His presentation drew thunderous applause from the audience, and even a couple of whistles. Luís Oliveira competed against six other researchers from Lund University – to decide who was the best at presenting their research in just four minutes, in the most captivating, interesting and entertaining way possible. Prior to the competition, they had all received training in preparing their presentations, which were judged by a jury looking at scientific content, stage presence and communicative ability.
Used images, metaphors and popular culture to communicate
Luís Oliveira, who is a PhD student in immunology at the Lund Stem Cell Center, Faculty of Medicine, believes that it was his choice of images, metaphors and way of communicating that convinced the audience. By describing – and illustrating - cancer cells as evil cells, which disguise themselves to escape the immune system, he wanted to convey what he is researching.
– I likened myself to a hacker who, instead of reprogramming computers, recodes the DNA of cancer cells, and thus starts a war against them. It was important for me to reach the audience through humor and references to things they recognize: Darth Vader from Star Wars, for example, had to illustrate how cancer cells choose to do harm, says Luís Oliveira.
Simplifying how he describes his research and methods is something he has worked on a lot before the competition. He received a lot of support during the coaching, especially in removing words that may be difficult for a general public to understand, and in shortening the content. Changes that freed up more time for the performance itself – where he practiced speaking slowly and moving on stage.
– For me, it is very important to communicate about what I and other researchers do. Not only because spreading knowledge is so important, but also because it can actually be very fun. In the future, I want to go beyond the lab and focus on talking about science in various forums. Learning how to do it well is really important.
Researching dendritic cells
Luís Oliveira, who shares his doctoral studies between Sweden and Portugal, is researching how so-called dendritic cells develop. Specifically, he wants to know more about which proteins control their development. It is becoming increasingly important to learn more about the different types of dendritic cells because they play a key role in triggering the immune system, which is very important to fight cancer. Luís Oliveira focuses on reprogramming different cells, such as skin cells or cancer cells, into different types of dendritic cells.
– By reprogramming cells into different types of dendritic cells, I learn about which proteins play a role in this process. It allows me to understand how we can recreate these cells so we can then use them for immunotherapy.
In November, Luís Oliveira travels to Stockholm to compete in the national Research Grand Prix final, where he is up against researchers from various universities in Sweden. He was voted the winner by the jury and the audience together, which consisted of students from several high schools in Helsingborg. The audience in particular had a decisive role because their votes weigh two-thirds against the jury's one-third.
