By Rosemary Huggins

Dr. Kay Macleod is known for her pioneering research into autophagy and mitochondrial dysfunction in cancer.  Now an Associate Professor and Chair of the Committee on Cancer Biology at the University of Chicago, Kay created a pathway to success that was uniquely her own. Growing up on the islands of north-west Scotland, Kay’s childhood embraced daily encounters with nature, around shoreline rock pools and forests near her home. This strong affinity with nature feeds Kay’s scientific passion to this day. But Kay’s career-defining moment came when a TV program featuring Bob Weinberg, the renowned MIT cancer biologist, aired around the same time that Kay’s grandmother died from ovarian cancer. A healthy non-smoker, the cause of her grandmother’s ovarian cancer was unknown. This opened Kay’s eyes to the scientific challenge of trying to understand what causes cancer. Bob Weinberg’s explanation of oncogenes and how they drive cancer intrigued Kay and made her realize that this was the scientific endeavor she wanted to pursue.  High school teachers recognized Kay’s inquisitive mind and pushed her towards a career in medicine, which was expected for young students with strong grades and an interest in the disease. But when applying to college she realized, “It’s the science of medicine that’s more interesting to me than patient care.” Kay ultimately decided to study molecular biology at university. Her education and career have taken her around the world – after earning a Bachelor of Science degree with honors at the University of Edinburgh and her Ph.D. at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, Kay ventured to the Pasteur Institute in France for post-doctoral research followed by a highly productive post-doctoral fellowship at MIT. Since 2001, Kay has carried out innovative cancer research in her own laboratory at the University of Chicago. Her experiences throughout her career provide significant insight for young scientists.

Know what you need – and what you don’t.

Kay’s experience as a young post-doc at MIT made her acutely aware of the importance of the research ecosystem in promoting great science. “The thing about MIT that is very empowering is that there are so many spontaneous interactions. You get into the habit of talking to lots of super smart and creative people, resourcing what you need when you need it and working on the latest crazy idea that turns out to be golden.” Even when you are not an expert in a certain field or familiar with a particular technique needed to advance your research, in a good scientific ecosystem, expertise is around you in colleagues willing to collaborate. “Don’t be limited by lack of knowledge. If you want to do something, go talk to people with that knowledge and figure it out!”

Another lesson Kay learned from experience is that time is a key commodity to be guarded preciously. No matter what phase of your career you are in, we are constantly approached with requests to take on additional responsibilities. Serving on a committee, volunteering for an organization, teaching an extra course – there are many tasks we can take on to supplement our career goals. While these can be extremely rewarding, Kay advises that it is critical to know when to draw the line and say no. Kay notes this may not always be the easiest thing to do. “It’s so important to only do things you have time to do without negatively impacting your research or activities important to your own success and career development.”  Don’t be afraid of disappointing others: “You’re not helping yourself or the group you’re working with by overcommitting to stuff. And once you have certain responsibilities, it’s often difficult to unburden yourself of them.”

Follow where the research leads you.

Kay highlights the importance of following what you are passionate about and appreciating the unexpected result – even if this leads you off your original research course. The central goal of Kay’s lab when she first started out as an independent PI was to understand the role of the RB tumor suppressor in cancer. Her lab defined BNIP3 as a RB target gene that, in contrast to published work at the time, was acting to promote mitochondrial turnover (mitophagy). Over the next few years, Kay’s research pivoted away from the RB tumor suppressor to investigating autophagy and mitophagy. Now, as a leading researcher in the field of autophagy in cancer biology, this unexpected direction has paid off. “I like that you can change things up in science. If you just keep studying the same thing forever, it’s not as exciting nor does it have the potential to be transformative.”

Kay draws on her own experience when giving career advice. If you do feel stuck in a situation – whether it be your career, your institution, or your research project – Kay emphasizes the importance of regular self-evaluation and identifying what works for you, what the alternative options are and not being afraid to change. “You usually can tell when something’s going to work out or not, and knowing when to move on and not keep pursuing a bad idea, an unsuccessful project or sticking with a less than the stimulating environment is a critical skill to acquire.”

Be brave and bold in science.

“Have confidence in yourself, don’t ever doubt yourself. Don’t imagine hurdles for yourself, and if you want something badly enough and are willing to put the work in to get it, there’s nothing going to stop you.”