A conversation with: Danielle Grotjahn, PhD, Scripps Research Fellow

Where did you get your love of science?

I guess this is a cheesy story, but it is true. I did grow up in Wisconsin and I had always enjoyed the outdoors. My grandparents had some land, so as a kid I loved nature and was constantly exploring. But then when I was about 8 years old, my parents bought me this small microscope kit and it was just awesome. I would swab the inside of my cheek and look at my cheek cells, or find plants to examine. Looking back on it, perhaps getting that kit was a foreshadowing of my love for microscopes. I did always have that curiosity, but it would be a lie to say I always dreamed of being a scientist. I began to develop an interest in different languages and cultures, so by the time I applied to college I knew I wanted to double major in biology and Spanish. I ended up being more drawn to the science through working in a lab as an undergraduate and then being offered a technician position after that. In that lab we were doing really cool time-lapse imaging in zebrafish. We would collect freshly fertilized eggs and then I would literally watch them divide under the microscope, going from a single cell all the way up to the whole organism. Again, this theme and passion for imaging biological specimens.

How have you used biological imaging in your graduate and now independent research? And what are the implications?

I joined Gabe Lander’s ab here because I wanted to start using cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM). At the time, everyone was obsessed with using cryo-EM to look at purified individual proteins. But I was the weird one; I really wanted to look inside of cells. With cryopreservation, we flash freeze the sample so quickly that the water molecules don’t have time to crystallize; they don’t form the same ice you get in your ice cube tray. They form a glass-like ice that’s thought to be the best way to preserve any sample. Then we’ve taken ideas from materials scientists, using micro-machining instruments and repurposing them for biology. The idea is that you have this beam of ions that you can use to clear away the cellular material above and below your area of interest, making it thin enough to visualize.

Initially I was focused on the motor proteins inside of a cell; the train or highway system of a cell that transports different things around. Now I’m planning to study the mitochondria, which are the energy-producing units of cells and seem to be good sensors of overall cellular health. In the long term I’d like to apply this to study the nervous system. One of the hallmark features of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease is fragmented mitochondria, which may in fact be one of the earlier signs of neurodegeneration. If we can understand the network of mitochondria in both healthy and diseased states, then we may be able to come up with strategies to halt these abnormal changes early on as a preventative measure.

What contributed most to your graduate school experience here?

I had a great time here at graduate school. I really liked how flexible the graduate program was; you could decide which classes you wanted to take, you could get leadership experience very easily and you could join all these different clubs. For me, I got involved with the postdocs’ association and I was also the Chair of the Network for Women in Science (NWiS). As well as an NSF graduate research fellowship, the scholarship I received from ARCS was just so impactful. I grew up in a loving home, but money was always an issue for us. Financially, the scholarship was crucial because I could start paying off my student loans earlier while I was still in graduate school. But then there were just so many other unexpected benefits of ARCS too. Just learning about its history was inspiring; that it was started by these visionary women in response to the Sputnik launch, who got together and wanted to make US scientists the most successful they could to compete internationally. I then had the opportunity to speak at their Scientist of the Year dinner event in 2016 which was so rewarding. By having this network of ARCS members and other scholars, it really enriched my graduate experience. I’m very happy to still be in San Diego, which has a very active ARCS chapter here, so I’m looking forward to keeping in touch with everyone.

How did the Scripps Fellows Program come on your radar? And what are the latest updates with your lab?

Well I knew I wanted to pursue cellular imaging and I originally intended on doing a postdoc. In the process of doing interviews across the US, I heard about the Fellows Program at Scripps Research. Since the institute had invested so much in high-resolution cryogenic electron microscopy, I thought that they might be interested in moving in this cellular direction. It turns out that was true, which influenced my decision to apply and provide for them this niche that they could move into. The great thing about the program is that it definitely gives you a head start in your longer-term academic career. It’s designed for people with a strong vision of what they want to do, so the idea is to foster those ideas and see what they’re capable of.

The other Fellows on the program have been so helpful with navigating how to set up your own lab space. I’m now trying to pay that forward; we have more Fellows joining this year and I’ve had phone conversations with them to share my advice. Currently, I’m mostly concentrating on setting up the lab and getting all the imaging equipment up and running. I have a graduate student in the lab and then a postdoc who is about to join. I was very fortunate to find great people, who kind of found me instead. I actually think my presence on Twitter might be part of the reason why. The EM community is small but very active on social media; every day is like being at a conference.

What advice would you give other graduate students on a similar track?

Being a scientist requires a lot of different skills. We always think of the obvious ones, like being analytical or scientific writing skills. But there are many other skills you should think about, such as being able to interact with others; not just for your own productive lab environment, but to form collaborations or talk to reviewers etc. Outside of that, the science communication is also important for being able to explain your work to a wider audience. For me, a big breakthrough was to stop comparing myself to others in terms of success or knowledge. Instead, I accepted and harnessed what strengths I had, while then having a good attitude and patience with things I still needed to improve upon.

So what’s your life like outside of the lab? Rumor has it you’re a bit of a hippie at heart?

Ha! Well okay, I grew up with, I guess you could say, hippie parents. For example, I would go to Grateful Dead concerts from a very young age. So I suppose I’ve embraced the musical aspects of that identity at least. And I do now live in Ocean Beach; I went there and it certainly felt like it was my vibe. In general, music has been a big part of my life and I find it really motivates me, so you’ll often find me in my office wearing my noise-canceling headphones. When the music goes on my concentration is then spot-on; it helps me to write, it helps me to think. In terms of hobbies, I’m not a fitness junkie or anything, but I like to stay really active, which complements all that time spent in the microscope room. I like a bit of everything: yoga, spin class, hiking and running. Yoga especially has taught me patience and good breath control, which I have then consciously been able to apply at work.

Learn more about the Scripps Research Fellows Program.