Hi darling! 
This week I discuss what it is actually like to work in academia and research, and the science behind 'stranger things'... Are scientists “still in school”? Do professors just teach all day? And is the science in Stranger Things even remotely realistic?

In this solo episode of Alex the Physicist & Friends, I break down what a career in science and academia really looks like, from PhDs and postdocs to permanent academic positions. I talk honestly about the pros, cons, instability, freedom, pressure, and misconceptions that come with working in research, especially in physics.

We also dive into the real science behind Stranger Things, unpacking wormholes, spacetime, exotic matter, and how much of sci-fi is grounded in real physics (and where it definitely takes creative liberties).
The paper I mentioned by Kip Thorne can be found here https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.61.1446 

Alongside that, I share life updates from California and Stanford, what I’m currently working on in gravitational wave research

@alexthephysicist

Hi Darling!
This week I sit down with Julia Bauman, a genetics PhD student at Stanford University. Driven by curiosity about what makes people who they are and a desire to help treat diseases like Alzheimer’s, which has affected her family, Julia began her path on a pre-med track before realising research was where her passion truly lay and choosing a PhD over an MD. Alongside her research Julia makes science publication explainer videos on TikTok, where she has built a following of over 33,000 as a science communicator. 

 In this conversation, we talk about her journey from medicine to research, the motivations behind her science communication, and the challenges of balancing content creation with PhD life, as well as her uncertainty around how it might evolve in the future. 

Follow Julia on TikTok: @60_secondscience

Thanks for listening! 
@alexthephysicist

Hi Darling!
Happy new year!! New year, new season of Alex the Physicist & Friends! 
A new season means a new format and I'm changing up the solo podcast episodes, bringing you more of the chaos, more of the science and just generally more fun. New features include Dr Darlings hotline, weekly updates (in life and in science), Darling's Delight and the Chaos forecast. This week I discuss my 2025 and what I have planned for 2026, power laws (thanks Uri), vacuum bags and NYE plans! Can't wait to take you on this journey with me this year, bring on the chaos. 

Hi Darling!
This week I sit down with Dr Aaron Breidenbach, a Stanford physicist, Nature-published scientist, and self-proclaimed Quantum Shaman. Aaron’s research into exotic magnetic crystals could hold the key to the next generation of quantum computers, but his curiosity doesn’t stop there. 
These crystals aren’t just lab-grown, amazingly, they occur naturally in the Atacama Desert, one of the most remote and mysterious places on Earth. The indigenous Atacameño people, whose traditions are deeply animistic, believe everything is conscious... even the mountains themselves. Aaron is heading there to see if these two worlds can meet: could the physics of his crystals and the spirituality of the desert reveal a shared understanding of consciousness? 

We talk about quantum computers, consciousness, AI, and whether matter itself might be aware. Aaron shares why he thinks a computer made from his crystals could one day be conscious and how he plans to use psychedelics and indigenous wisdom to understand what physics alone can’t explain.

If you’ve ever wondered where science ends and spirituality begins, this one’s for you.

You can follow Aarons jouney here: thequantumshaman.wordpress.com

This is the final episode in series 1 of Alex the Physicist & friends, I'll be back with more in a few weeks time!

@alexthephysicist 

Hi Darling! 
After two international moves, from the UK to Amsterdam and more recently to California, I've learnt a thing or two about the process. There are inevitable losses and incredibly tough moments but there is also exciting new places and brilliant new friends. In this episode, I share the raw side of moving countries: the loneliness, the heartbreak, and the growth that comes after everything falls apart.

@alexthephysicist

Hi Darling! 
Have you ever wondered what a science conference is like? Come behind the scenes with me at a LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (gravitational wave detectors) collaboration meeting. I'll take you around the conference (and into the pub), describing what I'm up to and talking to other scientists about their conference experiences, which gravitational wave emitter they would be and the case of the stolen blueberry muffin. 

Big thanks to all of the scientists who got involved in this episode:
Mike Landry, Jenne Driggers, Matthew Todd, Bram Slagmolen, Disha Kapasi, Tomislav Andric, Derek Davis, Lucy Thomas, Lauren McDermott (& of course Nako), Brian Lantz & others in the pub! 

@alexthephysicist

Hi Darling!
This episode was recorded on a hike in the Rocky mountains with Mattia Emma, a gravitational wave astrophysicist who is finishing up his PhD at the Royal Holloway in London. Mattia shares how a summer volunteer trip led him to setting up the Storm Project, an NGO to support a girls boarding school in a remote part of Kenya. We discuss the many times he was told he was 'too young' by accountants and lawyers, the creation of a league-winning basketball program at the school, and the challenges of COVID which led to teaching being provided on WhatsApp. 

This conversation moves from the vastness of the universe to the realities of rural Kenya: the power of education, the challenges of culture and tradition, and what it means to balance cutting-edge science with grassroots change.

If you’ve ever wondered how someone can chase gravitational waves and transform lives on the ground at the same time, this episode is for you.

The Storm Project: 
@stormprojectonlus instagram 
https://www.linkedin.com/company/storm-project/ 
https://mattiamaralal.github.io/stormproject/en/ website - in the process of being updated! 
https://www.teaming.net/storm donation page

Hi Darling!
Today I share a story from my PhD about a trip I went on to America. This trip changed my whole perspective and I went from considering quitting my PhD to having a dream job in the field. 
The paper I mention is now published! You can find it here: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6382/ae0087 

@alexthephysicist  

Hi Darling!
For part two of the GW10 series I sit down with Nobel Laureate Kip Thorne, a founder of LIGO, black-hole theorist, and the science mind behind Interstellar.

We talk about the 50 year journey from a bold idea to the first detection of gravitational waves, the brainstorms that seeded quantum computing and precision measurement, and how collaborating with artists and filmmakers reshaped the way he thinks about the universe.

Kip shares lessons on finding your own niche in science, embracing creativity, and having fun with hard problems whether you’re chasing spacetime ripples or crafting Hollywood blockbusters.

@alexthephysicist

Hi Darling!
For the final part of the GW10 series I sit down with the second Nobel Laureate physicist Barry Barish, the leader who guided LIGO to the first detection of gravitational waves.

Barry invited me to his home in Santa Monica for my very first interview for the podcast, quite a way to start! We talk about his path from engineering student to particle-physics pioneer, the bold decisions that turned LIGO into a success, and what it was like to keep the 2015 discovery secret while the world waited.

He also shares the excitement (and chaos) of winning the Nobel Prize and offers thoughtful advice on finding joy and purpose in a scientific career.