Prof. Dr. Eeva-Liisa Eskelinen

1. How did you get into the autophagy field and why is the field important to you?

I took a course on electron microscopy during my MSc studies, and fell in love with the method. Then I asked the teacher of the course if I could do my MSc thesis using this method. Autophagy was her research topic, and that is how I entered the field.

2. What is a key question in the autophagy field now? Where do you think the field is heading?

The key questions are the exact molecular mechanisms that regulate autophagosome biogenesis, as well as the origin of the membrane that forms autophagosomes. Funny enough, the latter question I already tried to address in my MSc thesis decades ago, before any of the ATG proteins were known.

3. Should you meet any scientist, currently living or deceased, who would it be and why?

This is not a theoretical question. Just attend a Keystone Symposium of Gordon Conference on autophagy, and you are able meet any living autophagy scientist you can wish for.

4.  What advice do you have for early career scientists that want to enter the autophagy field?

Plan your career, set your goals, and then think what you need to do to achieve those goals. And then follow the steps!