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10 Headlines The brain in real time Dr Juliette Cheyne Dr Juliette Cheyne has completed her BSc (Biomedical Science), Honours and PhD at the University of Auckland, then moved to Amsterdam for six years as a Postdoctoral Fellow. In 2016 she returned to the University of Auckland with a Neurological Foundation Repatriation Fellowship. Dr Cheyne is now a semi-independent Research Fellow who co-supervises three PhD students and one research associate. Her research focusses on imaging brain cell activity in mouse models of disease, including Autism Spectrum Disorder and Alzheimer’s disease. Meet Dr Juliette Cheyne This past February Dr Juliette Cheyne participated in our Auckland Women in Science event. We took the time to get to know her a little bit better, and to have her share a wonderful research update about her current research on tracking activity in the brain in real time and how that relates to activity on behavior or sensory input. Why did you decide to become a researcher/ scientist/ clinician? I enjoyed learning about the body and how it worked since I was very young as I grew up on a farm. During high school I had a really great science teacher and it was my favourite subject. I started University with the idea of doing medicine, but I wasn’t 100% sure. During 1st and 2nd year lectures by Sir Professor Richard Faull I was inspired to learn more about the brain. At the end of 3rd year I did a summer studentship in neuroscience and during those 10 weeks I became sure that I wanted to be a scientist as I really enjoyed being in the lab and working on a question that no-one knew the answer to. What qualities do you think you need to have to be a researcher? • Passion • Resilience • Dedication • Good planning skills • Working well as part of a team • Trouble shooting • Knowing when to stop and reassess the situation! What inspires you to continue your work? I hope that an increased understanding of the brain will help people in the future. My work is not directly translatable to help people right now, but I believe that every little bit helps. I enjoy working with a great team of people and inspiring the next generation of students - seeing their enthusiasm and progress is great positive feedback!