Holly Hunsberger, PhD

Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got to where you are now.
I always wanted to go to medical school, until I took a neuroscience elective, which changed my entire trajectory. I graduated with a Chemistry degree from West Virginia University and decided to pursue a PhD in behavioral neuroscience at the same University under the mentorship of Dr. Miranda Reed. There, my work focused on glutamate’s role in neurodegeneration and therapeutic options to target this system to improve memory function. After graduating in 2016, I began a postdoctoral position at Columbia University with Dr. Christine Denny. In 2019 I was awarded a K99 Career transition grant from the NIA which launched me into a faculty position in 2021 at RFU.

Who has had the biggest impact on your career?
There are many people who helped me get here. It’s hard to name one, but the first was my Chemistry advisor, Dr. Jeffrey Petersen. He encouraged me to pursue other options other than medical school because he saw I had a knack for bench science work. The second occurred during graduate school. I would not have had the courage to start applying for postdoctoral positions had it not been for the late Dr. Chad Dickey at the University of South Florida Byrd Alzheimer’s center. Dr. Dickey actually reached out to me asking if I would interview for a position. This gave me the confidence I needed to pursue my dream of working at Columbia University specifically with Dr. Christine Denny. Lastly, Dr. Denny has made an enormous impact on my career as she introduced me to her network, grant writing, and new techniques. It was through her lab that I received my first grant, the K99/R00. If not for the K99, I might not have stayed in academia.

What is your greatest scientific accomplishment?
Surviving graduate school! Just kidding, but maybe not. That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I hope I have not reached my greatest accomplishment yet, but top moments for me include: 1) Setting up and using new technology in my graduate student lab (Microelectrode arrays), 2) A drug (Riluzole) we tested in graduate school on Alzheimer’s disease mice, is now in clinical trial testing for Alzheimer’s patients, 3) Receiving a K99/R00 award, and 4) Being able to travel all over the world for conferences to meet like-minded people. Developing a new technique in a laboratory that was mine, my baby, was one of the best feelings. I never thought I could build something from the ground up but this happens during every transition in your science career as you begin again at the bottom of the ladder as a postdoc or new PI.

What is one of your biggest failures in science and how did you overcome it?
Science is full of failures, but the one that really felt like rock bottom was during my PhD qualifying exam. For our exam we had to write a grant on a topic we knew nothing about. During my initial meeting with the committee, they tore my grant apart and said I was on the wrong track, it needed significant improvements. I had completely forgotten to include what I would do if the experiment didn’t work. As a young naïve graduate student, I had no experience writing grants, I didn’t know that I was responsible for thinking of a plan if the opposite hypothesis occurred! I felt so embarrassed and shattered after that meeting, but I’m pretty resilient. It wasn’t easy but I had a large support system of friends and family to turn to and I allowed myself to feel sad. I also realized that my committee wanted me to succeed which is why they were being harsh. I then took their comments and advice and passed my actual qualifying exam with little edits. And now, I love writing grants and all my grants have a large potential pitfalls section. Greatest failure was my greatest lesson.

How do you balance home and work life?
I’m a huge proponent of work life integration. I love my job, it rarely feels like work and so I have learned ways to balance and integrate. It is important to remember that science is just a job and it doesn’t define you, I made sure to have plenty of hobbies outside of this job. Time management is key and I try not to take myself too seriously. I will always prioritize my home life and mental health above this lab. If I’m feeling off or can’t concentrate, I go for a run or bike ride. I am a spin instructor here at RFU and at Inspyr studios in Arlington Heights which gives me a break from academia.

Have you ever faced prejudices being a women?
Yes, it is hard to escape this but I do think it’s getting better. The prejudices I’ve faced have been minimal, but the worst was when I met with a Nobel laureate to discuss my science but instead was asked if I was married because he had a nephew….

What tips or advice would you give to other women that want to pursue a faculty position?
Don’t be afraid to ask for help and never sacrifice who you are- Be too much, be loud, be quiet, be ambitious, be calm, be whoever you are because science needs women and science thrives on diversity. I’m not going to lie, it’s a hard and lonely road at times, but there is so much support and so many people rooting for you, you have to find those people and surround yourself with them. Also, take every opportunity even if you don’t think you are qualified, you never know when something will change your life.