Sixteen years after his first class at Memorial, Dr. Matthew Parsons, B.Sc.’04, M.Sc.’06, PhD’11, has returned to where it all began. He’s one of the newest faces in the Faculty of Medicine, beginning as assistant professor this fall in the Division of BioMedical Sciences. The St. John’s native credits hard work and plenty of luck with his return from British Columbia, where he worked as a post-doctoral fellow. His research interests focus on neurosciences, specifically glutamate, the most important transmitter for normal brain function. Contributor Jeff Green spoke with Dr. Parsons.

JG: Why did you return home?
MP: I was offered a faculty position. To be able to do what I love in my hometown . . . not many people get that kind of luck. I will miss Vancouver’s lack of wind and their cheap sushi but overall it’s good to be home.

JG: What are you doing now?
MP: As a new faculty member, my days consist of grant writing and more grant writing. I am also talking to a lot of different vendors and purchasing the equipment necessary to start my research. Neurons communicate with each other by releasing neurotransmitters and my lab will focus on identifying and understanding the small, subtle alterations in neurotransmitter signalling that occur in certain neurodegenerative diseases. This requires very specialized equipment. Starting a lab is an expensive endeavour—not currently helped by the Canadian dollar! Funding is required not only for the equipment, but to hire a research assistant and to pay for a few graduate student stipends, which will be leveraged in part through the School of Graduate Studies and Research and Graduate Studies.

JG: Why did you initially decide to study at Memorial?
MP: I always thought the Faculty of Medicine is an excellent place to pursue a graduate degree. The lab sizes are ideal for that first real exposure to conducting your own relatively independent research—not too big, not too small. Many talented researchers get lost in the shuffle in bigger labs and others don’t receive the support they need in smaller labs.

JG: Any advice for current or future graduate students?
MP: I think it is particularly important—especially for us at Memorial—to go to as many national and international conferences as possible. Being on an island can isolate us from the rest of the country in certain ways and building a wide network of colleagues is essential to a successful career in research. After all, these are the people that will be reviewing your next fellowship application or your manuscript, or even acting as external examiner on your thesis committee. These conferences also give a good idea of the important science going on outside of Memorial and it’s incredibly important to make every effort to stay up-to-date on the latest findings.

The School of Graduate Studies is highlighting current graduate students—and alumni such as Dr. Parsons who’ve gone on to start their careers—in a series of profiles. A longer version of this Q&A, as well as other profiles, is available online.