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Profile – Dr Becky Carlyle, University of Oxford

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24/03/2024

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Dr Becky Carlyle

Name:

Dr Becky Carlyle

Job Title:

Alzheimer’s Research UK Senior Research Fellow

Place of work / study:

Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics and Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, University of Oxford

Area of Research:

We use a technique called mass-spectrometry to quantify thousands of proteins in the brains and biofluids of people with dementia. Our current focus is to compare brain tissue from people with dementia from Alzheimer’s Disease, to tissue from people who have similar levels of Alzheimer’s Disease pathology but no memory problems. By studying these “resilient” people, we aim to identify proteins and pathways that can act as targets for new drugs to boost a person’s natural resilience to pathology. We are also setting up stem cell screening methods to enable us to identify the most critical proteins for resilience, and screen out those who are just along for the ride.

How is your research funded:

Alzheimer’s Research UK, the National Institute on Aging, and industry collaborations with Ono Pharmaceuticals and GSK

Tell us a little about yourself:

I grew up just outside the northern city of Bradford. I did well at school, and was persuaded to study medicine. I realised after three amazing science-heavy years as an undergraduate at Oxford that this was a terrible choice for me, and quit clinical school very early on to study for a PhD at the University of Edinburgh. That was tough, but I made it through by the skin of my teeth, and went on to do my Post Docs and early faculty jobs in the USA, first at Yale, and then at Harvard / Massachusetts General Hospital. I then had a baby five months before COVID lockdown, and after a lot of time trying to balance a full time job with full-time childcare, both my husband and I were exhausted, so he took a job at Novo Nordisk in Oxford, and I desperately tried to scrabble to find a fellowship. Luckily ARUK liked my work and my proposal, and here I am. I am loving starting my own lab, and being able to mentor incredible talented young people to do interesting science. It’s a really amazing time to be a dementia researcher, with so many exciting new tools available for studying brain cells.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself:

I have a Harry Potter-like scar on my forehead from running face first into a tree while chasing a teenage boy (in my spare time I used to be an elite-level orienteering coach – you’ve got to run beyond your abilities sometimes to keep up with them!).

Why did you choose to work in dementia research?

As our society ages there won’t be a single aspect of it untouched by dementia. The economy, our families, our workplaces, our cities – all of them will have to change. The brain is so complex, and we currently understand so little about the molecules there, but we’re getting more and more exciting tools to address these problems every year. It’s the perfect time to really think about slowing, and ultimately curing dementia.

What single piece of advice would you give to an early career researcher?

I’ve mentioned resilience a lot in the past, but I’ve been re-thinking recently about what I mean by that after someone at the ARUK conference linked resilience to exploitation. Being an ECR is really tough, and I hope that as someone starting to move a bit higher up the chain, I can start to get into the rooms where differences can be made to change this. But while those changes take time, I think building yourself a network of mentors and peers that can boost you when the times get tough, is the key thing. Seek out people at all career stages to act as your hype crew – and be sure to act as their hype crew too. It makes it easier to bear than acting in isolation.

What book are you reading right now? Would you recommend it?

The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff and yes, I would! It covers really serious issues about life for women in India, but manages to be utterly hilarious whilst doing so.