Interview with Portia Gough, Ph.D., Independent Research Scholar in the Host Microbe Symbiosis Unit at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Interviewed by Anastasia Coutlakis, Postbac Fellow, Molecular Parasitology Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases (LPD)
The “Career Pathways—Explore the Possibilities” series highlights different professions pursued by scientists like you. This interview focuses on an independent researcher, someone who leads their own research projects, oversees securing funding, and manages a research team. Portia Gough, Ph.D., was a postdoc at NIAID for three years, where she worked in the Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology under the supervision of Ian A. Myles, M.D., M.P.H. Read this interview with Dr. Gough to learn more about her transition from a postdoc to an independent research position.
Can you describe your current research?
I'm currently studying Roseomonas mucosa (R. mucosa), a skin commensal bacterium that was previously developed as a topical therapy for atopic dermatitis by Ian A. Myles, M.D., M.P.H., in the Laboratory of Clinical Immunology & Microbiology. My research is focused on how this commensal organism interacts with the skin and the signaling pathways activated, which could act as a guide for other therapeutics. Determining a mechanism by which commensals help our barrier sites maintain their integrity and how they help us with immune regulation could provide a “signature” for us to look for with other microbes that can help us regulate the immune system when it's overactive and causing issues like eczema or other atopic diseases. In future studies, I want to expand and take what I'm doing with R. mucosa to other organisms. I know the signaling that I'm looking for, and if other microbes exhibit this, that would be exciting to discover.
What is your favorite part of your job? What is the most challenging aspect?
I just love that I get to follow my intellectual curiosity in a way that serves humanity while learning about our health. Health is the foundation of everything that we do, and I’m so grateful to be in this position and humbled by it, honestly. Sometimes, I can't believe that I get to do work that I'm passionate about for a living. It's creative, and spending time thinking deeply about an aspect of the mechanisms of life—there's nothing like it.
Of course, there are always challenges. For me, I have so many ideas that it's hard to focus. My main challenge in my research is not getting so distracted with little side quests. Science being this creative process, those ideas can be meaningful, but the challenge is focusing in a way that leads to publication. I've taken up the habit of keeping good notes about my ideas, with a section of my notebook dedicated to ideas to round up later. It's also been a very new experience transitioning to a mentoring role. Although I'm used to working by myself, I’m improving slowly over time. I'm grateful to have the chance to learn, and I feel like I've experienced a lot of growth.
What values have you adopted to create an inclusive and productive lab culture? What is your approach to mentorship for your trainees and staff, and what are some lessons that you have learned from your own mentors?
Dr. Myles was a great example of a mentor. I wouldn't have even applied for the Independent Research Scholars program if not for his encouragement, let alone reapplying when my first application wasn’t selected. You can tell when a mentor genuinely cares about the people in their lab. Dr. Myles certainly demonstrated that by putting in the extra effort to meet with me more frequently when I was developing my project. I wouldn't have tried for it if I didn't have a mentor that gently pushed me.
Mentors being willing to put in that little bit of extra time with you and seeing your potential even when you don't is such a huge gift. That's what I want to do for anyone who works with me. That includes making sure people feel like their ideas are heard and creating an environment where people feel free to express their ideas.
What was your postdoctoral research at NIAID, and how did your postdoc prepare you for your next steps?
The NIH is such a unique place to do thesis research because all the resources available here are unlike anywhere else, including great training programs for grant applications. I actually started at the NIH and began working with Dr. Myles when I was a graduate student in the Graduate Partnership Program. I was working on staph and human neutrophils at the time and thought what he was doing was really interesting. My project focused on how a particular cytokine affected neutrophil responses to staph. In general, my approach to research is to focus on human cells as much as possible. After completing my doctorate, I went to the FDA for a bit for a postdoc and came back to the NIH once Dr. Myles started his own lab. He and I had worked together before, and I was fascinated by what he was doing with R. mucosa. It made me think more about commensals. I realized that I would love to apply the same tools that I used to study staph interactions with human cells to study a commensal bacterium.
Outside of research, what activities did you participate in as a postdoc that equipped you for your current role? What advice would you give to current fellows?
I feel that it's beneficial for anyone in science to have interests outside of science. This affects the way that I think. I'm super interested in how culture affects how we think about things. In my free time, I interact with many people from all over, and I think that's really important for keeping your mind flexible and having broad interests. Of course, we have to focus when we're in the lab. But having broad interests, other experiences in life, and interacting with different people in various environments expands the scope of how you think when you're back in the lab. I also like to write in my free time—writing is such a good way to organize your thoughts and clarify your ideas. All these things together help me be successful in the lab.
I especially believe that to be useful to society and to help with the very major problems facing humanity, it's not just about being in the lab. It's about getting out into the world and broadening your horizons so that you're able to be more effective in your work. To other fellows, I would say: be curious not just about your project but about the world and about people. Culture affects science so much, not just the kinds of questions we ask as scientists.