The Good, The Bad and The Curious - Interviews with Scientists

Dr Bryan Bzdek is a NERC independent research fellow in Aerosol Science based at the University of Bristol. In this episode Bryan introduces us to aerosols, what they are? And why they are important both for the climate, drug delivery and understanding disease transmission. 

To find out more about Bryan’s research and recent publications check out his profile. 

Website - http://www.bristol.ac.uk/chemistry/research/barc/research-group/bryan-bzdek/ 

Dr Hannah Bruce Macdonald is a Research Fellow in the Chodera Lab at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Hannah researches free energy methods for applications in drug design. In this episode we discuss, how are free energy calculations used in drug discovery? And how important are computational methods for modern drug synthesis?

Twitter - https://twitter.com/hannahbruce

Today Dr Aleks & Dr Ines are joined by special guest Dr Daniel Angerhausen, who is an Astrophysicist and Astrobiologist Postdoctoral Researcher at ETH Zürich, co-founder and CEO of the start-up Explainables and mentor at the NASA Frontier Development lab. In this podcast episode, Daniel discusses his research, managing his different roles and the Explainables start-up. 

Daniel's Website - http://www.explainables.org/ 

Dr Aleks Marsh and Dr Alan Mullan welcome back special guest Dr Matteo Gallidabino who is a Senior Lecturer in Forensic Science at Northumbria University. Matteo recently participated in series 1 of our podcast and has kindly agreed to join us for another episode.

We ask Matteo what information can we extract from chemical evidence? How can chemical information be used to track a weapon or explosive back to its source? And how different is the field of forensic science from what is portrayed in TV shows?

Check out Matteo’s profile at Northumbria University for more information and recent publications. https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/about-us/our-staff/g/matteo-d-gallidabino/

In this episode Dr Aleks Marsh and Dr Alan Mullan welcome special guest, Dr Guiseppe Aprea who is an Official Veterinary Officer at the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Abruzzo and Molise, Teramo in Italy. We discuss Bacteriophages and ask Giuseppe – what are bacteriophages? And why are these “good guys of the virus world” important for applications such as alternative to antibiotics or for gene therapy?

Find out more about Giuseppe’s research into food borne bacterial and viral pathogens and also how their Institute became involved in battling COVID-19 through the pandemic in Northern Italy.

Website - http://www.izs.it/IZS/Engine/RAServePG.php/P/250010010603/L/0

LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/giuseppe-aprea-7b869363

In this episode Dr Aleks Marsh and Dr Ines Juvan-Beaulieu are joined by astrophysicist Dr Heloise Stevance. Heloise currently works as a research fellow at the University of Auckland, studying massive stars and the origins of Kilonovae and Supernovae. Heloise is also a Science Communicator and makes great astronomy graphics that are freely available on her website to download.

In this episode we ask Heloise about her research, learning coding, making graphics, and challenges in science.

Twitter – @Sydonahi

Website - https://hfstevance.com/

Aleks, Alan and Conor discuss what it means to be a tech optimist; are we optimist about how technology can improve our lives? And, if so, what innovations are we excited about? What role can technology play in healthcare, environment and space exploration? Listen now to find out more.

Today we welcome a special guest Professor Winfried Hensinger, the head of the Quantum Technologies research group at the University of Sussex. In this episode Aleks and Marcin ask Winfred what is quantum computing and how is this different to traditional computing? What different types of quantum computing technologies are available? And what problems can quantum computing solve?

This episode features Dr Marcin, Dr Aleks and Dr Alan discussing the question how old is that apple?

Seasonal fruit and vegetable products are available year-round thanks to improved food preservation techniques which are prevalent in our supermarkets. This poses the question are preserved foods nutritionally as valuable? And what impact do preservation, storage and transport have on the taste and flavour of food?

This episode features Dr Aleks Marsh and Dr Alan Mullan interviewing guest Dr Michael Mullan - yes, we have Alan’s dad on the show! Michael is a food scientist with experience in industry, research and teaching in several areas of food manufacturing. Michael was a Lecturer in Food Technology at Queen's University Belfast for 19 years and is currently an independent Food & Beverages Professional.

In this episode we discuss what is pasteurization? How long does it take? What are the chemical and nutritional changes to milk on pasteurization? Finally, we ask Michael about the challenges facing dairy production today.