Dr. Jara-Oseguera was attracted to the city of Austin’s great reputation. He also has several colleagues in the neuroscience department that he has known for many years, and likes the fact that it’s a large public university which mirrored his own experience attending university in Mexico. His research is broadly focused on two sets of questions. First is to understand how a sequence of amino acids turns into a protein with a specific set of functions and the associated range of structures and dynamics. A second question is related to pain and how a specific pain-related protein manages to balance activating when we feel pain and turning off when we are not. Eventually, understanding this pathway may provide targets to treat pain without addiction.
What is one class that you want to teach, made-up or real?
Organize the open questions that remain from protein biochemistry to cell biology to organism physiology. Focusing it on all the gaps and questions that remain about things that we believe we already know and maybe poking holes in things we already know. It would be a good starting point for a class and for students to look at things differently and see what kinds of questions arise from current knowledge.
What is the most expensive thing that you have broken in the lab?
Probably an objective lens, not a super-fancy one but a mid-range one that I got salt water in.
What is your most embarrassing presentation moment?
During a Gordon Conference, I was giving a talk and realized that all the colors I had chosen for my slides looked terrible and almost impossible to see. I only realized mid-way through the presentation but everyone was nice about it.
What is your favorite place in Austin so far?
There was a really good Japanese restaurant that we visited during my interview that I’d like to go back to but haven’t really had to explore much more than that.
What career did you want to pursue as a child?
A veterinarian.
What was your first job?
Post-doc was my first paid position.
What is one piece of advice you would give to your grad student self?
I guess not to focus so much on understanding the quantitative parts of the techniques but the more general biology of the topic.
*Content has been edited for clarity from its original version by Ayesha Mahmood
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