New Reviews Editor at Journal of Cell Science
Posted by Sara Morais da Silva, on 25 January 2024
Dear FocalPlane community,
Hi all, my name is Sara Morais da Silva and I recently joined the Company of Biologists as a Reviews Editor for the Journal of Cell Science. In my new role, I will be working together with the JCS team, to publish review-type articles, Research Highlights and Cell Science at a glance posters. I will also be involved in FocalPlane.
I completed my PhD with Dr Robin Lovell-Badge at the NIMR, Mill Hill, focussing on the role of SOX9 during gonadal development. Sox9 plays an essential role in sex determination and is a critical Sertoli cell differentiation factor. Subsequently during my post-doctoral studies, I studied proximodistal identity during amphibian limb regeneration (with Professor Jeremy Brockes, UCL), specifically on Prod1, a cell surface protein implicated in the local cell-cell interactions mediating positional identity. Returning to Mill Hill, I studied the role of oriented cell divisions in the extending germband of Drosophila (with Dr Jean-Paul Vincent), and finally the non-kinetochore dependent function of the cell cycle spindle assembly checkpoint protein Bub3 (with Professor Claudio Sunkel (I3S, (Porto, Portugal)).
After a career break of 4 years, I was able to return to science thanks to a Wellcome Trust career re-entry fellowship. As an independent researcher at the University of Cambridge, I studied the crosstalk between cell cycle and metabolism using Drosophila as a model system. Afterwards, I joined the Charles River Laboratories, a Contract Research Organisation, where I spent a brief period working in drug discovery.
Optical imaging techniques have always been at the heart of my research, in particular confocal microscopy and life-cell analysis systems. I have spent many hours in a dark room observing labelled molecules acting in cellular processes like the cell cycle or fluorescent cells contributing to morphogenesis. I loved every minute of it. I was privileged to have worked in several excellent research labs, supported by fantastic imaging facilities where I was able to learn and develop technical skills allowing me to capture images from where I could observe events and interpreted data throughout my career.
As a new member of The Company of Biologists, I am looking forward to working with and supporting the biological community.
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