Faces Behind Papers

Hi everyone,

In this episode, my guest was Dr. Dominique Maciewski. We recorded this episode a while ago and I only recently had the chance to publish it. After re-listening, I wished I had done it before - it really left me with a big smile. It was such a sincere conversation about life in academia with an inspiring, authentic, and kind researcher. We talked about what first drew her to developmental psychology, balancing parenthood and academia, her research on emotion regulation and psychological measurement, her favourite (all female!) researchers, and much more. I hope the episode leaves you with a big smile as well!

If you'd like to skip to specific parts:

00:45 --> What first drew you to developmental psychology?

05:14 --> Was there a moment when you knew for sure that you wanted to stay in academia?

06:40 --> Perks of being a researcher who lived in many different cities and academic cultures.

09:07 --> Balancing personal and academic life

10:41 --> Balancing parenthood and academia

17:21 --> Current research interests: emotion regulation in adolescents, measurement,

25:55 --> If you had all the funding and resources in the world what would you try to explore?

27:48 --> The impact of parenthood on research perspective to developmental psychology

29:56 --> If you could give advice to your PhD self, what would it be? What skills do you think are the most helpful at different stages of an academic career?

33:53 --> Do you think there are skills that makes one stand out when one is applying for professorships?

35:42 -- Her favourite researchers

38:55 --> If you had a free day with no responsibilities, how would you spend it?

41:08 --> How do you hope people will remember you?

Hi everyone,

In this episode my guest is Prof. Selcuk Sirin. He is a professor of applied psychology in NYU. He has also made a big impact outside of academia, serving on the U.S. National Academy of Sciences' Board for Children, Youth, and Families. On top of these, he’s committed to making science accessible to the public, especially in Turkey. He has authored several prominent books on education and societal issues in Turkey.

If you're interested in specific parts, you can skip to those parts here:

01:15 → Did you have an ideal about your older self during childhood?

04:26 → Choosing a university and field of study

05:51 → After graduation: Working in the banking sector

08:00 → Fighting against the odds? Not giving too much power to structural barriers

10:18 → How do diverse educational and field experiences shape your academic perspective?

12:20 → Academic journey: Staying in the same field or shifting directions?

16:26 → Getting funding for research

23:27 → If you had unlimited funding, what would you try to answer/explore?

26:56 → Who is your favorite researcher or role model inside or outside academia?

27:59 → Who is Selçuk Şirin beyond his professional life?

28:58 → Balancing science outreach, research, and teaching — What does your typical day/week look like?

30:54 → Getting inspired to write fiction and non-fiction — How do you find your words?

33:11 → How do you hope people will remember you?

In this episode, my guest was Prof. Awais Aftab, a psychiatrist in Ohio and an assistant professor of psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University. His research interests include philosophy of psychiatry, psychiatric classification, history of psychiatry.

We talked about his journey from Pakistan to the US as a psychiatrist, how his interest in philosophy of psychiatry developed, his efforts to improve psychiatry training, and much more!

Beyond his clinical and academic work, he recently published a book "Conversations in Critical Psychiatry" and runs a very active blog Psychiatry at the Margins . Truly inspiring! Be sure to check them out if you're interested in the vast and complex landscape of psychopathology.

You can now follow Faces Behind Papers on Instagram and Bluesky! Feel free to spread it to students or early career researchers who might be interested in psychological research!

In this episode my guest is Prof. Katie Hoemann. She is an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Kansas. Her research focuses on relationship between language, the perception and experience of emotion.

With a diverse educational background in the social sciences and a return to academia after a break, it is inspiring to hear the story of a researcher who took the road less traveled.

01:02 - How was your journey from cultural anthropology and linguistics to psychology?

03:44 - Emotions as we study them vs. as we experience them.

06:39 - Was finding your focus of research smooth or messy sometimes?

08:31 - Was there a specific moment when you realized you were on the right path?

09:55 - Would you say that your diverse educational background make your academic work more meaningful?

14:12 - Transition from non-academic work (project management) to academia.

16:34 - which research questions are you trying to answer/explore right now?

19:34 - if you had all the funding and resources in the world, what would you try to answer or explore?

22:38 - What do you think makes a good psychology study?

26:19 - Academia in the US vs. Europe

30:57 - Who is your favourite researcher? Someone you look up to?

35: 39 - Who is Katie Hoemann besides her academic work?

38:01 - How do you hope people will remember you?

From the people who shaped Prof. Hopwood’s journey to his thoughts on therapeutic orientations, this interview was one of those where I didn’t even notice how time flew by. I might be a bit biased, since I’ve been reading Prof. Hopwood’s work since the start of my PhD, but I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

In case you're interested in specific parts, you can skip to them directly here:

00:52 - What sparked his interest in psychology?

05:37 - A foot in both camps: research and clinical work

07:07 - Therapy orientations: it's a waste of time to compare them, says Prof. Hopwood

10: 08 - What drives research? Curiosity, easing mental suffering, or something else?

11:36 - Four people who shaped Prof. Hopwood’s academic journey

13:38 - Writing papers with your partner: what’s that like?

15:16 - From existential questions after getting a tenure to his research on human-animal relationships and sustainability

17:46 - Future directions in his research

20:16 - Tables are turned: a bit about my (Rana's) PhD research

23:51 - Prof. Hopwood and I ask each other: If we had all the funding and resources in the world, what would we explore?

27:44 - What makes a great psychology study?: "There comes a time in one's career when one has to have kind of integrity about their own work"

31:51 - Comparing academia: US vs. Europe

36:25 - Going back to your PhD years with the current experiences you have right now, is there anything that you wish you had done differently?

38:18 - Who is Christopher Hopwood outside of academia? - Family, family, arts, sport, and the pleasure of work

40:25 - How do we hope to be remembered?

Hi everyone, after a break, we are back with the new episode of Faces Behind Papers. In this episode, my guest was Prof. Benjamin Scott. He is an assistant professor of neuroscience at Boston University. It was refreshing and inspiring the chat with a researcher who is genuinely passionate about exploring the neural basis of cognition and complex behavior. I hope you enjoy our conversation!

If you're interested specific parts of the podcast, you can skip to those parts here:

00:48 Choosing academia 

02:20 Challenges along the way 

04:34 What drew you to neuroscience

06:56 Investigating the neural basis of decision making 

07:51 What excites you the most about your research field? 

11:35 If you had all the funding and resources in the world, what would you try to

12:28 How do you think academia changed over the years? 

14:55 Anyone you look up to within academia? 

18:07 Typical day at work 

19:31 Recommended paper: Transcriptomic diversity of cell

21:00 Advice to students interested in research 

Hi everyone, in this episode my guest is Dr. Sara Bartels. She is a post-doctoral researcher at Karolinska Institute, Sweden. Her work focuses on the development, evaluation, and implementation of a digital behavioral health treatment for individuals with chronic pain. She is also currently a part of the HOMEDEM consortium which aims to support people with dementia and their caregivers

 If you're interested in specific parts, you can directly skip to them:

01:00 – How long have you been in academia?

01:55 – Before choosing research what were the other options you were considering? What drew

05:14 – Journey in research field: Digital interventions for individuals with chronic pain and dementia

06:20 – Digital interventions using Acceptance Commitment Therapy

09:26 – What research questions are you currently trying to answer?

 HOMEDEM Consortium: supporting people with

18:00 – Is there anyone that you look up to in academia?

20:07 – How is postdoc life different from PhD life?

23:10 – Typical day of a postdoc

24:30 – What do you most enjoy and find it challenging about your job?

25:40 – Learning from students

27:46 – A paper for people interested in complex interventions:

In this episode, my guest is Assoc. Prof. Venus Mahmoodi. She is an associate professor at Columbia University Medical Center (CUIMC), Clinical Researcher at the Early N3 Lab at CUIMC, and also directs the Muslim Perinatal Lab at Teachers College, Columbia University. From her multiple positions as a researcher and a clinical psychologist, and from how she talks about her research with a great sense of humor in the interview, you can tell that she is genuinely passionate about her work and looking for ways to be helpful to people through her research and clinical work. I can assure you that the interview is worth the 50 minutes!

If you’re interested in specific parts, you can skip to them directly here:

01:10 Choosing academia 

05:00 First interest in research 

07:15 Clinical Practice and going into research

11:50 Interest in Muslim mental health and challenges in early career 

19:50 Current research questions 

33:50 Balancing multiple roles

37:55 Joys and challenges in research and clinical work 

42:40 Article suggestions for those interested in perinatal mental health 

See here!

45:05 Advice for graduate students 

In this episode, my guest is Prof. Tom Beckers. He is a professor of psychology at KU Leuven. His work focuses on the role of learning and memory in psychopathology, especially anxiety, addiction, and ADHD. As you will hear in the interview, he often emphasizes reflecting on one’s values when doing science and making those

If you’re interested in specific parts, you can skip to them directly here:

01:00 Years in academia

01:20 Did you choose academia or did academia choose you? Neither.

06:10 Journey in his research field

8:30 Current research questions

13:00 New directions: Pavlovian compensation

17:30 Inspirations when doing research and finding new research questions

19:30 The biggest changes in academia: the good and the bad

25:30 Advice for young scientists

27:00 People in academia that he looks up to

28:00 Importance of “no egos” in science

32:50 Typical week of an academic

36:40 Four Loko Effect

In this episode, my guest is Prof. Selin Kesebir. She is an associate professor of organizational behavior at London Business School. She has been very interested in science, reading, and writing since her childhood, and still, as you will hear in the interview, she likes to talk with statistics and scientific findings. I hope you’ll enjoy our conversation!

If you are interested in specific parts, you can skip to them directly here: 

00:36 Years in academia 

01:10 Choosing academia 

03:38 Transitioning to psychology from another degree 

04:50 Family influence on career choice 

07:16 Journey in the field of interest 

10:20 Business school 

13:42 Current research on narcissism 

20:13 Changes in academia 

24:28 Favorite researchers

33:00 Advice to Bachelor and Masters students interested in academia 

37:20 Advice to PhD students 

If you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to let me know via this email: [email protected].