When we imagine the path from student to scientist, it’s easy to make hasty generalizations of this process as simply being the classic blueprint of bachelors to masters to PhD/MD that is so often taught to students interested in going down this road. However, as Dr. Laura Anne Lowery shares, this seemingly common path is in reality extremely different for each individual that chooses to walk it. While it may feel uncertain at first, Dr. Lowery shares how she navigated her scientific journey and the widespread impact of mentorship in shaping her research, what she does today, and more importantly, why.

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Curiousity over a concrete plan

 

Growing up in the San Fernando Valley in southern California, Dr. Lowery was always fascinated by the concept of life, and how life was possible. This passion carried her from tinkering with old microscopes as a child to the steps of the University California, San Diego, where she majored in biology. But similar to many students, Dr. Lowery was interested in a multitude of topics ranging from biology and psychology to the community aspects of residential life and religion: “I knew that I was interested in biology…but I still didn't know exactly what I wanted to do. I got really involved in residence life…but I also then thought about psychology or human development. I even thought about being a rabbi for a while. I was trying to figure out just how the world works in some capacity or another.” Unsure of what exactly she wanted to pursue, Dr. Lowery took a leap into the world of laboratory research through an integrated BS/MS program at UCSD where she began studies on how neural circuitry directed the egg laying behavior of worms. Simultaneously, she served as a teaching assistant across a few biology classes. Experiencing the thrill of research, but also the joys of teaching and working directly with students, Dr. Lowery describes this period as her initial pull into the world of academia: “[I wanted to] support young people during a transformative period of their lives by teaching them, by running a research lab, and by contributing to the knowledge. And so I decided to try that path.” Not completely sure of whether this would be the career for her, yet willing to try, Dr. Lowery took a chance and the initiative to give it a try, serving as a powerful reminder to students that not having a complete picture of the future isn’t a setback, or an indication of being behind. Instead, it’s part of the growing process as young adults figure out what exactly the future entails. For Dr. Lowery, this motivated her to earn her PhD at MIT, followed by a postdoc at Harvard.

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Discovering the meaning of mentorship

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In graduate school, Dr. Lowery’s research pivoted from looking at the behavior of a complete organism to specializing in the mechanics of brain formation within a zebrafish model. During her postdoc, her field of study shifted to looking at the movement of individual cells within the nervous system. Today, her lab studies how cell motility is driven by the cytoskeleton, including recent studies into what binding events are necessary to facilitate axonal growth. Throughout this time, Dr. Lowery highlights how her motivation was always to “understand why we are the way we are, how we behave, the way we behave. And then it kept just going down further at each level.” Dr. Lowery notably spotlighted the impact of mentorship on this journey, crediting her first undergraduate research advisor for cultivating an extremely welcoming and supportive environment, which was similarly echoed during her PhD at MIT. After officially joining academia with a position first at Boston College then at Boston University, Dr. Lowery wanted to emulate the positive atmosphere she had experienced within her own lab, and “took the lessons I learned from my undergrad lab, my grad school lab, and then my post doc lab to figure out what pieces I wanted from the different labs", altogether piecing together the best parts of these worlds to create the best environment possible for her own students. Moreover, seeing how inspirational and impactful mentorship was on her own journey fueled and continues to fuel a huge passion for mentorship of her students: “I want to support people to show up to become their best selves in this world…to provide a safe, supportive place for people to learn who they are and what they want to do and how they want to be in this world…That's where I derive my joy and the most meaning from my life, in mentoring and helping people because life is really challenging, and beautiful, and brutal, and complicated.”

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Defining traits of a good scientist

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When asked about what has been the coolest finding or discovery within her research, Dr. Lowery recounted the joys that came from overturning past scientific literature through her own experiments: “it’s gratifying to help correct our science knowledge and understanding of functions or proteins.” She also made sure to note, however, that the process of research is one that is undoubtedly filled with many failed or challenging experiments: “in research most of the time things fail and that's okay. That's part of the process.” Yet, the struggle and reward of research is something Dr. Lowery loves, and above all being there and “supporting other students as they figure this out for themselves and explore the joys and trials and tribulations of research.” Thus, for aspiring scientists, science isn’t necessarily about being right on the first try. Instead, it’s perseverance in the face of failure, and the ability to grow and adapt from such mistakes that prove to be the defining characteristics of a good scientist, a characteristic reflected within Dr. Lowery.

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Advice for the next generation

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To students interested in a similar career path, Dr. Lowery stressed the importance of taking that first step into research, much like she did at UCSD: “don't give up or get discouraged and don't let your fears and failures stop you from continuing on to achieve your dream. The people that are successful are not the ones that are the smartest or the most talented. They're the ones that just persevere, have the most resilience and don't give up.” Furthermore, celebrating every small victory is just as important as celebrating the large ones as nothing in research can be taken for granted, and every small triumph will slowly build into mastery. 

 

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Ultimately, Dr. Lowery’s story showcases that the research pipeline is not a linear path, but rather a dynamic journey influenced by personal curiosity, resilience, and the transformative power of mentorship.