September 15-19, 2025, is National Postdoc Appreciation Week. Since 2009, the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) has sponsored this annual celebration to recognize the significant contributions that postdoctoral scholars make to research and scientific discovery. Check out the NPA website to view the virtual and in-person events being held this week. 

This week, BPS will be highlighting postdoc members on the blog. Today, read about Madhurima Chattopadhyay, Weill Cornell Medicine.

I was born in a simple, middle-class family in a small town in India. My childhood mornings began with my parents and me sitting on the balcony, sipping tea and discussing popular science, which seeded the scientific aspiration in my young mind. I was so amazed by magnets! I wondered what a flame is, why some substances smell while others don't. Questions like these and my little brain’s analysis of them filled up my notebook. As I grew up, the seed of curiosity in me grew as a deep desire to be a scientist, to devote my life to the quest of knowing the unknown. I realized that knowledge is a long path being built forward, and contributions from each scientist are new stones paving the path forward. The goal of my life became contributing to this ever-growing path of human enquiry. I thoroughly enjoyed my schooling, embracing the joy of learning. During high school, I got intrigued by our brain and consciousness. Realizing that there must be a chemical basis behind our seemingly subtle consciences, I chose to major in chemistry. I joined PhD program in the lab of Dr. Lukasz Piatkowski to work on membrane biophysics in Poland. Later, I moved towards biophysics and structural biology related to neurotransmission, pursuing my long-cherished interest and joined Prof. Jose Rizo-Rey’s lab at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and then currently to Prof. Olga Boudker’s lab at Weill Cornell Medicine, New York. Today, I am very excited to contribute to an exciting project – to understand the mechanism of action of human excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs). Glutamate is the brain's primary chemical messenger, responsible for neuronal signaling that underlies learning and memory. However, when excess glutamate builds up, it can damage brain cells and contribute to disorders like schizophrenia, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease. EAATs act like a pump: they remove excess glutamate and protect brain cells from its toxic effects. My current efforts focus on understanding their structure and function, as well as how potential drug candidates can activate or inhibit their activity. My ultimate career goal is to establish an independent research program, focusing on critical biological problems in the field of molecular neuroscience. At the same time, I also want to mentor the next generation of scientists, encouraging them to think critically.  

As a postdoc, my life revolves around working in the lab, from reading research articles, designing and performing experiments, to exploring new ideas to tackle research problems. The reason I particularly enjoy this career is that there are always some new scientific problems to think about, so life does not get monotonous with repetition.  It is highly rewarding for the brain when we come up with new ideas that work. Also, I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to know some of nature’s wonders as the first human being on earth. This feeling wipes away all my tiredness and motivates me to work hard. Moreover, I love the idea that as a researcher, I am working for the betterment of the whole mankind, with the research outcomes being utilized in the long run to save lives. Researchers often feel disappointed and distressed when things do not work. However, it is worth noting that when someone is trying to figure out something unknown, it is often the case that most attempts are unsuccessful. It is surprising, but true, that the actual game-changing data we publish takes only a small portion of the time we spend on the entire research; most of the time is spent on establishing the methodology and troubleshooting. My message to the future postdocs is that sometimes it may feel emotionally exhausting, but at the end, when you get to discover or invent something, it is a much bigger satisfaction. 

Apart from science, my postdoc life gives me the opportunity to live in and travel to various countries. I am grateful for the chance to meet and be friends with people from diverse cultures. I am also interested in literature. My hobbies include reciting poems, singing, and reading. I also enjoy cooking and trying different cuisines.