Life after GIGA #30 Alexandra Veloso

Alexandra is originally from Porto in Portugal. A first internship in Paris during her first years of study inspired her to continue exploring different horizons and countries. That's how she decided to do her Master's in Liège. She completed her PhD in Franck Dequiedt's lab. In 2018, she had the opportunity to have a postdoctoral position in Prof. Langenau's lab in Boston, at Harvard Medical School. And since 2022, she has been back in Belgium, at the KUL.

Life after GIGA” is a series of portraits that you can find from time to time on our facebook page, linkedin or instagram account. The aim of these portraits is not only to catch up with “old hands”, but also to show the diversity of career paths after a spell at GIGA. You'll be able to read interviews with people now working abroad (temporarily or permanently), or with people working at other universities or in the private sector.

Hello Alexandra, could you introduce yourself and explain your current position?

I am Alexandra Veloso, and I am from Porto, Portugal. I am currently a post-doctoral researcher at the lab of Professor Jan Cools at KU Leuven, where since February 2022 I am working on genetic dysregulation in leukemia.

What's been your career path so far?

I obtained my Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from the Catholic University in Porto, Portugal. During this time, I had the opportunity to complete an internship of 4 months at Institute Pasteur, in Paris under the supervision of Dr. Bianchi, where I studied the role of a multisubunit complex, COP9, in human cells development. The enthusiasm of Dr. Bianchi for research and her critical thinking, inspired me to pursue a career in academia myself. And more importantly, this first international experience made me passionate about exploring international horizons, learning the newest techniques abroad and setting up long-lasting collaborations. It was thus of no surprise that I wanted to pursue a Master’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology at the University of Liège in Belgium.

In Liège, I was fortunate to pursue my master thesis in the lab of Prof. Dequiedt, where because of his mentorship and the supporting lab environment, I was motivated to continue my research as a doctoral student. During my PhD, I focused on studying the role of different type of proteins in muscular and vascular development. Most importantly, my time in Prof. Dequiedt’s lab taught me that a good idea alone is not sufficient. It is through relentless dedication (and a high supply of coffee) that we truly push the boundaries of scientific discovery.

After completing my PhD in May 2018, I believed that to grow further, and learn new techniques, I had to find a new challenge. By presenting the knowledge that I acquired at the GIGA, Prof. Langenau offered me a postdoctoral position at his lab at Harvard Medical School (Boston, USA). There, I focused on drug screens and development of pre-clinical models to overcome T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia.

As a last episode in my international search for knowledge and expertise, I found my way back to Belgium. Since February 2022 I am a post-doc at the lab of Prof. Cools at KU Leuven, where I use my past experiences to uncover the role of genetic dysregulation at the onset of leukemia and its development.

Does your current work have any links with what you did at GIGA?

Yes! I always considered GIGA the place where I learned and fine-tuned the most fundamental techniques that I still use to this day. These include in vivo and in vitro assays, alongside various biomolecular methods, which have been crucial throughout my scientific career.

At GIGA, my research focused on defining the role of phosphatase PP2A in muscle development and exploring the function of adaptor proteins (Sorbs) in vascular development. This knowledge helped me to understand the role of proteins in oncogenesis, which is particularly useful in my current work, as we use it identify therapeutic targets in leukemia.

And last, but not least, at GIGA I was able to develop my critical thinking and mentorship skills by supervising several master students. Skills that I use on a day-to-day basis.

What do you particularly like about what you do today?

From the start of my PhD, I knew I wanted to pursue a career as an academic researcher. I am driven by the daily scientific challenges, stimulating discussions, and collaborations that foster impactful discoveries. For example, I had the opportunity to collaborate with Prof. Olli team from Tampere university, which led to a preclinical study in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

What I love the most about research is the constant opportunity to learn – whether it is by an inspiring talk at a conference, by mastering a new technique, or just by an in-depth scientific discussion. There are always exciting questions that are waiting to be answered, which keeps the work dynamic and fulfilling. It is exactly this mindset that I have seen in my academic role models, and it gives me great satisfaction that I am now in a stage of my career where I can pass it on to the students that I mentor.  

What are you most proud of in your career?           

It is impossible for me to select only one highpoint of my career, as I feel that the different facets of an academic are equally important. On one side, I am proud of my in-depth knowledge on different scientific subjects, that allow me find links between different research domains, which in turn have led to interesting new research avenues that I am currently pursuing. On the other side, I am proud of my ability to adapt, grow, and thrive in multi-cultural research environments. Institute Pasteur was different from ULiège and Harvard was different from KU Leuven, still, in all laboratories, I was able to evolve as a researcher. Lastly, I am also very proud of the people I have mentored and how they have evolved into critical scientist themselves.

How did your experience at GIGA help you, and what were the main positive points of GIGA for you?

I am deeply grateful for the mentorship of Prof. Dequiedt and Prof. Martin (currently at ULB) during my master's and PhD. They not only taught me a wide range of techniques, many of which I continue to use today, but also helped me develop critical thinking skills and keeping me motivated when it mattered the most (especially when I secured my FRIA grant, which required every bit of encouragement!). They foster a unique lab atmosphere where colleagues can become friends and where hard scientific questions are answered. Until this day, I consider them as mentors of my own academic path!

Additionally, GIGA offers exceptional resources to its staff and researchers such as flow cytometry and microscopy, plus GIGA has developed a unique culture that promotes collaboration both within and outside of the department. These factors were instrumental in the successful completion of my PhD and have been invaluable in advancing my career.

What advice would you give to someone starting a thesis or postdoc at GIGA?

I would say to them that every new scientific project is like a rollercoaster, sometimes it goes up, sometimes it goes down, but you can always trust on it to go forward. What is important to know is that there are always mentors and colleagues within the lab, but also outside the lab, that can help you along the way. The way science evolves better and faster is through good team spirit and collaborations!

How do you see yourself developing over the next few years?

I am currently completing research projects within the Cools lab at KU Leuven, where I recently had the opportunity to mentor some PhD students of my own and setup some collaborations with external partners. But the main goal that I am working towards is finding a faculty position and establish a research group where I can start working on the ideas that I have of my own.