

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

Mar 9, 2015 • 50min
229: An Algorithm for Success! Using Computational and Imaging Approaches to Study Cognitive Science - Dr. Aleix Martinez
Dr. Aleix Martinez is a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Director of the Computational Biology and Cognitive Science Laboratory at the Ohio State University. He is also affiliated with the Department of Biomedical Engineering and to the Center for Cognitive and Brain Sciences. Aleix received a Master's degree and PhD in Computer Engineering from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Paris. Afterward, he conducted postdoctoral research at Purdue University, and also spent some time working as a Researcher at the Sony Computer Science Laboratory in Paris before joining the faculty at OSU. Aleix and his research have been widely featured in the media by sources like CNN, The Huffington Post, Time Magazine, CBS News, NPR, and The Guardian. Aleix is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Mar 6, 2015 • 57min
228: Pursuing an Alternative Science Career in Optimizing Brain Performance - Dr. Andrew Hill
Andrew is the Lead Neuroscientist at TruBrain and Director of Neurocognitive Services at Alternatives Behavioral Health and the Alternatives Brain Institute. He is also a Lecturer at the University of California, Los Angeles. He received his PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from UCLA. Andrew is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Mar 4, 2015 • 51min
227: Exploring Extreme Environments and the Emergence of Life - Dr. Charles Cockell
Dr. Charles Cockell is a Professor of Astrobiology in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Edinburgh and Director of the UK Centre for Astrobiology. In addition, he is the Founder and Chair of the Earth and Space Foundation and also the Co-Founder, current Board Member, and Past President of the Association of Mars Explorers. Charles has also been elected as an International Fellow of the Explorers Club. He did his undergraduate training in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Bristol University and received his PhD in Molecular Biophysics from the University of Oxford. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Edinburgh, Charles was a National Academy of Sciences Associate with NASA, a visiting Scholar at both Stanford University and the University of Arizona, a Research Scientist with the British Antarctic Survey, and also Professor of Geomicrobiology at Open University. Charles is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Mar 2, 2015 • 46min
226: Speaking Up About Developmental Language Impariments in Children - Dr. Dorothy Bishop
Dr. Dorothy Bishop is a Professor and a Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellow in the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford. She received her Master's degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of London while working as a Clinical Psychologist at Maudsley and Bexley Hospitals. Dorothy was also awarded a Master's and PhD in Psychology from the University of Oxford. She served as a Senior Research Fellow at Newcastle University and the University of Manchester, as well as a Senior Research Scientist with the Medical Research Council at Cambridge before returning to Oxford. Dorothy has received many awards and honors during her career. She has been named a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, a Fellow of the British Academy, an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, and a Fellow of the Royal Society. Dorothy has previously served as the President of the Experimental Psychology Society and she was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from Lund University, University of Western Australia, and the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Dorothy is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Feb 27, 2015 • 49min
225: Organically Compounding Knowledge on Amino Acids and the Origins of Life - Dr. Jeffrey Bada
Dr. Jeffrey Bada is a Distinguised Research Professor of Marine Chemistry and Distinguished Profesor of Marine Chemistry Emeritus at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. He received his PhD in Chemistry from UCSD and worked for a brief time as a Research Fellow at the Hoffman Labs at Harvard University. He then joined the faculty at UCSD and has risen through the ranks there. Jeffrey has also served as the Director of the NASA Specialized Center of Research and Training in Exobiology. He was an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow and is a Fellow of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life. His research has been widely featured in the media, including The New York Times, Scientific American, The Naked Scientists, The LA Times, and many more. Jeff is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Feb 25, 2015 • 44min
224: Keeping the Big Picture in Mind Studying Motivational and Cognitive Control - Dr. Roshan Cools
Dr. Roshan Cools is a Professor of Cognitive Neuropsychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry of the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre and a Principal Investigator of the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour (Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging) in the Netherlands. She received a Masters degree in Experimental and Neuropsychology from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands as well as a MPhil degree and PhD in Experimental Psychology from the University of Cambridge. Afterward, she worked as a Junior Research Fellow at St. John's College and the Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Cambridge. She traveled to the University of California, Berkeley for a postdoctoral fellowship and then served briefly as a Royal Society University Research Fellow back at the University of Cambridge before accepting her position at the Donders Institute and the Radboud University in nijmegen. She has received a number of personal awards, including the James McDonnell Scholar Award (2012) and the Young Investigator Award of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society (2012). Roshan is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Feb 23, 2015 • 52min
223: Using Lake Sediments to Get to the Core of Key Issues in Ecology and Conservation - Dr. Jacquelyn Gill
Dr. Jacquelyn Gill is an Assistant Professor of Paleoecology and Plant Ecology at the University of Maine. She received her Masters degree and PhD in Geography from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Afterward she served as a the Voss Postdoctoral Fellow at Brown University before joining the faculty at the University of Maine. She was the recipient of the E. Lucy Braun Award for Excellence in Ecology, the Student Section Award for Excellent Women in Ecology, and the Cooper Award all from the Ecological Society of America. She also received the Trewarth Award for Best Student Paper, the Graduate Peer Mentor Award, and the Whitbeck Dissertator Fellowship from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Jacquelyn is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Feb 20, 2015 • 51min
222: Out of This World Research on Extrasolar Planets - Dr. Shawn Domagal-Goldman
Dr. Shawn Domagal-Goldman is a Research Space Sientist with NASA at the Goddard Space Flight Center. He received his Masters Degree in Earth Sciences from the University of Rochester and his PhD in Astrobiology and Geosciences from the Pennsylvania State University. Shawn previously worked as a Research Associate at Penn State, a Research Associate in the Virtual Planetary Laboratory at the University of Washington, and also served as the NASA Astrobiology Management Postdoctoral Fellow before accepting his current position. Shawn is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Feb 18, 2015 • 39min
221: Making Valuable Contributions to the Proliferation of Exciting Discoveries in Virology - Dr. James Pipas
Dr. James Pipas is the Herbert W. and Grace boyer Chair in Molecular Biology and Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. He received his PhD in Molecular Biophysics from Florida State University and completed his postdoctoral training at Baylor College and the John Hopkins School of Medicine. Jim has been a faculty member in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh now for over 30 years. Jim is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Feb 16, 2015 • 46min
220: Making Sense of Sensory and Motor Control of Human Movement - Dr. Kristen Pickett
Dr. Kristen Pickett is an Assistant Professor in the Occupational Therapy Program within the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She received her Masters in Kinesiology and her PhD in Kinesiology, Biomechanics, and Neural Control from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Concurrently, she worked as a human factor engineer at 3M. Afterward, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine before joining the faculty at University of Wisconsin, Madison. Kristen is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.