Diverse Routes: Career Journeys in Science & Medicine

Episode Highlights:

Timestamps:

0:26 - What is a geologist (in industry)?

2:52 - What does a typical day look like?

6:12 - What do you enjoy?

8:59 - What do you dislike?

17:26 - How does your career compare to your initial aspirations?

22:16 - What were your career milestones?

34:01 - What advice would you give an aspiring professional?

About Our Guest:

Dr. Kelsey Crane is a geologist with expertise in planetary research and environmental geology. She earned her BS in Mathematics and Geology from the University of Tennessee, where she began studying planetary geology, and later completed her PhD at the University of Georgia, analyzing Mercury's tectonics for NASA's MESSENGER mission and conducting fieldwork in the Yakima Fold Province. After serving as a faculty member at Mississippi State University, where she achieved tenure and discovered her passion for mentoring students, Dr. Crane transitioned to Seres Engineering. There, she leads a GIS team, conducts innovative research, and thrives in a supportive environment that fosters collaboration and compassion.

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About Our Guest:

Episode Highlights:

If you have an adventurous spirit and love spending time in the great outdoors, you will be captivated by Hilary’s career journey story. And here are a few other inspiring topics from today’s episode:

And if you’re looking for a way to visit top vacation destinations like Lake Tahoe or Yellowstone and get paid for it, this is the episode for you! 

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Dr. Delaney Dann is a Career & Professional Development Manager at Scripps, a nonprofit biomedical research institute in San Diego, CA. With a background in molecular biology, including a BS in biology, a couple years in the biotech industry, and a PhD in biology Delaney had her sights on becoming a university biology professor. But during the interview process, realized that a faculty role was not the right fit for her. So, she used an NIH fellowship to explore alternative career options and build her skills and network - landing her in her current role where she supports early career scientists through career development workshops, programing, and advising. 

Episode Highlights:

BONUS: And we reveal the non-science class, every scientist should take. 

Go to successinscienceCC.com/podcast for more details, including resources referred to in this episode.

Access the full, extended interview at patreon.com/diverseroutes.

Dr. James Mantas is an Emergency Medicine Physician at Stony Brook. Originally from upstate New York, James earned his undergraduate degree at Hartwick College, then was the assistant basketball coach at Skidmore University before heading to medical school and earning his MD at New York Medical College.

Episode Highlights:

Go to successinscienceCC.com/podcast for more details, including resources referred to in this episode.

Access the extended interview at patreon.com/diverseroutes

Dr. Tanya Latty is an associate professor at the University of Sydney Australia. As an invertebrate ecologist or entomologist she has a broad interest in insect behavior and ecology, such as finding ways to create pollinator friendly cities and using invertebrates as inspiration for new technologies. Tanya has a special fondness for what some would consider ‘weird’ and ‘under studied taxa’, such as slime moulds and velvet worms. And she is also deeply committed to outreach and education and is an active science communicator having working in TV, radio, and print media.

Dr. Tanya Latty is our first international guest on this podcast and offers an incredibly valuable perspective for those of you considering studying or working outside of the United States. But for those of you wishing to stay in the States, much of what we discuss applies to you too!

Lauren Bretz is a Lead Manager on Starbucks’ Data Science team, building enterprise self-service tools. Prior to Starbucks Lauren was an Applied Scientist at Zillow, constructing and forecasting economic time series. Lauren has a Bachelor’s degree in Statistics, Economics, and Finance and a Master’s degree in Applied Statistics.

Episode Highlights:

Go to successinscienceCC.com/podcast for more details, including resources referred to in this episode.

Access to extended interview at patreon.com/diverseroutes.

Dr. Terence Wong is a Life Science Consultant at ZS Associates where he delivers innovative solutions to biomedical research, clinical development, medical affairs, and pipeline and launch strategies for clients in the biotech and Pharma industries. 

Prior to ZS, Terence was a Clinical Genomics Analyst at Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine and genetics instructor at UC San Diego Extended Studies.

Terence was born and raised in Honolulu, HI by his parents who both immigrated to America from Asia. And he is the first in his family to go to college and the first in even his extended family to earn a doctoral degree. 

Episode Highlights:

successinscienceCC.com/podcast for more details, including resources referred to in this episode.

Become a patron and gain access to the extended video interview @ patreon.com/diverseroutes

Dr. Darrell Marshall is CEO, Research Scientist, and founder of Total Analysis. Darrell holds a PhD in Bioanalytical chemistry, specializing in infectious diseases, ionization product development, and machine learning. With 13 years of research experience, he has worked on multiple innovative projects, including an ovarian cancer screening tool based on ML and nuclear magnetic resonance, an automated tool for bacterial species identification, and a mass spectrometer-based bacterial tool. He has co-authored over 25 publications and two book chapters.

Episode Highlights:

See successinscienceCC.com/podcast for more details, including resources referred to in this episode. 

Become a patron and gain access to the extended interview @ patreon.com/diverseroutes.

Dr. JJ Apodaca is a conservationist, geneticist, and founder of Tangled Bank Conservation serving to protect threatened and endangered species across the world. As a leader in amphibian and reptile conservation for over a decade, he is also the current Executive Director for the Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy. He’s brought in millions of dollars of conservation funding and has worked with some of the biggest names in conservation, including San Diego Zoo, The Nature Conservancy, and the World Wildlife Fund.

Episode Highlights:

See successinscienceCC.com/podcast for more details, including references referred to in this episode.

Become a patron and gain access to the extended interview @ patreon.com/diverseroutes. 

Joel Betts, MS is a stream ecologist, naturalist, and conservationist dedicated to restoring and conserving forests and fish in the Great Lakes and abroad. Currently, Joel is a MAEAP (Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance) Coordinator for Kent Conservation District. Before working for the KCD, Joel was an Adjunct Professor in Michigan, Conservation Planner in Massachusetts, Conservation Associate and Research in Nicaragua, and a field technician in Alaska, Michigan, and Puerto Rico.

Episode Highlights:

See successinscienceCC.com/podcast for more details.

Become a patron and gain access to the extended interview @ patreon.com/diverseroutes.