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Dr. Ganesh Anand is an Associate Professor of Chemistry as well as Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at The Pennsylvania State University (or Penn State University) at the University Park campus. He is also an elected Board Member of the International Society for Hydrogen/Deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry (HDX-MS). He received his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy and his master’s degree in biological sciences from Birla Institute of Technology and Science in India. Next, Ganesh attended Rutgers University where he earned his PhD in biochemistry. Afterwards, he conducted postdoctoral research as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Fellow at the University of California San Diego. Ganesh served on the faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences at the National University of Singapore for over a decade before accepting a faculty position at Penn State where he is today. His lab is recognized as a Waters World Center of Innovation in Hydrogen/Deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry. Ganesh is founding member and former Director of the Singapore National Laboratory for Mass Spectrometry (SingMass) and the former Vice President of the Singapore Society for Mass Spectrometry. In this interview, he shares more about his life and science.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:49)
Beyond his scientific interests, Ganesh has also been passionate about music for as long as he can remember. He takes voice lessons now and enjoys singing in choirs in his free time.
The Scientific Side (3:57)
Research in Ganesh’s lab examines molecular switches. He wants to know how molecules interact with one another and they switch from one state to another. These tiny molecular switches act almost like electrical switches turning on and off the functions of different molecules. He also does research on viruses and how they change shape to infect their hosts.
A Dose of Motivation (5:00)
“Arise, awake, and stop not until the goal is reached.” – Swami Vivekananda
What Got You Hooked on Science? (7:10)
Growing up in the 1970s, Ganesh was swept up in the excitement of the moon landing and the Apollo space program, and this launched his interest in science. His father was a physicist working in radio and satellite communication, and Ganesh was also fascinated by the idea of packaging information and sending it across the world using telephones or other media. With his father as a role model, Ganesh became more interested in science during his school years, starting with physics and then transitioning to biology. As an undergraduate student, Ganesh was exposed to molecular genetics, and he was captivated by how DNA and molecules can transform a single cell into a whole plant or an animal. When he worked in a lab for a year conducting studies on protein folding, he was struck by how the research blended biology, physics, and chemistry. Ganesh decided then that he wanted to pursue research on proteins, and he continues to do research on protein dynamics today.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (22:17)
Self-doubt can be difficult to overcome, particularly for early-career scientists. When doing the experiments for his first paper as a graduate student, Ganesh worried about whether he could get the experiments to work. One particular experiment was critical for this first paper, and when he ran it in the lab on a Saturday, it didn’t work. After sharing the bad news with his advisor, Ganesh decided to try again. He toiled away in the lab and didn’t finish until 2:00 am Sunday morning, but it was worth it. When he next saw his advisor, Ganesh was pleased to report that the experiment worked, and they now had the key piece they needed for the paper. Being able to put aside his self doubt was important for his success. It has also been instrumental as Ganesh entered new areas of research, including when he began working on viruses.
A Shining Success! (25:36)
Ganesh and his team recently published a paper on how Protein Kinase A (PKA) resets itself after stressful situations. This was a particularly satisfying victory because researchers had been searching for clues about the features of the stress reset molecule for decades to no avail. Ganesh’s team determined that the molecule is more like a fuzzball than a rigid rock, and in light of their findings, results from prior studies also made more sense. The paper was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, where many major breakthroughs in molecular sciences have been published, and this was an exciting honor. They celebrated their success by getting the group together for two dinner parties.
Book Recommendations (28:36)
The Empath’s Survival Guide: Life Strategies for Sensitive People by Judith Orloff, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Most Treasured Travel (30:47)
One particularly memorable travel opportunity brought Ganesh to Copenhagen, Denmark. He was invited to be an external examiner for the PhD dissertation of a student there, and it was eye-opening to be part of the process. There was a prolonged ceremony, and Ganesh got to meet the PhD candidate’s family and see the lab where they worked. It was a cool experience, and he also got to explore the city of Copenhagen a bit. Visiting Hamlet’s Castle was a high point of the trip, and Ganesh enjoyed learning more about the history and culture in Denmark.
Ganesh also had a fantastic time visiting the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. He was there for a full month on sabbatical, and it was a remarkable experience. The campus is beautiful, the architecture of the buildings is amazing, and it was really enjoyable to get a break from administrative responsibilities and focus on making connections and learning about the research that other scientists were doing there.
In terms of conference travel, one of Ganesh’s favorite conference destinations was Taos, New Mexico. The town is located in the desert, and it has phenomenal views of the mountains. It was wonderful to be immersed in great science while surrounded by breathtaking scenery.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (33:48)
When Ganesh was a graduate student at Rutgers, they had a ritual where every day at 3:00 pm, everyone paused what they were doing and drank coffee together. This was a fun activity that brought the group together, helped build camaraderie, and gave them a chance to get to know each other better. In terms of funny stories, one that Ganesh will never forget happened when he was a new faculty member at the National University of Singapore. Ganesh took his lab out for lunch, and when it was time to pay the bill, the waiter mistakenly gave the bill to one of Ganesh’s students, thinking that he was the lab leader. This humorous mix-up led the student to make major life changes to improve his health, and 20 years later, he and Ganesh still joke about it.
Advice For Us All (37:49)
Acknowledge self-doubt, but then put it aside and try to look at the positive side of things. As a scientist seeking answers, you have to look deep within, trust your intuition, and not let self-doubt take over. Resilience is very rewarding, and learning and mentoring are lifelong endeavors. Keep learning and keep looking for mentors who will cheer you on, understand you, celebrate your successes, and lift you up when things don’t go your way.
Guest Bio
When people think of proteins, many envision molecules arranged in static structures, but the dynamic nature of proteins is critical for many biological functions. Ganesh’s lab studies protein structures and protein dynamics in a variety of different contexts, including cell signaling pathways. In cell signaling pathways, proteins and protein complexes can act as molecular switches that can toggle between active and inactive states to transmit information within a cell. Information can also be shared between cells when membrane proteins act as molecular switches. Ganesh and his team are also investigating protein dynamics in viral systems to better understand how virus proteins change shape as they infect their hosts. This work may inform the development of new antiviral agents. To conduct their research, Ganesh and his team uses techniques and approaches from biophysics, including amide hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDXMS), native mass spectrometry (native-MS), and Cryo-Electron Microscopy (Cryo-EM). Their overall goal is to integrate protein dynamics with structural tools for describing biological function. When he’s not busy in the lab, Ganesh enjoys immersing himself in music and singing in local choirs.
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