People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers

Dr. Lisette DePillis is the Norman F. Sprague Jr. Professor of Life Sciences, Professor of Mathematics, and Chair of the Department of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College. Lisette is an applied mathematician. She creates mathematical models or structures to help describe questions in biology. In particular, Lisette has been working on building models to improve our understanding of diseases related to the human immune system, such as cancer. Her goal is to understand the genesis and dynamics of diseases as well as to discover improved and personalized treatment approaches. In her free time, Lisette plays piano, sings, dances, and reads for fun. She also enjoys spending time playing family games, visiting new places, going to movies, trying new restaurants, and going for walks outside with her husband and three daughters. They live up against the foothills in California, so they don’t have to walk far to be immersed in nature and see lots of wildlife. She received her PhD in mathematics from the University of California Los Angeles. Lisette was Director of the Harvey Mudd College Global Clinic Program prior to being elected department chair. Lisette has been recognized for her multidisciplinary research excellence with the Maria Goeppert-Mayer Distinguished Scholar Award from the Argonne National Laboratory. She is also a HERS-CBL Clare Boothe Luce Leadership in STEM Scholar and a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society. In our interview Lisette shared more about her life and work.

Dr. Paul Steinhardt is the Albert Einstein Professor in Science, Professor in the Department of Physics, Professor in the Department of Astrophysical Sciences, and Director of the Princeton Center for Theoretical Sciences. In addition, Paul is author of the popular science book Endless Universe: Beyond the Big Bang and the recently released book The Second Kind of Impossible: The Extraordinary Quest for a New Form of Matter. Paul is a theoretical physicist whose areas of study range from the nature of particles to the origins of the universe. He uses the known laws of nature to unravel some of the many secrets of nature that remain. His goal is to understand why things are the way they are and to discover connections between seemingly unrelated phenomena. In his free time, Paul enjoys hanging out with his four kids and his grandchild. Lately, he has also become fond of attending opera performances and hiking. Paul received his B.S. in physics from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in physics from Harvard University. Afterwards, Paul was a Junior Fellow in the Harvard Society of Fellows. He served on the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania for about 17 years before joining the faculty at Princeton University. Paul has been recognized for his exceptional research as one of the recipients of the 2002 Dirac Medal from the International Centre for theoretical Physics, a recipient of the Oliver E. Buckley Prize of the American Physical Society, a recipient of the John Scott Award, and one of the recipients of the 2018 Aspen Italia Prize. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and a Member of the National Academy of Sciences. Paul was also named a Sloan Fellow, a Guggenheim Fellow, the Simons Fellow in Theoretical Physics, a Radcliffe Institute Fellow at Harvard University, a Moore Fellow at Caltech, and a Caltech Distinguished Alumnus. In our interview Paul shared more about his life and science.

Dr. Carla Finkielstein is an Associate Professor of Biological Sciences within the Biocomplexity Institute of Virginia Tech. She is also Director of the Integrated Cellular Response Laboratory at Virginia Tech, a Member of the Executive Committee of the Susan G. Komen Blue Ridge Board, and past member of the Board of Directors of the Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation. In the lab, Carla is interested in understanding the mechanisms cells use to measure time to regulate cell division. Evidence supports that people with circadian disorders have a higher incidence of cancer. Carla hypothesizes that cancer may occur when the clocks within cells don’t function properly. In these cases, the clocks may signal to the cell to divide too frequently. Carla’s goal is to understand how this process occurs so that we can fix the issue, detect the problem early to provide treatment, or prevent it from happening. Carla’s favorite hobby is cooking. She loves making new and creative dishes that bring together different colors, flavors, and taste profiles. Cooking is relaxing for her, and it’s fun to share dishes she creates with her friends and family. In addition, Carla enjoys reading a wide variety of books about history. Carla received her B.S. and Ph.D. both in Molecular Biology from the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina. Afterwards, she worked as a Research Associate at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Carla then conducted further postdoctoral research at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center before joining the faculty at Virginia Tech. Carla has been recognized for her research accomplishments with the L. Chely Award for Best PhD Thesis, a Howard Hughes Institute Fellowship for Research, an American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellowship, the Karin Noss Scholarship for Research Advocacy in Breast Cancer, the Susan G. Komen Award for Junior Investigators, and a National Science Foundation CAREER Award. In our interview Carla shared more about her life and science.

Dr. Todd Zankel is co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Mercaptor Discoveries, Inc., a biotech company focused on developing molecules to treat brain injury and degeneration. Todd studies chemistry and molecular biology to develop new drugs to treat diseases of the central nervous system and brain. The molecules they are working on now help reduce side effects by making drugs only active in the parts of the body they are supposed to target. When he’s not working, Todd likes to read non-science books and take his dog for walks in the hills and woods near his house. Todd received his B.A. in Chemistry from Reed College and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Columbia University. Afterwards, he accepted a position as an NIH postdoctoral fellow at the Plant Gene Expression Center in Berkeley, California as well as the Chemistry Department of ETH in Zurich, Switzerland. Todd then worked for BioMarin Pharmaceutical for about eight years. Before co-founding Mercaptor Discoveries, Todd co-founded Raptor Pharmaceuticals in 2006, acting as Chief Scientific Officer and head of discovery research until 2016 when the company was acquired. In our interview, Todd shared more about his life and science.

Dr. Michael Fox is an Associate Professor of Neurology at the Harvard University Medical School and Director of the Laboratory for Brain Network Imaging and Modulation. In addition, Mike is Associate Director of the Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Co-Director of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Deep Brain Stimulation Program, Assistant Neuroscientist at Massachusetts General Hospital, and a practicing clinical neurologist at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. In Mike’s research, he uses wiring diagrams of the human brain to try to make sense of brain problems and help patients. In the clinic, Mike treats patients with movement disorders like tremor and Parkinson’s disease using deep brain stimulation. He also uses noninvasive brain stimulation to treat people with psychiatric conditions like depression. When Mike isn’t doing research in his lab or working with patients in the clinic, he loves spending time with his wife and two daughters. They enjoy hiking and having fun outdoors together. He received his bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from The Ohio State University, and he was awarded his MD and PhD from Washington University in St. Louis. Afterwards, Mike completed a medical internship at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Next, he completed his Neurology Residency and Movement Disorders Fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston before becoming a faculty member with the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School. Mike is the recipient of the inaugural Trailblazer Prize for Clinician-Scientists from the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health. In our interview, Mike tells us more about his life and science.

Dr. Janine Austin Clayton is the Associate Director for Research on Women’s Health and Director of the Office of Research on Women’s Health at the National Institutes of Health. There are 27 Institutes and Centers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Research on women’s health is being conducted across all of these Institutes, and Janine helps lead and coordinate these efforts. In addition, she champions and celebrates the exceptional work that NIH-supported researchers around the world are doing. Janine’s own research focuses on issues in women’s health and diseases of the eye. Janine has a wide variety of interests outside of science, including visiting art museums near her home in Washington DC and around the world. She also likes spending her free time hanging out with her family, listening to jazz music, playing the piano, reading the Sunday paper, and staying active through yoga, Tai Chi, and Zumba. She was awarded her undergraduate degree with honors from Johns Hopkins University and her medical degree from Howard University College of Medicine. Afterwards, Janine completed a residency in ophthalmology at the Medical College of Virginia and fellowships at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins Hospital as well as the National Eye Institute (NEI). Janine is a board-certified ophthalmologist. She served as a Clinical Investigator at NEI for a number of years, and prior to her current appointments, she was the Deputy Clinical Director of NEI. Janine has received numerous awards and honors for her exceptional work, including the Senior Achievement Award from the Board of Trustees of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, selection as a Silver Fellow by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, the European Uveitis Patient Interest Association Clinical Uveitis Research Award, the American Medical Women’s Association Lila A. Wallis Women’s Health Award, the Wenger Award for Excellence in Public Service, and the Bernadine Healy Award for Visionary Leadership in Women’s Health. In addition, Janine was selected as an honoree for the Woman’s Day Red Dress Awards and the American Medical Association’s Dr. Nathan Davis Awards for Outstanding Government Service. In our interview, Janine speaks more about her experiences in life and science.

Dr. Joseph S. Takahashi is Professor and Chair of Neuroscience and the Loyd B. Sands Distinguished Chair in Neuroscience at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He is also an Investigator in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Joe and his lab members are trying to better understand the biological clocks in our bodies that control our 24-hour schedules. A special set of genes within nearly all of our cells turns on and off each day to regulate a wide variety of biological functions, and Joe is studying these genes and how they contribute to our biological rhythms. When Joe isn’t at work, he enjoys playing tennis, skiing, hiking, eating delicious food, and drinking great wine. Joe received his B.A. in biology from Swarthmore College and he was awarded his Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Oregon in Eugene. Afterwards, he conducted postdoctoral research as a pharmacology research associate at the National Institute of Mental Health. Before moving to UT Southwestern, Joe served on the faculty of Northwestern University for 26 years. Over the course of his career, Joe has received numerous awards and honors including the Honma Prize in Biological Rhythms Research, the NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award, the Searle Scholars Award, the Bristol-Myers Squibb Unrestricted Grant in Neuroscience, the C. U. Ariens Kappers Medal, the Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award from the Sleep Research Society, the W. Alden Spencer Award in Neuroscience from Columbia University, and the Peter C. Farrell Prize in Sleep Medicine from the Harvard Medical School Division of Sleep Medicine. He has also been elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a Member of the National Academy of Sciences, a Member of the National Academy of Medicine, and an Honorary Member of The Japanese Biochemical Society. In our interview, Joe shared his experiences in life and science.

Dr. Barbara Katzenback is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Waterloo. Amphibian populations are declining worldwide, and one reason for their decline is their susceptibility to diseases that are emerging in their environments. Barb studies how frogs defend themselves from diseases to stay alive, and she also investigates how the environments that frogs live in impact their ability to defend against diseases. Barb’s hobbies outside of science include engaging in a variety of physical activities like running, yoga, and hiking with her husband and two dogs. She’s also experimented with soccer, spin classes, cross country skiing, rock climbing, and inner tube water polo. Some of her other interests include pottery, art, crafting, baking, gardening, sewing, and leisure reading. Barb earned her BSc with Honors in Immunology and Infection from the University of Alberta. She received her PhD in Physiology, Cell, and Developmental Biology from the University of Alberta as well. Barb was next awarded a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Postdoctoral Fellowship to conduct research at Carleton University, followed by an NSERC Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship to conduct research at the University of Waterloo before joining the faculty there. In our interview, Barb speaks more about her experiences in life and science.

Dr. Robert A. Beardsley or "Al" is a Co-Founder and the Chief Operating Officer at Galera Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotech company discovering and developing innovative cancer treatments. Al is interested in developing new drugs that target how oxygen is metabolized in cells. In particular, Al and the team at Galera Therapeutics are working to develop therapeutics to use with radiation therapy that will block the processes that cause damage to normal tissue while also increasing damage to the tumor. While Al is passionate about science and drug development, he also enjoys watching soccer, coaching soccer, being outdoors, and hiking in the mountains in his free time. Al received his BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Iowa, an MBA in finance from the University of Chicago, and subsequently his PhD in Biochemical Engineering from the University of Iowa. Prior to co-founding Galera Therapeutics, Al served as CEO at Metabolic Solutions Development Corporation, CEO of Kereos, acting CEO at Metaphore Pharmaceuticals, and he has held various roles at Confluence Life Sciences, SImile Investors, bioStrategies Group, and Vector Securities International. Galera Therapeutics’ new drug Abasopasem Manganese has been designated as a “Breakthrough Therapy” by the FDA for reduction in the duration, incidence, and severity of oral mucositis induced by radiation therapy in cancer patients. Recently, Al and the team at Galera Therapeutics raised $150 million in investment for their company, which represents the largest single capital round ever raised by a life-sciences company founded in St. Louis. In this podcast interview, Al spoke with us about his experiences in life and science.

Dr. Chad Orzel is the R. Gordon Gould Associate Professor of Physics at Union College. He is also author of the popular science books How to Teach Physics to Your Dog, How to Teach Relativity to Your Dog, Eureka: Discovering Your Inner Scientist, and the soon-to-be-released book Breakfast with Einstein: The Exotic Physics of Everyday Objects. In addition, Chad regularly contributes blog articles for Forbes Magazine. Chad studies ultracold atoms to improve our understanding of atomic physics. He uses lasers to drop the temperature of samples of atoms to just millionths or billionths of a degree above absolute zero. At these very cold temperatures, the atoms are moving very slowly, and interesting quantum effects arise. Free time can be hard to find with two kids and a puppy at home, but Chad enjoys hanging out with his family, reading science fiction and fantasy books, and playing basketball during his lunch hour at work. Chad received his B.A. in Physics from Williams College and his Ph.D. in Chemical Physics from the University of Maryland. Before joining the faculty at Union College, Chad conducted postdoctoral research in the Physics Department at Yale University. In our interview, Chad shared his experiences from his life and science.