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

Dr. Richard M. Myers is the President, Science Director, and a Faculty Investigator at HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. In addition, Rick is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Genetics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. At work, Rick balances being a scientist, running his research lab, and managing administrative responsibilities as head of a research institute. His research focuses on genetics and genomics. In particular, Rick aims to better understand how our genes and their expression contribute to our traits, health, and disease. He also examines how genes and gene expression can be regulated. Outside of science, Rick enjoys spending time with his family, including his two adult children. One currently lives in Seattle and the other lives in London. In addition, Rick's hobbies include cooking, gardening, and woodworking. He received is B.S. in biochemistry from the University of Alabama and his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. Afterwards, Rick conducted postdoctoral research at Harvard University. He served on the faculty at the University of California, San Francisco as well as at Stanford University where he contributed substantially to the efforts to sequence the human genome as part of the Human Genome Project. Rick accepted his current position at HudsonAlpha in 2008. He has received many awards and honors throughout his career including an Honorary Doctorate Degree from the University of Alabama, the Blount Initiative Award from the University of Alabama, the Pritzker Foundation Award from the University of Michigan, and the Darden Lecture Award from the University of Alabama. He has also been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In this interview, Rick discusses his experiences in life and science.

Dr. Carly Anne York is an Associate Professor in the Biology Department at Lenoir-Rhyne University. There, she is also the founder and faculty advisor of the student organization SEEDS, which is focused on promoting diversity and accessibility in the life sciences. As an animal physiologist, Carly studies how animals' bodies have evolved to perceive and interact with their environments to help them survive and thrive. She focuses in particular on sensory biology, examining how animals experience the world through sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. When Carly isn’t in the lab, you can find her at the farm and animal sanctuary that she runs with her husband. They have donkeys, a horse, many cats, and a chicken. In addition to taking care of the animals, Carly and her husband grow a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Carly received her B.S. in Exercise Physiology from Elon University, her M.S. in Ecological Sciences from Western Kentucky University, and her Ph.D. in Ecological Sciences from Old Dominion University. Afterwards, she was a postdoctoral teaching fellow at Virginia Wesleyan College before joining the faculty at Lenoir-Rhyne. In our interview, Carly shares more about her life and science.

Dr. Alain Cuerrier is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Montreal, as well as a Botanist and Researcher at the Montreal Botanical Garden. He works at the intersection of plants and people. The projects in Alain's lab focus on understanding how people use plants and how they perceive nature. Alain loves to write, read, and tap into his musical side. Lately, he has been having fun playing the banjo and harmonica. He received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the University of Montreal. He worked at Harvard University during his PhD and this helped him achieve his current positions. Alain is also a writer and poet. He recently contributed to a book on Medicinal Plants thriving in the arctic and he has published a book of poetry in French. In this interview, Alain tells us more about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Amy Mainzer is a Senior Research Scientist and the Principle Investigator for the Near Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) mission at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She is also the Principal Investigator for the Near Earth Object Camera mission proposal and the Deputy Project Scientist for the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mission. Amy is an infrared astronomer. She studies the universe using wavelengths of light that are longer than those we can see. Infrared astronomy is especially useful for looking at objects that are relatively cool in temperature such as asteroids. When she’s not at work, you can find Amy hanging out with friends at the local roller disco. For her, it’s a great way to get some exercise, and it’s fun to do something completely different from her work at NASA. After earning her B.S. In Physics from Stanford University, Amy accepted a position at the Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center. She then returned to academia to earn her M.S. in Astronomy from the California Institute of Technology and PhD in Astronomy from the University of California, Los Angeles. Amy has received many awards and honors for her work, including the Lew Allen Award for Excellence, as well as the NASA Exceptional Achievement and Scientific Achievement Medals. She has also been recognized along with NASA team members for their efforts on the Spitzer, WISE, and NEOWISE missions. In this interview, Amy discusses her life and science.

Dr. Bryan G. Fry is an Associate Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Queensland in Australia. Bryan studies the evolution of venomous animals over time. His research also examines how we can use venomous substances as physiological probes, to learn about disease states, and in the development of potential therapeutic agents. When he’s not working in the lab, you can find him going out for a bushwalk enjoying the natural world with his wife and two dogs. Bryan’s hobbies also include rock climbing, skydiving, and big wave surfing. He completed his undergraduate training in Molecular Biology, Scientific Philosophy, and Psychology at Portland State University and received his PhD from the University of Queensland. Afterwards, Bryan worked as a research assistant at the University of Melbourne, and he was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship to conduct research at the National University of Singapore. Next, Bryan returned to the University of Melbourne as an Australian Research Council postdoctoral fellow. He was later awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Research Fellowship and the Future Fellowship from the Australian Research Council. Bryan was the recipient of the 2011 Fenner Medal from the Australian Academy of Science for his research, and he  is a member of the elite adventurer society The Explorers Club. In addition, he has been featured in documentaries on Animal Planet, BBC, Discovery Channel, and National Geographic TV. He has also been the author of numerous articles and two books: the textbook Venomous Reptiles and Their Toxins, as well as the memoir Venom Doc. Bryan joined us for this interview to talk about his research and his experiences in life and science.

Dr. Samantha Maragh is Leader of the Genome Editing Program and Co-Leader of the Biomarker and Genomic Sciences Group at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). She also represents the U.S. as a technical expert on nucleic acid measurements for the International Standards Organization (ISO) Technical Committee on Biotechnology (ISO TC 276). Scientists at NIST work to develop controls and standards to make sure that measurements, tools, and all of the systems that rely on them are correct. Samantha’s work focuses particularly on genome editing, which has a variety of applications, including new treatments for diseases, agriculture, and more. When she’s not working, Samantha loves cooking and enjoying food, especially seafood. For her, cooking is like science, but even more flexible and creative. Some of her other favorite pastimes include singing at her church on Sundays and playing puzzle games like Best Fiends. Samantha received her B.S. degree in Biology with a specialization in Cellular & Molecular Biology and a minor in chemistry from Loyola University. She went on to get her M.S. degree in Biotechnology: Molecular Targets & Drug Discovery from Johns Hopkins University and her Ph.D. in Human Genetics & Molecular Biology from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. In 2019, Samantha received the Outstanding Young Scientist Award from The State of Maryland, The Maryland Academy of Sciences, and the Maryland Science Center. She was also selected as the recipient of the George A. Uriano Award in 2021 for her success in building the NIST Genome Editing Consortium as a public-private partnership. In 2022 she received the Measurement Science Excellence Award from the NIST Material Measurement Laboratory for leading the development of the first international standard for the field of genome editing published in 2021 and deploying the first inter-laboratory study for the genome editing field. In this interview, she talks more about her life and science.

Dr. Erin Conwell is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and Coordinator for the PhD program in Visual and Cognitive Neuroscience at North Dakota State University. Erin studies how children aged 6 and younger learn about the structure of their native language. She is conducting studies to determine how they understand what we say to them and how they produce words, sentences, and phrases that are understandable to us. She also examines how children’s understanding and representation of language changes over the course of their first 6 years of life. Erin spends her free time hanging out with her husband and daughter. As a researcher of childhood development, she has often found herself closely observing and celebrating the milestones of her own daughter’s development. In addition, Erin is an avid reader who typically makes it through 80-100 books per year. Her other hobbies include knitting and curling. She received her undergraduate degree in Brain and Cognitive Sciences from MIT and her PhD in Cognitive and Linguistic Science from Brown University. Her dissertation research received the Peter W. Jusczyk Award. Afterward, Erin conducted postdoctoral research in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University. Erin is with us today to tell us about some of her experiences in life and science.

Dr. Carmel Majidi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. There, he also holds courtesy appointments in the Robotics Institute and in Civil and Environmental Engineering. In Carmel’s soft machines lab, they are engineering new types of materials that can be used to make machines and robots soft, flexible, and more lifelike. The goal is for these machines to move more like natural organisms. When not working, Carmel is often out engaging in physical activities including hitting the gym or walking/jogging in nearby parks and along river trails. He also enjoys the arts and travel. Carmel travels frequently for work, and he likes to block off extra time on these trips to visit museums and cultural landmarks. Carmel received his B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Cornell University and his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley. He completed postdoctoral fellowships at Princeton University as well as at Harvard University before joining the faculty at Carnegie Mellon. Over the course of his career, Carmel has received numerous awards and honors, including the Young Faculty Awards from the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR). He has also received the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Early Career Faculty Award, as well as the George Tallman Ladd Award and Carnegie Institute of Technology Dean’s Early Career Fellowship from Carnegie Mellon University. In addition, Carmel was named a PopTech Science Fellow in 2013. In our interview Carmel discusses his experiences in life and science.

Dr. Fiona "Boo" Maisels is a Conservation Scientist with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and an Honorary Professor of Biological and Environmental Sciences in the African Forest Ecology Group at the University of Stirling in Scotland. Boo’s research has focused on understanding the natural world and the interactions between plants, animals, people, and landscapes. In her work as a conservation scientist, Boo is also working to find ways to solve the problems they identify in these interactions to better preserve the natural world. When she’s not working, Boo spends her time walking around outdoors where she can enjoy the flowers, trees, birds, and everything else that’s alive. There are many great green spaces where she lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, but Boo really loves exploring different forests around the world. She completed her PhD and postdoctoral fellowship at Edinburgh University and has worked as a conservation scientist since then in the Central African tropical forest region. Boo is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, and she also previously served as an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh and the University of Stirling. In this interview, she shares more about her life and science.

Dr. Douglas Futuyma is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at Stony Brook University. He also holds an appointment as a Research Associate at the American Museum of Natural History. Throughout his career, Douglas has been fascinated by evolution and how species adapt to their environments. Much of his research has examined the ways in which insects that eat plants have evolved (or failed to evolve) in their ability to eat different kinds of plants. Beyond his specific research area of expertise, Douglas has taught courses on evolution and evolutionary ecology, as well as served as a general spokesperson for evolution. Douglas is a passionate naturalist who loves being outdoors and expanding his knowledge of natural history. He has also been an avid birdwatcher for many years. Each weekend, Douglas joins other members of the local birding community to observe birds in their area. In addition, Douglas is an opera and classical music enthusiast. Douglas received his B.S. in Conservation from Cornell University and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Michigan. After receiving his Ph.D., Douglas joined the faculty at Stony Brook University where he has worked for most of his career. He served on the faculty at the University of Michigan for a few years from 2002-2004 before returning to Stony Brook. Douglas has written one of the most popular textbooks on Evolution and has received numerous awards and honors over the course of his career. He is an elected Member of the National Academy of Sciences, as well as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was also awarded the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Fulbright Senior Scholarship, the Sewall Wright Award from the American Society of Naturalists, the Joseph Leidy Award from the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, and an Honorary Doctoral Degree from the National University of Mongolia. In our interview Douglas shared stories from his own life and science.