Meet Postdoc Esha Gauba, PhD

Meet Our Postdocs is an occasional series featuring our postdoc students.

She is utilizing multiomics and induced pluripotent stem cell technology to identify key cellular and molecular modifiers of aging that lead to various neurodegenerative disorders, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In the future, Gauba hopes to be part of the biotech/pharmaceutical industry where she can translate her science into discovering new drugs for neurodegenerative disorders and contribute to improving patients' lives.

What inspired you to become a scientist?

My father inspired me to become an engineer and a scientist. From the start, he always motivated me to ask "why" questions, to be hands on and to find the answers myself, however complicated the question might be.

What has been your greatest scientific achievement in your career so far?

During my graduate and postdoctoral studies, I found several key proteins and their interactions in brain cells that exacerbate aging and age-related neuronal death in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and ALS. I also invented assays to allow discovery of new drugs to alleviate these pathologies.

What has been your greatest challenge?

I am an international scholar, so not being present with my family—especially for the key moments in life—has been tough. This has been especially challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What is your favorite thing about science and research?

The "Aha!" moments. All the days and nights of endless work and thinking about science comes to fruition in these moments.

What helps you overcome a rut or a period where you're stuck in the same place with research or science, in general?

Stepping away from the task at hand and focusing on an easily accomplished study or experiment usually serves me well and provides a fresh perspective. It focuses me and gives me momentum to come back to find new and alternative solutions.