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Margot Michalik
Name:
Margot Michalik
Job title:
PhD Student
Place of work / study:
University of Glasgow
Area of Research:
My current research involves using MRI to assess the contribution of cardiovascular disease to impaired brain waste clearance and dementia.
How is your work funded:
Medical Research Council (Precision Medicine Doctoral Training Programme)
Tell us a little about yourself:
I am a postgraduate researcher with a strong interest in neurodegenerative diseases and neural-vascular interactions. I completed my undergraduate degree in Neuroscience with Psychology at the University of Aberdeen, where my honours project explored the development of blood vessels in the human cortex. During my degree, I also had the fantastic opportunity to undertake a summer research internship at the University of Victoria in Canada. I then moved to Glasgow to pursue my MSc, where my final project focused on viral vectors for inducing tauopathy in mouse models. I am now pursuing a PhD at the University of Glasgow, investigating the link between cardiovascular disease and impaired brain waste clearance and dementia. I am very excited to see where this research journey takes me!
Tell us a fun fact about yourself:
I have visited 31 countries so far and have lived in 4. Hoping to increase that count in the future!
Why did you choose to work in dementia?
My interest in the brain started quite early, after dealing with various neurological issues when I was younger and feeling frustrated by the lack of answers available. As my interest in neuroscience developed, my great-grandmother was diagnosed with dementia. Seeing this incredibly strong, resilient and intelligent person progressively lose her memories and cognitive functions was heartbreaking and motivated me to pursue dementia research. I also find it fascinating how complex the disease is and how many factors can influence its progression.
What single piece of advice would you give to an early-career researcher?
I am still very much an early career researcher myself, but I would recommend going out of your comfort zone and saying yes to as many networking or skill building opportunities as possible. You never know who you might meet or what you might learn, and even if you somehow don’t enjoy it – at least you’ll have an interesting story!
What book are you reading right now? Would you recommend it?
I have recently finished the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson and am now reading Warbreaker by the same author. Both have very interesting characters and complex world building. I would definitely recommend!
Favourite film of all time?
Roman Holiday! Otherwise, Hotel Transylvania is my top choice when I need a comfort film.
Favourite ways to unplug and unwind?
I really enjoy reading (especially fantasy), a good yoga or pilates session, or anything that involves walking (but not running) around nature.
What’s the best decision you ever made?
Going out of my comfort zone and moving the UK all by myself to pursue a neuroscience degree.
What’s your favourite vacation spot?
Madeira island! Beautiful hikes, great food and warm but temperate climate.
Dr Yvonne Couch
Dr Connor Richardson
