Viviana Monje grew up in La Paz, Bolivia, moving to the United States after completing high school. She shares, “I enjoyed math and physics in high school, and I knew I wanted to major in engineering. I enjoyed natural sciences too, so when I first started university in Bolivia, I enrolled in Food Processing Engineering, a track under the Chemical Engineering Program at the state university. Soon after, the opportunity to come to the United States presented itself, and I started at a community college in Chemical Engineering.”
She moved to Maryland and began undergraduate studies at Montgomery College and transferred to the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) to complete her degree. Before long, she started volunteering in the lab of her faculty adviser, Jeff Klauda, to boost her resume. Monje adds, “It didn’t take long to be hooked into biophysics of lipid membranes and consider a career in academia as a very real possibility. The Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering at UMD played a pivotal role through fellowships and professional development workshops for me to do research both as an undergrad and graduate student.”
After completing her undergraduate degree, she stayed at UMD for her master’s degree and PhD in Chemical Engineering, where her research focused on complex lipid membrane models using molecular modeling approaches.
Monje joined the group of Gregory A. Voth at the University of Chicago as a postdoctoral fellow after finishing her PhD. She explains, “I was very fortunate to work with a great group of peers as I continued my training in computational approaches to study cellular processes. Specifically, I looked at protein-lipid interactions in the context of early viral assembly for HIV-1 and the associated membrane response in terms of lipid resorting and recruitment. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the groups of us working on HIV-1 viral dynamics shifted efforts to study protein-protein and protein-lipid dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It was very interesting to see the similarities and differences in the two systems.”
Now, as an assistant professor at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, she uses all-atom molecular dynamics to study lipid-lipid and lipid-protein interactions to determine the role of specific lipid species in mechanisms of disease. Monje elaborates, “Our membrane models aim to reproduce the physical environment of a given organism or cell organelle using the most abundant lipid species for that cellular location. We track the molecular signature that results upon binding and/or insertion of biomolecules onto model membranes and the subsequent membrane response. Our projects range from membrane-only modeling studies to the fingerprint of lipid interactions with biopolymers—proteins, peptides, and RNA fragments—and lipid-based bioinspired materials. I recently started two collaborations through funding opportunities that seek to support interdisciplinary teams in which each member is introduced to new areas in their labs. I very much look forward to integrating my engineering background with expertise in molecular modeling to expand my research program into bio-inspired materials.”
Major changes to her personal circumstances brought about the biggest challenge in her career thus far. She found that she was able to navigate the strain that was put on by her work thanks to a supportive network at her local institution and champions with whom she is connected through the Biophysical Society and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, her professional society in chemical engineering. “Mentors and champions provided a safe space to fall apart, and most importantly, resources to guide and schedule proposal writing, suggestions of workshops for early career researchers, encouraging words when I fell behind schedule, and advice to reframe and adjust my career goals as I navigated the storm,” she shares.
When asked where she thinks biophysics will go in the future, Monje offers, “I think the field will continue to leverage and benefit from the interdisciplinary character of our research; having people from various backgrounds tackling a biological problem enriches our perspective and leverages training across time and length scales, from the atomistic or molecular view to complex systems biology. I am pleased to see more emphasis on biophysics education, especially in the training of undergraduate and graduate students, and how we can communicate our science with the general public.”
Monje says, “Being a member of BPS has been pivotal for building my professional network and shaping my career. The Society supports and plans programming for its members across career stages in person and online. The Annual Meeting is a great resource for workshops in career development, resume building, and networking. I appreciate the opportunities to present my work in posters/talks, chair sessions, contribute to Biophysical Journal as an author and reviewer, and engage in service through various committees. These activities have helped me grow as a scientist and as a leader.”
Monje serves on the Biophysical Society’s Early Careers Committee and was also the Treasurer of the Theory and Computation Subgroup. She notes, “Attending the Annual Meeting and serving in different committees helped me form mentoring relationships, establish collaborations, and learn from my peer’s approaches to science, leadership, and resilience. Serving on committees as well as planning online symposia and networking events during Biophysics Week has strengthened my leadership and mentoring skills, which I apply directly as I lead my lab and mentor my trainees.”
One of Monje’s favorite aspects of her work is working with peers, especially when they are able to work together on collaborative projects, and she has the opportunity to learn from their specialties. The other highlight is mentoring students and watching them develop into researchers.
Asked what advice she would share with those just starting their careers in biophysics, Monje offers advice that she has taken herself over the years: “Be intentional in building your professional network. Seek mentors, champions, and advocates inside and outside your specific research field. You can have different mentors and role models for different aspects of your career, whether that is in industry or academia. Don’t be afraid to reach out to people in person at a conference or by email. The worst response you will get is ‘Sorry, I am not available’ or silence, but most of the time you will get a kind note, and sometimes you will hit a jackpot and build strong relationships that will lead to more fruitful connections as you progress in your career.”