The Alba Diversity Podcast

What does success really mean in academia? Is it the number of papers you publish, the size of your lab, or the awards you collect or is the vision of success in academia biased?

In this final episode, Jonathan and Renaud bring together four scientists: Dr. Rachael Dangarembizi (South-Africa), Dr. Michaela Fenckova (Czech Republic), Dr. Harmit Malik (USA), and Dr. Srikanth Ramaswamy (UK), to challenge the traditional views of academic success.

Through their stories, they reveal the pressures of publish or perish, the invisible weight of systemic inequalities, and the cost of chasing recognition. But they also offer alternative compasses to guide you in this journey. From preserving your mental health to redefining how success is measured, this last episode invites you to rethink not just where you’re going, but how you choose to travel through the ocean of academia.

What does it take to handle power dynamics in academic life — not just within the lab, but in the broader institutional structures that shape a scientific career?

In this resonant episode, Renaud and Jonathan explore the complexities of academic hierarchies and institutional politics with three guests: Alicja Puścian (University of Warsaw, Poland), Dori Grijseels (Max Planck Institute, Germany), and Angeline Dukes (University of Minnesota, USA). Each guest brings valuable insight into how power is experienced, challenged, and negotiated at different stages of the academic journey.

This episode examines how broader power structures — toxic environments, institutional cultures, visa precarity, discrimination, lack of accountability — can shape the everyday experiences of researchers. It looks at the power of allyship, and how early-career scientists can navigate these realities while maintaining integrity and building healthy lab environments.

The ALBA-IBRO Diversity Podcast 'From Postdoc to PI' is organized with the support of the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO), a founding partner of the ALBA Network.

What if constraints could fuel your lab instead of limiting it? In this episode, we dive into the realities—and opportunities—of building a lab in resource-constrained settings.

Renaud and Jonathan talk to three inspiring scientists, Daniela Di Bella (Harvard, USA), Vatsala Thirumalai (National Centre for Biological Sciences, India), Sahba Besharati (University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa) to share how starting with less taught them to think bigger, act smarter, and stay true to their vision. From Argentina to India and South Africa, discover how determination and creativity can turn a restricted environment into a space for scientific excellence.

The ALBA-IBRO Diversity Podcast 'From Postdoc to PI' is organized with the support of the International Brain Research Organization, a founding partner of the ALBA Network.

Season 2 of the ALBA Diversity Podcast is coming in 2025!

The Diversity Podcast interviews neuroscientists from underrepresented groups to better understand their hurdles and victories, and what keeps them going in today’s brain research community. In season 2, we focus on the transition from postdoc to PI, highlighting the unique challenges faced by postdocs and early-career PIs worldwide. By sharing their experiences and strategies for overcoming obstacles, the podcast aims to provide valuable insights for scientists navigating this critical career stage.

Listen to season 2’s trailer to learn more!

The ALBA-IBRO Diversity Podcast season 2 is organized with the support of the International Brain Research Organization, a founding partner of the ALBA Network.

The ALBA-IBRO Podcast Miniseries is a collection of three episodes designed to provide a broader audience with exclusive insights into the topics covered at ALBA-IBRO diversity and inclusion events held during three international conferences in 2023.

For our third and final episode, we're coming to you from the 2023 Society for Neuroscience Meeting held in Washington, D.C., where ALBA and IBRO hosted an evening social about deconstructing colonial and historical biases in neuroscience. Dr Bashir is speaking with two researchers today about their insights on how historical biases have influenced our understanding of the brain and affect diversity and inclusion in research and academia today. The researchers are Dr Tiffany Younger from Columbia University, and Dr Melissa Perreault from the University of Guelph.

The ALBA-IBRO Podcast Miniseries is a collection of three episodes designed to provide a broader audience with exclusive insights into the topics covered at ALBA-IBRO diversity and inclusion events held during three international conferences in 2023.

For the second episode, we are at the IBRO World Congress 2023 on 9-13 September in Granada, Spain. The ALBA Network and the IBRO Early Career Committee partnered to facilitate a wide-ranging discussion of what neuroscientists can do as a community to build research capacity in the Global South, and how this increase in local capacities for research and innovation can, in the broader picture, bring benefits to us all. 

Dr Asma Bashir is speaking with the chairs and panelists of this event: Dr Miguel Maravall (University of Sussex, UK), Dr Isabel del Pino (Instituto de Neurociencias CSIC-UMH, Spain), Dr Mahmoud Bukar Maina (University of Sussex, UK / Yobe State University, Nigeria), Dr Pike-See Cheah (Universiti Putri Malaysia, Malaysia), Dr Jo Havemann (CEO of Access 2 Perspectives, Germany) and Dr Francisco Parada (Universidad Diego Portales, Chile). They share initiatives and success stories that allowed for capacity building in scientific research in diverse settings across the globe.

More information on this miniseries here: https://www.alba.network/alba-ibro-podcast-miniseries

This miniseries is organised with the support of the International Brain Research Organization, a founding partner of the ALBA Network.

The ALBA-IBRO Podcast Miniseries is a collection of three episodes designed to provide a broader audience with exclusive insights into the topics covered at ALBA-IBRO diversity and inclusion events held during three international conferences in 2023.

For the first episode, we are at the 16th International Conference of the Society of Neuroscientists of Africa (SONA) held in Johannesburg, South Africa (11-14 July 2023), where ALBA and IBRO organised a Mentoring circle workshop on Leadership at every career stage, in collaboration with World Women in Neuroscience and SANS (Southern African Neuroscience Society)

Dr Asma Bashir is speaking with three researchers located on the African continent about the role of mentoring in career advancement and capacity development in Africa: Dr Sara Elfarrash (EG), Dr Royhaan Folarin (NG) and Dr Lihle Qulu (SA).

For the closing remarks, Dr Bashir is discussing with the ALBA Network Office: Mathilde Maughan (Project and Network Manager) and Dr Keerthana Iyer (Partnerships and Development Manager), on their views and experience with mentoring in the field of equity, diversity and inclusion in neuroscience.

More information on this miniseries here: https://www.alba.network/alba-ibro-podcast-miniseries

This miniseries is organised with the support of the International Brain Research Organization, a founding partner of the ALBA Network.

Dr. Maryam Ziaei received her PhD in Neuroscience from School of Psychology, the University of Queensland (UQ), Australia. Following completion of her postdoctoral fellowship at the Centre for Advanced Imaging, UQ, she joined Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience in Norway to establish her own research group. She is currently an associate professor, and her primary focus is to understand neurocognitive mechanisms underlying social and emotional processing in aging.

She tells us about her journey in neuroscience as a practicing Muslim and about her unique experiences as an immigrant scientist in Australia.

More information:

• Personal website: www.maryamzi.com

Interviewed and edited by Shruti Muralidhar, Audio content editing by Abhishek Chari, Music from Lee Rosevere. Other projects by Shruti Muralidhar: @polybiotique, BiasWatchIndia, IndSciComm.