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Q&A with Professor Perdita Barran

How did you first become interested in chemistry?

I really didn't like chemistry at GCSE, mostly because I felt the 'answers' were too simplistic. I chose it for A-level because I was thinking about studying medicine, and then as now, it was considered essential for that path. At A-level I really started to enjoy it, especially how it allowed me to understand how atoms interact and how reactions proceed.

I chose it as a degree because I was enjoying it and also I was told it led to the widest range of professions. I still struggled with some parts – mostly synthesis, but I really fell in love with measurements, and making machines to make measurements. My time at Manchester as an undergraduate, GSK (Glaxo then) as an industrial trainee, and then later PhD work at Sussex convinced me, albeit with some doubts, that I could perhaps make a career out of this.

I think I chose mass spectrometry because, like chemistry, it is an area with huge reach. In my lab, the same machines that measure protein conformational dynamics are also helping to diagnose Parkinson's disease, all because we are accurately measuring the standard units, mass, charge and time.

Tell us about somebody who has inspired or mentored you in your career.

There are so many people who have inspired me and picked me up when I felt down or that the science wasn’t working. I have a large number of female science friends, collaborators across the world, and here in the department of chemistry, who all act as a support network – and some male ones too!

If I was to single out one person it would be Sabine Flitsch, who I worked with both here in Manchester and when I started my independent career at the University of Edinburgh. She mentored me when I didn't even realise it, and has always been there to encourage me, and to set a great example of how to do collaborative science, with trust and enthusiasm and great ideas from collective efforts.

What motivates you?

I love seeing new data and working out what it means.

For me this is evergreen, when I look at a mass spectrum, I see the structures of molecules, at times I can see their interactions. I really enjoy working out the puzzle of data interpretation with my team. Now my biggest motivation is to translate findings from basic research into something that has utility for society. I also really am motivated to train my team to think like this, to make them solve problems with purpose.

What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry?

Do it!

It’s a fabulous subject with a brilliant reach. ¾ÅÖÝÓ°Ôº is everywhere and has huge relevance to health, climate and data science. It can also take you all over the world.

Can you tell us about a scientific development on the horizon that you are excited about?

Yes, the integration of mass spectrometry data with predictive tools. This is what I am really into. For health applications and also to learn more about conformational ensembles adopted by proteins and other biomolecules. I think if we take a 'feature first' approach to mining this data it will deliver a lot.

What has been a highlight for you (either personally or in your career)?

This has to be the success of the people I have had the pleasure to work with. I am so pleased to have been able to act as a mentor/adviser for people. As an intrinsically interdisciplinary scientist, I have been able to work with people from many different fields and have learned so much in doing this.

What has been a challenge for you (either personally or in your career)?

Here I think it’s gender, I have already said a lot about this in other fora, but ultimately the worse thing is how it gets harder not easier – at least in physical sciences. In biomedical areas, this is less the case.

Why do you think collaboration and teamwork are important in science?

It’s essential! It means we can do much more by sharing expertise and also approaches. I think there are many different types of scientist, and a good team will allow all to flourish.

How can scientists try to improve the environmental sustainability of research? Can you give us any examples from your own experience or context?

In my area, the biggest environmental saving can be made by not buying new instruments. The oldest mass spectrometer in my group was made 27 years ago. It’s still going strong and I can run it, which is not the case for all of the newer machines. It also has been significantly upgraded, mostly by us which means it has a unique role. We are committed to convince the manufacturers of mass spectrometers and other instruments to provide modular components for upgrades, rather than a whole new machine. This is gaining traction, although one of the issues is the software for the acquisition computers since Windows has so many security issues for institutions.

I hope in the future the barriers that prevent sharing of equipment are reduced to allow us to maximise their use and really demonstrate when we need new capabilities.

What is your favourite element?

Lead, we share initials (Pb)! More seriously, I made a machine to make and measure lead clusters during my PhD, then I examined the structure and stability of solvated lead clusters during my first postdoc, and then, when I started my independent career my first PhD student examined the competition of lead and other metals for calcium binding sites in proteins. So it was the gateway element from gas phase ion chemistry to biological mass spectrometry.