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

Dr. Teresa Bergholz is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Veterinary and Microbiological Sciences at North Dakota State University. She completed undergraduate training in Food Science and Microbiology at Michigan State University and also received her PhD in Food Science from Michigan State University. Afterwards, Teresa conducted postdoctoral research in the Department of Food Science at Cornell University before joining the faculty at NDSU where she is today. Teresa is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Todd Cade is an Associate Professor of Physical Therapy and Medicine, as well as Associate Director of Postdoctoral Fellowships in the Program in Physical Therapy at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine. He received his undergraduate training in Kinesiological Science at the University of Maryland, College Park and went on to complete his M.Sc. in Physical Therapy at the University of Miami. Afterwards Todd was awarded his PhD in Rehabilitation Science from the University of Maryland and he received a postdoctoral fellowship in Endocrinology and Metabolism at Washington University in St. Louis before joining the faculty there. Todd is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Christine McCarthy is the Lamont Assistant Research Professor at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University. She received her B.S. in Geophysics from the University of Oregon and went on to receive her M.Sc. and PhD in Geological Science from Brown University. Afterward, Christine conducted postdoctoral research at the Earthquake Research Institute at the University of Tokyo in Japan. She was awarded a Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Postdoctoral Fellowship, followed by a NASA Early Career Fellowship, before joining the faculty at Columbia where she is today. Christine is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Rob Johns is a Research Scientist and Forest Insect Ecologist for the Natural Resources Canada Atlantic Forestry Centre. He is also an Adjunct Professor in Biology at the University of New Brunswick and St. Francis Xavier University. Rob received his undergraduate training in biology from St. Francis Xavier University and PhD in Biology from the University of New Brunswick. He was then was awarded a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship from the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science before joining the Canadian Forest Service where he is today. Rob is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Laurie Santos is a Professor of Psychology and Director of the Comparative Cognition Laboratory at Yale University. She received her B.A. in Psychology and Biology from Harvard and Radcliffe College, and went on to complete her M.A. and Ph.D. in Psychology from Harvard University. Among Laurie’s many awards and honors, she has received the American Psychological Association’s Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contributions to Psychology, the Lex Hixton Prize for Teaching Excellence in the Social Sciences, the Arthur Greer Memorial Prize for Outstanding Junior Faculty at Yale, the Stanton Prize from the Society for Philosophy and Psychology, and she has been named one of TIME Magazine’s “Leading Campus Celebrities”. Laurie and her research have been featured by The Today Show, BBC News, NPR News, NBC News, The New York Times, and many other media outlets. She is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. David C. Weindorf is the Associate Dean for Research in the

Dr. Stephen Heard is Professor of Biology at the University of New Brunswick. He received his B.Sc. in Biology from the University of Waterloo and his PhD in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania. Afterwards, Steve conducted postdoctoral research at the University of British Columbia and served on the faculty at the University of Iowa before joining the faculty at New Brunswick where he is today. Steve also writes a blog called Scientist Sees Squirrel, and he is the author of a new book, hot-off-the presses this April, called The Scientist’s Guide to Writing: How to write more easily and effectively throughout your scientific career. Steve is here with us today to talk about his experiences in life and science.

Dr. Matt O'Neal is an Associate Professor of Entomology at Iowa State University. He received his B.S. in Biology and M.S. in Entomology from the University of Illinois. Matt served as a Peace Corps Volunteer between those two degrees. After his masters he went on to receive his PhD in Entomology from Michigan State University. Next, Matt conducted postdoctoral research at Michigan State before joining the Faculty at the Iowa State where he is today. Matt’s honors and awards include the Team Achievement Award for the Crop Advantage Series from Iowa State University Extension, the National Excellence In Multistate Research Award from the American Public Land-Grant Universities, and the Integrated Pest Management Team Award from the Entomological Foundation. He has also received various awards from the Entomological Society of America, the American Society of Agronomy, and the Board Certified Entomologists of Mid-America for his educational and outreach efforts. In addition, Matt is co-host of the Soybean Pest Podcast with his colleague Erin Hodgson. Matt is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Lewis Cantley is the Director of the Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medical College as well as the Stanton Clinical Cancer Program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. He is also Professor of Cancer Biology in Medicine and Professor in Oncology Research at Weill Cornell Medical College. In addition, Lewis is Co-Founder of Petra Pharma and Agios Pharmaceuticals. He received his B.S. in Chemistry from West Virginia Wesleyan College and his Ph.D. in Biophysical Chemistry from Cornell University. Lewis conducted postdoctoral research at Harvard University, and served on the faculty at Harvard University, as well as Tufts University before joining the faculty at Cornell. Lewis has received many awards and honors during his career, including the 2005 Pezcoller Foundation-American Association for Cancer Research International Award for Cancer Research, the 2013 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, the 2015 Ross Prize in Molecular Medicine, the 2015 Wolf Prize, the 2015 Association of American Cancer Institutes Distinguished Scientist Award, the 2015 Canada Cairdner award, and he was named one of “The World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds” in 2015 by Thomson Reuter. Lewis is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, as well as a Member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, and the European Life Sciences Academy. Lewis is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Blake Meyers is a Member Principal Investigator at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and a Professor in the Division of Plant Sciences at the University of Missouri. He received a B.A. in Biology from the University of Chicago, and went on to receive his MS and PhD in Genetics from the University of California, Davis. Afterwards, Blake completed postdoctoral fellowships at Dupont Genomics and at the University of California, Davis. Before accepting his current positions, Blake was the Edward F. and Elizabeth Goodman Rosenberg Professor and Chair of the Department Plant and Soil Sciences of the University of Delaware. Blake is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.