“I’ve never been part of the gang. I was a one-man band playing little tunes.” – Meet physics laureate John Hopfield in a podcast recorded at his cottage in Selborne, England. Together with host Adam Smith, he reflects on the value of interdisciplinary work and how chemists and physicists might collaborate more closely.

They also discuss the future of AI and Hopfield’s greatest fears about it.

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"With the great power to invent technology comes a great responsibility." – In this lively and energetic podcast conversation, economic sciences laureate Simon Johnson talks about how the past, future and present are interconnected, as well as how science fiction and history are intertwined. He comes to the conclusion that “science fiction is history in reverse or history is science fiction in reverse, whichever way you want to think about it.

He also tells us about his family history and how his family was part of the steel industry in Sheffield, England. The industrial revolution is discussed as well as the responsibility that comes with inventing technology.

Through their lives and work, failures and successes – get to know the individuals who have been awarded the Nobel Prize on the Nobel Prize Conversations podcast. Find it on Acast, or wherever you listen to pods. https://linktr.ee/NobelPrizeConversations

© Nobel Prize Outreach.

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“When we're doing genetics, we are tapping into that mythic power of change.” — In this conversation with molecular biologist Gary Ruvkun, we discover his scientific journey and find out that the world of genetics still has many fields left to explore.

A natural storyteller, Ruvkun also shares some of his favourite tales with us – from his gap year in Latin America to how his grandparents emigrated to the United States. For Ruvkun, travelling has given him more stories than he could have ever imagined – and he tries to share them whenever he has the chance.

Through their lives and work, failures and successes – get to know the individuals who have been awarded the Nobel Prize on the Nobel Prize Conversations podcast. Find it on Acast, or wherever you listen to pods. https://linktr.ee/NobelPrizeConversations

© Nobel Prize Outreach.

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”I really love the notion of contributing something to physics.” — Chemistry laureate John Jumper has always been passionate about science and understanding the world. With the AI tool AlphaFold, he and his co-laureate Demis Hassabis have provided a possibility to predict protein structures. In this podcast conversation, Jumper speaks about the excitement of seeing how AI can help us more in the future.

Jumper also shares his scientific journey and how he ended up working with AlphaFold. He describes a special memory from the 2018 CASP conference where AlphaFold was presented for the first time. Another life-changing moment was the announcement of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in October 2024 – Jumper tells us how his life has changed since then.

Through their lives and work, failures and successes – get to know the individuals who have been awarded the Nobel Prize on the Nobel Prize Conversations podcast. Find it on Acast, or wherever you listen to pods. https://linktr.ee/NobelPrizeConversations

© Nobel Prize Outreach.

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“The reason why I was doing science all these years is because I just love doing it.”– Medicine laureate Victor Ambros grew up on a farm with seven siblings. Throughout his career, he has seen collaboration as a crucial part of science.

In this podcast conversation with Adam Smith, Ambros talks about his scientific journey and how much his father has influenced him. He also shares his experiences on imposter syndrome and gives some advice on how to deal with it.

Through their lives and work, failures and successes – get to know the individuals who have been awarded the Nobel Prize on the Nobel Prize Conversations podcast. Find it on Acast, or wherever you listen to pods. https://linktr.ee/NobelPrizeConversations

© Nobel Prize Outreach.

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"Asking is hard. Once you realise there's an interesting question to develop answers to, it is even harder." – Growing up in Istanbul, Turkey, shaped Daron Acemoglu’s life and career in many ways. It sparked his interest in politics and social sciences and led to a research career investigating the differences in prosperity between nations.

Today Acemoglu is exploring the future of AI and how we can use it in the best possible way. In a conversation with Adam Smith he discusses his thoughts on the topic as well as sharing his advice for young researchers, including how to decide which research question to go for.

Through their lives and work, failures and successes – get to know the individuals who have been awarded the Nobel Prize on the Nobel Prize Conversations podcast. Find it on Acast, or wherever you listen to pods. https://linktr.ee/NobelPrizeConversations

© Nobel Prize Outreach.

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"If you imagine each researcher as a kind of a neuron in the communal brain, then people call me a connection machine.” – David Baker is a true believer in collaboration. He sees mentoring as one of the most essential parts of his job. Baker spends most of his time at his laboratory and his colleagues explain his role as a connection machine as he connects “people who are working on things that are related”. He believes that progress in science is made by working together and sharing ideas.

Despite being in high demand since receiving his Nobel Prize, Baker has turned down all work trips to focus on being present in his laboratory and exploring new frontiers in science. The only work trip he has made since the prize announcement in October 2024 is the journey to Stockholm to receive his Nobel Prize. And for that, he brought 200 former students to Sweden celebrate the award with him. 

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"I just think a book can change your life." 2024 economic sciences laureate James Robinson loves books – he has about 10 000 at home. Growing up without a TV, he and his mother spent evenings discussing news from the newspaper and reading. It's no wonder his interest for social sciences, politics and economic sciences was sparked at a young age.

As well as delving into his thoughts on literature and reading, Robinson shares his opinions on field work in this wide-ranging conversation. For Robinson field work provides an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of why problems exist and how they can be solved.

Through their lives and work, failures and successes – get to know the individuals who have been awarded the Nobel Prize on the Nobel Prize Conversations podcast. Find it on Acast, or wherever you listen to pods. https://linktr.ee/NobelPrizeConversations

© Nobel Prize Outreach.

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"When we remember, what we're doing is just making up a story that sounds plausible to us. That's what memories are." Join your host Adam Smith as he speaks to physicist Geoffrey Hinton, often called the godfather of AI. They discuss Hinton's childhood memories and how his family legacy of successful scientists put pressure on Hinton to follow in their footsteps. Throughout the conversation it is clear that Hinton has always had a fascination with understanding how the human brain works.

Together with Smith, Hinton discusses the development of AI, how humans can best work with it, as well as his fears of how the technology will continue to develop. Will our world be taken over by AI? Find out in this podcast conversation with the 2024 physics laureate.

Through their lives and work, failures and successes – get to know the individuals who have been awarded the Nobel Prize on the Nobel Prize Conversations podcast. Find it on Acast, or wherever you listen to pods. https://linktr.ee/NobelPrizeConversations

© Nobel Prize Outreach.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.