Luis Alberto Baena
- Current job title: MRC Career Development Fellow
- Current location: National Institute for Medical Research
- Field of research: Mechanisms of cell proliferation
- Education history: Biology, University Complutense, Madrid (BSc) (2000); Biochemistry Molecular Biology (PhD) (2006) Centro De Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, CBMSO, Madrid
- Wellcome Trust awards: Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship
- Other awards: Postdoctoral EMBO fellowship 2007-2008. Ramón y Cajal fellowship from the Spanish government to reincorporate scientist abroad.
Tell us about your background.
I'm originally from Spain, where I did my PhD. I was working in the laboratory of Antonio Garcia-Bellido, one of the most prestigious scientists in the field of developmental biology and member of the British Royal Society. I came to London to learn new techniques and to explore different elements of developmental biology.
Why did you choose your career?
My interest in developmental biology comes from my childhood; it is something that was always appealing to me, knowing how organisms are created in different shapes and how the process of growing is controlled to develop a wide variety of structures.
How would you describe your job?
As a very intriguing and rewarding trip that gives me the freedom to pursue my scientific ideas and to share them with students and peers.
In lay terms, what's your science about?
I would say that my science is about how cells grow and proliferate. I am also interested in how cells die normally when they are imperfect or they contain errors, and how some escape from the normal process of cell death, potentially becoming cancerous.
What are you working on at the moment?
I am quite excited because we have developed new tools to visualise cells before they die. This tool is also useful to manipulate their gene expression when they are still alive. Recently, we have developed an extremely efficient and specific system to create mutations in flies.
What's the ultimate aim of your work?
I would like to understand how the amount of cells within an organ remains constant to prevent different types of diseases, including cancer, metabolic syndromes and neurodegenerative diseases.
What are the difficulties and challenges of being a scientist, and how do you overcome them?
The main problem for researchers is the stability of their career, I would say. All the time we are under pressure to get grants, so we need to spend a lot of time writing funding proposals. This prevents us from doing our proper job: thinking about research and performing experiments. What keeps you going is your interest in science, your interest in making discoveries and learning a little more about the world every day.
How has the Wellcome Trust award influenced your career decisions?
The Wellcome Trust has been fantastic: because of their funding, I didn't have the problems that I described above. I've had security for four years that covered my salary and research, allowing me the opportunity to develop my own ideas. That is great.
What is the best part about doing science?
The best thing about science is the excitement you get every time that you see something interesting in the microscope, in the lab or at the bench. Another great part is the possibility to talk about many interesting things with a lot of people who are doing greater research. That is the most exciting thing, and the challenge of doing something different every day.
Who is your biggest role model?
Probably a tie between my PhD supervisor Antonio García-Bellido and my current boss Jean-Paul Vincent. In different ways, they have both had a strong impact on my way of thinking about science. They are different types of scientists, interested in different topics, but both inspiring.
Who is your favourite living scientist?
It would be really unfair to single one out; there are many people doing amazing research.
Who is your favourite scientist in popular culture?
I think David Attenborough's work has had a strong impact on society, but in general terms I think all of the BBC's nature documentaries are great.
What music do you listen to at work?
In the lab I don't like to listen to much music. But when I'm alone I have a wide range of tastes, from jazz to pop to disco.
What are your hobbies?
I am a huge fan of football. Unfortunately, I cannot play any more, but I can still watch a lot of football matches - Real Madrid are my team. My biggest hobby is the theatre; I like to act and did it when I was in Spain, but sadly I can't really do it here.
If you weren’t a scientist, you would be…
An actor, probably in the theatre. I'd like to do comedy, although I think I’m better at drama. There are too many unpleasant things in life, so I prefer to have more laughter.