Q&As

In this issue, Jason Shapiro, Hsiang-Chun (Jimmy) Chang and colleagues identify a conserved role for the iron-binding histone demethylase KDM3B in sensing iron levels and regulating mTORC1 through transcriptional repression of key components of the mTORC1 pathway. In this Q&A, we discuss this manuscript’s findings and publishing journey with first authors Jason Shapiro and Jimmy Chang and corresponding author Hossein Ardehali. Hossein is currently the director of the Center for Molecular Cardiology at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago; Jason is an MD candidate graduating in 2024 at the Feinberg School of Medicine; and Jimmy is a resident physician in the Department of Pediatrics at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Shirin Bahmanyar is an associate professor of molecular, cellular & developmental biology at Yale University, CT, USA. Shirin’s lab studies the organization of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and nuclear envelope, their dynamics throughout the cell cycle, and their relationship to lipid metabolism. We reached out to Shirin and were delighted to hear her thoughts on open questions in this field and to learn more about her research background and interests.

Kelly Stevens is an associate professor in the departments of Bioengineering and Laboratory Medicine & Pathology at the University of Washington. We spoke with her and discussed her work, her views on diversity and its importance, but also her personal struggles as an LGBT+ and disabled scientist.

In June 2023, the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) released a report detailing standards for human stem cell research. We spoke to the co-chairs of the Steering Committee, Tenneille Ludwig, Senior Scientist and Director of the WiCell Stem Cell Bank, and Peter W. Andrews, Emeritus Professor at the University of Sheffield, and discussed the purpose and some of the basic aspects of these standards.

Chun-Yan Lim is a group leader at the Guangzhou Laboratory, China, studying organelle contacts as metabolic signaling hubs. We reached out to Chun-Yan to discuss his scientific career and life in the lab.

Dimple Notani is principal investigator (PI) at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) in Bangalore, India, studying gene regulation. Nature Cell Biology contacted Dimple to discuss the state of the field and her experience running a research lab in India through a pandemic and as a junior PI.

Daylon James is an associate professor at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, where his work focuses on reproductive biology and cell-based approaches for treating infertility. Arun Sharma is an assistant professor at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Regenerative Medicine Institute, and his lab works on modelling cardiovascular diseases and developing cell-based screening platforms for drug toxicity. Many of us also know them as the hosts of the Stem Cell Podcast. Here, we ask them about the podcast and discuss their view on the stem cell field and science communication.

Kara McKinley is an assistant professor of stem-cell and regenerative biology at Harvard University. In addition to advancing our understanding of endometrial regeneration, she has tackled the gender bias in the academic job market by founding the ‘Leading Edge Fellows’ program. Nature Cell Biology contacted her to discuss her career and goals for our research community.

The Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) in Singapore has helped the local scientific community to grow. Nature Cell Biology spoke to Wanjin Hong (executive director at A*STAR’s IMCB) and Guillaume Thibault (associate professor affiliated with Nanyang Technological University Singapore, National University of Singapore and A*STAR’s IMCB), who have dedicated parts of their careers to the growth of cell biology research in Singapore, about the history and directions of cell biological research programs in Singapore.