Women’s voices: Olga Barba Vila

This month in Women’s Voices, Sara Carracedo features Olga Barba Vila, a PhD student at IINS and an active member of the NeuroPIC. In this interview, she reflects on her academic path and discusses the challenges and hopes for achieving gender equity in science across Europe.

Could you please introduce yourself and provide a brief background about your academic journey?

My name is Olga, and I am from a small village in the heart of Catalonia, Spain. From a young age, I have been passionate about the human sciences, which led me to pursue a degree in Biomedical Sciences at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). During this time, I discovered my true calling in neuroscience research, a realization that was confirmed during an internship with the Neuroplasticity and Regeneration Group at UAB’s Neuroscience Institute.

To further specialize, I moved to France to pursue the Bordeaux International Master of Neuroscience (NeuroBIM). There, I developed a growing interest in circuit neuroscience and had the opportunity to complete two internships in laboratories in France and Sweden. These experiences solidified my interest in systems neuroscience, particularly in understanding how neuronal circuits process complex information. This led me to begin my PhD in 2022 under the supervision of Mario Carta in the team “Synapses and Neural Circuits in Behaviour” at the Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience (IINS), University of Bordeaux, France.

Could you tell us more about your current research focus?

 I am currently in the third year of my PhD, focusing on how the cortex encodes gustatory information. The gustatory cortex (GC) enables animals to identify the identity of food and its hedonic value, for example palatable (e.g., sucrose) versus aversive (e.g., citric acid), which is crucial for avoiding poisons and regulating feeding behaviors. Despite its importance, the neuronal circuits within the gustatory cortex are not as well understood as those in other sensory systems, such as touch or vision.

In my PhD project, I use a combination of ex vivo slice electrophysiology, optogenetics, and activity reporters in mice to explore how the GC receives and integrates information. Specifically, I am investigating the synaptic inputs that the GC receives from the gustatory thalamus (VPMpc), which provides information on tastant identity, and from the amygdala (BLA), which conveys the hedonic value of these tastants. My goal is to uncover how these inputs are processed at the synaptic and circuit levels within layer 5 pyramidal neurons, which are the primary output neurons of the cortex and are optimally positioned to integrate gustatory information.

What accomplishments have you achieved during your PhD so far?

During my PhD, I have reached several key milestones. Early on, I was awarded a PhD fellowship from the Bordeaux Neurocampus Graduate Program, which allowed me to pursue my PhD with the team I had aimed to join.

I co-authored a Journal Club publication in the Journal of Neuroscience, where we discussed the research of a leading group in the gustatory cortex field. Over the course of my PhD, I have had the chance to present my work at several national and international major conferences, including NeuroFrance in Lyon (2023) and the FENS Forum in Vienna (2024).

Throughout my PhD, I’ve also learned several challenging techniques, such as patch clamp electrophysiology, which has been critical to my research. Additionally, I have had the rewarding experience of supervising several students, and guiding them has been one of the highlights of my PhD journey so far.

You are part of the Neurocampus Parity Committee, what motivated you to join this group? Which initiatives from this committee do you think are particularly important?

Witnessing the alarming statistics that highlight the unacceptable gender inequality in science, particularly at the Bordeaux Neurocampus, left me deeply concerned and feeling helpless. For instance, the 2022 gender equality survey conducted at Bordeaux Neurocampus by Parity Committee revealed that women represent only 38% of young tenured researchers and a mere 25% of senior researchers. Additionally, 79% of the 72 leaders heading 54 research teams are men . This concern drove me to join the NeuroPIC, as it offered an opportunity to contribute to change, even if only on a small and local scale.

I find all the initiatives and goals of the NeuroPIC highly relevant, as they tackle gender inequality at multiple levels. Among many others, these actions include monitoring the current state of inequality and its evolution over time, organizing events, and providing training and mentoring to empower female researchers and raise awareness within the scientific community.

As an early career researcher who has worked in laboratories from different countries in Europe, how do you see the international picture of women in science?

Like many other sociological aspects of life, there are noticeable differences in the role of women in science depending on the country. One of the aspects I appreciated the most about working in Northern European countries was the comparatively smaller, though still present, gender inequalities faced by women in the Swedish research environment, as opposed to those encountered by women working in Spain, for example. Unfortunately, although I have not experienced this myself, the gender gap is even more pronounced in less developed countries, where women’s opportunities are often limited at even earlier stages of their careers.

What advice would you give to young women aspiring to enter into a PhD program?*

My advice to young women aspiring to enter a PhD program is to remain hopeful that the deeply rooted system that permits gender inequality will eventually fade. I encourage them to stand up for their rights and what they deserve, and if they find it difficult, to seek help in doing so.

I want them to remember that any feelings of inadequacy or self-doubt they may encounter during their academic journey rarely reflect their true capabilities. Instead, these feelings are usually the result of a biased system, both socially and institutionally. Rather than questioning their worth, they should focus on their strengths and seek out supportive mentors and networks. And if they have the strength, I encourage them to join us in working toward an academic environment free of gender bias!

About Women’s Voices

Women’s Voices is an interview published in Brainstorm and on Neurocampus’ website created in partnership with the Neurocampus Parity and Inclusion Committee (NeuroPIC) a local group committed to promoting equality and organizing actions to close the gap between women and men in academia. The goal of this section is to increase the visibility of early career female researchers at the Bordeaux Neurocampus of the University of Bordeaux. We interview researchers about their scientific contributions, insights and opinions about equity, diversity and gender bias in academia. Through these interviews, we aim not only to highlight their achievements but also to serve as inspiration for our scientific community and other female scientists.

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