For Marie-Francoise Chesselet, one of the joys of conducting medical research at UCLA is the opportunity to exchange knowledge with a wide array of scientists working on campus and around the world. Her goal is to advance research and treatments for Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, dystonia and other degenerative-movement disorders.

"The opportunity to see the world and to continually interact with people from all over the world is one of the perks of being a scientist," Chesselet said. "I have friends from so many countries, so many different backgrounds and cultures. That's very rewarding."

Chesselet, an accomplished neuroscientist in the field of basal ganglia dysfunction, directs the Morris K. Udall Center of Excellence for Parkinson's Disease Research - the only such center west of the Mississippi. In keeping with the center's multidisciplinary approach, Chesselet works with basic scientists, neurosurgeons, neurologists and even bioengineers who are developing tiny devices for chemical detection and micro-stimulation in the brain.

A native of France, Chesselet decided early in her medical school training at the University of Paris VI that she wanted to be a researcher, rather than a clinician. "But everyone told me you can't make a living in science," Chesselet recalled, "so I decided to earn my medical degree. That way, I would always have a job."

She later obtained a Ph.D. in neuroscience because she believed that medical school did not adequately prepare her for a career in basic research. That was an exciting time in her field, she said, as discoveries were emerging about neurotransmitters in the brain, including L-dopa therapy for Parkinson's disease.

Before joining the UCLA faculty in 1996, Chesselet conducted research at the College de France in Paris, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the National Institutes of Health, the Medical College of Pennsylvania and the University of Pennsylvania. Today, Chesselet's work is being furthered by developments such as the mapping of the human genome and advances in the use of computers for medical research. Chesselet expects major progress will be made in treating Parkinson's within the next 5 to 10 years.

Away from campus, Chesselet likes to indulge in pleasures such as reading and music.

"I love reading," she said. "I like classical music, even though I don't play anything. I love gardening. I feel I don't have a full weekend if I don't spend two hours in dirt."

Chesselet, who worked as a medical student at hospitals in Iran and Senegal, also loves to travel. Every summer she journeys to the south of France with her 13-year-old son and her husband, a molecular pharmacologist. Chesselet has traveled extensively in Europe, Brazil and Mexico.

And true to her French heritage, Chesselet has a deep fondness for cooking.

"It's similar to working in a lab," she said with a smile, "but you can improvise much more than you do in your experiments."