Postdoc Appreciation Week 2024 | Iuliia Iermak

What is your name?

Iuliia Iermak

Which research group are you in?

Structural Membrane Biology Laboratory (Prof. Ingmar B. Schaefer)

Where are you from?

Kharkiv, Ukraine

What topic do you research? 

I am studying transmembrane signaling from a structural point of view. Upon receipt of an extracellular signal, such as the binding of insulin or growth factor to one of the receptor tyrosine kinases, a variety of intracellular pathways can be triggered that play an important role in cell metabolism, growth, and proliferation, such as the PI3K-AKT/ PKB or PLCG-PKC pathways. Understanding the structural details of protein-protein and protein-lipid interactions, in combination with biochemical characterization is a step towards understanding the regulation of such processes.

Why/how did you become involved in this subject?

Structural biology has always been one of the most interesting fields for me, and using it to study membrane proteins and complexes is an exciting challenge.

What is your favorite part of working as a Postdoc at the PLID?

It is great that the institute has such a diverse community with different expertise and approaches to work and life.

What are some challenges you face day to day as a Postdoc?

I think one of the biggest challenges is finding a work-life balance. Especially now, as a Ukrainian, it's hard not to let the devastating news from home affect my focus at work, or to start using work as an escape.

What motivates you?

Various cellular processes, from signal transduction to regulation of gene expression, quality control pathways, protein synthesis, and metabolism, are extremely complex. Figuring out even the smallest details of how they work is very rewarding. Having worked in structural biology for several years, studying various processes, I feel that learning something new has become even more exciting than at the beginning of my career.

What do you like to do when you are not in the lab?

For most of my life, my favorite hobby has been painting. I love to learn and try new techniques, most recently digital painting. In addition, there’s nothing better to refresh your mind than a good metal concert!

If you could visit yourself while you were still a student, what advice would you offer?

Don't just choose an interesting topic to study or a prestigious place to work, choose the people you'll be working with.