Interview with Ana Paula Mendonça, post-doctoral researcher

Dec 31, 2022 3 min read

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Ana Paula Mendonça is a researcher with a PhD in biochemical sciences and over 10 years of experience in energy metabolism, cell biology, neuroscience and cancer. Ana has done research work in Germany, in her native Brazil and in Italy, where she is currently an MSCA fellow at the University of Padua. MSCA is short for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, the European Union’s flagship funding programme for doctoral education and postdoctoral training of researchers. Ana was a guest researcher at the Centre for Biomolecular Interactions at the University of Bremen (Germany) before moving to Padua. We caught up with Ana to discuss scientific innovation and the role of the physical/built environment.

How can the physical/built environment encourage better innovation among scientists?

The physical environment is super-important. A scientist’s success depends on their ability to come up with new, innovative ideas. But motivation does not always come easy - sometimes, the physical environment can have a significant impact on a scientist’s motivation level. By creating an environment that is conducive to creativity and collaboration, scientific institutions and universities can encourage better innovation. A well-maintained space is more motivating, and in my personal, experience Brazil scores less well in this regard than Germany (which was particularly good) or Italy.