Professor Lucy Palmer is head of the Neural Network Laboratory at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Australia. She completed her Master of Science at the University of Minnesota, USA and Ph.D at the Australian National University. She then pursued postdoctoral research at the University of Bern, Switzerland and Charite University, Berlin before returning to Australia to establish her research laboratory.
Her research uses advanced functional imaging and electrophysiological techniques to investigate how the brain encodes learning and memory in health and disease. She has published articles in high impact journals such as Science, Nature Neuroscience and Nature Communications.
What drew you to work on brain cancer?
As a neuroscientist, my work focuses on understanding how neurons encode fundamental brain processes, such as learning and memory. The more I learnt about how these important brain functions are disrupted in patients with brain cancer, the more I realised that we know very little about this at the neural level. In collaboration with Dr Heidi McAlpine and Prof Kate Drummond, we embarked on a highly ambitious, but extremely important, study to try to fill in the gap in knowledge about how neurons communicate directly with cancer cells, and how this influences brain function. I am hopeful that by investigating brain cancer from the neuroscience perspective, my research will significantly contribute to this very important field of research.
What’s your biggest achievement so far?
My biggest achievement lies in my daily learning about this terrible disease and performing experiments which will hopefully aid in our understanding of brain cancer and help patients in the future.
Can you describe your research for a layperson?
My research investigates the communication between brain cells and cancer cells, and how this communication influences brain function and cancer progression.
What is your hope for your research?
I really hope that my neuroscience background guides research that reveals how the environment in which the brain cancer is embedded, that is, the brain and it’s billions of neurons, influence brain cancer (and vice versa). By creating this understanding, I hope that we will be able to help patients understand the cognitive changes that they experience.
Best piece of advice you’ve received?
My postdoctoral supervisor, Matthew Larkum, is a great source of inspiration and he taught me never to be afraid to tackle the big questions.
Any hobbies or interests you’d like us to know about?
I’m married with two kids and two dogs. I love going to the beach.
Any awards, fellowships or special achievements?
I was just awarded an ARC Future Fellowship.
