The Future Conceived

In this episode of The Future Conceived, host Jacquelyn Dal Bon, a member of the SSR Training Affairs Committee, sits down with Dr. Liesl Nel-Themaat, Liesl Nel-Themaat, PhD, HCLD, MBA, co-founder and owner of The Collaborative and former IVF lab director at Stanford University, the University of Colorado, and Shady Grove Fertility. As part of the Alternative Careers in Reproductive Biology series, Dr. Nel-Themaat shares her journey from studying animal biotechnology in South Africa and Louisiana to leading clinical IVF laboratories across the United States.

Listen in as Dr. Nel-Themaat breaks down the rapidly evolving landscape of clinical embryology, including emerging technologies like automated ICSI, time-lapse imaging with AI algorithms, and non-invasive metabolic assessment. She also discusses the real-world impact of reproductive legislation on clinic operations, the educational pathways and certifications required to enter the field, and why networking at conferences is essential for basic and animal scientists looking to transition into clinical reproductive medicine.

Interested in connecting with Dr. Nel-Themaat to learn more about careers in clinical embryology? Reach out to her directly at: [email protected]

To learn more about the Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR), go to: SSR.org

Note: AI tools were utilized in the generation of the transcript and summary for this episode. All content has been rigorously reviewed by The Future Conceived team for accuracy.

In this episode of The Future Conceived, Dr. Victor A. Ruthig, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, sits down with Dr. Blanche Capel, Duke University. Dr. Capel is the 2026 recipient of SSR’s highest honor, The Carl G. Hartman award. Listen in as Dr. Capel reflects on mentorship, starting with her own journey as a scientific mentee. First as a graduate student with Dr. Beatrice “Bea” Mintz, then as a postdoc with Dr. Robin Lovell-Badge. This includes recalling what it was like to be a trainee in the Lovell-Badge Lab during the race to identify the male sex determining gene on the Y chromosome (SRY). The conversation culminates with Dr. Capel describing starting her independent lab, developing her own mentorship style, and bringing mouse and turtle genetics to Duke University.

To learn more about SSR, go to: SSR.org

In this episode of The Future Conceived, host Dr. Jeremy Egbert sits down with Dr. Kahina Boukherroub to explore the unique world of avian reproductive biology. Dr. Boukherroub breaks down how 3D tissue organoids are transforming poultry research, offering key insights into antioxidant pathways to improve turkey fertility and exploring how the reproductive tract responds to pathogens like avian influenza.

Beyond the bench, Dr. Boukherroub offers practical, encouraging advice for early-career researchers navigating the competitive world of grant writing. She emphasizes the power of clear storytelling, visual presentation design, and constructive feedback, while highlighting why avian models are vital for global food security, animal welfare, and One Health initiatives.

To learn more about SSR, go to: SSR.org

This is the final episode of our 2025-26 series on ‘mechanisms in reproductive biology’. Over the course of twelve fascinating conversations, I’ve spoken with researchers fom various disciplines who study sperm, eggs, or embryos through the lenses of molecular biology, evolution, and physics. My goal was to learn from researchers who study the same systems, but approach the problem from completely different starting assumptions about how biology works in the first place. Additionally, I had an opportunity in the last three episodes of the season to pause a bit, and think deeply about what the concept of mechanism means, and how our common preconceptions have historically influenced the practice of biological science. If you want to check out those previous episodes, there is a full list in the show notes.    

Today, I have the pleasure of chatting with Dr. Rob Phillips, of the California Institute of Technology. Rob’s research focuses on understanding an impressive range of biological phenomena from molecules to ecosystems. Some of his recent work, which we’ll discuss in this episode, is focused on understanding how seemingly distinct biological processes such as translation of proteins on the ribosome or the foraging behavior of ant colonies actually have something in common- they tend to achieve consistent outcomes while also being relatively insensitive to their starting configurations- behavior which, I might add, is difficult or impossible to predict from molecular mechanistic descriptions alone.  

Rob’s many wonderful books, such as ‘Cell Biology by the Numbers, and Physical Biology of the Cell, had a huge influence on me during my formative years as a biologist. It was a real honor to get to have this conversation with him, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  

To learn more about SSR, go to: SSR.org

Link to John Gerhart and Marc Kirschner's book mentioned in the episode.

Link to Dr. Phillips' webpage.

Link to the paper 'Biological Processes as Exploratory Dynamics' mentioned in the episode.

There is also a preprint of the article available here.

In this episode of The Future Conceived, hosts Pam Monahan and Ana Cheong sit down with the brilliant minds behind the stunning winning images of the 2025 SSR Repro BioArt Contest. This annual competition, organized by the Society for the Study of Reproduction's Public Affairs Committee, celebrates the extraordinary beauty, creativity, and discovery revealed under the microscope.

Meet the Winners & Their Masterpieces
Lyda Yuliana Parra Forero (People’s Choice Award Winner): A postdoctoral researcher at the University of Illinois, Lyda shares the story behind her jaw-dropping 3D reconstruction of a bovine embryo. Stained for F-actin (green) and nuclei (magenta) using confocal microscopy Z-stacks, her image highlights the cellular elegance of compaction, proliferation, and differentiation.

Avery Hlavacek (Members’ Choice Award Winner): A PhD student at the University of Missouri, Avery captured the hearts of the SSR community with a beautiful, charismatic portrait of a transgenic CF-1 mouse. This EGFP-reporter model allows her lab to visualize delicate spindle behavior and microtubule organizing centers (MTOCs) during meiosis I without disrupting normal biological functions.

Learn more about the Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR) at www.ssr.org.

Note: AI tools were utilized in the generation of the transcript and summary for this episode. All content has been rigorously reviewed by the Future Conceived team for accuracy.

This season we’ve been exploring the concept of mechanism in reproductive biology. In a recent episode with Dr. Dan Nicholson we learned that scientists have historically framed problems in biology through metaphors that reflect everyday technologies. In fact, the word mechanism implies that biology has machine-like qualities. Today, as digital computers permeate nearly every part of our daily lives, it seems worth examining whether computing metaphors are poised to reshape our understanding of biology in the 21st century, much as the machine metaphor did in the latter half of the 20th century. 

Today I have the pleasure of chatting with Dr. Corey Maley of Purdue University. Corey is a philosopher with a background in neuroscience who studies the fundamental nature of computation… A topic that is much broader than I originally thought. Our chat covers the role of philosophy in science, the definition of computation, and when biological systems are (and are not) literally computers. 

Learn More about SSR at SSR.org

Learn more about Dr. Maley's work at: https://www.cla.purdue.edu/directory/profiles/corey-maley.html

Link to Paper "How (and Why) To Think That The Brain is Literally A Computer".

This season we’ve been exploring the concept of mechanism in reproductive biology. We’ve chatted with scientists from across disciplines who are working to better understand how sperm, eggs, and embryos work. Over the next three episodes, we’ll be exploring the idea of mechanism itself. We’ll learn how the historical practice of biology has shaped the way we think about mechanisms today, how computing metaphors might supercede the machine metaphors that dominate in molecular biology, and how the fields of biology and physics might be on course to collide in the coming decades.   

Today, I have the pleasure of chatting with the renown philosopher of biology, Dr. Dan Nicholson of George Mason University. Dan is a talented science communicator and recent author of the book “What is Life, Revisited”, in which he analyzes the motivations of Erwin Shrodinger’s famous 1944 lecture series and its impact on the nascent field of molecular biology. Dan’s introspective writing has changed the way I think about biology. It was a real joy to get to have this conversation with him. Our far-reaching conversation covered the role of philosophy in the practice of science, how and how not to think about organisms as machines, and the role of random variation in biological systems. 

Link to SSR Website: https://ssr.org/

Link to Dr. Nicholson's Faculty Page: https://philosophy.gmu.edu/people/dnicho

Book Link: "What is Life, Revisited": https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/abs/what-is-life-revisited/E6B3EA136720CF50C9480ADB8F41A6F4

What does it take to transition from a curious undergraduate to an award-winning Assistant Professor? In this episode, host Dr. Pam Monahan (Northwestern University) sits down with Dr. Camilla Hughes, Assistant Professor of Reproductive Biology at Penn State and the 2025 recipient of the Janice Bahr Junior Scientist Travel Award.

Dr. Hughes dives into the "through-line" of her research: the fascinating and often under-explored relationship between immune cells and the ovary. From the prenatal establishment of the ovarian reserve in cattle to the complex signaling that regulates the corpus luteum, Dr. Hughes explains why understanding the immune system is key to unlocking new insights in reproductive physiology.

Beyond the bench, we discuss the power of the SSR community. Dr. Hughes shares the profound impact of the late Dr. Janice Bahr’s legacy, her experiences in the world-renowned Frontiers in Reproduction (FIR) course, and practical advice for junior scientists on how to "be a sponge" at scientific meetings.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• The Janice Bahr Legacy: The importance of supporting junior faculty and the impact of long-term mentorship within the SSR.
• Ovarian Physiology: A deep dive into bovine and ovine models, prenatal development, and the role of immune resident cells.
• The "Frustration" of Learning: Why the most difficult moments in the lab often lead to the most significant scientific breakthroughs.
• Conference Networking 101: Concrete tips for trainees on how to navigate large meetings, find collaborators, and move past "imposter syndrome."

About the Guest:
Dr. Camilla Hughes is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal Science at Penn State University. Her lab focuses on ovarian physiology, specifically the role of immune signaling in the establishment of the ovarian reserve and the function of the corpus luteum. She is a proud alumna of the FIR course and a dedicated member of the Society for the Study of Reproduction.

This podcast is sponsored by the Virtual Education Committee of the Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR). Our mission is to highlight member careers, share technology updates, and bring you the latest scientific advancements in reproductive biology.

Learn more about the Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR) at www.ssr.org.

Note: AI tools were utilized in the generation of the transcript and summary for this episode. All content has been rigorously reviewed by the Future Conceived team for accuracy.

In today’s episode, we have the pleasure of chatting with Dr. Colm Kelleher, a physicist in the Bioinspired Institute at Syracuse University. 

During cell division, the chromosomes that contain the genetic material must be copied and segregated. Failure to segregate correctly has dire consequences for cell viability and is a common problem during IVF and pre-implantation embryo culture. 

The spindle apparatus that segregates the chromosomes is comprised of ~1000 distinct types of proteins with many thousands of copies of each type. With that in mind, we can imagine the spindle as an extremely complicated molecular machine with millions of parts that each need to be in the right place at the right time for the spindle to carry out its essential functions. This kind of description raises some serious questions. 

For example, how can we know which parts are the most consequential when there are so many, and the relative importance of different parts changes over time or depends on the molecular details of the cellular environment? 

Dr. Kelleher argues that there is another way to think about it. He is working to apply intermediate scale models from materials physics to describe spindle formation in a way that minimizes that number of things that need to be measured in the lab. In other words, how should we describe spindle formation, if we can’t rely on knowing everything about the molecules that make it up? As it turns out, the spindle apparatus has more in common with a handful of dried spaghetti than you might think. 

Check out our website: https://ssr.org/

Link to Dr. Kelleher's faculty page: https://artsandsciences.syracuse.edu/people/faculty/colm-kelleher/#Biography   

In this episode of the Future Conceived podcast, Dr. David Pepin, recipient of the Roger V. Short Medal, shares a candid and inspiring look at his non-linear path from a "failed" postdoc to a leader in reproductive biology. He details how a accidental discovery—finding that anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) could "pause" ovarian activity—transformed into a decade-long mission to revolutionize contraception and oncofertility.

To learn more about Dr. Pepin's lab site, visit https://www.pepinlab.com/david-pepin

Learn more about the Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR) at www.ssr.org.