People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers
Dr. Marie McNeely, featuring top scientists speaking about their life and c
Are you searching for great stories to ignite your curiosity, teach you to perform better in life and career, inspire your mind, and make you laugh along the way? In this science podcast, Dr. Marie McNeely introduces you to the brilliant researchers behind the latest scientific discoveries. Join us as they share their greatest failures, most staggering successes, candid career advice, and what drives them forward in life and science.
Our website with show notes]]
Greetings science fans!
We’re elated to welcome you to People Behind the Science where we explore the lives and experiences of the people behind the research and scientific discoveries of today.
People Behind the Science’s mission is to inspire current and future scientists, share the different paths to a successful career in science, educate the general population on what scientists do, and show the human side of science.
In each episode, a different scientist will guide us through their journey by sharing their successes, failures, and passions. We are excited to introduce you to these inspiring academic and industry experts from all fields of science to give you a variety of perspectives on the life and path of a scientist.
Our esteemed guests will tell you:
what motivates them and how they balance their competing responsibilities
how they worked through some of the most challenging times in their careers
advice to help you through your own journey through life and science
Our Podcast
People Behind the Science is a podcast focused on the people doing fascinating research through interviews with top scientists. We are proud to have interviewed so many inspiring scientists, including U.S. National Academy scientists like Josh Sanes, Nick Spitzer, Lou Muglia, Jacob Israelachvili, Gene Robinson, Larry Squire, John Dowling, James Berger, and David Spergel, as well as popular scientists in the media like Donna Nelson (science advisor for the TV show Breaking Bad) and Jack Horner (science advisor for the Jurassic park movies). We are honored to have shared their amazing stories with people in all 50 states in the USA and in over 120 countries across the world.
Our website with show notes]]
Greetings science fans!
We’re elated to welcome you to People Behind the Science where we explore the lives and experiences of the people behind the research and scientific discoveries of today.
People Behind the Science’s mission is to inspire current and future scientists, share the different paths to a successful career in science, educate the general population on what scientists do, and show the human side of science.
In each episode, a different scientist will guide us through their journey by sharing their successes, failures, and passions. We are excited to introduce you to these inspiring academic and industry experts from all fields of science to give you a variety of perspectives on the life and path of a scientist.
Our esteemed guests will tell you:
what motivates them and how they balance their competing responsibilities
how they worked through some of the most challenging times in their careers
advice to help you through your own journey through life and science
Our Podcast
People Behind the Science is a podcast focused on the people doing fascinating research through interviews with top scientists. We are proud to have interviewed so many inspiring scientists, including U.S. National Academy scientists like Josh Sanes, Nick Spitzer, Lou Muglia, Jacob Israelachvili, Gene Robinson, Larry Squire, John Dowling, James Berger, and David Spergel, as well as popular scientists in the media like Donna Nelson (science advisor for the TV show Breaking Bad) and Jack Horner (science advisor for the Jurassic park movies). We are honored to have shared their amazing stories with people in all 50 states in the USA and in over 120 countries across the world.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 4, 2016 • 42min
339: Researching RNA Regulation of Reproduction in Plants - Dr. Blake Meyers
Dr. Blake Meyers is a Member Principal Investigator at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and a Professor in the Division of Plant Sciences at the University of Missouri. He received a B.A. in Biology from the University of Chicago, and went on to receive his MS and PhD in Genetics from the University of California, Davis. Afterwards, Blake completed postdoctoral fellowships at Dupont Genomics and at the University of California, Davis. Before accepting his current positions, Blake was the Edward F. and Elizabeth Goodman Rosenberg Professor and Chair of the Department Plant and Soil Sciences of the University of Delaware. Blake is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.
Mar 28, 2016 • 38min
338: Industrious Scientist Developing Dynamic RNA-Based Diagnostics for Disease - Dr. Dave Messina
Dr. Dave Messina is the Chief Operating Officer at Cofactor Genomics. He completed his undergraduate training in biology at the University of Illinois at Chicago and received his MA in Genetics from Washington University School of Medicine. Dave worked as a Senior Programmer Analyst at the Genome Sequencing Center at Washington University for a few years before going back to school to get his PhD in Computational Biology from Stockholm University. Dave joined the team at Cofactor in 2012. Dave is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.
Mar 21, 2016 • 32min
337: Chatting with a Connoisseur of Dolphin Communication and Cognition - Dr. Denise Herzing
Dr. Denise Herzing is Director and Founder of a non-profit scientific research organization called The Wild Dolphin Project, as well as an Affiliate Assistant Professor of Biological and Psychological Sciences at Florida Atlantic University. She received her B.S. in Marine Zoology from Oregon State University, her M.A. in Behavioral Biology from San Francisco State University, and her Ph.D. in Behavioral Biology and Environmental Studies from the Union Institute Graduate School. Denise is author of the book Dolphin Diaries which details her experiences studying dolphins, and she recently co-edited a book called Dolphin Communication and Cognition. Denise is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and is a fellow of the Explorers Club. She is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.
Mar 14, 2016 • 44min
336: Exciting Developments in Our Knowledge of Cortical Circuit Formation in the Mammalian Brain - Dr. Franck Polleux
Dr. Franck Polleux is a Professor of Neuroscience and member of the Zuckerman Mind, Brain, Behavior Institute at Columbia University. He completed his undergraduate degree as well as his PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Claude Bernard in Lyon, France. Afterward, he travelled to Johns Hopkins University for his postdoctoral fellowship. Franck served on the faculty at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA before joining the faculty at Columbia University where he is today. Franck is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.
Mar 7, 2016 • 38min
335: Shining a Light on the Regulation of Circadian Rhythms in Health and Disease - Dr. Russell Foster
Dr. Russell Foster is Professor and Chair of Circadian Neuroscience, Supernumerary Fellow in Circadian Neuroscience, Head of the Department of Ophthalmology, a Nicholas Kurti Senior Fellow, Head of the Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Head of The Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute at Brasenose college at the University of Oxford. Russell received his PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Bristol. He worked at the National Science Foundation Center for Biological Timing at the University of Virginia, and afterward served on the faculty at Imperial College before accepting a position at the University of Oxford where he has been for 10 years. Russell is a Fellow of the Royal Society, and in 2015, he received the honor of an appointment of Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Russell has received many other national and international awards for his accomplishments in science including Japan’s Honma Prize, the USA’s Cogan Award, Harvard University's Farrell Prize in Sleep Medicine, as well as the UK’s Zoological Society Scientific Medal and Edridge-Green Medal from the Royal College of Ophthalmologists. In addition, Russell is the author of the popular science books Rhythms of Life, Seasons of Life, and Sleep: a very short introduction. Russell is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.
Feb 29, 2016 • 32min
334: Diving Deep into Machine Learning to Read the Human Genome and Understand the Effects of Mutations - Dr. Brendan Frey
Dr. Brendan Frey is the President and CEO of Deep Genomics. He is also Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the Banting and Best Department of Medical Research, and the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto. In addition, Brendan is the Canada Research Chair in Information Processing and Machine Learning. Brendan received his PhD from the University of Toronto, both in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Afterwards, Brendan was was awarded a Beckman Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. He served on the faculty at the University of Waterloo before joining the faculty at the University of Toronto where he is today. Brendan has received many awards and honors during his career, including being named a Fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and a recipient of the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada John C. Polanyi Award. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, American Association for the Advancement of Science, as well as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Brendan is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.
Feb 22, 2016 • 42min
333: Investigating Insidious Insects in the Field of Agricultural Pest Management - Dr. Erin Hodgson
Dr. Erin Hodgson is an Associate Professor and Extension Entomologist at Iowa State University. She received her undergraduate training in Biology and Botany and her M.S. in Entomology from North Dakota State University. Erin was awarded her Ph.D. in Entomology from the University of Minnesota, followed by a postdoctoral research position also at the University of Minnesota. Erin served on the faculty at Utah State University before joining the faculty at Iowa State where she is today. Erin has received many awards and honors in her career, including the Editor’s Choice Award from the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, the Iowa State University Outreach and Extension New Professional Award, and multiple awards from the Entomological Society of America for her educational and outreach efforts. In addition, Erin is co-host of the "Soybean Pest Podcast" with her colleague Matt O’Neal. Erin is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.
Feb 15, 2016 • 50min
332: Creating Cutting-Edge Surgical Simulations - Dr. Roger Smith
Dr. Roger Smith is the Chief Technology Officer for the Nicholson Center for Surgical Advancement at Florida Hospital. He is also Graduate Faculty at the University of Central Florida, and President of Simulation First. Roger received his B.S. in Applied Mathematics, a M.S. in Statistics, a Master’s and Ph.D. in Business Administration, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science. In addition to his current appointments, Roger has held a number of exciting positions in academia, industry, and government sectors, including serving as an Instructor at Texas Tech University, Senior Engineer at General Dynamics, Technical Director of Mystech Associates, Technical Director of STAC, Professor at Florida Institute of Technology, Vice President of BTG Corporation, Vice President and Group Chief Technology Officer of Titan Corporation, Professor at Full Sail University, Chief Engineer at SPARTA Inc., Chief Technology Officer for U.S. Army Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation, Research Scientist for Texas A and M University, and Professor at Adventist University of Health Sciences. He has received many awards and honors during his career, including being named one of the top academic researchers in the world in Technology and Innovation Management from the International Association for Management of Technology, the Des Cummings Innovation Award from Florida Hospital, the Swartz Innovation Award from the Orlando EDC, and the PEO STRI Commander’s Award for Public Service. Roger is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.
Feb 8, 2016 • 46min
331: Hunting for Answers to Explain Unexpected Chimpanzee Behaviors and Tool Use - Dr. Jill Pruetz
Dr. Jill Pruetz is a Professor of Anthropology at Iowa State University and a National Geographic Society Emerging Explorer. In addition, Jill is the founder of the non-profit organization NeighborApe that she founded in 2008. She received her BA in Anthropology from Texas State University and her PhD in Anthropology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Jill then conducted postdoctoral research at Miami University before joining the faculty at Iowa State where she is today. Jill and her excellent research have been featured by NPR, BBC, CBC, National Geographic, New Scientist Magazine, The Today Show, and others. She is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.
Feb 1, 2016 • 47min
330: Driving the Field Forward by Combining Chemistry and Nanotechnology to Study Nanocars, Graphene Synthesis, and More! - Dr. Jim Tour
Dr. Jim Tour is the T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Computer Science, and Professor of Materials Science and NanoEngineering at Rice University. He is also the founder and principal of NanoJtech Consultants, LLC, which performs technology assessments for prospective investors. He received his B.S. in Chemistry from Syracuse University and his Ph.D. in Synthetic Organic and Organometallic Chemistry from Purdue University. Jim went on to conduct postdoctoral research at the University of Wisconsin and Stanford University. He served on the faculty of the University of South Carolina for 11 years before joining the faculty at Rice where he is today. Jim has received many awards and distinctions in his career. He was named among the 50 Most Influential Scientists in the World Today by TheBestSchools.org in 2014, among The World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds by Thomson Reuters ScienceWatch.com in 2014, and Scientist of the Year by R and D Magazine in 2013. Jim is the recipient of the NASA Space Act Award, Feynman Prize in Experimental Nanotechnology, the Houston Technology Center’s Nanotechnology Award, and the Purdue University Distinguished Alumni Award. He is also an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Jim is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.
