Cris never left you wondering about where you stood! His motto was: Just do it!

Abstract

In this commentary, we reflect on our experiences being PhD students of Prof. Cris dos Remedios in the Muscle Research Unit at The University of Sydney at the turn of the new millennium. Cris was/is an example of a fine scientist and a great academic mentor for us and so many others (scientists, academics, surgeons, medical doctors and health professionals) who carry the legacy and traditions of Cris dos Remedios into the future.

We were students in the Muscle Research Unit (MRU) at the turn of the new millennium. The late 1990s and early 2000s were fascinating times indeed to be involved in biophysics and what a privilege it was to be mentored by one of the forefathers of contemporary biophysics in Australia and the world. Studying in Cris’s lab not only allowed you to participate in cutting edge techniques, but it also gave you ready access to the world’s leaders in the field. You never felt out of place at big international conventions when you were from “Cris’s Lab”.

The MRU was located on the ground floor of the Anderson Stuart Building, appropriately known as the Old Medical School, and in the very heart of The University of Sydney Camperdown campus. Built of amazing Australian sandstone in a Neo-Gothic style with incredibly high ceilings, ornate stained glass windows and dutifully protected by gargoyles, this building captured the rich history and traditions of the Old Medical School going back to the1860s.

In our days, the MRU was a bustling place filled with many postgraduate and undergraduate students, postdocs, and visitors. We all worked happily in a huge open-plan laboratory filled with sunlight, enthusiasm, and a thirst for discovery. This vibrant place was alive practically 24/7 where experiments and discussions would run non-stop into the night supplemented by strong coffee and a passion for research (and a fold out bed in Cris’s office!). And somehow, Cris had always managed to equip the lab with the latest and greatest espresso machine, so we were never short of excellent coffee!

Central to our universe during this time was Cris. He was a lot more than the head of the lab and a supervisor. Someone once said that during a PhD, you become more dependent on your supervisor than you do on your parents. In many ways, this is true because academic mentorship plays a great role in forging your career path and also in your personal life during an incredibly stressful time. Cris was our mentor and the perfect example of an outstanding scientist. His mentorship style was far from that of a kind father figure. Instead, he was someone who knew how to inspire his students, always provoking you to challenge established assumptions and to aim for much higher goals. He knew how to push you to the brink and then fill you with a dogged determination. Cris’s ability to believe in and empower his students, often before the students believed in themselves, and his “just do it” attitude created an atmosphere of scientific adventure where nothing was impossible and you were only limited by your imagination.

I (Irina) was a “wild card”, someone who had just arrived at Sydney from Eastern Europe at the age of 30 with practically no English language skills starting my life all over again. I remember how Cris was excited to see me in his lab, took me by the hand and helped me with enrolling into the master’s degree, which in a blink was converted into a PhD. Initially, I doubted myself, perhaps as much as Cris believed in me. Thus, I started believing in him first and then believing in my abilities to conclude a PhD. One of the memorable moments for me was when Cris decided to teach me the myosin extraction procedure. It was not a successful venture because Cris miscalculated the salt concentrations (which I then figured out later). However, I knew that as a student, I was very important and special enough for a big professor to roll up his sleeves and spend a whole day working with me on my project. I feel that stepping out of my comfort zone was the greatest lesson learnt in my time at Cris’s lab. “You are going to take my anatomy class tomorrow. Are you not a medical doctor?”— he said one day, and this is how my anatomy teaching has started, right at the deep end. Cris’s lab is where I developed a passion not only for research but also for the anatomy discipline and teaching that has shaped my career path in the long run.

Not only was Cris an inspirational mentor, but he was also a trusted friend and confidant. His door was always open, and he’d always have the perfect solution to get you out of whatever crazy mess you had gotten yourself in to. I (Murat) used to enjoy nothing more than having a beer with Cris after a long, demanding week of science and to unwind with easy conversations about life and how our football teams were looking for the weekend ahead. Cris also knew how to make people feel special. I was lucky enough to have Cris give the Occasional Address at my graduation ceremony. He made special mention of my parents during this speech, and the look of pride on their faces is forever etched in my memory.

The MRU has produced many nationally and internationally recognised scientists, academics, surgeons, medical doctors and health professionals. The MRU culture created by Cris has touched many lives generating a special breed of professionals who are restless, enthusiastic and adventurous and who, no matter where they apply themselves, will carry the legacy and traditions of the Cris dos Remedios’s lab into the future (Fig. 1). We are so proud to be part of this story. Happy 80th birthday, Cris!

Fig. 1.

Professor Cris dos Remedios. This photograph was taken in the courtyard of the Anderson Stuart Building, The University of Sydney, early 2000. Photo by C. Jeffery.

Authors’ contributions

Irina Dedova and Murat Kekic equally contributed to writing the review.

Compliance with ethical standards

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.