Virginie Uhlmann is joining EMBL-EBI as a Research Group Leader in September 2018. Her research focuses on bioimage informatics \u2013 making sense of bioimaging using mathematical tools and computer vision algorithms. Virginie\u2019s group works on collaborative interdisciplinary projects that sit at the intersection of biology, computer science and mathematics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Image analysis for biology enables us to extract quantitative information from what you\u2019re looking at, in a reproducible and efficient way. Digital images are made of pixels and computers can help us to make sense of the information these pixels hold. Understanding the \u2018pixel content\u2019 of an image is not the end of the story, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A bioimage is a reflection of the real world, which, of course, is not made of pixels. You therefore need tools that allow characterisation of what is in the image beyond the pixel representation. Maths is perfectly suited for this. It allows building continuous models that can use<\/em> pixel information but remain faithful to what the image is really<\/em> showing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My group will help biologists get precise information out of their images by developing analysis tools that blend mathematical models and computer vision algorithms<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve loved biology ever since I was little. Unfortunately, I realised relatively early in school that I didn\u2019t enjoy being in a lab \u2013 so I switched to studying Applied Maths. I never gave up my dream of working in biology, but I chose to focus more on how to use maths and computers to better understand the field. Bioimage analysis was therefore a great match: it is crucial for research in biology and involves a good mix of mathematics and computer science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Always keep sight of the bigger picture. We\u2019re all working on our very specific research projects, but we should always remember how they fit into the work of the lab, the institute, the field and even the wider world of science. The way I see it, all scientists are working together to help understand our world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Right now, I\u2019m hoping to find enthusiastic PhD students and postdocs that are as excited as I am about working at the intersection of biology, computer science and mathematics. I suspect PhD students who may want to work with us would probably have a biology background and an interest in maths and programming, while postdocs might have more of a maths or computational science focus, but I think we can be pretty flexible at this stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I hope to find people who are passionate about the topic to the point where they want to explain what they do to pretty much everyone in their lives<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Be clear about why you are interested in doing this type of interdisciplinary work. It\u2019s not an easy career path, so ambition and a strong motivation are key!<\/p>\n\n\n\n In French, it\u2019s \u201ctoujours te trouver l\u00e0 o\u00f9 tu veux \u00eatre\u201d \u2013 always be where you really <\/em>want to be; follow your gut feeling. One of my professors told me this in the third year of my Undergraduate degree, when I was faced with a tough decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I like structure and I like planning things, but this advice really brought me back to spontaneity. Maths and analytical reasoning can give you a lot of scientific answers, but in life, you should always trust your gut instinct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Time is precious. There are so many things I want to try; I don\u2019t want to waste even a minute!<\/p>\n\n\n\n I would like our research to inspire people from biology, maths and computer science to start merging the three fields more. In the future, I\u2019d love to see academic courses focused on things like \u201cfundamental maths for biology\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019d like to know to what extent randomness is actually random. It\u2019s an important question for biology, but it\u2019s also a much bigger philosophical question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Life is just too interesting and there\u2019s not enough spare time! I read a lot. I especially love literature because it makes the world beautiful. Romain Gary is an all-time favourite of mine. He\u2019s the only author who won the Prix Goncourt under two different names \u2013 his real name and the pen name \u201c\u00c9mile Ajar\u201d. I imagine Romain got a real kick out of keeping his connection to \u00c9mile Ajar a secret until after his death, when he revealed the whole thing in a posthumous book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Romain Gary is a master of words. Reading his work, I always think he conveys the things I think and feel in a much more elegant way than I ever can.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow did you get interested in science?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What is your philosophy for running a lab?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What kind of people are you recruiting?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What advice would you give someone who wants to join your group?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What\u2019s the best advice you ever got?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What inspires you?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What impact would you like your research to have?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What unresolved question would you most like to answer?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What do you do in your spare time?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n