Doctoral candidate 9 - Arkajyoti Sarkar - Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium

Supervisor: Leo van Grunsven, VUB;

co-supervisor: Caroline Adiels, UGOT

Meet our doctoral candidate from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Arkajyoti Sarkar!

Tell us about yourself, who are you? And how do you like to spend your time?

My name is Arkajyoti Sarkar, but most people just call me Arka. I am originally from Kolkata, a city in West Bengal in the eastern portion of India. In my free time, I like to travel a lot especially in the mountains! Due to the proximity to my hometown, I have been to the Himalaya several times. This also complements my love of photography quite well, which I have been pursuing for around 5 years.

I have already had some opportunities to present my work in an exhibition. I want to use my time here in Belgium to pursue this passion and hopefully I'll have the chance to take pictures in Tromsø later. I especially love the nature and landscapes!

What is your educational background and what have been up until now?

For my bachelor’s degree in biotechnology, I moved from Kolkata to Chennai, where I graduated from the SRM Institute of Science and Technology in 2019. With the focus of my studies being on neurobiology, Drosophila and neurodegeneration.

After completing the bachelor’s degree, I applied for a 2-years master's degree in human biology at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.  With my focus being on super resolution microscopy techniques to study the role of PICK1 in inducing autophagy - A process by which a cell breaks down and destroys old, damaged, or abnormal proteins and other substances in its cytoplasm - in pancreatic beta cells and neurons. I completed the degree in end of 2022 and stayed in Denmark until March of 2023 to conclude and finalize my work, before returning to India from where I started to apply for PhD-positions.

Having some time for myself before joining VUB in May 2024 was very important to me, as I was severely restricted in terms of travelling home due to the coronavirus pandemic, furthermore I have used the time to develop my skills in programming and different image analysis tools.

 Why did you decide to join ImAge-D?

Once I got to know more about the project and the strong collaboration between various fields of research like biology, physics, computer science and medical scientists, I was immediately interested in being part of ImAge-D.

I felt that the skills I had acquired so far – especially from the field of super resolution microscopy - were perfectly suited to the project requirements and could even be developed further. I hope to be able to answer complex questions in connection with liver diseases as part of the project.

 What are your expectations regarding your work in the ImAge-D project?

I am very much looking forward to the secondment opportunities offered as part of the project, as these will enable me to visit various research institutions. This will allow me to experience a broader spectrum of microscopy techniques. I would then like to use the new skills I have learnt to apply them in biology and gain new insights.

In addition, of course, it is also the social aspect that I find very appealing. Getting to know other people, discussing my research results, exchanging ideas on problems where you can help each other.

 Could you share a fun fact with me?

I studied the behavior of Drosophila with a number of imaging techniques and noticed something quite funny. When the Drosophila mate, the male's wings vibrate at a certain frequency, the female then decides whether she "likes" the frequency and rates the male higher. In this way, the male must prove himself to the female.

Thank you very much Arkajyoti for joining us for the little interview! Welcome to ImAge-D and we wish you all the best for the upcoming years!