Ask Your Mentor - Dr Kamar Ameen-Ali

Ask Your Mentor Podcast, from Dementia Researcher, in association with Alzheimer’s Research UK (ARUK). Mentees interviewing their mentors, talking careers, lessons learned and what they’ve discovered, that could help you forge a successful career in dementia research. In this podcast PhD Student Elizabeth (Lizzie) English from University of Cambridge interviews her mentor (and regular Dementia Researcher Blogger) ⁠Dr Kamar Ameen-Ali, Lecturer at Teeside University. Lizzie is a PhD candidate at University of Cambridge and a proud first-generation student. Her PhD project is attempting to characterise disease-associated protein aggregates throughout the time-course of Alzheimer’s Disease, in terms of aggregate size, shape, number and brain region localisation, through single-molecule fluorescence microscopy methods. I hope to investigate the potential toxicity mechanisms of these aggregates, to aid understanding of the causes of AD onset and progression. Kamar is a Lecturer in Biomedical Science at Teesside University & Affiliate Researcher at Glasgow University. In addition to teaching, Kamar is exploring how neuroinflammation following traumatic brain injury contributes to the progression of neurodegenerative diseases that lead to dementia. Having first pursued a career as an NHS Psychologist, Kamar went back to University in Durham to look at rodent behavioural tasks to completed her PhD, and then worked as a regional Programme Manager for NC3Rs. Full biographies on all our guests and a transcript can be found on our website ⁠https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk⁠ Find our more about Alzheimer's Research UK and how they support early career researchers on their website: ⁠https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/research/for-researchers/ecr/supporting-your-career/⁠ Like what you hear? Please review, like, and share our podcast - and don't forget to subscribe to ensure you never miss an episode – and if you prefer to listen rather than watch, you’ll find an audio version of this podcast at https://podfollow.com/ask-your-mentor This podcast is brought to you by University College London / UCLH NIHR Biomedical Research Centre in association with Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia who we thank for their ongoing support.

00:00 Introduction 02:57 A Run Though Kamar's CV an Career 39:09 Quick Career Questions with Top Tips for Success 45:38 Mentoring 51:34 Final Thoughts