Her Royal Science

In this episode, we speak with ethical data scientist Dr Craig Poku. We have a joyous conversation about his educational and professional path to present day via King's College London and the University of Leeds, where he studied mathematics and atmospheric sciences, respectively. We then touch upon his career pivot from academia to industry, also discussing how his baking and cooking journey—which he documents on his social media pages (@pokubakes) and at pokubakes.com—contributed significantly to his decision to pivot.

Episode transcript available here: https://www.herroyalscience.com/post/34-instinct

In this episode, we speak with Dr Ocean Mercier, an Associate Professor at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington about the profound value of indigenising science, history, and language curricula as an act of reconciliation and decolonisation. We first speak about the inspiring physics teacher at Wellington Girls' College who encouraged her scientific pursuits. We then discuss her passion for highlighting and incorporating Mātauranga Māori—interdisciplinary knowledge from the Māori people—into various curricula. Dr Mercier also elucidates a Māori term, aronga takirua, which describes the cultural double-labour exacted upon Indigenous students as governments attempt to decolonise national curricula. Finally, we discuss the pros and cons of pursuing an academic career in New Zealand.

Episode transcript available here: https://www.herroyalscience.com/post/33-reconciliation

In this episode, we speak with Refilwe Mpai, a Neuroscience PhD Candidate at McGill University. During our conversation, Refilwe shares personal anecdotes about her international path to present day, traveling from Botswana to Canada with a brief stint in the United States. We also discuss her ongoing doctoral research, which dives into the neuroanatomical manifestations of child abuse and depression. Specifically, she is interested in the dynamic nature of cerebellar perineuronal nets and how they may be altered in major depressive disorder and early life adversity. Lastly, we chat about Refilwe's growing podcast, Journey Abroad, where she creates space for Africans living in the diaspora to share their life stories.

TW/CW for mentions of suicide when discussing Refilwe's doctoral thesis.

Episode transcript available here: https://www.herroyalscience.com/post/32-a-whole-new-world

In this episode, we speak with astrophysicist and folklorist Dr Moiya McTier, the author of The Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy. In addition to talking about her one-of-a-kind book, we touch upon her childhood in rural Pennsylvania—where she fell in love with stories and storytelling—and her time as an undergrad at Harvard University studying astrophysics, folklore, and mythology. We then discuss her doctoral studies in astronomy at Columbia University, her burgeoning career in science communication, and the incredibly valuable life lessons she has learned along the way.

Episode transcript available here: https://www.herroyalscience.com/post/31-the-milky-way

In this episode, we speak with Amber Wendler and Dr Shaz Zamore, co-editors of an exciting book project assembling the stories of Black women and non-binary scientists and nature enthusiasts across various career stages, research interests, and geographic locations. Future Dr Wendler is a newly-minted PhD Candidate within the Department of Biological Sciences at Virginia Tech, and Dr Zamore is a Teaching Assistant Professor and STEM outreach coordinator at the University of Colorado, Boulder. We first discuss their upcoming book and the editorial challenges they have faced to date. Later in our conversation, we chat about the lessons they both have learned from the stories they have compiled thus far, and the legacies they would like to leave behind.

Episode transcript available here: https://www.herroyalscience.com/post/30-the-royal-we-part-ii

In this episode, we speak with Angeline Dukes, an addiction neuroscientist exploring the long-term effects of adolescent nicotine and cannabinoid exposure at the University of California, Irvine. We first discuss the point at which she decided to pivot from medicine to neuroscience, realising she wanted nothing more than to teach and mentor the next generation of young scientists in the classroom. We also chat about her exciting new position at the University of Minnesota Medical School, where she will be an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neuroscience. Later in our conversation, we touch upon the lessons she has learnt while being President and Founder of Black In Neuro.

Episode transcript available here: https://www.herroyalscience.com/post/29-legacy

In this episode, we speak with Dr Aya Osman, a behavioural neuroscientist exploring the role of the gut microbiome in neuropsychiatric disorders at Mount Sinai's Seaver Autism Center. We first speak about her family’s journey from Sudan to Saudi Arabia, and then onto the United Kingdom, also reflecting on her experiences as an undergraduate student and graduate trainee at Royal Holloway, University of London (RHUL) and the University of Surrey, respectively. Later in our conversation, we touch upon the differences in research culture within UK and US laboratories, and we discuss the savvy way Dr Osman pivoted into science communication when the pandemic first began.

Episode transcript available here: https://www.herroyalscience.com/post/28-purpose

In this episode, we speak with Daril Brown II, a PhD Candidate in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and the Psychology Department at the University of California, San Diego. We first speak about the undergraduate experiences at Howard University that kicked off his engineering career, and we also discuss his current research, which explores songbirds a promising animal model for neuroprosthetic research. Importantly, we touch upon the challenges of dealing with loss during grad school, healthy coping mechanisms following traumatic events, and the value of a strong support network.

TW/CW: Death and bereavement.

Episode transcript available here: https://www.herroyalscience.com/post/27-steven-universe

In this special non-interview episode, we share the laughter-filled conversation that followed last week's roundtable discussion on neuroscience, identity, and film. Here, Sade Abiodun, Mateen Manek, Dhoha Abdelsattar, and I lament about ill-timed noises in the background of our roundtable, and later on, dig through the crevices of our minds to remember random facts about Disney songs.

Episode transcript available here: https://www.herroyalscience.com/post/the-afterparty

In this episode, we speak with Dr Sabah Ul-Hasan, a bioinformatics postdoctoral scholar and lecturer who curates and integrates specialised medical databases into Wikidata. They are also one of the founders of The Biota Project, which intersects science education, outreach, and environmental justice to foster science and data literacy. We begin our conversation by exploring their first moments of fascination with science, and in particular, with wildlife biology. Later on, we discuss the value of data accessibility, the importance of community, and the valuable lessons that Dr Ul-Hasan has learned along their journey.

Episode transcript available here: https://www.herroyalscience.com/post/26-community