FIRST PERSON

DR LILA LANDOWSKI UTAS NEUROSCIENTIST

I am happiest when ... watching my friends succeed. You wouldn’t know it but ... I’m in a band called Gnarlhűnd where I play the mighty triangle among other things. My most embarrassing moment ...was as a PhD student. I had a pair of work trousers with a dodgy zipper that would work its way down even when reinforced with a safety pin. I inadvertently exposed myself in meetings, presentations, you name it. Chances are the crowd saw a little something. (Fortunately, I have excellent taste in undergarments). The last time I cried was ... last week, after I received the Young Tall Poppy science award and two University VC citations in Community Engagement and Teaching. The last book I read was ... I’d love to give an inspiring answer, but I only read science research articles these days. My favourite films are ... Gladiator, Shutter Island, Shawshank Redemption, Good Will Hunting, Braveheart, Dead Poets Society, Rambo, Inception, Bridesmaids. I really want ... there to be a time that when anyone has a stroke, they can take medication that helps their brain return to normal. I hope this is achieved because our new method for testing stroke drugs, developed here in Tasmania, has led to great new discoveries. My guilty pleasure is ... a cheese platter washed down with gewurztraminer. My first job was ... at Woolworths’ checkouts. My most memorable workrelated moment is … looking down the microscope and being the first person in the world to observe nerves in the skin that appeared to have regenerated as a result of the treatment I was testing.

Dr Lila Landowski is a neuroscientist at UTAS School of Medicine. She’s a guest at this year’s Royal Hobart Research Foundation Big December Breakfast on Tuesday, December 18, at Wrest Point. Guest speaker is AFL Tasmania CEO Trisha Squires. Tickets at www.rhhresearchfoundation.org with funds going to local medical research.