Dr Tatiana A Giovannucci
Name:
Dr Tatiana A. Giovannucci
Job Title:
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Place of work / study:
UCL Institute of Neurology, Dementia Research Centre and UK Dementia Research Institute
Area of Research:
I would say I have my fingers in many pies! I am interested in the turnover of proteins relevant to neurodegeneration. I study this subject using isotope labelling and targeted mass spectrometry in induced-pluripotent stem cell (iPSC [1]) neuronal models. I am a scientific member of the Neurofilament Light consortium between four pharma companies, UCL and Washington University in St Louis.
In 2023, I was awarded a research fellowship (Alzheimer’s Association) to support a project on the influence of the brain’s immune cells on neuronal protein dynamics. Since 2024, I am also part of a Race Against Dementia Team studying protein turnover in humans.
How is your work funded:
I am funded by an Alzheimer’s Association Research Fellowship to promote Diversity (AARF-D) and as Co-PI of a Race Against Dementia Teams fellowship. I am also partly funded by the Neurofilament Light Consortium.
Tell us a little about yourself:
Being a researcher and an immigrant, telling a bit about myself is always linked to places. I am made from all, and none, of these: I am originally a paisa from Medellín in Colombia. I grew up in Tarragona, a beautiful sea town close to Barcelona. I studied BSc and MSc degrees in Biomedicine at Universitat de Barcelona. I was done with comfortable temperatures and decided to look up North, completing my PhD at Karolinska Institutet (Stockholm, Sweden). Since 2022 I am working as a postdoctoral researcher at UCL.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself:
When not in the lab, you are likely to find me upside down (search: ‘acroyoga’)
Why did you choose to work in dementia:
I was studying protein degradation mechanisms during my PhD, in a context related to cancer research. I was more interested in the work being done in this field in dementia, particularly in Alzheimer disease. Towards the end of my PhD, an interesting case-study was published. It was about the possible mechanisms of resilience to AD from a Colombian woman carrying the ‘paisa mutation’, a cause of familial Alzheimer disease. The more I read, the more I wanted to be in the field!
What single piece of of advice would you give to an early career researcher?
I think it would be useful to not think of ourselves as finished products, but as permanent works in progress. To be creative with your projects (both in and outside the lab) you will need to protect your time, so be mindful of the importance of time management and find what works for you.
What book are you reading right now? Would you recommend it?
I just finished two short novels: an old story, ‘O Pioneers!’ from Willa Cather [2], and a story that thinks of the future ‘Ofert a les mans, el paradís crema’ from Pol Guasch. Would recommend them both.
Favourite film of all time?
Not sure
Favourite ways to unplug and unwind?
Acroyoga