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

Dr. Chelsea Specht is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Plant and Microbial Biology and also Integrative Biology, as well as the Curator of monocots at the Jepson Herbaria at the University of California, Berkeley. She received her B.A. From the University of Delaware. Chelsea went on to complete her M.S. and Ph.D. in Biology from New York University. Afterward, Chelsea worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Botany at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History before joining the faculty at UC, Berkeley where she is today. Chelsea has received the Prytanean Faculty Award from the Prytanean Honors Society Alumni, the Hellman Award from the Hellman Faculty Fund, the Presidential Chair Fellowship from the Division of Teaching and Learning, a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, and a Kavli Fellowship from the National Academy of Sciences. She was also recently elected to the California Academy of Sciences. She is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Adam Gazzaley is a Professor of Neurology, Physiology and Psychiatry and the Founding Director of the Neuroscience Imaging Center at the University of California, San Francisco. Adam is also Co-Founder and Chief Science Advisor of Akili Interactive Labs, a company that is developing therapeutic video games. He received his M.D. And Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Adam then completed his Internship in Medicine and Clinical Residency in Neurology at the University of Pennyslvania, followed by postdoctoral training in Cognitive Neuroscience at UC, Berkeley before joining the faculty at UCSF where he is today. Adam is the recipient of the Pfizer/AFAR Innovations in Aging Award, the Ellison Foundation New Scholar Award in Aging, the Harold Brenner Pepinsky Early Career Award in Neurobehavioral Science, and the UCSF 150th Anniversary Alumni Excellence Award. He is also an elected Member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation. Adam is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Douglass F. Taber is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Delaware. He received his B.S.in Chemistry from Stanford University and Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Columbia University. Douglass conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Wisconsin and served on the faculty at Vanderbilt University before joining the faculty at the University of Delaware where he is today. Douglass is a Fellow of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and recipient of the Allan R. Day Award from the Philadelphia Organic Chemists Club. He is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Ryan Martin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Case Western Reserve University. He received a B.S. in Ecology and Evolution from the University of California, Santa Cruz and was awarded his Ph.D. in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Afterward, Ryan conducted postdoctoral research at North Carolina State University and the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis in Knoxville, TN before accepting a faculty position at Case Western where he is today. Ryan is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Karmella Haynes is an Assistant Professor in the Ira A. Fulton School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering at Arizona State University. She is also a senior judge for the International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition. She received her Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics from Washington University in St. Louis. Prior to joining the faculty at ASU, Karmella was awarded a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Teaching and Research fellowship at Davidson College, followed by an NIH postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School. Karmella is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Pat Hutchings is a Senior Principal Research Scientist at the Australian Museum Research Institute. She received her B.Sc. with Special Honors from Queen Mary's College of the University of London and her Ph.D. and D.Sc. in reproductive biology of a sea worm from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Pat is a Fellow and Senior Vice President of the Royal Zoological Society of New South Whales. She is Past president of the Australian Coral Reef Society, Former Councillor of the Australian Marine Sciences Association, Past President of the International Polychaete Association, and Former Vice President of the Coast and Wetlands Society. In addition, she was the recipient of the Silver Jubilee Medal from the Australian Marine Science Association for her contributions to marine sciences. Pat is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Patrick Lusk is an Assistant Professor of Cell Biology at Yale University. He received his B.S. and Ph.D. in Cell Biology from the University of Alberta and went on to conduct postdoctoral research at The Rockefeller University before accepting his current position at Yale. Patrick is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Peter Crane is the Carl W. Knobloch Jr. Dean of the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and Professor of Botany at Yale University. Peter received his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Reading in the United Kingdom. Afterward, he conducted postdoctoral research at Indiana University and worked for about 17 years at the Field Museum in Chicago, rising from Assistant Curator in Paleobotany to Museum Director. Peter then served as Director and Chief Executive of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He also served as the John and Marion Sullivan University Professor at the University of Chicago before joining the faculty at Yale where he is today. Peter has received many prestigious awards and honors during his career. First and foremost, he was knighted in the United Kingdom in 2004 for his contributions to horticulture and conservation. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society, a Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences, a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In addition, Peter has received multiple honorary degrees and fellowships, including an honorary doctoral degree from the University of Cambridge. He was also the recipient of the International Prize for Biology awarded in Japan last December, as well as many other national and international awards. Peter is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. David Beversdorf is an Associate Professor of Radiology, Neurology, and Psychological Sciences and holds the William and Nancy Thompson Chair of Radiology at the University of Missouri. In addition, David is the Director of the Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory at the MU Thompson Center, Director of the Center for Translational Neuroscience and Director of Graduate Studies for the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program there. He received his M.D. from Indiana University School of Medicine and completed a Neurology residency at Dartmouth. David then completed a fellowship in Behavioral Neurology at the University of Florida and served on the faculty at Ohio State University before joining the faculty at the University of Missouri where he is today. David is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Wendy Chung is the Herbert Irving Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine and Director of Clinical Genetics at Columbia University. She received her undergraduate training at Cornell University and went on to receive her PhD in Molecular Genetics from Rockefeller University and her M.D. from Cornell University. Afterward, Wendy completed her Internship and Residency in Pediatrics, a Fellowship in Clinical Genetics, and a Fellowship in Molecular Genetics at the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center. Wendy is the recipient of an American Academy of Pediatrics Young Investigator Award, the Charles W. Bohmfalk Award for Distinguished Contributions to Teaching in the Clinical Years, the Medical Achievement Award from Bonei Olam, as well as the Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching from Columbia University. Wendy is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.