In this episode, co-hosts Drs. Nicole Quinn and Jason Goldsmith chat with Dr. César de la Fuente, Presidential Associate Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. de la Fuente discusses his work using AI to discover new antibiotics, and building a new large language model in his lab. He talks about opportunities for AI to assist researchers with administrative tasks, as well as current limitations of the technology. He also touches on the future of AI, including the generation of “AI scientists,” and the need to address server use and environmental impacts.

Image courtesy of Dr. César de la Fuente

Never miss updates about new episodes.

In this episode, co-hosts Drs. Nicole Quinn and Arun Sharma chat with Tamara Poles, Founder and CEO of Universal SciCom. Tamara discusses her career path into science communication and how she helps scientists become effective communicators. She also talks about the importance of authenticity and storytelling when engaging with the public, and how early-career scientists can cultivate their communication skills.

Never miss updates about new episodes.

In this episode, co-hosts Drs. Nicole Quinn and Daylon James chat with Drs. Lisa Corwin and Sandhya Krishnan from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Dr. Corwin is an Associate Professor and Principal Investigator of the REACH Lab, which studies how early-career scientists engage with and persevere through challenges in their research. Dr. Krishnan is a NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Postdoc Associate with FLAMEnet, and Project Lead at the Science of Failure. They talk about how students cope with research failures and how mentors can normalize and allow for failure on a smaller scale. They also talk about how researchers can be transparent with their experimental results.

Images courtesy of Drs. Lisa Corwin and Sandhya Krishnan

Sign up to receive helpful advice and updates on new episodes.

In this episode, co-hosts Drs. Nicole Quinn and Brenda Raud chat with Dr. Judy Mielke and Kate Gardner, Co-Founders of scientifyRESEARCH, a database that helps connect researchers with funding opportunities. They discuss trends in scientific funding, how to be strategic when applying, and opportunities for researchers in lower- and middle-income countries.

Images courtesy of Dr. Judy Mielke and Kate Gardner

Sign up to receive helpful advice and updates on new episodes.

In this episode, co-hosts Drs. Nicole Quinn and Arun Sharma chat with Dr. Karen Kelsky, the founder of The Professor Is In, an online resource, book and consultancy for navigating academic careers. Dr. Kelsky shares how she has helped over 15,000 PhDs find fulfilling paths inside and outside academia, reflects on her own career journey, and gives practical advice for thriving in the academic job market.

Image courtesy of Dr. Karen Kelsky

Never miss updates about new episodes.

In this episode, Drs. Nicole Quinn and Jason Goldsmith chat with Lynn Csontos, VP of Regulatory Affairs at STEMCELL Technologies. Lynn discusses the process of developing reagents for the manufacture of cell and gene therapies, how standards vary from country to country, and the need for diversity in clinical trials. She also talks about her career transition from research and development to regulatory affairs and the creativity involved in her role.

Image courtesy of STEMCELL Technologies

Sign up to receive helpful advice and updates on new episodes.

In this episode, Drs. Nicole Quinn and Brenda Raud chat with Dr. Nokuthula Mchunu, Deputy Director of the African Open Science Platform. Dr. Mchunu discusses challenges faced by scientists in Africa, including infrastructure limitations, language barriers, and inequities in research funding and publishing. She shares insights on fostering equitable partnerships, strengthening research systems, and rethinking scientific publishing to ensure broader access to knowledge and collaboration across the global scientific community.

Image courtesy of Dr. Nokuthula Mchunu

Sign up to receive helpful advice and updates on new episodes.

In this episode, Drs. Nicole Quinn and Daylon James chat with Dr. Brandon Stell, Research Scientist at the National Center for Scientific Research in Paris and Founder of PubPeer.com, a website that provides scientists with a forum to discuss published research literature.

Dr. Stell talks about his and his co-founders’ motivations for launching, and the platform’s impacts since then. He discusses PubPeer as a place for not only scrutinizing data, but also for facilitating discussions between researchers. He also talks about receiving an Einstein Foundation Award, the role of anonymity on the site, and future plans for the platform.

Image courtesy of Dr. Brandon Stell

Sign up to receive helpful advice and updates on new episodes.

In this episode, Drs. Nicole Quinn and Jason Goldsmith chat with Dr. Alex Shalek, the J. W. Kieckhefer Professor in the Institute for Medical Engineering & Science and the Department of Chemistry at MIT. He and members of his lab strive to engineer and create technologies and methods achievable by any lab, anywhere in the world through open source experimental protocols and computational packages. He talks about ownership, reproducibility, and privacy considerations when sharing data.

Image courtesy of Dr. Alex Shalek

Sign up to receive helpful advice and updates on new episodes.

In this episode, Drs. Nicole Quinn and Brenda Raud chat with Dr. Sara Yeo, an Associate Professor of Communications at the University of Utah. Specializing in science and risk communication, Dr. Yeo’s research explores the intersection of science, media, and politics. She talks about building trust and engagement in science communication and how humor can help. She also discusses unconventional career paths and how social media can help scientists be more open.

Image courtesy of Dr. Sara Yeo

Sign up to receive helpful advice and updates on new episodes.