Julia Batki, former PhD Student
Julia Batki pursued research at IMBA for five years, between 2014 and 2019, as a PhD student in the lab of Julius Brennecke, where Batki investigated how the piRNA pathway silences transposable elements in Drosophila. After successfully defending her PhD thesis in March of 2019, she moved to the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin, Germany, where she works as a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Alex Meissner. In her new position, Julia studies cell specification during mammalian development and organogenesis. Julia recently returned to the Vienna BioCenter to take part in the Sy-Stem conference. We sat down with Julia to ask her about her experience at IMBA and how it helped shape her scientific career.
I came to the Vienna BioCenter in 2013 for the VBC Summer School, a 9-week research program which provides a unique opportunity for approximately 20 Life Sciences undergraduate students to work side by side with leading researchers at one of the Vienna BioCenter’s research institutes. I was glad to be selected to work with Julius Brennecke’s group at IMBA, which was an incredible opportunity. It was my first time doing research full-time and in such an international, cutting-edge setting. I had a blast that summer, so I decided to apply for the Vienna BioCenter PhD Program.
The Vienna BioCenter PhD Program is well established and provided me with an excellent framework from the beginning. It included the “Prime your PhD” introductory course, which was a great way to learn about science on campus and meet the people who are doing it. It also helped me to get to know the other PhD students by completing various scientific tasks together, and we established a small community to support each other during our PhDs.
In addition, IMBA truly stands out when it comes to scientific support for its researchers. The teams of the Vienna BioCenter Core Facilities offered invaluable expertise, especially when my project ventured into fields that I was less experienced in. This environment allowed me to focus entirely on the scientific questions I was studying.
During my time at IMBA, I always felt encouraged by the idea that you can find cool scientific questions everywhere, and that by putting in the effort, you can discover and understand intriguing biological phenomena.
I liked how biology led us to surprising areas with interesting new angles, which taught me the importance of expecting the unexpected. During my project, I also learnt how to identify the necessary steps and overcome challenges to gain insight into molecular mechanisms.
This journey was a rewarding experience, and Julius, my mentor, supported it in many ways. For example, I really liked our biannual mentoring meetings, where we could take a step back and look at the broader picture of my project, career, and personal development. Last but not least, the great teamwork with my dedicated colleagues was also instrumental in making such discoveries.
I have always admired how excited and committed IMBA researchers are to pursue their projects, and I enjoyed being exposed to so many intriguing topics. While the groups at the institute use various model systems and a wide range of approaches, it all comes together under unifying scientific goals: to explore the unknown and make impactful contributions to basic research. Doing my PhD at IMBA showed me how curiosity and creativity should be fostered to achieve these aims.
I was grateful that the Brennecke group, and in general, the IMBA and VBC communities, were giving me constructive and open feedback so I could continuously grow as a scientist. The RNA community on campus, and particularly the small RNA club, created an ideal environment to brainstorm together. The thesis advisory committee meetings helped me steer my project and improve the quality of my research.
The Monday Seminar was a great platform to develop my presentation skills, and the input from the group leaders was useful to advance in effectively communicating my science. Moreover, it was amazing to see how postdocs helped each other with their projects and papers and even the next career steps. This mentality is something I have brought with me to my new position, where I volunteered as a postdoc representative to spearhead similar initiatives.
I co-founded the Vienna BioCenter squash club, which consisted of around 10-15 people who got together every second week to play squash. I also participated in the ski retreats, where I learned skiing and even tried night sledging for the first time. I also have fond memories of one costume party where, together with people from my PhD selection, we dressed as characters from X-Men. And, of course, the Friday beer hours were the highlight of social life on campus. It was always nice to get together every week in a relaxed way.
I recall one afternoon when people from the lab gathered next to my bench, and together, we looked at a Coomassie-stained gel floating in a box. This was the first time I managed to purify the protein complex I was studying, which we later named SFiNX. This moment is memorable not only because it was a big milestone during my PhD but also because I felt so happy that I was part of such a caring team and able to share the excitement with them.
IMBA is a place where I grew a lot both personally and professionally, and I attribute a significant part of this to Julius, who was an absolutely dedicated mentor. My environment also encouraged me in my scientific pursuits, and the PhD training prepared me ideally for my next career stage. Additionally, the collaborative atmosphere and high scientific standards at the institute were greatly inspiring, and I have carried on these values in my postdoc research. Also, what is valuable for me are the friendships I made and how we support each other when discussing our research or career-related topics.
Being part of IMBA was a transformative experience. With everything I experienced during my PhD journey, including both the fun and challenging times, if anyone were to ask me “Would you sign up for it again?”, I would say yes without a doubt.