Miguel Coelho, PhD

I am a biochemist with an interest in aging and evolution. My field of expertise is cell biology and biophysics of aging and the mechanisms of damage segregation during cell division. I have also worked in ciliary biogenesis and telomere dynamics during meiosis. I am now working on experimental evolution of genetic instability in a yeast model of cancer. Here is a nice interview that summarizes my career.

I started university studies with 17 years of age (2000-2005), Msc Biochemistry). I liked biology and chemistry, so I enrolled in biochemistry at the University of Lisbon (FCUL). I had an introduction to physics and mathematical analysis, physical chemistry and inorganic and organic chemistry. A strong backbone of theoretical and practical biochemistry was complemented with cell biology, endocrinology, genetics and research projects in enzymology and bioinformatics.​​

In the University of Lisbon, I met excellent colleagues which I still keep in touch with, and great professors such as Martinho Simoes, Miguel Castanho, Fernando Antunes, Luisa Cyrne, Margarida Amaral and Ana Ponces among others.​

During my PhD, I was awarded with a grant from the Ellison Medical Foundation to travel and attend a 3 week course on the Molecular Biology of Ageing, in the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), in Woods Hole. This was the place where Tim Hunt discovered the cyclins, and meeting Nobel prize winners for lunch is a common event. I had Matt Meselson as a colleague here.

The experimental work that followed morning lectures was focused on the relation between stress resistance and the longevity of different clam species, and originated two publications in peer-reviewed journals. Gary Ruvkun and Steve Austad were the course directors, and between hard work, study and lectures, there was also time for lobster dinners and an amazing vessel ride to Marta's Vinyard. Great experience. ​​

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In the year of 2004, I did my diploma work in the group of Helena Soares, studying the biogenesis of cilia in the unicellular organism Tetrahymena thermophila. The scientific environment in the institute, with group meetings,  weekly seminars from top scientists in the world, and multiple courses over a wide range of subjects were the perfect incubator for creative and integrative independent thinking. This institute catalyzed my passion for research.​

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I met excellent scientists, such as Miguel Godinho-Ferreira, Monica Bettencourt-Dias and Antonio Coutinho, who mentored me in the choice of doing a PhD abroad, to absorb new scientific cultures.

The Max Planck Institute in Dresden, MPI-CBG, 2007, had the shine of something new and different! I enrolled in the biophysics group of Iva Tolic-Norrelykke, that developed optical technology to study the cytoskeleton and the internal architecture of the cell. My aim was to apply these tools to study ageing from a different viewpoint, in the symmetrically dividing eukaryotic cells of Schizosaccharomyces pombe.The strong core facilities and the flat-hierarchy and beer hours allowed for an enriching scientific and social integration. In Iva's group I learned that aging is not a universal condition, and discovered a mechanism by which symmetrically dividing cells can segregate damage asymmetrically. I also strenghtened my skills to conduct experiments, write and present my work, and apply for funding.
 

The doors of the world were opened to me when I moved to Germany. Here I made great friends, and understood different cultures and different ways of thinking. I was mentored by extremely enthusiastic and sharp scientists, such as Kai Simons, Wolfgang Zachariae, Joao Matos and Simon Alberti. I made friends and colleagues for life (Nikolai Samusik, Iana Kalinina and Mate Biro to name a few).