Regrets – I’ve had a Few: Graduate studies are a long-term investment and during this path there are a lot of ups and downs, and at some stages, more downs than ups. Simon agrees to be really vulnerable and share his experiences with listeners. As he details his feelings during and after his PhD, Deena and Simon come up with a plan to support positive change and wellbeing.

What are your regrets from grad school? Tweet us @DYES_podcast. We’d love to hear your thoughts. If you want to help us out, give us 5 stars on iTunes and a nice review. We’d seriously appreciate it!

How is “policy” defined? And, what role do researchers play in the development of policies? Simon and Deena share their view on how “policy” is defined and the importance of taking research findings a step further, and how to engage politicians and other leaders in our work. Evidence-base leading to policy development, or policy development guiding the evidence-base?

As a topic of interest in her field, Deena teaches Simon about transgender rights through Canada’s newly enacted policy to support inmates in their gender identity along with other current events.

To help Simon prepared for this episode, Deena sent him the following articles:

• Police, Jails & Prisons
• How LGBT prisoners are lost in the system
• Canada's prison system overhauls transgender inmate policy
• Transgender woman 'raped at men's prison' hours after judge blocked move

What are your thoughts on the newly enacted policy supporting the gender identity of inmates? Tweet us @DYES_podcast. We’d love to hear your thoughts. If you want to help us out, give us 5 stars on iTunes and a nice review. We’d really appreciate it!

Straight from the expert, BBC Science Journalist Matt McGrath (@MattMcGrathBBC) answers a pressing question: "Who Cares?" when it comes to communicating science. While honing his skills through a position at York University as the Science Communicator in Residence, Matt is snagged on his last day in Canada for a DYES interview by Simon (@drsimonlandry). Insightful tips on how to communicate science from building relationships with journalists to creating usable audiovisual content.

What does science communication mean to you? What forms of communication have been the most effective, and what would you like to see more of? Tweet us @DYES_podcast. We’d love to hear your thoughts. If you want to help us out, give us 5 stars on iTunes and a nice review. We’d really appreciate it!

Deena and Simon discuss the idea of "quitting" academia, talk about their path to getting their PhDs, and how both staying and leaving academia can make you feel like you've wasted your time.

The CBC article that sparked this conversation is: From professor-in-waiting to florist: Why some PhDs are quitting academia for unconventional jobs.

We want to hear from you! Let us know on Twitter, at @DYES_podcast, if you feel your academic training was a waste because you left or maybe it's the opposite and you feel staying in academia was a waste.

Side note, the phenomenon Simon was refering to, where you hear about something then it seems to be everywhere, is The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon.