Offspring Magazine

In this episode, Allison and Sandra talk to Dr. Sofia Forslund, group leader at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine. Sofia talks about her journey to becoming a group leader as well as her journey to becoming herself. She shares what it is like to transition while looking for a position in academia, and the consideration that goes into choosing a queer-friendly lab, institute, or even the city. Together, our hosts and Sofia discuss what it means to be a woman and the societal expectations connected to it, and talk about gender dysphoria, feminism, and toxic masculinity. Check out Sofia’s lab at: https://www.mdc-berlin.de/forslund You can follow us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/MPPhdnetPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/offspringmagazine_thepodcast Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/offspring-magazine-the-podcast If you have any feedback, comments or suggestion, reach out to us at offspring.podcasts@phdnet.mpg.de Check out the Offspring-Blog where we publish articles on a regular basis: https://www.phdnet.mpg.de/offspring-blog Intro - Outro music composed by Srinath Ramkumar: https://twitter.com/srinathramkumar Pre-Intro jingle composed by Gustavo Carrizo: https://www.instagram.com/carrizo.gus See you in a week, Stay Safe and Stay Healthy!

In this episode, Srinath and Leonie talk to Prof. Dr.-Ing. Johann-Dietrich “Jan” Wörner, President of the German National Academy for Science and Engineering (Acatech), and former Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA).  Jan tells his story of the very indirect path that took him from studying Civil Engineering in Darmstadt to his current position.  He discussed various highlights across his career such as a visit to a nuclear plant in Japan, research into earthquake safety, airplane hangars design, and the conception of the Moon Village. As a former DG of ESA, Jan talks about what Space 4.0 means, and the importance of taking responsibility for cleaning up space junk. At his position at Acatech, Jan also emphasises some of the most important principles when communicating science to politicians, and discusses the advantages of the digital transformation due to the pandemic. Listen to learn more. You can follow us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/MPPhdnetPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/offspringmagazine_thepodcast Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/offspring-magazine-the-podcast If you have any feedback, comments or suggestion, reach out to us at offspring.podcasts@phdnet.mpg.de Please feel free to check out the Offspring-Blog where we publish articles on a regular basis: https://www.phdnet.mpg.de/offspring-blog Intro - Outro music composed by Srinath Ramkumar: https://twitter.com/srinathramkumar Pre-Intro jingle composed by Gustavo Carrizo: https://www.instagram.com/carrizo.gus See you in a week, Stay Safe and Stay Healthy!

In this episode, Beatrice and NIko continue their conversation with Dr. Joris Deelen, group leader at the MPI for Biology of Ageing. This week, we take a closer look at the research into ageing. Joris shares more detail about his lab and talks about the stage that the research into ageing is currently at. We discuss the biggest challenges and hurdles that still need to be overcome to slow down (or even reverse) the ageing process. We talk about the nine hallmarks of ageing and Joris debunks some of the most common misconceptions about the ageing research. Check out Dr. Deelen’s lab and their research here: https://www.age.mpg.de/science/research-laboratories/deelen You can follow us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/MPPhdnetPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/offspringmagazine_thepodcast Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/offspring-magazine-the-podcast If you have any feedback, comments or suggestion, reach out to us at offspring.podcasts@phdnet.mpg.de Please feel free to check out the Offspring-Blog where we publish articles on a regular basis: https://www.phdnet.mpg.de/offspring-blog Intro - Outro music composed by Srinath Ramkumar: https://twitter.com/srinathramkumar Pre-Intro jingle composed by Gustavo Carrizo: https://www.instagram.com/carrizo.gus See you in a week, Stay Safe and Stay Healthy!

In this episode, Beatrice and Niko talk to Dr. Joris Deelen, group leader at the MPI for Biology of Ageing.  Joris talks about the role of genes, environment, and their interaction in longevity, and the research that is done in his lab.  We discuss the ways to keep yourself “young” and what role different types of stress play in ageing.  With ageing now being officially recognised as a disease, we also talk about ways to slow it down, and what treating it would mean for other diseases linked to it. Check out Dr. Deelen’s lab and their research here: https://www.age.mpg.de/science/research-laboratories/deelen You can follow us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/MPPhdnetPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/offspringmagazine_thepodcast Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/offspring-magazine-the-podcast If you have any feedback, comments or suggestion, reach out to us at offspring.podcasts@phdnet.mpg.de Please feel free to check out the Offspring-Blog where we publish articles on a regular basis: https://www.phdnet.mpg.de/offspring-blog Intro - Outro music composed by Srinath Ramkumar: https://twitter.com/srinathramkumar Pre-Intro jingle composed by Gustavo Carrizo: https://www.instagram.com/carrizo.gus See you in a week, Stay Safe and Stay Healthy!

In this episode, Adrian and Srinath talk to Dr. Benjamin Thompson about science jobs outside of academia, specifically, scientific journalism.  Ben talks about the path he took to becoming a Senior Multimedia Editor at Nature and scientific podcasting.  He discusses the doubts he faced while switching careers and the skills gained his research experience that he found useful in journalism.  Ben also shares how Nature’s Coronapod came to be, how topics for the podcasts get chosen, and the cycle that an episode of the Nature Podcast goes through before it reaches your ears.  Ben also talks about covering highly debated topics and what journalism in the times of uncertainty is like. Check out Nature’s podcasts: https://www.nature.com/nature/articles?type=nature-podcast You can follow us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/MPPhdnetPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/offspringmagazine_thepodcast Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/offspring-magazine-the-podcast If you have any feedback, comments or suggestion, reach out to us at offspring.podcasts@phdnet.mpg.de Please feel free to check out the Offspring-Blog where we publish articles on a regular basis: https://www.phdnet.mpg.de/offspring-blog Intro - Outro music composed by Srinath Ramkumar: https://twitter.com/srinathramkumar Pre-Intro jingle composed by Gustavo Carrizo: https://www.instagram.com/carrizo.gus See you in a week, Stay Safe and Stay Healthy!

In this episode, Niko and Srinath continue their conversation with Dr. Christina Beck, now talking about communicating science to the outside world. They emphasise the necessity of clear and transparent communication with policymakers and general public, especially on such important and often debated topics as animal research or genetic engineering. Chrisina talks about what Max Planck Society is doing to facilitate such conversations and about the commitment it has made to introduce young scientists to science communication. Christina also stresses the importance of science communication being a dialogue, in which the scientists take their audience seriously and speak to them on the same level. You can learn more about the Max Planck Society here: https://www.mpg.de/en. For more information on My Machine and Me, chechk out #mymachineandme on Twitter and MPS website. To learn more about Tierversuche Verstehen Initiative, see https://www.tierversuche-verstehen.de. Also, check out the MPS Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/maxplancksociety. You can follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MPPhdnetPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/offspringmagazine_thepodcast Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/offspring-magazine-the-podcast If you have any comments, suggestion or questions, reach out to us at offspring.podcasts@phdnet.mpg.de Please feel free to check out the Offspring-Blog where we publish articles on a regular basis: https://www.phdnet.mpg.de/offspring-blog Intro - Outro music composed by Srinath Ramkumar: https://twitter.com/srinathramkumar Pre-Intro jingle composed by Gustavo Carrizo: https://www.instagram.com/carrizo.gus See you in a week, Stay Safe and Stay Healthy!

In this episode, Niko and Srinath sit down with Dr. Christina Beck, Head of Communication in the Administrative Headquarters of MPS, and discuss a topic that is of special interest for Max Planck students and staff, internal communication. With MPS being a melting pot of different cultures and backgrounds, our hosts and Christina talk about the importance of internal communication and the role that MAX will play in bringing the employees together. Christina also discusses the importance of brand communication for the Society, as well as the negative effects and the need for reduction in the pressure to publish. You can learn more about the Max Planck Society here: https://www.mpg.de/en You can follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MPPhdnetPodcast/, find us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/offspringmagazine_thepodcast/ and Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/company/offspring-magazine-the-podcast/ If you have any comments, suggestion or questions, reach out to us at offspring.podcasts@phdnet.mpg.de Please feel free to check out the Offspring-Blog where we publish articles on a regular basis: https://www.phdnet.mpg.de/offspring-blog Intro - Outro music composed by Srinath Ramkumar: https://twitter.com/srinathramkumar Pre-Intro jingle composed by Gustavo Carrizo: https://www.instagram.com/carrizo.gus See you in a week, Stay Safe and Stay Healthy!

In this episode, Allison and Sandra continue their conversation with Prof. Dr. Marla Feller about being a woman and a mother in science. We talk about gender discrimination in scientific environments and about the role implicit biases play in the process of applying for grants. We discuss the Impostor Syndrome, the effect it had on us and our academic lives, and Marla shares her strategies for overcoming the feeling of self-doubt and fear of being exposed as a “fraud”.  To learn more about Marla’s scientific journey, watch her talk on feeling like an impostor while switching research fields from Physics to Neuroscience: https://youtu.be/ggxeSE96rLk; or read about her on Picking Brains to challenge your stereotype of what a “typical” path to becoming a scientist is: https://pickingbrains.berkeley.edu/profiles_/profile_feller.html.  Here is the link to the study about gender-specific language in grant-writing: https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/who-gets-grant-money-gendered-words-decide.  You can follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MPPhdnetPodcast/, find us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/offspringmagazine_thepodcast/ and Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/company/offspring-magazine-the-podcast/ If you have any comments, suggestion or questions, reach out to us at offspring.podcasts@phdnet.mpg.de Please feel free to check out the Offspring-Blog where we publish articles on a regular basis: https://www.phdnet.mpg.de/offspring-blog Intro - Outro music composed by Srinath Ramkumar: https://twitter.com/srinathramkumar Pre-Intro jingle composed by Gustavo Carrizo: https://www.instagram.com/carrizo.gus See you in a week, Stay Safe and Stay Healthy!

In this episode, Allison and Sandra sit down to talk to Prof. Dr. Marla Feller about being a woman and a mother in science. We discuss the lack of childcare at universities and the advantages of being a scientist-parent compared to other careers. Marla shares her experience of working in Physics and in Neuroscience and how it felt being the only woman in the room. You can follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MPPhdnetPodcast/, find us on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/offspringmagazine_thepodcast/ and Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/company/offspring-magazine-the-podcast/ If you have any comments, suggestion or questions, reach out to us at offspring.podcasts@phdnet.mpg.de Please feel free to check out the Offspring-Blog where we publish articles on a regular basis: https://www.phdnet.mpg.de/offspring-blog Intro - Outro music composed by Srinath Ramkumar: https://twitter.com/srinathramkumar Pre-Intro jingle composed by Gustavo Carrizo: https://www.instagram.com/carrizo.gus See you in a week, Stay Safe and Stay Healthy!

In this Episode, Srinath and Niko have a discussion with Prof. Stephen Curry the Chair of DORA, a Declaration on Research Assessment.  We discuss his career, his current position, his interest in DORA, and about how journal impact factors are misused. To know more about DORA: https://sfdora.org/ If you have any comments, suggestion or questions, please feel free to reach out to us at the following email: offspring.podcasts@phdnet.mpg.de Please feel free to check out the Offspring-Blog where we publish articles  on a regular basis. https://www.phdnet.mpg.de/offspring-blog Intro - Outro music composed by Srinath Ramkumar: https://twitter.com/srinathramkumar Pre-Intro jingle composed by Gustavo Carrizo: https://www.instagram.com/carrizo.gus/?hl=es You can follow the hosts of this podcast on Twitter here: Srinath Ramkumar: https://twitter.com/srinathramkumar Nikolai Hoermann: https://twitter.com/HoermannNikolai See you in a week, Stay Safe and Stay Healthy