People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers

Dr. Meenal Datta is the Jane DeFlorio Collegiate Professor and associate professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Notre Dame, where she directs the Tumor Immune Microenvironment & Mechanics (TIME) Lab. Her research focuses on the physics of cancer. She examines how the mechanical forces generated as solid tumors grow can influence disease progression, treatment resistance, and the ability of immune cells to fight cancer. Her lab studies how these forces and larger physical forces, like gravity, affect both cancer and immune cells within and around tumors. Outside of science, Meenal enjoys taking walks around the beautiful campuses near Notre Dame while listening to podcasts and audiobooks. A recreational rower since high school, she also rows a few times a week with the South Bend Community Rowing Club. Meenal also enjoys reading, cooking, and unwinding with sci-fi or true crime.

She received her BS in chemical engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and her PhD in chemical and biological engineering from Tufts University. She completed her predoctoral and postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital under Dr. Rakesh K. Jain, before joining the faculty at Notre Dame in fall 2021. She has been recognized with numerous honors and awards including the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the Biomedical Engineering Society's Rita Schaffer Young Investigator Award, the Air Force Young Investigator Program Award, the Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering Young Innovator Award, a Rising Star award from the American Society for Mechanical Engineers and a Maximizing Investigators' Research Award for early stage investigators from the National Institutes of Health. In this interview, she shares more about her life, career, and research.

Dr. Saad Bhamla is Assistant Professor in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Research in Saad's lab spans two different focus areas. Some of his projects are dedicated to developing very low-cost scientific tools and medical devices in order to make these items more accessible and affordable worldwide. Another area of research examines questions in biology and organismal physics. In this area, he is investigating how animals are able to move very rapidly, as well as how organisms can form aggregates that can sense their environment and share information. Through his research, he is using his expertise in engineering to solve problems to help society. In his free time, Saad loves to go running. Whether he is training for his next marathon or just taking his dogs out for some exercise, running has been a great way for him to think through problems and brainstorm new ideas. He received his bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras and his PhD in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University. Afterwards, he conducted postdoctoral research at Stanford University and was awarded a Dean's Postdoctoral Fellowship in Bioengineering. In addition, Saad has been awarded a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, a Beazley Design Award, Medgadget's Best Medical Technology Award, an award from The Index Project (formerly INDEX: Design to Improve Life), an Innovation in MedTech Award from the American India Foundation and Stanford University, the Centennial Teaching Award from Stanford University, and The Milton van Dyke Award from the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics. Saad has also been named an Accel Innovation Scholar and a National Geographic Explorer. In our interview, Saad shares more about his life and research.

Dr. Verónica Pérez Rodríguez is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY). Verónica is an archaeologist and anthropologist who is interested in studying people and life in cities over time. Through her work, she examines how people lived many years ago, what brought them to cities, what made them stay, what were the tradeoffs, and what were the environmental impacts. Her work focuses on the highlands of the Mixteca Alta in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. When she's not working, Verónica loves relaxing at home, watching movies, and hiking with her children and husband. She also loves running outdoors, knitting, and reading fiction books in her free time. She earned a B.A. in Anthropology as well as a B.A. in Linguistics from the University of Texas at El Paso. Verónica then attended graduate school at the University of Georgia where she was awarded her Ph.D. in Ecological and Environmental Anthropology. She served on the faculty at Northern Arizona University before joining the faculty at the University at Albany, SUNY in 2013. In our interview, Verónica shares more about her life and science.

Dr. Erica Walker is the RGSS Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at the Brown University School of Public Health. Erica is an environmental epidemiologist and exposure scientist. Through her work, she aims to identify and solve problems that matter for communities that are often overlooked, particularly in her home state of Mississippi. To stay healthy and relieve stress, Erica loves going on long runs. She also likes to spend her free time making pottery and ceramics, like plates, mugs, cups, and bowls. Her latest goal is to make a ceramic lamp. She received her bachelor's degree in math and economics from Simmons University, her master's degree in environmental economics/urban planning from Tufts University, and her ScD degree in environmental health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Afterwards, Erica conducted postdoctoral research at UConn Health and the Boston University School of Public Health before joining the faculty at Brown University. In this interview, she shares more about her life and science.

Dr. Chris Cederroth is an Assistant Professor within the laboratory of Experimental Audiology working on tinnitus within the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. Research in Chris's lab focuses on hearing loss and tinnitus, which is the perception of ringing in the ears. Over 300 million people in the world have hearing problems, and Chris is dedicated to understanding the causes and developing treatments. Chris has three children. When he's not at work, Chris enjoys visiting museums and spending time outdoors with his family. He received his PhD from the University of Geneva, Switzerland for which he was awarded the Denber-Pinard Prize from the University of Geneva. During that time, he also contributed to the launch of the start-up company Amazentis S.A. Before joining the faculty at the Karonlinska Institute, Chris was awarded a Swiss National Foundation Advanced Fellowship for his postdoctoral work conducted at Rockefeller University, as well as the Wenner Gren Foundation and Nicholson Postdoctoral Fellowship to support his research efforts at the Karolinska Institute. Chris is here with us today to talk a little about his research and tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Lauren Ponisio is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Oregon. Lauren's research revolves around preserving and restoring bee populations in agricultural areas and other natural habitats. She is interested in understanding the distribution and health of different populations of native bees. When she's not working, you can often find Lauren in her garden. She has been an avid gardener since childhood, and she currently has a thriving garden with lots of vegetables and plants to attract bees and other pollinators. She received her B.S. degree in biology with honors in ecology and evolution, as well as her M.S. degree in biology, from Stanford University. Lauren was awarded her Ph.D. from the Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management at the University of California, Berkeley. She conducted postdoctoral research at UC, Berkeley afterwards, and she served on the faculty University of California, Riverside before recently accepting her current position at the University of Oregon. Lauren received graduate fellowships from the National Science Foundation and the National Institute for Food and Agriculture, as well as a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Berkeley Institute for Data Science. She was also named among the Global Food Initiative's "30 Under 30" in Food Systems in 2016. In our interview, Lauren shares more about her life and science.

Dr. Greg Wilson Mantilla is a Professor in the Department of Biology, Adjunct Professor in Department of Earth & Space Sciences, Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Burke Museum, and Director of the DIG Field School at the University of Washington. He is also a Research Associate at the University of California Museum of Paleontology. His research explores the evolution of mammals that lived alongside dinosaurs and how mammals have diversified over time. Remarkable fossil discoveries have revealed that these early mammals were far more diverse than once thought, including species adapted for digging, climbing, gliding, and even feeding on small dinosaurs. Outside of science, Greg enjoys staying active, spending time with his family, and following sports. Playing soccer has long been a favorite pastime, and Greg now enjoys coaching his two children. He also enjoys watching soccer and other sports, working out, reading, traveling, and relaxing with movies and TV shows. Greg received his B.A. in Human Biology from Stanford University and his Ph.D. in Integrative Biology from the University of California, Berkeley. Afterwards, he received an NSF Fellowship to conduct postdoctoral research at the University of Helsinki. Before moving to the University of Washington, Greg was Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. Greg was awarded the Raymond M. Alf Award for Excellence in Paleontological Research & Education from the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology, and he received the University of Washington's Bergstrom Award for Art and Science (with Ari Rudenko). In this interview, Greg shares more about his life and science.

Dr. Julia Bailey-Serres is Director of the Center for Plant Cell Biology and Distinguished Professor of Genetics at the University of California, Riverside. She also holds the University of California John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Chair and is Professor of Rice Physiology at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. A major focus of Julia's lab is to investigate how plants survive water extremes with the goal of improving the ability of crops to survive a temporary flood. When she's not working, Julia enjoys gardening, hiking, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family. She also has fun baking and cooking with fresh vegetables from her garden. She was awarded her B.S. in biology from the University of Utah and her Ph.D. in botany from the University of Edinburgh. Afterwards, Julia conducted postdoctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley before joining the faculty at UCR. She has received many awards and honors over the course of her career, including being named an elected Member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a Fellow of the American Society of Plant Biologists. In addition, she has been recognized with the Stephen Hales Prize from the American Society of Plant Biologists. In our interview, Julia shares more about her life and research.

Dr. Alan Cohen is Associate Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, Chair of Biological Complexity and Healthy Longevity, and Co-Director of the Science of Health Program in the Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center at Columbia University. In his research, Alan takes a theoretical biology approach to some of the biggest questions in science, including what aging is and what it means to be alive. Rather than viewing biology only as a collection of individual genes, molecules, and cells, he studies how these components interact as complex dynamic systems to maintain the internal balance that supports health. His work explores how the breakdown of these interconnected systems may underlie aging and disease, and how scientists can develop new ways to measure and understand these changes beyond traditional reductionist approaches. When he's not working, Alan enjoys practicing Aikido, a martial art he first learned while living in Japan. He also does contact improvisation dance, where partners use spontaneous points of physical contact to create movement together without knowing where the dance will lead. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Asian Studies from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and he was awarded his PhD in Biology from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Afterwards, Alan completed postdoctoral research at Johns Hopkins University, the University of Toronto, and the University of Sherbrooke. He then served on the faculty at the University of Sherbrooke for about 12 years before accepting a position at Columbia University in 2022. Alan has received various awards and honors, including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Institute of Aging New Investigator Prize of Excellence in Research on Aging and the CIHR New Investigator Salary Award. In this interview, he shares more about his life and science.

Dr. Isaac Harris is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomolecular Sciences and the Center for Discovery in Cancer Research at McMaster University. Isaac's research examines the roles of antioxidants in health and disease, including how they are produced and used in cells. He is particularly interested in how cancer cells rely on antioxidant pathways to survive and grow. Isaac is working to understand why high-dose antioxidant supplements may sometimes promote cancer rather than prevent it, and whether blocking cancer cells' natural antioxidant systems could slow tumor growth. When he's not working, Isaac enjoys spending time with his wife and five-year-old daughter, doing things like coloring, playing outside, visiting the park, or eating ice cream. He also likes cooking, reading, relaxing, watching TV, and introducing his daughter to some of his favorite childhood shows like The Simpsons. He received his bachelor's of engineering degree in chemical engineering and PhD in molecular biology from the University of Toronto. Next, he conducted postdoctoral research at Harvard medical school before joining the faculty at the University of Rochester and Wilmot Cancer Institute in 2019. In 2024, he was awarded the Wilmot Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) Innovator Award. He very recently moved his lab and joined the faculty McMaster University. In this interview, Isaac shares more about his life and research.