Conversations with Academics

By Dylan Gomes

Society & Culture Science & Medicine Education Health Philosophy Self-Help Higher Education

What's Conversations with Academics about?

A conversation with academics about what they do, how they manage their time, or what life is like as they progress through their careers

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Conversations with Academics episodes:

01.16.2022
23: Anna Zivian
Anna Zivian - Senior Research Fellow at Ocean Conservancy. 20 December 2021. Anna and I talk about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ), ocean conservation and the Ocean Conservancy, and her journey to her current position. At the end we briefly talk about spiders...
12.24.2021
22: Kathryn McConnell
Kathryn McConnell - Doctoral Candidate at Yale School of the Environment. 4 April 2021. Katie and I talk about her research on the impacts of wildfire on human lives, how Covid has changed our own lives, and a bit about the PhD process.
12.24.2021
21: David Murray
David Murray - Entrepreneur and writer. 28 November 2020. David and I talk about his journey from through higher education, an archaeology excavation in Europe, his study of Classics, some entrepreneurial endeavors, and his latest switch to writing. David and I...
12.24.2021
20: Dr. Matthew Silk
Dr. Matthew Silk - University of Exeter. 16 October 2020. Matt and I talk about how Covid has affected us, his journey from the PhD through a couple of postdocs (along with what is next for him), his recent paper "Perils...
12.24.2021
19: Dr. Jesse Barber
Dr. Jesse Barber - Boise State University. 23 June 2020. Jesse tells me about his academic journey, and we end by discussing publishing houses, journals, and the ethics surrounding decisions to submit to a journal.
12.24.2021
18: Dr. Kathryn Turner
Dr. Kathryn Turner - Idaho State University. 17 December 2019. Kathryn tells me about her experience in the job search and what sort of things to look out for. She stresses the importance of hobbies, or taking time away from work,...
12.24.2021
17: Dr. Kristin Byrd
Dr. Kristin Byrd - USGS (Western Geographic Science Center, Moffett Field, CA). 5 December 2019. Kristin tells me about her career trajectory, her current work, and life in a government position. She talks a bit about some skills that hiring committees...
12.24.2021
16: Dr. Nick Dowdy
Dr. Nick Dowdy - NSF Post Doctoral Fellow (Milwaukee Public Museum) & Assistant Research Professor (Wake Forest University). 7 November 2019. Nick tells me about not having a great work-life balance, being a self-proclaimed 'workaholic.' We discuss how work can sometimes...
12.24.2021
15: Dr. Steven Alexander
Dr. Steven Alexander - University of Waterloo - Environmental Change and Governance Group. 24 October 2019. Steven tells me about his journey as an educator, and then his introduction to research. We talk a bit about decision making and having multiple...
12.24.2021
14: Dr. Georgia Hart-Fredeluces
Dr. Georgia Hart-Fredeluces - Idaho State University - Dept. of Sociology. 17 October 2019. Georgia tells me about her journey into, out of, and back into academia - and how this path is never really that clear. She tells me about...
12.24.2021
13: Dr. Rob Quinlan
Dr. Rob Quinlan - Washington State University - Dept. of Anthropology. 10 October 2019. Rob and I talk about academic culture, and what might be wrong with some of it. He discusses patterns of time management in both academics and hunter...
12.24.2021
12: Dr. Katy Prudic
Dr. Katy Prudic - University of Arizona. 26 September 2019. Katy and I talk about her recent job search process, hobbies, and starting a citizen science program. She co-founded and manages a citizen science program called eButterfly.
12.24.2021
11: Dr. Erica Crespi
Dr. Erica Crespi - Washington State University. 24 September 2019. Erica and I talk about the stress of academia, making unplanned decisions, and time management. Erica stresses the importance of communicating, both with yourself, and your adviser. Unfortunately, Erica's microphone cuts out...
12.24.2021
10: Dr. Sarah Schaack
Dr. Sarah Schaack - Reed College. 7 September 2019. Sarah and I talk about what differs between academic positions at small liberal arts schools and large public universities. We discuss decisions, changing your mind during an academic career, and how doing...
12.24.2021
09: Aristide Kamla Takoukam
Aristide Kamla Takoukam - University of Florida & African Marine Mammal Conservation Organization (AMMCO). 29 April 2019. Aristide and I talk about the challenges of starting a non-profit organization, while doing a PhD. Soon-to-be Dr. Takoukam, has been fighting for marine mammal...
12.24.2021
08: Dr. Ian Robertson
Dr. Ian Robertson - Boise State University. 15 April 2019. Ian and I talk about how things have changed at Boise State University over the years that he has been there. We talk about saying "no," and finding "balance." The audio...
12.24.2021
07: Dr. Chris McClure
Dr. Chris McClure - Director of Global Conservation Science, The Peregrine Fund. 5 December 2018. Chris gives us a brief history lesson about the Peregrine Fund, and how he has "no balance." We talk about coding, its uses, and how much...
12.24.2021
06: Dr. Jacinta Beehner
Dr. Jacinta Beehner - Dept. of Psychology, University of Michigan. 15 November 2018. This is the sixth episode of the academic work-life balance podcast, where I interview academics about their work-life management. Do they work and have an 'outside' life? If so, how...
12.24.2021
05: Dr. Helen Chmura
Dr. Helen Chmura - University of Alaska, Fairbanks. 15 November 2018. This is the fifth episode of the academic work-life balance podcast, where I interview academics about their work-life management. Do they work and have an 'outside' life? If so, how do they...
12.24.2021
04: Dr. Chris Templeton
Dr. Chris Templeton - Dept. of Biology, Pacific University Oregon. 25 October 2018. This is the fourth episode of the academic work-life balance podcast, where I interview academics about their work-life management. Do they work and have an 'outside' life? If so,...
12.24.2021
03: Dr. Vanessa Hull
Dr. Vanessa Hull - Dept. of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida. 18 October 2018. This is the third episode of the academic work-life balance podcast, where I interview academics about their work-life management. Do they work and have an 'outside'...
12.24.2021
02: Dr. Naomi Levin
Dr. Naomi Levin - Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan. 16 October 2018 This is the second episode of the academic work-life balance podcast, where I interview academics about their work-life management. Do they work and have an 'outside' life? If...
12.24.2021
01: Dr. Bram Tucker
Dr. Bram Tucker - Department of Anthropology, University of Georgia. 28 September 2018. This is the first episode of the academic work-life balance podcast, where I interview academics from around the world, and ask them about their work-life balance. Do they balance...
04.05.2021
22: Kathryn McConnell
Kathryn McConnell - Doctoral Candidate at Yale School of the Environment - Katie and I talk about her research on the impacts of wildfire on human lives, how Covid has changed our own lives, and a bit about the PhD process.
11.28.2020
21: David Murray
David Murray - Entrepreneur and writer -David and I talk about his journey from through higher education, an archaeology excavation in Europe, his study of Classics, some entrepreneurial endeavors, and his latest switch to writing. David and I ramble for...
10.16.2020
20: Dr. Matthew Silk
Dr. Matthew Silk - University of Exeter - Matt and I talk about how Covid has affected us, his journey from the PhD through a couple of postdocs (along with what is next for him), his recent paper "Perils and...
06.23.2020
19: Dr. Jesse Barber
Dr. Jesse Barber - Boise State University Jesse tells me about his academic journey, and we end by discussing publishing houses, journals, and the ethics surrounding decisions to submit to a journal.
12.17.2019
18: Dr. Kathryn Turner
Dr. Kathryn Turner - Idaho State University Kathryn tells me about her experience in the job search and what sort of things to look out for. She stresses the importance of hobbies, or taking time away from work, and she...
12.05.2019
17: Dr. Kristin Byrd
Dr. Kristin Byrd - USGS (Western Geographic Science Center, Moffett Field, CA) Kristin tells me about her career trajectory, her current work, and life in a government position. She talks a bit about some skills that hiring committees might be...
11.07.2019
16: Dr. Nick Dowdy
Dr. Nick Dowdy - NSF Post Doctoral Fellow (Milwaukee Public Museum) & Assistant Research Professor (Wake Forest University) Nick tells me about not having a great work-life balance, being a self-proclaimed 'workaholic.' We discuss how work can sometimes actually be...
10.24.2019
15: Dr. Steven Alexander
Dr. Steven Alexander - University of Waterloo - Environmental Change and Governance Group Steven tells me about his journey as an educator, and then his introduction to research. We talk a bit about decision making and having multiple threads of...
10.17.2019
14: Dr. Georgia Hart-Fredeluces
Dr. Georgia Hart-Fredeluces - Idaho State University - Dept. of Sociology Georgia tells me about her journey into, out of, and back into academia - and how this path is never really that clear. She tells me about how she...
10.10.2019
13: Dr. Rob Quinlan
Dr. Rob Quinlan - Washington State University - Dept. of Anthropology Rob and I talk about academic culture, and what might be wrong with some of it. He discusses patterns of time management in both academics and hunter gatherer societies...
09.26.2019
12: Dr. Katy Prudic
Dr. Katy Prudic - University of Arizona Katy and I talk about her recent job search process, hobbies, and starting a citizen science program. She co-founded and manages a citizen science program called eButterfly.
09.24.2019
11: Dr. Erica Crespi
Dr. Erica Crespi - Washington State University Erica and I talk about the stress of academia, making unplanned decisions, and time management. Erica stresses the importance of communicating, both with yourself, and your adviser. Unfortunately, Erica's microphone cuts out a...
09.07.2019
10: Dr. Sarah Schaack
Dr. Sarah Schaack - Reed College Sarah and I talk about what differs between academic positions at small liberal arts schools and large public universities. We discuss decisions, changing your mind during an academic career, and how doing what you...
04.29.2019
09: Aristide Kamla Takoukam
Aristide Kamla Takoukam - University of Florida & African Marine Mammal Conservation Organization (AMMCO) Aristide and I talk about the challenges of starting a non-profit organization, while doing a PhD. Soon-to-be Dr. Takoukam, has been fighting for marine mammal conservation in...
04.19.2019
Episode 08: Dr. Ian Robertson
Dr. Ian Robertson - Boise State University Ian and I talk about how things have changed at Boise State University over the years that he has been there. We talk about saying "no," and finding "balance." The audio quality is...
04.15.2019
Episode 07: Dr. Chris McClure
Dr. Chris McClure - Director of Global Conservation Science, The Peregrine Fund. Chris gives us a brief history lesson about the Peregrine Fund, and how he has "no balance." We talk about coding, its uses, and how much we enjoy...
11.15.2018
Episode 06: Dr. Jacinta Beehner
Dr. Jacinta Beehner - Dept. of Psychology, University of Michigan. This is the sixth episode of the academic work-life balance podcast, where I interview academics about their work-life management. Do they work and have an 'outside' life? If so, how do...
11.15.2018
Episode 05: Dr. Helen Chmura
Dr. Helen Chmura - University of Alaska, Fairbanks. This is the fifth episode of the academic work-life balance podcast, where I interview academics about their work-life management. Do they work and have an 'outside' life? If so, how do they keep...
10.25.2018
Episode 04: Dr. Chris Templeton
Dr. Chris Templeton - Dept. of Biology, Pacific University Oregon. This is the fourth episode of the academic work-life balance podcast, where I interview academics about their work-life management. Do they work and have an 'outside' life? If so, how...
10.18.2018
Episode 03: Dr. Vanessa Hull
Dr. Vanessa Hull - Dept. of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida. This is the third episode of the academic work-life balance podcast, where I interview academics about their work-life management. Do they work and have an 'outside' life?...
10.17.2018
Episode 02: Dr. Naomi Levin
Dr. Naomi Levin - Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan. This is the second episode of the academic work-life balance podcast, where I interview academics about their work-life management. Do they work and have an 'outside' life? If so,...
10.17.2018
Episode 01: Dr. Bram Tucker
Dr. Bram Tucker - Department of Anthropology, University of Georgia. This is the first episode of the academic work-life balance podcast, where I interview academics from around the world, and ask them about their work-life balance. Do they balance work...
10.16.2018
AWL Episode 02
Dr. Naomi Levin - Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan. This is the second episode of the academic work-life balance podcast, where I interview academics from around the world, and ask them about their work-life balance. Do they balance...

What's Conversations with Academics about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Conversations with Academics episodes:

23: Anna Zivian

22: Kathryn McConnell

21: David Murray

20: Dr. Matthew Silk

19: Dr. Jesse Barber

18: Dr. Kathryn Turner

17: Dr. Kristin Byrd

16: Dr. Nick Dowdy

15: Dr. Steven Alexander

14: Dr. Georgia Hart-Fredeluces

13: Dr. Rob Quinlan

12: Dr. Katy Prudic

11: Dr. Erica Crespi

10: Dr. Sarah Schaack

09: Aristide Kamla Takoukam

08: Dr. Ian Robertson

07: Dr. Chris McClure

06: Dr. Jacinta Beehner

05: Dr. Helen Chmura

04: Dr. Chris Templeton

03: Dr. Vanessa Hull

02: Dr. Naomi Levin

01: Dr. Bram Tucker

22: Kathryn McConnell

21: David Murray

20: Dr. Matthew Silk

19: Dr. Jesse Barber

18: Dr. Kathryn Turner

17: Dr. Kristin Byrd

16: Dr. Nick Dowdy

15: Dr. Steven Alexander

14: Dr. Georgia Hart-Fredeluces

13: Dr. Rob Quinlan

12: Dr. Katy Prudic

11: Dr. Erica Crespi

10: Dr. Sarah Schaack

09: Aristide Kamla Takoukam

Episode 08: Dr. Ian Robertson

Episode 07: Dr. Chris McClure

Episode 06: Dr. Jacinta Beehner

Episode 05: Dr. Helen Chmura

Episode 04: Dr. Chris Templeton

Episode 03: Dr. Vanessa Hull

Episode 02: Dr. Naomi Levin

Episode 01: Dr. Bram Tucker

AWL Episode 02