Hey everyone! We have exciting news- we’ve started a new section for our blog!

We, at MilkshakeFromMars, aim to share the stories of women in science to celebrate their work. We want to highlight what they have achieved in highly discriminatory academic and work environments. And what better way to do this than hear the stories directly from these women themselves!

So, introducing “In conversation” a platform where we hear directly from women who have broken barriers and glass ceilings.


For our very first conversation, we’d like to introduce you Dr.Jacqueline von Salm, biochemist and Co-Founder and CSO of Psilera Bioscience. She primarily works with plant substances to find drug treatments for neurological conditions. Not only is Jackie a leader in the scientific community and a role model to many young women, she is also the winner of the 2020 ElSohly Award. But enough from us, let’s get right into the conversation with Jackie:

The work.

Hi Jackie! We’re thrilled to host you here. Can you tell our readers a little about your work? What you have accomplished/ hope to accomplish with your research?

Most of my work falls under drug discovery and chemical ecology from natural products, which are compounds that originate from natural sources like plants, algae and microorganisms. So far, I’ve discovered quite a few new compounds from different marine organisms in Antarctica and determined the different types of chemicals in Cannabis plants and products. My discovery of an antibiotic, darwinolide, was the most read publication in the American Chemical Society journals in 2016. My hope for this research is to find the connections between all organisms through chemistry and chemical communication. My work on fungi in undergraduate and graduate school was fascinating and inspired my current research into psychedelic fungi and their chemistry.

Mental health is such an increasingly prevalent issue today. What motivated you to work to treat neurological conditions?

My family has a long history of addiction and neurodegenerative diseases, and my grandfather, whom I was extremely close with, was a psychiatrist with a very unique mind and philosophy. He was a huge motivation behind my fascination with consciousness and the universe. During my PhD in Chemistry, my father was diagnosed with a rare form of dementia with no current treatments or therapies to help. Between my father’s condition and witnessing the opioid crisis first hand in Vancouver during my postdoc, I was determined to find answers, which led me to the Cannabis industry. There I was further exposed to patients (or victims in my opinion) of the opioid epidemic and many veterans suffering from PTSD and night terrors. All of these experiences and more have shown me just how much work still needs to be done to truly bring societal awareness and respect to the natural human condition and mental health.

Psilera’s research with neuromodulators and their application in therapeutics is such an interesting approach to drug and therapy development! Can you tell us a little about your work in Psilera Bioscience?

My business partner and I started Psilera to bring a fresh perspective to drug discovery and help catalyze the new era in psychedelics research. We are PhD scientists that no longer want to sit back while millions of people unnecessarily suffer from trauma and addiction. Our experience working with new ways to formulate cannabis products will help our current research, which is more focused on psilocybin-like scaffolds. We also have the help of many family, friends, and colleagues throughout the sciences, law and pharmaceuticals to help us navigate the best routes to take. I am passionate about finding ways to bridge the gaps between academia and industry. Both worlds can learn so much from one another and should not be treated as mutually exclusive.


Cannabis
Cannabis: Photo by ryan lange on Unsplash

What it takes.

What is it like to be in a leadership position in the scientific world? Are there any specific challenges that you’ve had to overcome to get there?

It’s honestly strange to think of myself as a leader in the scientific world, but I suppose that’s not always something one can control. There are many challenges along the way that I think all researchers and scientists share. This type of lifestyle becomes your life, because you always have to know what science and data is happening all over the world to keep up.

The PhD experience in itself is no treat, unfortunately, and I truly hope that starts to change, or we will continue to see fading numbers of people being interested in the natural sciences. For myself specifically, and this may sound ridiculous, but I have struggled with being a somewhat decent, young looking female, which usually equates to never being treated seriously. And in the United States, it is not uncommon to have chemistry departments with cultures that are openly disrespectful to women, which is extremely degrading intellectually and personally.

For example, we had a graduate student from another country that would not talk to me directly and would only talk “through” our male postdoc and then to me (similar to adolescent telephone).

A second example, my boss was going to have me lead a project for a potential client and when they came into the room for the meeting, one of them asked if my boss’s “assistant” was going to stay for the meeting and if “she” could get the scientist that would be doing the work… As you probably guessed, they were referring to me as the “assistant”. Thankfully, when he realized his error, he stood up instantly, apologized, and shook my hand.

In your opinion, what makes for a successful researcher, specially, a female researcher?

Honestly, I have no idea, but I can tell you what seems to have worked for me. I have always been very open and honest about my research and with my students or employees. There’s a great book that explains my mentality much better than I will about being a woman in science (or business/any position of power), The Myth of the Nice Girl by Fran Hauser. There is no reason to hide things from fellow adults unless it is somehow classified or under contract that you cannot share information. Everyone appreciates being “in the know”.

I’m also a huge advocate for realistic timelines and planning. Nobody benefits when unrealistically fast data is promised in a short amount of time. This leads to errors and issues down the road. I’m always impressed when someone is thinking years down the road rather than a month or two from now. This will not only lead to greater success long term but will help minimize unnecessary stress. It’s also important that you know my definition of success. I consider this to be when your mind, body and spirit are all taken care of… many scientists get caught up on the “mind” part and burn out or cut corners over time, which leads to obvious problems.


Representation, representation, representation.

You just won the 2020 ElSohly Award*– congratulations! Why do you think it’s important that scientists are recognised for their work? Has it motivated you, personally?

I believe it is extremely important that scientists are recognized for their work. We are often portrayed as the bad guys in comics, movies, etc., and society deserves to know just how many scientists are making their lives better (or possibly saving their lives) every single day. We have to somehow remove the image of the curmudgeon from science. We as scientists are driven by the “truth”, which I realize philosophically the definition of truth seems to be in question at times, but at the end of the day, anyone driven by the pursuit of “truth” is typically a decent person to have around. Unfortunately, this can also be a dangerous attribute for people of power, since science questions everything and is rarely black and white.

This has been a huge motivation of mine. I saw how few scientists were “popular” in society compared to let’s say, football players, actors or entrepreneurs, which is crazy when you think about how many aspects of our lives are driven by scientists. I think this needs to change, but that also requires many scientists to change and be active in their communities on the same level that medical doctors and lawyers are active in the community. There was a time when scientists engaged more with students, but universities have changed dramatically and many scientists don’t even have the time to truly teach anymore.

Is there someone/ something that inspires you?

I’ve had quite a few muses in my life, especially from family like my grandfather that I mentioned, my mom and my son. I’d say these are wonderful inspirations, but my biggest is nature itself. I don’t know that humans will ever truly understand all of the inner workings of nature and the universe, but I’m having a blast trying. I know there are connections between everyone and everything, and I’ve been mesmerized by atoms and chemistry since I was in elementary school. Neil deGrasse Tyson says it best when he compares the same atoms between humans and the cosmos, so now I’m just on a mission to know how these are used for communication between organisms and their uses in medicine.


Feminism: Photo by Red Dot on Unsplash

The woman and the science.

What has your path been like as a woman in science?

I wish I could sugar coat it, but it has been extremely difficult.

I started my PhD when my son was four months old, and have had to come to terms with being busy almost constantly. Quite a few health issues popped up along the way, which remain some of my own personal sources of inspiration, but they have also led to difficult times. I truly hope the landscape changes for women as we have more female (or understanding male) scientists being hired in academics. Diversity will only lead to greater creativity, and in this day in age, we need all the creativity we can get.

You worked with Million Women Mentors promoting women in STEM yourself. Can you tell us a little more about that and why you think its important for women to be represnted in this field?

I worked with this group for a couple years, which involved going to a local elementary school in a rough part of town (largely minority children) and helping those girls understand their options as potential women in STEM. I didn’t grow up with much, since my mom was a single mom trying to work, raise kids and go back to school all at the same time. I wanted a chance to share my story and resources with other underprivileged kids, and it was an extremely rewarding experience. They had so much passion and interest, especially in medicine, and I’m glad I was able to share my experiences and resources with them to hopefully help their futures.

What is something you wish young girls starting out in the fields of STEM knew?

Despite many of the history books emphasizing mostly Caucasian men, there were many women of all shapes, sizes and colors along the way that paved the scientific landscape. We have the internet, and it would behoove all young aspiring kids in STEM to look into the history themselves and recognize all of the different types of people that have helped us get where we are today. There is no perfect way to do things. I was on a very traditional academic path before I had to abruptly end my postdoc to come back home and help my father. There is always a way to make things happen. It may not always look like what you want it to look like right away, but always keeping your goal in mind will get you there. Be the little engine that could, while also remembering self-care!


The advice we NEEDED.

Any closing advice for young female scientists, or society in general?

I think we have reached a major shift in consciousness in our society today. Now is the perfect time for all the dreamers to stand up and really fight for what they want. My biggest advice is to do everything you can to never burn a bridge and find yourself advocates. What I mean by advocates, are those that can help you along the way because they are either successful females themselves or they are men that want to help lift up females in the field (yes, they exist). You never know when someone or something might help you along your journey.

Second, try to curb emotional outbursts unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. Unfortunately, people still do not respond well to emotions due to their own traumas, but there are ways to stay composed/respectful while always speaking the truth/staying true to what you believe to be right. Lastly, always do your own research. It is good to take advice, but with the internet now, you can do your own thorough investigations of just about anything out there before committing to what someone else might say.


Thank you for supporting women in science through your work and accomplishments. It is inspiring to see a successful woman in the field of research and we are grateful for the opportunity to be able to speak with you and, I mean, do I even need to say it?

“Women in science? Yes, we exist.”


*The ElSohly Awards: “CANN or better known as Cannabis Chemistry Subdivision was founded in 2015 to build a home within the American Chemical society for cannabis chemists established the first ever cannabis chemistry award known as the ElSohly Award Sponsored by Heidolph North America. The ElSohly Award provides researches, students, and industry professionals with resources to present their work at the ElSohly Award Symposium at the Spring National Meeting of the American Chemical Society.”