ECR Spotlight – Abhilasha Joshi

Abhilasha Joshi

How did you become interested in biology?

For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by animals and, luckily, I could sustain this curiosity as I was growing up. Some credit goes to my dad (usually a man of few words), with whom I would anthropomorphize the behavior of animals around us: pigeons, cats, dogs, ants, ladybugs – honestly, everything under the sun. Still, it was a long road to realize that behavior also came under the banner of biology. Most of my school training was in physiology, cellular and molecular biology, and genetics. Only during my undergrad, after studying development, evolutionary biology and ecology, could I link entirely the scales at which living systems function. Things finally made sense, as all of biology makes an animal behave the way it does.

Describe your scientific journey and your current research focus

My scientific journey spans continents, starting in the north of India at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohali, where I completed my bachelor's and master's degrees, followed by a nurturing period at the University of Oxford, UK, for my PhD, and then to the University of California San Francisco for my postdoc. Currently, I am in Lisbon on an invited scientist fellowship at the Champalimaud Center for the Unknown. A central theme has been understanding how neural computations contribute to behavior. In my PhD, I studied groups of neurons that organize the timing of information flow in the temporal cortex. Interestingly, I found that these very neurons were also linked to the stepping rhythm of mice. That led me to my postdoctoral research, where we developed a method to monitor the activity of thousands of spikes in the hippocampus simultaneously with high-resolution videography to investigate the detailed structure of motion. We are finding that the frequency at which rats think about space is the same frequency at which they run. My ongoing research focuses on uncovering these intricate connections between cognitive computations and associated actions and how they change across an individual's lifespan.

How would you explain the main findings/message of your paper to a member of the public?

Animal behavior is complex. To truly appreciate and understand this complexity, we must incorporate the rich diversity of natural contexts into exploring cellular, molecular, physiological and neuronal aspects of behavior. In our Commentary, we present a 10-question framework to guide the design of new experiments, whether you're investigating behavior in your favorite animal model or selecting a new study system. Each question probes a fundamental aspect of an animal's biology, illustrated by examples of research across more than 40 species. Our approach reflects the authors' collective expertise in studying flies, fish, worms, rodents and spiders. We hope these overarching experimental considerations can also serve as a template for interspecies comparisons.

Why did you choose JEB to publish your paper?

JEB's focus on ecological and evolutionary physiology and comparative biology at all levels of biological organization resonated with our Commentary, which drew on examples from various disciplines and research on more than 40 organisms to propose 10 questions we must consider while studying animal behavior to link laboratory-based studies to the complex behavior of animals in their natural habitats.

What is the most important piece of equipment for your research, what does it do and what question did it help you address?

As an electrophysiologist interested in behavior, my experiments consist of many small essential pieces, each of which must work perfectly for collecting the kind of data that can help us make conclusions about an experiment. If I had to pick, the three main ingredients are a multi-electrode recording device to monitor the activity of thousands of spikes from a brain region, a transparent behavioral arena on which the animals run as they are solving complex tasks, and an underfloor high-resolution camera to track the detailed structure of motion. This setup allows us to record behavioral performance, neural processes and the animal's motion simultaneously, enabling us to address the fast time scale interactions between thoughts and actions during behavior.

What is the hardest challenge you have faced in the course of your research and how did you overcome it?

I like to set goals and complete tasks. When I was starting my PhD, I set out almost unreasonable goals for myself. Without going into the specifics, these goals could take years to accomplish, leaving me feeling unproductive when, in fact, I was putting a lot of physical and mental effort into my work. It was also hard to calibrate my effort as I was in a completely novel environment (new country, new currency, new educational system, etc.) and doing a PhD in a subject I did not formally study in my bachelor's or master's. I did not actively identify it then, but in retrospect, I overcame this feeling with a strong peer network and good mentorship. Even when tangible progress was hard to quantify, my peers and mentors noticed I was putting in the effort, acknowledged that I was learning, actively supported me when I had questions, and encouraged me to take breaks. This boosted my morale, and I could realize a sense of achievement even when my previously set goals were not being achieved. This experience also motivated me to change my working style to accommodate breaking each project or experiment into bite-sized chunks while respecting that there are a fixed number of hours in a day. A long answer to say that sometimes tough challenges emerge because of a ‘hidden curriculum’, and acknowledging the value of people (and of course, good mentorship) can save the day.