A “Cheerful Pessimist”

The time just before a breakthrough can be tough. Kelly Nguyen has difficulty sleeping – she is completely absorbed, and she would prefer to work nonstop. Finally, the time has come. In the laboratory, the pieces of the puzzle, collected over many years of work, come together naturally. Looking at it this way, it is probably a good thing that her work is slow and arduous, instead of robbing her of her sleep on a weekly basis.Finding the inner core – taking one good look deep inside the cell and understanding what makes such a system tick – Kelly Nguyen is practically gripped by this mission. Since she began working on her doctoral thesis in 2010, the now 34-year-old has been pursuing the visualization of biological molecules. The technological breakthroughs in the cryo-electron microscopy field in 2013 meant to her what the invention of the telescope in the 17th century must have meant to astronomers: a milestone, and the basis for entirely new insights.

Two genius discoveries
In 2015, it helped her achieve her first large breakthrough: she was able to determine the three-
dimensional structure of a major part of the spliceosome. Thus far, this complex molecule had only been partially explored. Inside the cell, the molecule plays a role during the complicated RNA splicing process. And recently, in her most recent breakthrough, she successfully visualized the enzyme telomerase. In human cells, it restores the ends of the chromosomes – the telomeres. More on both topics later.This discovery has the potential to benefit many future patients suffering from cancer or from illnesses related to premature aging. “This new knowledge about the three-
dimensional structure will allow, for example, the development of more precise medications for cancer”, hopes Nguyen. After all, telomerase plays a role in 85 to 90 percent of all cancers whereas a telomerase deficiency is connected to syndromes of premature aging.

Career ingredient: education
Kelly’s path leading up to this success story was long, and it asked a lot of her. It all began with a gold medal at the 2003 South Vietnam Math Olympics. To her, this was a signal for departure. A year later, the world beckoned, and at the young age of 16, Thi Hoang Duong Nguyen heeded the call. Alone. Her family, her parents and her two sisters live in Vietnam to this day. Kelly, the name she uses abroad, received an opportunity to attend High School in New Zealand. A foreign environment with a foreign language. “This was where I learned to adapt to new environments quickly and maintain a positive attitude even if things are difficult.”
A time-lapse summary of her career: at the age of 18, she entered the Australian National University in Canberra, and at 22 she began her doctoral work at the University of Cambridge. She was 28 when she moved to the US to conduct research and 31 when she returned to Cambridge in 2019 to start her own group which currently comprises five laboratory members. What had made the deepest impression on her throughout these years? Above all, “it was my parents’ strong work ethic”, and the high value they place on education. It was these values that carried her around the world and that allowed her to pursue a career that she loves.
By now, the researcher, who describes herself as being curious, organized, thorough and systematic, has a number of prestigious awards to show for herself – for example, she recently received the Eppendorf Award for Young European Investigators 2022, worth 20,000 euros. While the “cheerful pessimist” is not afraid of new challenges, she is occasionally prone to self-doubt. “I don’t start out expecting a good result – regardless of how it turns out, I am a happy person.”