

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

May 18, 2015 • 1h 1min
259: Developing The Lens for Transparency in Innovation - Dr. Richard Jefferson
Dr. Richard Jefferson is the Chief Executive Officer of an independent, non-profit institute called Cambia. He is also Professor of Science, Technology & Law at Queensland University of Technology and Director of an open, public innovation resource called The Lens. In addition, Richard is a founder of the biological open-source initiative called Biological Innovation for Open Society. He received his Bachelor's degree in Molecular Genetics from the College of Creative Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara and went on to complete his PhD in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Richard completed postdoctoral research at the Plant Breeding Institute in Cambridge and then worked as a Molecular Biologist for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations before founding Cambia. Richard has received many awards and honors during his career, and just to name a few, he was named an Outstanding Social Entrepreneur by the Schwab Foundation, he was among Scientific American's List of the World’s 50 Most Influential Technologists and World Research Leader for Economic Development in 2003, he received the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) Leadership in Science Public Service Award, and Medalist of the Center for Science and Policy Outcomes. Richard is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

May 15, 2015 • 41min
258: The Brains Behind Analyses of Substance Abuse and Addiction - Dr. Oné Pagán
Dr. Oné Pagán is an Associate Professor of Biology at West Chester University. He received his Bachelor's degree in General Sciences and his Master's degree in Biochemistry from the University of Puerto Rico. Oné then received his PhD in Pharmacology from Cornell University before joining the faculty at West Chester University. Oné is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

May 13, 2015 • 58min
257: Science on Stress in Single-Celled Organisms - Dr. Amy Vollmer
Dr. Amy Vollmer is Professor and Department Chair of Biology at Swarthmore College. She received her Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry from Rice University and her PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Afterward, Amy conducted postdoctoral research in Immunology at Stanford University and served on the faculty at Mills College before joining the faculty at Swarthmore where she is today, conducting research and teaching students. Amy is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

May 11, 2015 • 48min
256: Advancing Microbial Applications in Agricultural Management - Dr. Louis Schipper
Dr. Louis Schipper is a Professor in the School of Science at the University of Waikato. He received his undergraduate, Master's, and PhD degrees in biology from the University of Waikato. Afterward, he accepted a postdoctoral position at the University of Florida before returning to New Zealand to work as a scientist for Landcare Research. Louis joined the faculty at the University of Waikato in 2005. Louis is a Fellow of the Soil Science Society of America as well as a Fellow of the New Zealand Soil Science Society, and is an author on two patents. Louis is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

May 8, 2015 • 46min
255: Researching Hot Topics in Climate Science - Dr. Michael Mann
Dr. Michael E. Mann is Distinguished Professor of Meteorology at Penn State University, with joint appointments in the Department of Geosciences and the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute (EESI). He is also director of the Penn State Earth System Science Center (ESSC). Mike received his undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley in Physics and Applied Math, an M.S. degree in Physics from Yale University, and a Ph.D. in Geology & Geophysics from Yale University. He conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and served on the faculty of the University of Virginia before joining the faculty where he is today at Penn State. Mike has received many honors during his career, including being selected by Scientific American as one of the fifty leading visionaries in science and technology in 2002, contributing to the award of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, and being named one of Bloomberg News' fifty most influential people in 2013. He has also received the Hans Oeschger Medal of the European Geosciences Union, the National Conservation Achievement Award for science by the National Wildlife Federation, and the Friend of the Planet Award from the National Center for Science Education. Mike is also a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the American Meteorological Society. Mike is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

May 6, 2015 • 39min
254: Sound Science in Restoring Hearing with Cochlear Implants - Dr. Fan-Gang Zeng
Dr. Fan-Gang Zeng is Director of the Center for Hearing Research and Professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Biomedical Engineering, Cognitive Sciences and Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the University of California Irvine. He received a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Science and Technology of China and his Master's degree in Biomedical Engineering at the Institute of Physiology Academia Sinica in Shanghai. Fan-Gang then went on to earn his PhD in Hearing Science from Syracuse University. He served as a research Associate at the House Ear Institute and an Associate Professor at the University of Maryland before joining the faculty at UC, Irvine where he is today. Fan-Gang is a member of the Acoustical Society of America, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the Association for Research in Otolaryngology, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Fan-Gang is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

May 4, 2015 • 40min
253: Continuing the Tradition of Superb Science in Traditional Medicine - Dr. Alain Cuerrier
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 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. Alain is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

May 1, 2015 • 42min
252: Translating Gene Expression Experiments into Therapies for Human Disease - Dr. Andrea Califano
Dr. Andrea Califano is the Clyde and Helen Wu Professor of Chemical Systems Biology in the Departments of Systems Biology, Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, and Biomedical Informatics at Columbia University. He is Founding Chair of the Department of Systems Biology, Director of the JP Sulzberger Columbia Genome Center, and Associate Director for Bioinformatics of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center. He completed his doctoral studies in physics at the University of Florence in Italy and his postdoctoral studies at MIT. Afterward, Andrea worked at the IBM TJ Watson Research Center, and he subsequently became Program Director of the IBM Computational Biology Center. In 2000, Andrea co-founded First Genetic Trust, Inc and founded another company called Therasys in 2008 before joining the faculty where he is today at Columbia University. Andrea is with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Apr 29, 2015 • 32min
251: Sequencing Species in Deep-Sea Sediments - Dr. Holly Bik
Dr. Holly Bik is a Birmingham Fellow in the School of Biosciences at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom. She completed her PhD in Deep Sea Biology and Molecular Phylogenetics at the University of Southampton and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of New Hampshire and the University of California, Davis before accepting her current position. Holly is scientist and an avid science communicator, and you can find her writing on blogs such as Eukaryotic Ebullience, The Molecular Ecologist, Haute Science, and Deep Sea News. Holly is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Apr 27, 2015 • 38min
250: A Pathologist's Path to Paramount Discoveries in Protein Separation and Genetic Recombination - Dr. Oliver Smithies
Dr. Oliver Smithies is the Weatherspoon Eminent Distinguished Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of North Caronlina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. He received his PhD in Biochemistry at Oxford University and spent some time on the faculty at the University of Toronto, as well as the University of Wisconsin, Madison, before joining the faculty at UNC, Chapel Hill where he is today. Oliver is a distinguished scientist, and in 2007, he was a co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Among many other accomplishments, he is the recipient of the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research, the Wolf Prize in Medicine, the Massry Prize, and the University of North Carolina's O. Max Gardner Award. Oliver is also a Member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, a Member of the U.S. Institute of Medicine, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a Foreign Member of the Royal Society. Oliver is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.