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

Dr. Larry Squire is a Professor of Psychiatry, Neurosciences, and Psychology at the University of California San Diego and a Senior Research Career Scientist at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in San Diego. He received his PhD From the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and completed his postdoctoral training at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine before joining the faculty at UCSD. Larry has received many honors and awards during his career. He is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, The National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and The Institute of Medicine. Larry also previously served as President of the Society for Neuroscience. He is also a William James Fellow of the American Psychological Society and has received many awards, including the Award for Scientific Reviewing from the National Academy of Sciences. Larry is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Benjamin Halpern is a Professor in the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California Santa Barbara and Chair in Marine Conservation at Imperial College London. He also serves as the Director of the Center for Marine Assessment and Planning (CMAP) at UC Santa Barbara and as a Research Associate at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS). Ben received his PhD in Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology from the University of California Santa Barbara. Afterwards, he held a joint postdoctoral fellowship at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis and the Smith Fellowship Program sponsored by The Nature Conservancy. He then worked as a Research Biologist at the Marine Science Institute and was a Center Associate of the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis before accepting his current positions. Ben is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Dustin S. Siegel is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Southeast Missouri State University. He received his Masters in Biology from Southeastern Louisiana University and his PhD in Biology from Saint Louis University. Dustin is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Patrick Hart is an Associate Professor and Department Chair in the Department of Biology at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. He received his Ph.D. in Zoology (Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology) from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and joined the faculty of the University of Hawaii in 2005. Patrick is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Laura Burkle is an Assistant Professor of Ecology at Montana State University. She received her PhD in Biology from Dartmouth College. Laura then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis before joining the faculty at Montana State. Laura is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Scott Fruin is Assistant Professor in Preventive Medicine at the University of Southern California (USC) Keck School of Medicine. Scott worked as a Mechanical Engineer at Bell Labs for a few years before earning his Bachelors and Masters degrees at the University of Minnesota. He also spent a year traveling the world before working as a Consulting Environmental Engineer before returning to the academic world to get his PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles. He also worked for the government on the Air Resources Board for 7 years. Scott is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Peter Wilf is a Professor in the Department of Geosciences at Pennsylvania State University. After graduating college from the University of Pennsylvania, Peter spent a few years teaching math and science in a middle school and then spent some time as a professional performing musician. He then entered the academic research world, receiving his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and subsequently completing a postdoctoral fellowship with the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Peter also served as a Michigan Fellow and Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan before joining the faculty at Penn State. Peter is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Cameron Thrash is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Louisiana State University. After completing his undergraduate studies at UC San Diego, Cameron worked as a technician at the Scripps Research Institute. He then started graduate school, receiving his PhD in Microbiology from UC Berkeley, followed by postdoctoral training at Oregon State University. Cameron is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Jack Horner is the Regents Professor of Paleontology and Curator of Paleontology of the Museum of the Rockies at Montana State University. Jack is known for making many groundbreaking discoveries in paleontology, including the first dinosaur eggs in the Western Hemisphere, the first evidence of dinosaur colonial nesting, the first evidence of parental care among dinosaurs, and the first dinosaur embryos. He has received many awards and accolades during his career, including the MacArthur Fellowship “Genius Grant”, and honorary doctorate degrees from the University of Montana and Pennsylvania State University. Jack also has served as the technical adviser for all of the Jurassic Park movies and is the model for movie's lead character, Dr Alan Grant. Jack is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Mike Barlow is a Professor and Head of Astrophysics at University College London. He received his PhD in astrophysics from the University of Sussex. Afterwards, he completed a European Space Research Organisation and NASA fellowship at the University of California at Berkeley and also a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Colorado. Mike worked as a Staff Scientist Anglo-Australian Observatory before coming to University College London. Mike is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.