GrasPods

Lesley is an established freelance science journalist, who has an impressive portfolio with pieces published in outlets such as BBC Earth, New Scientist, and Nature. But she had completed a PhD and Postdoc before she made the plunge into writing. In this episode you'll hear how Lesley gained the skills to make that transition and how the freelance process works, from the story pitch to the publish.

Mina may not look it, but she embodies the spirit of Punk Rock. A fiery get-it-done attitude, perseverance and an honesty. Mina is a world-renowned biologist, championing the field of tumor micro-environment and we were lucky to have her join us and share her experience about a life in the sciences. Definitely a must-listen to interview.

Still deciding between academia and industry? In a way, Sherry's chosen both. Hear about how she facilitates collaborations between academia and industry, and learn about the ways you can acquire some cool new science skills.

Andy is a Senior Scientist at the Terry Fox Laboratory by day and clinical Director of Hematopathology by night... he is, Doctor Doctor (MD/PhD). Andy has dedicated his life to medicine and science while maintaining sanity and family. We talk about how he choose to come to Vancouver and what's love got to do with it. It was an honest and insightful interview, a must-listen for those dreaming of a career in academia.

Father. Lawyer. Scientist. Mark is a phenomenal guy. Come hear about his journey from researching transposable elements and overcoming the challenges of graduate school; to lawyering himself up and empowering other scientists to develop meaningful intellectual property from their research. We talk about making the difficult decision of going back to school post-PhD and how that can be an exactly the right decision.

From growing up milking cows in the Canadian praries to Vice President of D-Mark Biosciences, Jeff Seitz shares his story and experiences with us. Hear what motivated Jeff to persue a career in biotechnology, the lessons he's learned along the way and advice to young scientsts struggling with the decision between academia and industry.

Secrecy is ingrained in scientific research and it’s driven by competition for coveted research grants and space in high impact journals. But, does this actually lead to better research? Here, we talk to Rosie Redfield about her belief that science is done best when everybody has access. You’ll hear all about her open science blog where she posts her research as she’s doing it and how this blog propelled her into the scientific spotlight.

"Do the right thing, for the right reason." The Sam Abraham philosophy. We often view science as amoral and objective, but like any human institution that's not true. What we accomplish with science depends on how scientists apply their findings to the context of our society. In this interview we speak with Sam Abraham, Vice President of Research and Vice President of Business and IP Development for the BC Cancer Agency. We discuss how findings go from the lab to the bedside and the institutional hurtles along the way.

Do you have an idea to change the world? Mike and colleagues' did, and their Do It Yourself attitude lead them on a journey of engineering a low-tech solution for orthopaedic drills in low-income nations and humanitarian relief sites. Hear how Mike started up his own company, Arbutus Medical, to transform this idea into a real-world solution to combat post-operative infections and help save lives. Learn about the path you can take to turn your own idea into a career!

Dr. Elaine Fuchs is ahead of the curve in skin stem cell biology. She's a professor at Rockefeller University, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and a role model for strong women in science. So how did a young girl from outside Chicago go from digging up trilobites and catching butterflies to a world-reknowned scientist? Well it wasn't easy, but as you'll hear, it wasn't all that hard either.