Nobel Prize Conversations
Nobel Prize Outreach
Through their lives and work, failures and successes – get to know the individuals who have been awarded the Nobel Prize. The host for this podcast is Adam Smith, who has the happy task of interviewing our Nobel Prize laureates.Sit in on our conversations as we delve into how these personalities found their fields of interest — often by coincidence — how they view collaboration, curiosity and failure, and what keeps them going. The laureates share what they have learned from their career and what they like to do outside of their work – from music to fly-fishing. We let the discussions flow freely, resulting in richly varied stories on topics ranging from poverty prevention to the science of black holes and the importance of being a role model.Our latest season is coming in Spring/Summer 2025 and features the new crop of 2024 laureates, and is produced in cooperation with Fundación Ramón Areces. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Nov 29, 2023 • 50min
Mario Molina: Encore presentation of Nobel Prize Talks
"I had decided as a child if it was possible to become a scientist and to do scientific research for a living that's what I wanted to do." – In this episode, we meet physical chemist Mario Molina who spent his life working on climate research. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1995 for his investigations into how CFC gases damage the ozone layer. Molina dedicated his life to reducing their use and advocating for ways in which we can reduce our impact on the Earth. Molina speaks about the report he chaired, 'What We Know', a paper which discussed climate change in an effort to inform the public and oppose those who deny climate change. He also speaks about his childhood and about how his interest in science was sparked. Your host is Adam Smith, Chief Scientific Officer at Nobel Prize Outreach. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nov 22, 2023 • 50min
Jody Williams: Encore presentation of Nobel Prize Talks
”I have been fortunate to be able to live my life doing what I believe in. Not everybody has that fortune" In this podcast episode, peace activist Jody Williams tells us how she has tried to use the power that was given to her after being awarded a Nobel Peace Prize. She is a strong advocate for working across organisations to solve global challenges such as banning nuclear weapons and eliminating the use of sexual violence in war. She also speaks about her work within the Nobel Women's Initiative, an organisation established by herself and other fellow female peace laureates. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nov 15, 2023 • 46min
John Mather: Encore presentation of Nobel Prize Talks
”I don't think it's my job or anybody's job to try to convince other people of the righteousness of my opinion. I think it's each person's job to figure out how they look at the world.” – This conversation with astrophysicist John Mather was recorded in 2014, where he speaks to Adam Smith about space and if we will be going to Mars in the future. Mather also shares good advice to young researchers on how to prioritise projects. The movie ’Gravity’ is another topic that comes up - how scientifically accurate is that movie? John Mather was awarded the Nobel Prize on Physics in 2006 for research that looked back at the infancy of the Universe and attempted to gain some understanding of the origin of galaxies and stars. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nov 8, 2023 • 49min
Robert Shiller: Encore presentation of Nobel Prize Talks
”Pursuing expertise doggedly can't be the goal for everyone because being specialised means losing some breadth of understanding. We need both kinds of people." – In this podcast episode recorded in 2014 economist Robert Shiller speaks about technology and the role he thinks it will have in the future. He also shares his best advice for young economists and what he thinks about teaching online courses to large audiences. Together with the Nobel Prize's Adam Smith, they also discuss stage fright, and how to overcome it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nov 1, 2023 • 50min
Barry Marshall: Encore presentation of Nobel Prize Talks
Listen to Barry Marshall, 2005 medicine laureate, as he discusses his blog, self-experimentation, and the fascinating story behind proving that gastric ulcers are caused by bacterial infections. Discover his love for yo-yo tricks, advancements in technology, and his work area. Explore the value of international collaboration in science and his decision to self-experiment. Hear the unique tradition of celebrating the Nobel Prize with a beer, and laugh along with the conclusion and podcast information.
Oct 25, 2023 • 46min
Alice Munro: Encore presentation of Nobel Prize Talks
”It's the insight, the work, the way you give yourself to the story that matters.” – We present a heartwarming chat with Canadian ’master of short stories’ and literature laureate Alice Munro. This conversation between the Nobel Prize’s Adam Smith and Munro took place soon after she was awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature. In the episode, she reflects on how she creates short stories, what these stories have meant to her and her readers and why she started writing. Munro also tells Smith what she hopes to achieve with her writing: conveying stories that resonate, as well as surprise, her readers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 9, 2023 • 7min
Calling Claudia Goldin: 2023 economic sciences laureate
“I have always thought of myself as a detective,” 2023 economic sciences laureate Claudia Goldin tells the Nobel Prize's Adam Smith when speaking about her research: “The detective always believes there is a way of finding the answer!” Recorded shortly after the public announcement of her prize, this conversation begins with Goldin praising Professor Randi Hjalmarsson of the University of Gothenburg, who fielded questions at the prize press conference after Goldin was disconnected. Now an economic history detective, Goldin explains how she was first switched onto detecting by Paul de Kruif’s book ‘Microbe Hunters’, published in 1926, cited by many Nobel Prize laureates across the generations as an inspirational read. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 6, 2023 • 8min
Calling Jon Fosse: 2023 literature laureate
After the 2023 Nobel Prize in Literature was announced, new laureate Jon Fosse was inundated with messages congratulating him on the award. In this call with the Nobel Prize’s Manisha Lalloo he speaks about one particular reader who told him that his work was “the reason she was still alive.” He also shares what writing means to him and his advice for aspiring writers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 4, 2023 • 10min
Calling Louis Brus: 2023 chemistry laureate
"This is a collaborative effort," says Louis E. Brus when asked for his first reaction to the award of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, "partly physics, partly chemistry, partly material science." In this conversation with the Nobel Prize's Adam Smith he pays tribute to the many contributors to the field and discusses his own motivations for exploring the nature of nanoparticles in the productive environment of Bell Labs, 40 years ago. "It's a surprise, at this point, after all these years," he says, "I'm just lucky, I guess, that the Nobel Prize has chosen to honour this particular areas of research at this time." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 4, 2023 • 5min
Calling Alexei Ekimov: 2023 chemistry laureate
"It's the middle of the night here!" Alexei Ekimov's first reaction to hearing the news of his 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was reasonable enough: "I woke up," he says! In this call with the Nobel Prize's Adam Smith, made not long afterwards, Ekimov goes on to discuss the experiments he performed over forty years ago producing quantum effects in coloured glass. He explains how his experiments confirmed theories he had read about back in his student textbooks: "I still remember that picture," he recalls, "where there is a quantum well, and the levels of electrons, confined in that quantum well." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
