My First Paper: Michael Cearns

Posted on: 9 November 2022 by Michael Cearns in November 2022 Posts

We continue our 'My First Paper' Campaign, showcasing researchers and their research - with Michael Cearns, a Tumour biology PhD candidate from ISMIB.

Your name and your area of research.

My name is Dr Michael Cearns. I have a clinical background, and have come out of my subspecialty training in Neurosurgery to work on a PhD investigating immune system behaviour in glioblastoma. This is exciting work that we hope will eventually pave the way for novel immunotherapies to treat this terrible disease.

What was the title of your first paper and who was it submitted to?

My first paper was entitled ‘Microtubules, polarity and vertebrate neural tube morphogenesis’ and I submitted it to the Journal of Anatomy, back when I was a medical student. Initially it was subject to revisions, and then accepted after I had put some more work in. You can access the paper here.

How would you explain what this paper was about to your grandparents?

This paper was about the process that takes place in the embryo, very soon after conception, to generate the basic shape of the future brain and spinal cord. Specifically, I was studying microtubules, a part of every cell’s internal ‘skeleton’. I was interested in how they help each cell ‘know which way is up’, and help the cells move and change shape in a way that contributes properly to developing the shape of the whole organ.

What was the most significant thing for you about that paper?

The most significant thing for me about this paper was that it would never have happened if I hadn’t taken the initiative. I had finished a year in the lab and most of the data I had managed to collect was not saying very much that would be worth publishing. Instead of being disappointed by this, I took advantage of how much I had learned about a very small area of science, and wrote this review article to pull together our knowledge of the area in a way that had not been done before. For that reason, it’s still the paper I take the most pride in.

What advice would you give to others about submitting their first paper?

Normally when you’re working on your first paper you’re at a stage in your career where things don’t just ‘happen’. You might have supervisors who are extremely busy or have other priorities. My best advice is to make the concept of the paper your own – take interest in it, be the one to drive it to completion, be the corresponding author that submits the article and writes the cover letter. This will probably all teach you more about how the process works – and what you yourself can achieve – than the research itself.

You can follow Michael on Twitter by the username @MDCearns.

If you would like to be part of the #MyFirstPaper campaign (one of the most popular features on the Faculty website), the HLS comms team would love to hear from you. The information we’d require from you is:  

• Your name and your area of research (please identify any web links you’d like us to use)
• What was the title of your first paper and who was it submitted to?
• How would you explain what this paper was about to your grandparents?
• What was the most significant thing for you about that paper?
• What advice would you give to others about submitting their first paper?

Please supply photos of yourself (and any other relevant pictures), plus a link to the paper if possible. Please send all information to hlscomms@liverpool.ac.uk