Dr Merja Joensuu, Senior Research Fellow and Group Leader at The University of Queensland, is tackling one of neuroscience’s biggest challenges: understanding how neurons communicate and fuel brain functions such as memory and thinking. Neuronal communication underpins cognition and behaviour, yet occurs at scales invisible to conventional microscopes.
To overcome this, Dr Joensuu develops advanced super-resolution imaging and analysis technologies to study the brain at the nanoscale—making the invisible visible. Her research recently overturned the long-held belief that neurons rely solely on sugars for energy, discovering instead that neurons produce small fat molecules to power communication. This breakthrough links lipid metabolism to memory and opens new directions for brain health research.
Her work has already identified potential treatments for hereditary spastic paraplegia 54, novel antiviral strategies for brain infections, and inhibitory targets for the world’s most potent neurotoxins. By decoding the molecular basis of brain function in health and disease, Dr Joensuu is laying the foundation for therapies that could transform treatment of neurological disorders and improve lifelong brain health.