve been able to take my bio-printing work back closer to what I’m really interested in, which is dementia, again, and moving into a project on bio-printing vasculature. I think that’s my highlight, is getting a new job and getting a chance to go and try something new, but yeah.

Adam Smith:

Congratulations.

Dr Sam Moxon:

Thank you.

Adam Smith:

Is that with your mates as well that you were on the podcast with last year?

Dr Sam Moxon:

No, no. I might work with those guys at some point, but no, this is with people I worked with during my PhD and also some new people as well.

Adam Smith:

Congratulations.

Dr Sam Moxon:

Thank you. Yeah, I’m looking forward to it.

Adam Smith:

Is this a good long, because of course we’re going to talk about contracts and stuff at some point I’m sure, but is this a good long contract as well?

Dr Sam Moxon:

Yeah, it’s going to keep me secure for a while now, so I’m looking forward to starting.

Adam Smith:

Nice one, that’s what we like to hear. Well, that’s brilliant, and back to bio-printing.

Dr Sam Moxon:

Yeah, well I mean, I’m bio-printing now, but it’s more to do with the spine, so I’ve sort of taken a bit of a step away from the brain and the vasculature, so I’m looking forward to moving back into that now.

Adam Smith:

Oh, Yvonne’s … Look, you can see motors running around in Yvonne’s head. She’s already thinking, “Hold on, so if Sam prints that and Gaia then brings in that bit … ”

Dr Yvonne Couch:

It was just, I know people at Birmingham. I was like, “Oh, I could speak to them and they could speak to Sam,” and this is the only way to get any work done, is to talk to other people and get them to do it for you.

Dr Sam Moxon:

We might have mutual acquaintances because I know a lot of people at Birmingham myself as well, so …

Dr Yvonne Couch:

Excellent.

Adam Smith:

Talking is good. What about you, Hannah? Anna. Hannah, Anna?

Dr Anna Volkmer:

Giving me a new name. Yeah, so my-

Adam Smith:

Because in many ways we’ve seen, in your blogs, you’ve had a tough year, but also, we’ve already seen, you’ve written about your brilliant progression. What’s been the highlight for you?

Dr Anna Volkmer:

That has been the highlight. Despite all the hard work, it took at least a year, I’ve managed to get bag myself this NIHR advanced fellowship. I’ve got five years worth of funding. Thank you. I definitely blagged it rather than bagged it, but I’ve got five years worth of funding three days a week, so it makes my one day in the NHS, it makes it more doable because that doesn’t feel very secure in the current climate, but I’ve got five years’ worth of research funding so that’s a big highlight.

Adam Smith:

People will like to hear that, because Clinical Academic Facade Is Slipping was our fourth most read blog of 2022, which was one of yours.

Dr Anna Volkmer:

Wow.

Adam Smith:

I’m not going to necessarily say whose blogs were what, but yeah, that was a very popular one you wrote this year, was talking about that concern between, how can you still count yourself as an academic when you’re back in the NHS? I guess a lot of NIHR fellows go through that.

Dr Anna Volkmer:

Oh, definitely. Then, on top of that, you’re also meant to be a good partner or friend or parent, and yeah, that then often drops off the ball completely. I completely failed as a parent last week buying two pairs of slippers that were both two sizes too small for my children.

Adam Smith:

That’s how much you’ve lost touch with your kids, is you don’t know what their shoe size is.

Dr Anna Volkmer:

I have zero idea. The actual slippers were great. I bought a pair of Grogu slippers for one, which were amazingly received, and a pair of Totoro for the other. Amazingly received, but the actual shoe size was not right.

Adam Smith:

That does feel … That’s got to be an indicator, isn’t it, that you’re losing touch with your kids, when you don’t know their shoe size.

Dr Anna Volkmer:

Stop it.

Adam Smith:

Hey, but now you’ve got the five year. Now that you’ve got the five year fellowship, you can-

Dr Anna Volkmer:

I’ll show interest in them again, I’ll actually communicate with them for a while now.

Adam Smith:

Does that come with some pressure as well? I mean, is the pressure off in the first year? Do you think, “Oh, it’s okay,” you’ve got five years to show something?

Dr Anna Volkmer:

That’s a really good question, actually. Maybe I’ll think about that a bit more and write a blog about that. I do feel some pressure. I do feel some pressure to actually keep getting more funding, because a few people have said, “You can’t just sit on your laurels for five years. You actually have to get lots of funding as you go, smaller pots.” That’s a little bit of pressure, and then the other thing to say is, I guess, when you are juggling a few different things, to actually make sure I do what I said I’d do is another thing. I’m mindful that five years is still … There’s still, what’s the word? Milestones that I’ve got to hit. I can’t just let it happen naturally. I’ve actually got to do it in the time I’ve said, so …

Adam Smith:

I have one last question. Is there an expectation then that you’ll get that professor title in that five years?

Dr Anna Volkmer:

I’m far too junior. I’m only a tiny baby. I’ve only got my PhD two years ago, so I’m nowhere near … I should-

Adam Smith:

You’ve published tons, though.

Dr Anna Volkmer:

I don’t think that matters. I’m way too little for all of that jazz. I’d love it, but I’m too little.

Adam Smith:

Okay, thanks Anna. That’s a brilliant highlight. Congratulations.

Dr Anna Volkmer:

Thank you.

Adam Smith:

Again, on your promotion.

Dr Anna Volkmer:

Thank you.

Adam Smith:

Connor, what’s been a highlight for you this year? We haven’t seen as many of your blogs. You’ve only, what are you? Your one blog in that’s been published, you’ve got another one coming out this week. I know that for sure because I’ve got to do it. People have known less about you. Tell us, what’s been a highlight?

Dr Connor Richardson:

I’m a bit of a mystery. Well obviously, my highlight of the year has been joining the roster of-

Adam Smith:

Oh, you’re so sweet, coming on the books.

Dr Connor Richardson:

I know, but I mean, apart from that milestone, yeah. I had a few nice papers out this year, and I think probably my highlight of this year is just, it’s been the first year that I actually feel like I’ve met real people in real life, so kind of going to AIC was a big highlight. That was the first kind of in-person conference I’ve been to after COVID, and meeting … I had a chance to meet with collaborators in Sheffield who I’ve worked with for three years but never actually met in person. Yeah, I think the highlights have just been actually meeting all these people who I’ve been working with for years and never actually had the chance to see them face to face before.

Adam Smith:

2022, I mean, I know we could move around a little bit in 2021, but 2022 does feel like I’ve seen a lot of messaging this year about people catching up again, and I can completely get … In fact, that’s where we met/ we met at the AIC in San Diego back in July. God, no, August.

Dr Connor Richardson:

July?

Adam Smith:

July. It’s been that long already. It doesn’t feel like it was two minutes ago.

Dr Connor Richardson:

I know, before I was back in the frozen north.

Adam Smith:

You look like you’ve got a bit of a tan there, though. Have you just come back off holiday?

Dr Connor Richardson:

I wish.

Adam Smith:

Is it just really cold in your house?

Dr Connor Richardson:

Always cold here.

Adam Smith:

Yvonne, what’s been a highlight for you? Because anybody who’s read your blogs this year would know that … You start every bug by saying, “I’ve got strong opinions on this.”

Dr Yvonne Couch:

What do I not have strong opinions on? It’s important to have strong opinions.

Adam Smith:

Do you know what? If you haven’t got strong opinions, there’s no point in having them.

Dr Yvonne Couch:

Exactly. There’s no point in having the conversation about whatever it is if you don’t have strong opinions about it. My highlights for the year are tiny and to do with … Some of them are to do with other people. First off is, I work in a hospital site, so they didn’t actually let us back in the lab until sort of February, March this year. I got let back into the lab full-time in March this year, so that was a highlight because I could actually do experiments that took longer than two hours, so I was very excited about that. The other thing that happened was my very first PhD student got a fabulous job in New York, so I shoved her off across the pond and she’s doing stupidly well, much better than I am, which is very upsetting. My second PhD student had her [inaudible 00:20:31] and she’s gone back to doing … She’s starting a clinical job in Switzerland in the new year, so I’ve proudly got rid of two PhD students. I would say that is my highlight for the year.

Adam Smith:

Oh, that’s nice, isn’t it? I was going to say, if we got to the end without any of your highlights … If they’d all being like, “I got a promotion,” or, “I published a paper,” what’d that say about us as a group of people?

Dr Yvonne Couch:

I’ve published nothing and achieved very little this year of personal gain. I would like to put it out there that not everybody’s getting enormous fellowships and grants and papers. I’m doing nothing right now of use to anyone. I’m just …

Adam Smith:

I feel absolutely sure that’s not true, but also, that’s been quite valuable because, what have we talked about? What have you talked about a lot this year? We’ve had podcasts on it, we’ve had blogs on it. Is the dreaded …

Dr Yvonne Couch:

Lack of progress, lack of failure. Lack of …

Adam Smith:

No, I was going to going to say narrative CV.

Dr Yvonne Couch:

Oh yes, yes, that is true. It is important to highlight the fact that not everything is about papers and grants, et cetera, et cetera.

Adam Smith:

Exactly. Narrative CV, getting out there, presenting your work, nurturing others, presenting your signs. These are all … I mean, I don’t know. I mean, let’s see if those people who are judging your next applications actually put as much weight on that. How that’s all weighted, I think I’m still a little bit skeptical.

Dr Yvonne Couch:

Yeah, me too.

Adam Smith:

I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say that, but it’s brilliant and let’s hope that they do take note of that, because you’re clearly doing something right.

Dr Yvonne Couch:

That’s very kind of you to say.

Adam Smith:

Is this also as well so that those people you spread out … You know how you have to pay it forward? They’ll think of you and come back.

Dr Yvonne Couch:

Yeah. Exactly. It’s all about going, “I made you vaguely successful, now you’ve got a ton of money. Would you like to give me some or do some experiments for me please? Thank you very much.”

Adam Smith:

Wait, was it in 2022 when you also got assistant professor?

Dr Yvonne Couch:

No, that was last year. I may have highlighted at the time that it does not count for anything. It’s a title that I stick in my email signature. I don’t get more money. I don’t get an actual job. I just, I’m a quota of ladies in the department that they needed, as far as I can tell. I don’t think it means that I’m good at anything in particular.

Adam Smith:

Oh, do you know what? You’re way too modest. You really, really, really are. Thank you, Yvonne. Well done. That’s a great thing to be able to take credit for. Gaia, what about you?

Dr Gaia Brezzo:

Hello. Connor and Yvonne kind of took both of mine.

Adam Smith:

I think you’re allowed the same one.

Dr Gaia Brezzo:

I’m allowed the same. Excellent. I also haven’t published any papers or have not got any prestigious fellowships, which, yeah, is a pressure, but I’m giving myself time.

Adam Smith:

Wait a sec, I had a feeling that your little sneaky trip to America this month was something, was work related.

Dr Gaia Brezzo:

Why was it sneaky?

Adam Smith:

I don’t know, it felt … When you told me, “I’m going to America,” it felt like there was something on the boil there that you’re not really telling us about.

Dr Gaia Brezzo:

Oh, well it’s part of my funding, which is nice because they pay for me to go to a nice few places. Although, we were promised good weather in Palo Alto in California, and it was freezing. It was actually colder than when I left Edinburgh, so I was like, “This is a lie. You’ve sold me a lie.”

Adam Smith:

It was just in my imagination that this was a secret job interview.

Dr Gaia Brezzo:

Yeah, no, no, no, no. It wasn’t.

Adam Smith:

Sorry.

Dr Gaia Brezzo:

It was, though, we had to present to the funders to keep our job, so a bit of pressure.

Adam Smith:

Oh, wow. Which funder is that? You’re in the DRI, aren’t you? The Dementia Research Institute.

Dr Gaia Brezzo:

Yeah, so within Barry’s group, so Barry McCall, my PI, we have two positions that are funded by the UK DRI, but the other ones are kind of funded by different organizations. I’m funded by a US charity, it’s called the LeDuc, and it’s quite a prestigious one, so I do feel quite lucky to be on that. Lots of great people, lots of money, which, to do science, is always handy to have. I can’t complain.

Adam Smith:

No, that’s brilliant. They were the … Wait a second, you didn’t tell us your highlights yet, did you? I rudely interrupted.

Dr Gaia Brezzo:

I had a sneaky trip to America, which wasn’t sneaky.

Adam Smith:

To present your work to your amazing funder.

Dr Gaia Brezzo:

To present my work.

Adam Smith:

Who I’m sure now are just dying to give you more money as a result.

Dr Gaia Brezzo:

If only. No, they were like, “You’re doing a great job but you’re not going to get any more money.” We’re like, “Yeah, okay,” but I do get to keep my job, which is great. My main highlight, I think-

Adam Smith:

If the highlight of the year is getting to keep your job, that’s worrying, isn’t it? Although, it has been a tough year.

Dr Gaia Brezzo:

I mean, being a postdoc in science, that is no small feat, to be honest.

Adam Smith:

Come on, I’m not going to interrupt you this time.

Dr Gaia Brezzo:

Okay, so my highlight, similar to Connor, I think, was going back to my first in-person conference. I went to Stroke Immunology in Munich, which of course you obviously look for conferences that are in nice locations. No, so Munich is a lovely city that I never went to, but the conference is probably the best conference I ever went to. It was coming back with a bang, having sat through loads of obviously online stuff. Met loads of great people and collaborators that I’m sure will, yeah, be looking forward to seeing again next year. That was really a great experience.

Adam Smith:

Getting out and about, and of course we’re already … I mean, the conferences are already … We’ve already had deadlines, haven’t we, this year for next year’s. The ARUK abstract conference, the ADPD deadline I think has been. I saw that, got a plug in for AIC abstracts, now open for submission. You’ve also had the two extra bonus conferences from Alzheimer’s Association as well. Although, I think the deadlines for their purpose have been and gone already for the APOE, and was it neuro-inflammation? Those two. Let’s see when we come back to you for your highlights for next year. Thank you, Gaia. Beth, you’ve been … Everybody, you’ve been in America, you’ve been all over the place. Tell us, what’s been your highlights?

Beth Eyre:

Yeah. It’s been a really big year. The final year is huge, so much seems to happen in final year. It’s just one big … I’ve got a couple of little things. I got my first first-author paper. That was really exciting, and I won an award at the ARUK conference. That was probably the best thing I think that’s happened. Then, obviously going to the US to learn some really cool techniques and then bring them back to the lab here. Yeah, it’s been a good year, hard year but a good year.

Adam Smith:

Whirlwind year, while also finishing experiments and writing, I assume.

Beth Eyre:

Yes.

Adam Smith:

You should tell everybody, because I don’t even think you wrote it in your blog. Why you’ve not done this, I don’t know. Tell everybody the full name and title of your paper and where it’s published. Can you remember the full?

Beth Eyre:

Can I remember the name? I think it’s The Effect …

Adam Smith:

I mean, I feel like you ought to be able to.

Beth Eyre:

I know. The Effect of Locomotion on Sensory-Evoked Hemodynamic Responses, and it’s in Scientific Report if anyone’s interested in it.

Adam Smith:

Go look it up. Any citations will come gratefully received.

Beth Eyre:

Yes.

Adam Smith:

Just to add to that. I’m assuming, I mean, this is … No, I’m not going to say that because we’re going to come back to 2023. That’s brilliant. Thank you, Beth. That’s all exciting, and I’m hoping to read more about your time in the States in your forthcoming blogs. Kam, I mean, we’d said at the start, your new job. What’s been your highlight of the year?

Dr Kamar Ameen-Ali:

Well, I didn’t want to pick it as my highlight because I thought it’d be quite obvious, and I didn’t want to talk about publications either. I picked as my highlight being invited to be a panel member for a workshop on playing to your strengths to advance your career progression. That was at the ARUK research conference back in March. I have never done anything like that before, so that’s why it was quite an experience for me. It was interesting because it actually came off the back of a blog that I wrote about leaving academia and then returning, and also the series of podcasts that we did around being a perpetual post-doc that Yvonne hosted. It was kind of a highlight because it had come off the back of being involved in dementia research, and it was just a really interesting experience and good to kind of talk about career progression and give some tips and advice.

Adam Smith:

How To Leave and Return was our third most read blog in 2022.

Dr Kamar Ameen-Ali:

Wow.

Adam Smith:

That was one of yours, right?

Dr Kamar Ameen-Ali:

Yeah.

Adam Smith:

I think it was.

Dr Kamar Ameen-Ali:

I think that’s the one that they said that caught their interest, when I was invited by ARUK. That’s the one that caught their interest, so that’s why I was invited, so yeah.

Adam Smith:

That’s got to feel good, hasn’t it? Because when you do all this stuff … I guess with the paper, I don’t know if you feel the same, so you kind of have all that work and then it’s finally published and you can tweet and you can share, and then, I think that curve of height of how excited you are is a very quick drop-off to your next. There’s no nice long, what’s the word I’m looking for? There’s no legs in a publication. It feels like once you’ve done it, that’s it. You’ve just got to move on, that you can’t bask in that glory for very long. Whereas, doing other things like that where it feels like you’re being recognized just for working in the field, actually I quite like that more. Being invited to do something or to go give a talk or to sit on a panel, actually, you know that somebody’s picked you out from that. It’s not just you submitting your work. Somebody’s gone, “Oh, what about her or what about him? They’re doing really interesting stuff.”

Dr Kamar Ameen-Ali:

Yeah. When you get invited for things, it’s a shock because it’s like … To know that somebody knows that you exist and that they’ve read something of yours, it’s …

Adam Smith:

It’s recognition, right? It’s recognition that you’re contributing to the field, which I think we all hope that we’re doing.

Dr Kamar Ameen-Ali:

Yeah. Yes, so that’s why I picked that.

Adam Smith:

In addition to publishing papers.

Dr Kamar Ameen-Ali:

That’s why I picked that as my highlight, I think. Definitely.

Adam Smith:

Brilliant. Well done, Kam. I’m going to quickly move on to Aida as well, because you’re a dark horse, you are. You kind of do loads of stuff really quietly and then it suddenly appears between your apps and your grants and bits and pieces. I bet you find it hard to choose just one. You can have more than one.

Dr Aida Suarez-Gonzalez:

Well, I have a couple of highlights. I think this has been a good year, and I think the first one is that I promoted to grade nine this year, to principal research fellow. It is good because it comes with a pay rise, so I’m very happy about that, but the reason why this is a highlight is because I promoted to grade nine in an institute with a 45% gender gap in senior positions. I’m the third woman getting to grade nine in my specific department, and the first foreigner, and this achievement is full of meaning for a feminist as myself. Also because, during the process, and this is the most important part, because during the process I gained a better understanding of some of the gender biased behaviors that contribute to create barriers for equality and that put women at disadvantage and that contribute to perpetuate that gap.

Because I got very angry during the process, and I’m a person who thinks that festering on your anger is not good, you need to do something positive to expel your anger. Once the promotion was effective, I went to speak to the equality and diversity committee at the Institute of Neurology, and I proposed then to create a promotions clinic. We are starting a promotion clinic in 2023 where I will try to create better support and a better environment for female researchers who want to go up for senior promotion, and insert some of the learnings that I took with me during this process this year, and also during the months that took to the preparation and putting together the application. Yeah, so I’m very pleased that I found a positive way to ventilate my indignation.

The second thing was, I’m not particularly a big fan of awards, but I received one this year that made me very, very happy, because it was an award from the Spanish Society of Clinical Neuropsychology, which is a national body devoted to the promotion of clinical neuropsychology in Spain. It was my first in-person conference since the start of COVID, and people who know me know that I’m very, very scared of COVID because I have very, very vulnerable people in my family, so I’ve been hiding for three years, not attending conferences, but when I was let know that I was going to receive this prize, my colleagues were like, “You have to go in person, don’t do this via Zoom, it’s going to be so bad.” I went there and it was very good for me to be, because you really become very isolated. It was really a long period of time for me without attending conferences, and it was very nice and very warm. Fly to Spain, to receive this prize from people in your own country, because I didn’t know that people knew me in Spain. Usually, you leave the country, you start working in a completely different place, and it’s like I only exist in London. I didn’t know that there was this group of people following my work from back home, and it was very warm and nice, and yeah. I think that’s it.

Adam Smith:

That’s beautiful. Well done about the promotions clinic as well. Funny you should mention it, because I’ve been touting the idea of a second series of podcasts this year about mentees interviewing their mentors about their careers, and that came off the back of a conversation at the AIC, where getting real life examples of how people had kind of gone through promotions and just what exactly was needed. Do you have to supervise some students? Do you have to … What are the things that are going to add to those credits to get you that promotion? Because, so many fairly new post-docs just weren’t really very sure. It’s not written down, they just turn up, and if you’re lucky and you have a great supervisor, they’ll help you. and if you’re not lucky or you don’t or yours is a little bit absent, like we know some of them are, you just don’t know.

I think that’s a brilliant idea. Well done, so if you’re at UCL, get in touch with Aida if you’re interested in that for next year. If you’re not at UCL, we’ll get Aida to … We’ll make her write about that this coming year. Maybe that’s a great topic for some blogs. Woo-hoo. Well, we’ve been around the table. I don’t know, should I add my own highlight for the year? I’m not sure. Well, we managed to secure funding to an allow Dementia Researcher to carry on, which is a big deal because it’s been a tough negotiation. I think we’ll change the logos and the website and things on the first of January, but we’ll have Race Against Dementia, Alzheimer’s Association, ARUK, Alzheimer’s Society, and the NIHR all as our main funders hosting us within the BRC, so that’s good. I mean, it kind of almost feels like that’s not just writing one grant application, that’s kind of five, that all had to somehow come together and contribute. That’s been really pleasing and great. I think that people could see the value in Dementia Researcher and things like the blogs you write, because if they didn’t, nobody would fund it. Right? I think it kind of shows that we’re doing something right, and kind of coming up with new ideas and listening to the community and finding ways to help people is what it’s all about.

If you are listening to this and you’d like something that we’re not doing, or you’ve got a great idea for, I don’t know, a new feature, a new part of the service, a topic you don’t think we’re covering enough, somebody that you think should be writing for us who isn’t, do reach out, get in touch. We’re very receptive to ideas and new contributors as well, particularly, because I think, Gaia, Connor, you’re both new bloggers this year as well, aren’t you? Aida as well. Aida had written for us before, but I think it’s only this year that you’ve come back and are contributing regularly as well. Always looking for new people, so do get in touch.

Right. Moving on to 2023, we’re going to do this quicker, more speedily. I’m going to ask you to tell me, oh, what are we going to have? People want to know more about you, see. I think they need to know more about you as well, so Sam, tell us. What are you most looking forward to in 2023, and what will you be watching on telly over Christmas? We all watch telly, right?

Dr Sam Moxon:

Yeah, yeah.

Adam Smith:

Somebody here is bound to not have a telly, because they’re scientists. Sam, what are you watching, and what’s your highlight for 2023? What are you looking forward to?

Dr Sam Moxon:

What I’m looking forward to is, I’m a very northern lad. I’ve always lived in the north of the UK, so Sheffield, [inaudible 00:39:21], Manchester, Huddersfield, Liverpool. I’m looking forward to the fact that I now live somewhere different. I live down in Birmingham, because for years, any time I went out on a day trip, I went for an at-home holiday, I would go to the same places like the lake district or York or North Wales, so I’m looking forward to now the fact that I’ve got this opportunity to start visiting places like the Cotswolds, the Brecon Beacons, and all these places.

Adam Smith:

Oh, you’re going to move house

Dr Sam Moxon:

Yeah, yeah.

Adam Smith:

You don’t have to move house.

Dr Sam Moxon:

Well, yeah I know, but when you’ve [inaudible 00:39:47]-

Adam Smith:

You live in Liverpool now, don’t you? Do you live in Liverpool?

Dr Sam Moxon:

No, no I’ve moved down to Birmingham already. I’m currently commuting from Birmingham to Manchester. I’m also looking forward to not having to do that anymore, as well, but yeah, just all of these new interesting places that are relatively close by to go and explore. In terms of what I’m going to be watching, I’m not too sure because I tend to sort of burn through a series and then look for a new one. If it’s about re-watching, I think it’s about time I watched The Wire again.

Adam Smith:

You’re a sci-fi fan, aren’t you?

Dr Sam Moxon:

Pardon?

Adam Smith:

Sci-fi fan, aren’t you?

Dr Sam Moxon:

Yeah, well I’ve just finished Andor, which is phenomenal.

Adam Smith:

Andor was epic, wasn’t it? I loved Andor.

Dr Sam Moxon:

I might watch …

Adam Smith:

That was-

Dr Sam Moxon:

Yeah, I think I might watch The Wire again, because it’s been a while, and I recommend The Wire to everybody. It’s a fantastic show.

Adam Smith:

I haven’t seen The Wire. It is on that kind of backlog. I know, I know. It’s on the backlog that I’ve not got through, but I did watch Andor.

Dr Sam Moxon:

Yeah, Fargo is great as well. You should watch Fargo if you’ve not watched Fargo.

Adam Smith:

Oh yeah, I’ve seen all the Fargos. I’ve watched everything. Well, I like to passively watch television in the background while I’m working. What’s that sci-fi comedy with Stephen … Not Stephen Fry. Hugh Laurie. There’s a new season of that out this last week.

Dr Sam Moxon:

Yeah, I know what you mean. I can’t remember the name of it though.

Adam Smith:

That’s a good one.

Dr Sam Moxon:

Yeah, I would recommend anyone to watch Andor. Even if you’re not a Star Wars fan, you don’t need to be a Star Wars fan to enjoy Andor. It’s fantastic.

Adam Smith:

I agree. Anna, let’s come to you. Thanks Sam.

Dr Anna Volkmer:

I’ll be watching Andor now, but I’m also going to be watching the rest of Wednesday, because I’m a bit of a goth really. Yeah, I am really. I was the founding member of the UCL Hard Rock Society in 19 … When did I? 1999, I think, I founded that, in my undergrad.

Adam Smith:

Well, it got to 1999 before they had a Hard Rock Society?

Dr Anna Volkmer:

They had a Thrash Metal Society, which we thought was too … They were more into kind of eighties thrash metal. We wanted something that incorporated kind of classic rock with new metal, so we founded that, but, and Wednesday is just … I just love the gothic look. Yeah.

Adam Smith:

I’m a Whitby lad and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that there’s some eyeliner somewhere in the house. I could have put some on today, couldn’t I? I’ve seen it. I’ve finished it. I won’t spoil it for you.

Dr Anna Volkmer:

Okay. Yeah, no, don’t.

Adam Smith:

It is good though, isn’t it? Lots of people are watching. Nod if you’ve also seen it and finished it.

Dr Sam Moxon:

Yeah, it’s great. It’s great. Yeah.

Adam Smith:

Many others, we’re not going to spoil it for anybody.

Dr Sam Moxon:

I’m loving the hard work representation as well. Yeah, fighting the good fight.

Adam Smith:

I do. Does that mean you’ve got … Have you got a leather jacket somewhere with patches on it, or denim?

Dr Anna Volkmer:

Technically I was more of a new metal-er, so I’ve got loads of baggy trousers and tons of key chains, and a lot of tattoos that you may never see.

Adam Smith:

Yeah, I think actually, if somebody would like to write a blog on science tattoos, the phenomenon that is science tattoos.

Dr Anna Volkmer:

Maybe I will. Did I show you this? This is my newest. Can you see that or is it reversed in the camera? It says talk, it’s speech bubble that says talk.

Adam Smith:

I think that deserves a blog. The phenomenon of science tattoos. Should you get one? Should you not get one? If you are going to get one, will you regret it? Then, any one of you can send in examples of what you’ve already got. Are you the only one here with tattoos?

Dr Anna Volkmer:

Surely not.

Adam Smith:

You don’t have to show them.

Dr Aida Suarez-Gonzalez:

I do have tattoos as well.

Adam Smith:

You’ve got tattoos, Aida,

Dr Aida Suarez-Gonzalez:

I also have tattoos, but yeah, but they are not like-

Adam Smith:

They’re not science ones.

Dr Aida Suarez-Gonzalez:

Anna’s tattoo is like proper advocacy for her profession, and mine is unrelated.

Adam Smith:

I haven’t got a tattoo either. I quite like the idea. I’m just not brave enough, I suspect. Thank you Anna. That’s brilliant. The new tattoo is amazing, and you were sober at the time you got it?

Dr Anna Volkmer:

Oh, completely. It was 11:00 AM. My sister came with her newborn baby. Yeah, it was lovely.

Adam Smith:

You didn’t get the baby a tattoo as well, did you?

Dr Anna Volkmer:

No, we did discuss it, but we didn’t. No.

Adam Smith:

Well, I don’t think … There’s probably rules, even in Australia, about getting your babies tattooed.

Dr Anna Volkmer:

Exactly, exactly. No, it was a very nice, calm experience, so the baby enjoyed just observing it.

Adam Smith:

Well done. Thank you Anna. Connor, what are you most looking forward to in 2023?

Dr Connor Richardson:

I am most looking forward to my holiday that I’ve got booked in May, which will be the first proper holiday that I’ve been on in about … Since I was about 19, so kind of 11 years, and it will be my partner’s first ever trip abroad because he got his first passport this year, so that’ll be a very exciting trip. Yeah. Had to get excited. Yeah, I’m going to see … On the topic of music, I’m going to see Florence the Machine in February, who is my all time favorite, so I’m very excited for that as well.

Adam Smith:

Have you got a work related highlight coming up?

Dr Connor Richardson:

Yeah.

Adam Smith:

It’s just, you’ve got a job now as well, haven’t you? Work’s just not really on your mind right now.

Dr Connor Richardson:

Actually, so I’m doing … I recently started as a sort of deputy leader on our institute EDI committee, so I’m going to be doing a lot more EDI related work next year, and hopefully, it’s not 100% guaranteed yet, but I’m hopefully starting some new research next year on anti-inflammatory medication and dementia risk in the population, so that should be very exciting if all that comes together.

Adam Smith:

Brilliant. Thank you Connor. Yvonne. Yvonne, if I had a little award to give you, I would give it to you because you did have the top read blog of 2022. Rather sadly, however, it was the one called Great Academic Resignation, which is-

Dr Yvonne Couch:

It was very popular.

Adam Smith:

A little bit disturbing, that that was the most, but that was our top blog of 2022, so congratulations.

Dr Yvonne Couch:

Thank you very much. I do need some kind of trophy please, to put on the shelf that isn’t mine.

Adam Smith:

I’ll dig one out, find you one an award, but to be honest, all the blogs … It was quite hard because every single one of our bloggers, and I’m not just making this up, had a blog that featured in the top 10 most read blogs. A couple of you had more than one. I will admit, some of you have more than one. Hannah, who’s not here, her one on fasting diet was like number four. What else have we got in here? Social Return on Investment came in, in the top five. That was Nathan Stevens. He’s there as well. I think he’s a bit biased. I also don’t want to put too much emphasis on this, because of course some of those blogs would’ve been published right back in January, and some of the stuff might well just have been published last month, so you can’t really compare blogs from the beginning of the year with the ones at the end, because there’s a lot more time for people to read them. Throwing out random stats, 37% more people this year found our blog through Google and search engines than they did in the previous year, because we’re getting much better at … What you don’t all realize is I’ve massively changed the name of your blogs.

It might appear like that on the website, but what goes through to Google to make sure they find them, they’re much shorter. They’ve got snappier titles, because that’s what Google finds. What was it? I publish one tomorrow. There’s a blog tomorrow that’s about the market forces, and I think if Google reads that, it’s going to definitely assume it’s about the economy, which it kind of is, but it’s more about dementia and the costs of dementia care, so you’ve got to tweak these things. Well done. Congratulations, that’s [inaudible 00:48:12]. What are your highlights for 2023?

Dr Yvonne Couch:

2023, so I would say I’m about three quarter of the way through a whole bunch of science, which is intensely frustrating. I’m kind of looking forward to, at least the first three months in 2023, I’m just going to hardcore focus and get stuff done, and I would actually like to publish a paper on something at some point. I think 2023, I’m just looking forward to getting some science done. This sounds weird, but I do actually quite like writing grants. I don’t like putting them out there and having them rejected, that’s not fun, but I enjoy sitting down and sort of having ideas, and I need to be thinking about the next grant along at some point next year. I’m actually quite looking forward to sort of sitting down and thinking about people I could work with and ideas that I think would be interesting. Yeah, so scientifically, there’s I think a lot going to be going on next year.

Adam Smith:

Some collaborations.

Dr Yvonne Couch:

Exactly.

Adam Smith:

Brilliant, thank you Yvonne. Oh, what are you watching? You watch telly, right?

Dr Yvonne Couch:

I occasionally watch TV. I’m more of a book person, so might-

Adam Smith:

Oh, you’re also the most avid listener of podcasts I’ve ever known. I get text messages from Yvonne day, night, weekend, saying, “What about this podcast?”

Dr Yvonne Couch:

Basically most of my inspiration for my own blogs comes from other people’s podcasts. Well, I’m in the lab on my own most of the time, and I have … My commute is about an hour or so, between an hour and an hour and a half each way, so I have a lot of time to fill and I have a dog to walk and so there’s lots and lots of things to listen to.

Adam Smith:

Go on. You can pick a podcast if you don’t want to say a TV show.

Dr Yvonne Couch:

Oh no, I can’t pick a podcast. There’s too many, that’s too exhausting, because they also … Mine range from, I listen to the sort of My Favorite Murder type ones-

Adam Smith:

Murder mystery.

Dr Yvonne Couch:

I then go on to Freakonomics, the economics one, and No Stupid Questions, but I also listen to-

Adam Smith:

I’m sorry, I’m going to have to press you.

Dr Yvonne Couch:

What? No, you can’t. I’m sorry. I can’t, I can’t pin … Fine. I’m going to go with No Stupid Questions because it is very amusing.

Adam Smith:

Go look it up. Thank you Yvonne. Gaia?

Dr Gaia Brezzo:

Similar to Yvonne, again, I think. I’ve been in this post for a year but it’s taken ages, and with a few minor setbacks, to build to something that is meant to be the main part of my project. I’m really looking forward to starting that in January. I’ve had the pleasure to work with a lot of different people within the year because I’ve set up smaller collaborations, which I guess wouldn’t have happened if all these setbacks wouldn’t have happened. It’ll also be nice to have my own project that I can focus on, start of January, so hopefully more [inaudible 00:51:08].

Adam Smith:

Your highlight is doing your job?

Dr Gaia Brezzo:

Doing my job, yes.

Adam Smith:

It’s getting [inaudible 00:51:14]-

Dr Gaia Brezzo:

Doing what I am paid to do

Adam Smith:

You’re most looking forward to just being able to do your job without any crap or hindrance.

Dr Gaia Brezzo:

Yes. Yes. Yes. That should be nice.

Adam Smith:

Do you know what? I don’t think that’s an unreasonable thing to look forward to, is it? Just being able to turn up every day, not have to worry about everything else going on.

Dr Yvonne Couch:

It’s no small ask in academia. There’s so much other crap going on that you have to do that sometimes it’s quite nice to just be able to do what in theory you are paid to do.

Dr Gaia Brezzo:

Yeah, exactly, so I really hope I haven’t jinxed myself and everything will start as it should.

Adam Smith:

Yeah. Famous last words.

Dr Gaia Brezzo:

Exactly.

Adam Smith:

Come on, TV, podcast?

Dr Gaia Brezzo:

Oh, TV. One of my favorite shows on Netflix is Dark, and they’ve just brought up a new series from the same creator that’s called 1899. It’s all very psychological, thriller, mystery, so I would definitely recommend Dark if you haven’t watched that. It’s a bit like Stranger Things but better, let’s say. Much bit.

Adam Smith:

I started at 1899, I think I got about three episodes in and went, “This is just a bit weird, isn’t it?”

Dr Gaia Brezzo:

Oh, well, that’s my jam.

Adam Smith:

There we go. That’s a TV recommendation from Gaia, and I’m going to come to … I’m actually going to jump around a little bit now because I think Kam has to sneak off and I’m keeping her, so I’m going to go to Kam now. Sorry Kam, I just suddenly saw the time.

Dr Kamar Ameen-Ali:

That’s all right. I guess my highlight for next year, that I’m looking forward to establishing my research independence, because that’s a long ongoing process, and building collaborations and trying to decide what you want your kind of research niche to be. It’s quite exciting but quite scary at the same time, and I haven’t been to an international conference yet since COVID, so maybe I’ll get to go abroad next year to a conference. That would be quite nice. We’ll see. I don’t know, it’s all funding dependent.

Adam Smith:

I feel like you definitely deserve it. You’ve just got to pick one out. Even if you just pick out one you really want to go. What have we got? I saw that there’s a good one on the Gold Coast in Australia, The Australian Research Forum. Anna’s suddenly looking up, “What, a conference in Australia that I … ” There’s one on the Gold Coast. I think that’s in May, I want to say. You’ve got AIC, of course, in Amsterdam, March. ADPD, Gothenburg, in March. Amsterdam. What am I talking about? That’s in July. Yeah, so lots to choose from. Get one picked, get it booked.

Dr Kamar Ameen-Ali:

Yeah, I know. I have to. It’s also-

Adam Smith:

ARUK. Will you be at ARUK in Aberdeen?

Dr Kamar Ameen-Ali:

I don’t know. I haven’t got plans yet. It depends on teaching, things like that. I’ve got to think about stuff like that now.

Adam Smith:

Yvonne’s nodding. Yvonne, are you and I finally going to meet in person? Are you going to be in Aberdeen? Oh my goodness, we’ve never met. I think I’ve been-

Dr Yvonne Couch:

I know. It’s going to be one of those things where you’re like, “Oh, do you know what? I was expecting you to be taller.”

Adam Smith:

No, I’m not really sure. Beth’s really tall. Every time, I was expecting Beth to be shorter. Actually, I think, no, I don’t think I’ve met you in real life either, have I Sam?

Dr Sam Moxon:

No. No, we’ve never met in real life, I don’t think.

Adam Smith:

No, I’ve met everybody else in real life though, except for you, Yvonne, and we live just around the corner from each other as well. I was in your town at the weekend.

Dr Yvonne Couch:

I know, you keep offering coffee and failing to follow through on the coffee dates.

Adam Smith:

This week is the week. This week is the week. Thank you Kam, and good luck. If we can get you in there, you can highlight, you can do the conference highlight podcast from whichever one you finally choose. Brilliant. Beth, what about you? Tall Beth.

Beth Eyre:

Tall Beth. I think it might have been the heeled boots though. I’m not that tall.

Adam Smith:

You are, you’re much taller.

Beth Eyre:

I thought I was quite average.

Adam Smith:

I can’t be the only one that said that though. Other people have must have gone, “Oh, you’re quite tall.”

Beth Eyre:

Yeah, maybe. I don’t know. I don’t feel that tall.

Adam Smith:

It’s not a bad thing.

Beth Eyre:

I have two, I have a life one and then a science one. Life one, I’m getting married in August. That’s very exciting. Science one, I’m excited to submit my PhD, hopefully get it, and start a post-doc.

Adam Smith:

Did you see that first then, right? Without telling, right, so you don’t have to say because I realize that these things are sensitive. Do you know what your post-doc is and you just can’t say?

Beth Eyre:

Right. Yes, I do, but nothing’s been signed yet. I probably just jinxed it, but yeah, I have something lined up to start in the new year, which is very exciting.

Adam Smith:

Oh, post-doc starts as soon as that?

Beth Eyre:

Yes, it starts early next year.

Adam Smith:

Congratulations.

Beth Eyre:

That can be a number of different months.

Adam Smith:

That’s a big one. That should have been the one for this year. I mean, you got a post-doc before you finished your PhD, so you better … I guess you really better make sure you finish that then, because I’m guessing one is conditional on the other.

Beth Eyre:

Yes. Yeah, so have to finish the PhD, so it’s a bit of a boost to kind of get on with it.

Adam Smith:

Getting married as well, so two more stressful things. New job. Are you going to move house as well? Do you want to throw that in there just to keep up the stress levels?

Beth Eyre:

I hope not. I don’t think I can take much more. Enough stress.

Adam Smith:

What are you watching? You watch TV?

Beth Eyre:

Yeah, I watch way too much TV. I finally finished all of Grey’s Anatomy. I’ve never been fully caught up and I started re-watching it again when I was in America. I’ve just caught up, so yeah. Gray’s Anatomy. Love it.

Adam Smith:

Do they still make that show? Is that one that-

Beth Eyre:

Yeah, they do.

Adam Smith:

Okay, so now you can … You’re at that annoying point where you have to wait for new ones to come out.

Beth Eyre:

Yeah, I can’t binge it anymore, which is a bit sad.

Adam Smith:

I think I did Game of Thrones like that. The first three seasons of Game of Thrones, I could play catch-up, and then, until you get to the live ones. We haven’t talked about Game of Thrones. Did anybody watch Ice and Fire? Did you watch that? Did you like that? Is that coming on anybody’s recommended list?

Dr Anna Volkmer:

It’s behind a bigger paywall, so I found it harder to access. It’s disappointing.

Adam Smith:

That’s behind the Sky one.

Dr Anna Volkmer:

Yeah, exactly. Exactly, exactly. Was it good?

Adam Smith:

It was good.

Dr Sam Moxon:

I think my confession is-

Adam Smith:

As a bit of a nerd, I quite like-

Dr Sam Moxon:

I said, my confession is I’ve never actually watched Game of Thrones. Well, the problem was I started The Wire at the same time, and so I’ve seen the first three or four episodes of Game of Thrones, started the Wire at the same time and The Wire just grabbed be more, and so I watched that instead. I need to go back and watch Game of Thrones.

Dr Yvonne Couch:

I read the books in about 2009, and so when it became a thing, I got really mad because everybody was all over it. I was like, “I’ve read these already, how have you not caught up?” Then I in principle refused to watch the TV series, so I have no idea what’s gone on beyond the books.

Adam Smith:

I’m super envious. I wish I hadn’t watched Game of Throne and I could go back and watch it again, not knowing what’s coming next. Really, it’s so good. Go watch it. Aida, sorry. I feel like you’ve always … You spend a lot of time waiting for everybody else, but come on. I should have, for the second question, I should have gone in reverse order, shouldn’t I? Come on. What are you looking forward to this year? You’ve got so many exciting projects.

Dr Aida Suarez-Gonzalez:

Yes, I have exciting projects lying ahead. I guess that I’m looking forward to scale up my research program and grow the team and the network of collaborators. Sometimes there are these people who say, “Well, this business, we are not here to make friends.” I’m totally in this for the friends. Totally, so that is one of the things that I love the most about this job, that you get to know so many people and then become collaborators and then they become friends, and it’s about meeting … For instance, over the last three, four years, I’ve been nurturing this international network of collaborators with expertise in a wide range of disciplines that are important for my research and I know nothing about, like neuropathology or genetics, linguistics, or statistical modeling. They are phenomenal. They know how to do it. They have the patience to explain things to me. They are keen to collaborate, to link up, to do things together. Same values, everybody on the same page. That’s really nice and in parallel, I have also a network of clinicians, also with diverse backgrounds, passionate about dementia, rehabilitation, and care. They say this thing, “If you want to go fast, go along. If you want to go far, go together.” I’m looking forward for this big international multidisciplinary collaboration to unfold and multiply in 2023.

Adam Smith:

That feels like a great principle that we could all take forward in 2023. I don’t think there’s anybody here that doesn’t like working with other people rather than working … No, working with other people rather than working alone. Is there? Nobody wants to work on their own. Brilliant. Well done Aida. Are you watching telly? How do you have time for telly? You don’t have time for telly, do you?

Dr Aida Suarez-Gonzalez:

No, I was dreading that question. I was dreading that question because I don’t really watch TV.

Adam Smith:

Come on. What about a book?

Dr Aida Suarez-Gonzalez:

I was feeling very out [inaudible 01:01:20].

Adam Smith:

What about a video game? Are you a video gamer? Do you play a lot of Animal Crossings?

Dr Aida Suarez-Gonzalez:

[inaudible 01:01:26]. No. No. Don’t keep asking me these question. No. You’re now making me look weird, and weird. No, no, but I can recommend a film.

Adam Smith:

Okay, go on. What’s your favorite movie?

Dr Aida Suarez-Gonzalez:

Yeah, so I watched this film, Good Luck To You, Leo Grande, recently. It’s the one about, where Emma Thompson is featuring this retired teacher who hires a gigolo, and it is sensational. It’s so beautiful. It’s hilarious. It’s clever, it’s a strong message. I really like it, so I highly recommend it. I really enjoyed it.

Adam Smith:

Good Luck To You. Is it still on at the cinema? Is it out now, or is it-

Dr Aida Suarez-Gonzalez:

I don’t know, I watched it in the plane.

Adam Smith:

[inaudible 01:02:13].

Dr Anna Volkmer:

I think it’s on Netflix.

Adam Smith:

Great, so get a subscription. If you can’t have a subscription, let me know. I’ll share my password. I think we can still do that, can’t we? Until they stop us. Thank you, Aida. Wow, we’re at the hour mark, easily, so we should probably call a wrap on this. It’s been a brilliant 2022 full of highs and lows. All of our bloggers have been amazing in turning in their blogs on time with lovely narrations, as well. If you don’t listen to the narrations, you really should. I really like hearing our bloggers read their blogs out loud. We have a dedicated podcast channel just full of all the blogs. There’s over 250 blogs in there now that you can listen back to, and they’re nice and short. They’re kind of anything from three minutes to eight minutes, maybe 12 if it’s a Yvonne’s. No, I’m teasing. They’re usually about five, six, seven minutes long. You can listen to them while you’re kind of just nipping to the supermarket, out in the car, walking the dog. They’re lovely, and you’ll find those in all the podcast apps. Just look for Dementia Researcher blogs, then you’ll never miss them.

Of course, we do have them on YouTube as well, and you can go old school and read them on the website, so do give those a listen. I’m working at the moment on pulling them together into separate playlists, so if you kind of really like one individual, you can kind of just subscribe to that one person and never miss them, and skip other people if you don’t like theirs. I would highly recommend you listen to all of them, because they really do bring something to the field. They all contribute really nicely to sharing their research or sharing their careers, and you all do amazingly well. Thank you so much. For anybody who’s listening who only listens to the podcast and doesn’t ever go near the website, which we know so many of our listeners do, particularly those outside the UK, go have a look at the website. It’s dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk and everybody here today publishes blogs all the time. They’re daily, we have new blogs. Anything else anybody wants to highlight? Is Santa going to be visiting you? Will you all be getting good presents? Anna, no?

Dr Sam Moxon:

I feel like that’s out of our control.

Adam Smith:

Well, thank you very much everybody for listening. We hope you enjoyed hearing from our brilliant bloggers, so thank you very much Sam Moxon, Anna Volkmer, Connor Richardson, Yvonne Couch, Gaia Brezza, Beth Eyre, and Aida Suarez-Gonzalez, and of course Kam Ameen-Ali who’s had to drop out because she had another thing she had to rush off to. Sorry our other bloggers couldn’t be here today, but we hope you’ve enjoyed listening and we’ll be back once Santa’s been, early in the new year, and we might bring you some blogs, highlights, between Christmas and New Year’s as well. Thank you very much everybody.

Dr Anna Volkmer:

Thanks Adam.

Dr Connor Richardson:

Thank you. Bye.

Adam Smith:

Great, and go give everybody a follow. Go give them all a follow. You can find details of their bios on the website and in the show notes.

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