Marina Mikhaylova is an associate professor at the Humboldt University of Berlin, where she leads the Research Group Optobiology at the Institute of Biology. 

Grown up in Russia, she graduated in Biology at the Bashkir State University in Ufa. She then pursued her doctoral studies in Neurobiology at the Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology in Magdeburg, Germany. She continued as an EMBO-LTF and Marie-Curie IEF postdoctoral fellow at Utrecht University in The Netherlands. Before joining the Humboldt University of Berlin, from 2015 to 2020, she was an Emmy-Noether Group Leader at the ZMNH, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Hamburg, Germany.

She has a broad interest in a cell biology of the neuron. Her current research focuses on topics related to synaptic diversity, synaptic signaling, neuronal plasticity, the cytoskeleton and intracellular organelle trafficking. Synapses, specialized membrane compartments where neurons connect with each other, form the basis of neuronal communication and the storage of information in the brain. They often reside on small protrusions called dendritic spines. During the process of learning, synapses undergo structural changes that though to be important to create lasting memories. Mikhaylova’s research team investigates dynamic changes in synaptic function and architecture, with a focus on the role of the cytoskeleton (microtubules and actin, parts of the cell’s structure) and the molecular machineries responsible for delivering and removing proteins crucial to dendritic spines.  

To address these questions, her team applies a variety of biochemical, biophysical and molecular biology techniques, as well as advanced fluorescence imaging methods such as single-molecule microscopy, super-resolution imaging (STED), TIRF, 2-photon and a spinning disc confocal microscopy. 

She is a principal investigator in the German Collaborative Research Center SFB1315 “Mechanisms and disturbances in memory consolidation: From synapses to systems”. Within this network, she investigates the molecular mechanisms of memory formation and consolidation over time. 

She was awarded the prestigious postdoctoral EMBO Long Term Fellowship and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Intra-European Fellowship in 2012, then obtained prestigious DFG Emmy Noether Grant to start her independent research group in 2015 and was elected as a Fellow of the Hertie Academy of Clinical Neuroscience in 2020. She serves as a reviewer for renowned scientific journals such as the Journal of Neuroscience, the EMBO Journal, EMBO Reports, Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, and for research funding organizations like DFG (Germany), ANR (France), MRC (UK), FWF (Austria), la Caixa (Spain) and NOW (The Netherlands). 

Keywords: optobiology, neuronal synapses, synaptic diversity, synaptic plasticity, cytoskeleton, trafficking, synaptic integration, super-resolution microscopy, biochemical communication 

Berlin – December 6th, 2023

How did you decide to become a scientist?

I didn’t decide to be a scientist. I believe I was born a scientist. Even as a child, I was very curious about nature, animals, plants, stars, stones, and everything around me. I asked my parents, my relatives and my friends a thousand questions, annoying them a lot with my curiosity. When I was in school, my father hoped I would become a musician. I went to music school and took many classes, but it was not my thing. I was reasonably good at playing music, but it wasn’t good enough for me. I didn’t believe I would ever become a great musician. And I was anyway much more interested in science. Gradually I went in the direction of natural and life sciences. I realized that biology would be the best choice for me, where I had my primary interest. Around the age of 12-13, I became one hundred percent sure that I wanted to study biology and attend university. I was the first person in my family to go to university, I’m the oldest of four children. And yes, I think it was the right choice. 

What is your drive and excitement in science and in doing what you do now?

I love making discoveries and I enjoy science. I know I cannot do everything by myself, and that’s why I work with a team. I believe that modern science needs teamwork because although questions may sound simple, it might be extremely complex to find an answer. Fortunately, we have the luxury of living in a time when there is a lot of technology available to help us find answers and approach questions from many, many angles, to get as close to the ultimate truth as possible. That’s only achievable through teamwork, which is also a lot more fun. 

Would you have one word to give as a gift to other women and, more generally, to young aspiring scientists, women or men? 

My advice would be, “Take risks. Don’t be afraid. Really take risks.” And if it fails, you still learn a lot. You grow personally and professionally. Life is full of surprises, and taking risks might lead to success. Who knows, maybe it will work.