How amazing would it be to see cells divide under your microscope? This question led Colinda Scheele to spend her time as a PhD student in a dark room gazing at breast cells under her microscope. After many time-consuming failed experiments, she decided to give it one last shot; and that Saturday, after a day of gazing, she hit the jackpot: she caught a cell division on film. “I sent a message to my supervisor, Jacco van Rheenen, and we were celebrating together only 20 minutes later. It was an amazing moment!” she says. “I still keep that stem cell division in my presentations on international congresses. No one knows the story behind it, but I still smile whenever I see the clip.”
Directly after her PhD research, which awarded her the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek prize 2020, she was able to start her own research group at the VIB Center for Cancer Biology in Leuven. An uncommonly large step. And that suits Colinda, born in Zeeland, who had been a few steps ahead of the rest ever since she was young.
“I like being in control and developing my own vision. I have plenty of ideas! What I love most, is being able to supervise PhD candidates and watching them grow into experts in their fields. It gives me lots of energy to discuss brand-new results, and what they could mean for cancer patients, for example. But it’s not always easy, either.”
“It was very hard and a bit lonely at the start. I was new here in Leuven, didn’t have any connections, and it was really hard to develop a professional network because of COVID. Thankfully, it’s different now and I feel at home. It can be hard to compete with established researchers as a new investigator, though, when applying for research funding, for example. But I am grateful for the challenges I find here. I get bored when I don’t feel challenged.”
“It felt like one big adventure to me. There are so many things you can do for the first time during these years: doing experiments, seeing the results, submitting a manuscript, presenting at a congress… I was driven by the idea that I may be the first person in the world to see something or understand a certain process.”
“Yes. Unfortunately, I experienced that you can’t always trust everyone, not even in science. I was discussing my latest research results with a colleague at a congress. It turned out that she was seeing some similar results, so we agreed to keep each other up to date. Then her publication suddenly appeared before mine, with several experiments that were exact copies of the ones I had presented at the congress…”
“Yes, it was also a challenging time. But we PhD students formed a close-knit community, and we supported each other through thick and thin. I miss that in my current role. As a PhD, everything felt informal and friendly at work. Being a group leader creates some distance, which was quite an adjustment that I had to make from one day to the next. I am still happy that I took on this challenge. I am relieved that I have been able to find great, young researchers for my lab and that I have been able to acquire some funding. It is nice to know that my ideas are competitive despite my limited experience.”
“I make long days during the week, but I try and keep my weekends as free from work as possible. I really need them to have a fresh start on Monday. It can be tempting to keep working and lose yourself in it. I made the conscious decision not to live in Leuven, so I could literally keep my work and life separate.”
“I live in a small town near Mechelen. It’s green, peaceful, and there’s lots of space. I like to garden, I have pets, and I enjoy horseback riding. I also like to go on long hikes for multiple days, being completely off the grid.”
“Do what gives you energy, follow your passions. If you don’t find that in science, try to see what’s available outside of the academic world as soon as you can. Don’t continue your experiments when you’d rather not. If science does suit you, then give it all you got. Challenge yourself, don’t be afraid to follow the road less taken, and take every opportunity that comes your way.”