Lysa Langevin is a project coordinator at Research2Reality with a passion for science communication. She obtained her PhD in Immunology at the University of Toronto. Lysa started her journey at R2R sharing scientific research and featuring researchers on Instagram, and now works closely with academic and industry partners, the R2R film crew, and the communication teams to showcase Canadian research and researchers.
We asked Lysa about everything from horror movies to the similarities between scientists and detectives in the hopes of giving you a better understanding of what goes on outside the lab for a Canadian researcher.
What do you like most about being a researcher?
As a child my favourite word was “why”. I’ve always had a natural curiosity about the world and, in particular, biology — during my undergraduate degree, this would become about immunology specifically. I love that I get to continue being curious, ask questions, but more importantly, get answers about the way our immune system functions. Our immune system is complex and involved in so many biological functions and diseases — from autoimmunity to cancer — and there’s still so much more learn!
What advice would you give young researchers?
Research should be a passion and enjoyable (for the most part). However, it can be difficult to not let your passion consume you. It’s important to maintain balance and to enjoy life beyond the science. You’ll feel much more creative and productive if you give yourself time away from the bench. You don’t need to spend every night, weekend, or holiday at the bench to be successful!
What do you like to do for fun?
I love to curl up and watch a horror movie or read a psychological thriller. Although my job requires me to be logical and critical, I do love to dabble in the supernatural.
If you could do any profession other than your own what would it be?
I don’t even have to think twice about this one… I would love to be a detective. If you think about it, scientists and detectives are similar in that they gather information and data to answer a question!
