Neurobiology: A Discussion With Dr. Jason MacLean

On Wednesday, November 30, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Jason MacLean, Professor of Neurobiology at the University of Chicago. Dr. MacLean leads MacLean Lab (https://macleanlab.uchicago.edu/) at UChicago, and is additionally affiliated with the Grossman Institute for Neuroscience, the Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, and member of the Committee on Computational Neuroscience and Biophysics.

How did Dr. MacLean get here?

Dr. MacLean’s path to becoming a professor took numerous turns and adjustments over the years; as a first generation high school graduate, he came across a passion for science not through a predetermined path, but rather through a summer program for high schoolers, which was the first time he began to truly dive into physics. He was excited by the idea of being a scientist, “people whose job it was to think.”

At the time of his undergraduate college years, like many other students, he had not yet found the field he would wind up studying; Dr. MacLean first studied physiology, and soon found himself interested in the intersection of physics and physiology. He then carried on to do a PhD in neuroscience. Intrigued by the idea of studying alpha motor neurons in the spinal cord as a nonlinear system and considering the way that the effects of this led to movement, Dr. MacLean pursued “modeling and simulation as a way to better understand your data,” studied an invertebrate system, and was given the opportunity to collaborate with John Guggenheimer, who is an expert on dynamical systems. Ultimately Dr. MacLean “settled on” studying the brain as a “complex system.” Although he would not advise his graduate students to follow such a winding path, Dr. MacLean still credits a large part of his ability to look at problems in a different way to this trait of his career.

What does Dr. MacLean do in a day?

Dr. MacLean recalls that, as a PhD student and postdoc, a large focus is placed on actually conducting experiments and doing research; however, as a PI (“principal investigator”--this is typically someone who is in charge of a research lab), Dr. MacLean’s work has changed much more to teaching students who are conducting research, mentoring students, writing grant proposals, writing letters of recommendation, writing papers, and taking part in meetings related to the neuroscience program that he runs. Dr. MacLean meets weekly with each student in his lab one-on-one, in order to help his students discuss progress, assist with research, brainstorm ideas, and “if it’s been a tough week, pick them up.”

How do you choose a field of study?

Although Dr. MacLean’s path traveled a wide range of topics in an atypical manner, Dr. MacLean found that this actually helped him, by giving him a wider lens through which he could look at and approach difficult questions. He applies this concept of applying numerous fields on the same work by giving his own research group an “interdisciplinary nature:” MacLean Lab consists not only of students with backgrounds in neuroscience, but also of students with experience in “computer science, physics, math, applied math, [and] stats.” Along the same lines, Dr. MacLean ensures that students in his lab work not only on data analysis or experimentation, but on at least a bit of everything.

However, he also cautions that shifting focus so often can make it difficult to progress within a career–”networks matter.” Changing fields can make it difficult to form connections with other scientists within these same fields, and although it not be explicitly harder to progress in a career, it can be beneficial to have connections and be more widely known within a field. Additionally, depth of knowledge is naturally beneficial when trying to do research, and this may be difficult to gain when moving around a lot.

What advice does Dr. MacLean have for young scientists?

Along these lines, Dr. MacLean suggests that it may actually be incredibly beneficial for younger students, especially high schoolers, to use their summers to explore various scientific fields in order to gain a larger skill set while simultaneously informing their decision when they are choosing a major in college. Gaining “as many different experiences early” can help a student develop a variety of skills, while exploring various topics.

Additionally, Dr. MacLean suggests finding research as soon as possible as an undergraduate student. Aside from the education it provides, being part of a research group for a long time also helps in terms of publishing a paper. Especially as a first or second author, having published multiple papers in a subject adds credibility to future applications and grant proposals. According to Dr. MacLean, within science, papers are “the currency of the realm.” By when a student reaches their honors thesis and PhD, this is the time to focus on a topic they wish to continue research on.

After talking with Dr. MacLean, I walked away with an idea of how to spend my summers and how to form the beginnings of a science career.