Ines Barreiros

BIOGRAPHY

Inês Barreiros received a BSc in Genetics and Biotechnology in 2013, from the University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro. In 2015, she obtained a postgraduation in Neurobiology through the 2-years MSc in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Coimbra.

During her MSc degree Inês carried out three distinct research projects at the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology. Additionally, she was awarded with an Erasmus+ scholarship to support her 1-year research project at the University of Oxford, under supervision of Dr Michael Kohl.

Inês was appointed as a Research Assistant with Dr Michael Kohl to work on a project that aims to contribute to our understanding of how the brain encodes sensory information.

In the academic year of 2016/2017, Inês initiated her doctoral studies with the 4-year DPhil Programme in Interdisciplinary Bioscience at the University of Oxford, in affiliation with Christ Church College and with support of the BBSRC.

RESEARCH SUMMARY

Sensory information is encoded in the brain through complex patterns of action potentials, known as spike trains. How these spike patterns may represent sensory information is a fundamental unsolved question in the neuroscience field. Inês' current research project aims to understand the role of interneurons on the neural coding strategies employed to represent sensory information.

Science Communication

Passionate for writing and science communication, alongside with her studies and her Research Assistant position, Inês is Editor in several magazines / organisations:

• Phenotype - medical sciences magazine; operated by graduate students, postdoctoral and young researchers at the University of Oxford.

• Bright Brains - the voice of young neuroscience students and researchers in UK; published together with the British Neuroscience Association Bulletin.

• Career Insight - aims to link academic research with industry and to provide information on alternative career options.

• Science Innovation Union - a translation-in-science communication and training platform, bridging the gap between academia, industry and government to build a new generation of bio-entrepreneurs.

Additionally, Inês is a Native Scientist mentor, collaborating with the science outreach organisation 'Native Scientist'. Which aims to 'empower immigrant communities through science outreach' by promoting science and language integrated learning with scientists and bilingual school children with immigrant backgrounds.

Inês is also Communications Officer of Cortex Club, an Oxford University Society which connects students and researchers at Oxford with world-leading neuroscientists through a unique educational forum exploring cutting-edge issues and significant challenges in neuroscience.

Science Communication Publications:

Encoding information in neural circuits (Phenotype Journal, Neuroscience Supplement to Issue 23, 2016)

'Native Scientist': science outreach session in your native language (British Neuroscience Association Bulletin, Issue 76, 2016)