The Microscopists

#37 — Peter O’Toole’s guest for episode #37 of The Microscopists is Holly L. Aaron, Director of the CRL Molecular Imaging Center at the University of California Berkeley. Tune in to this candid episode and discover more about Holly’s aversion to grant writing, her plans for her self-built dream home on Hawaii, and why there’s nothing quite like the sight of lava flowing into the ocean.

We’ll touch on the career challenges that Holly has faced (please fess up if you spill something on a microscope!), her barista skills, and what to do when you’re not remotely prepared for polar bears. All in this episode of The Microscopists.

Watch or Listen to all episodes of The Microscopists here: https://themicroscopists.bitesizebio.com/

#36 — Today's guest on The Microscopists is Nobel Laureate Sir Paul Nurse, Chief Executive and Director of The Francis Crick Institute in London. Paul's early career used microscopic screening to identify temperature-sensitive cell-cycle mutants in fission yeast. This work led to the identification of the cell division cycle 2 gene (cdc2), which encodes a kinase critical for cell cycle progression.
It was for this work that he was awarded the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine alongside Tim Hunt and Leland Hartwell.

Watch or Listen to all episodes of The Microscopists here: https://themicroscopists.bitesizebio.com/

#35 — You’re in for a treat in this episode of The Microscopists as we’re joined by Sir Jeremy Farrar, Director of Wellcome. We learn more about Jeremy’s work as an infectious diseases specialist, his rugby- and cricket-playing pedigree, being a member of SAGE during COVID, and unusual wallpapers.
In this inspiring episode, Jeremy also reveals his ideal dinner party guests, how to cope with imposter syndrome, the wonders of All-Bran, and how he stays curious. Tune in to hear more!

Watch or Listen to all episodes of The Microscopists here: https://themicroscopists.bitesizebio.com/

#34 — Michelle S. Itano is the Director of the Neuroscience Center Microscopy Core at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. In this episode of The Microscopists, cellular biophysicist Michelle tells us about her role as Editor-in-Chief of Biotechniques, the importance of improving staff retention in core facilities, and how being a Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Imaging Scientist has proved both empowering and inspiring. Michelle also reveals more about her fossil-hunting childhood, her love of science fairs, and her “Texan stomach”! Tune in to hear more!

Watch or Listen to all episodes of The Microscopists here: https://themicroscopists.bitesizebio.com/

#33 — Mark Ellisman, Director of the National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research (NCMIR) at UCSD, is a leader in the development of 3D light and electron microscopy and its applications for studying cells of the brain and nervous system.

In this episode of The Microscopists, we learn more about Mark’s early passion for taking things apart and putting them together again, what it was like studying the brain and perception in the late 1960s, and how a plane ride led to him consulting on Fight Club. We also discover Mark’s thoughts on the importance of generosity in scientific collaboration and hear his advice for early career scientists.

Watch or Listen to all episodes of The Microscopists here: https://themicroscopists.bitesizebio.com/

#32 — Today’s guest on The Microscopists is none other than Martin Chalfie of Columbia University.

In this inspiring episode, we discover more about the work on the discovery and development of GFP that led to Martin sharing the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
We’ll also hear about some of the early challenges that Martin faced in his career, why he temporarily gave up on science, his various jobs before applying for grad school—including selling dresses for his parents’ manufacturing company—and his lockdown signature dish.

Watch or Listen to all episodes of The Microscopists here: https://themicroscopists.bitesizebio.com/

#31 — Joerg Bewersdorf is a leader in developing fluorescence microscopy techniques for biomedical research, such as Pan-Expansion microscopy.

In today’s entertaining episode of The Microscopists, we chat to Joerg about his early dreams of space, training as a physicist, straight talking, the (very important) hierarchy of deserts, and making a microscope out of gingerbread (it even had a lens!). Tune in for more inspiring insights.

Watch or Listen to all episodes of The Microscopists here: https://themicroscopists.bitesizebio.com/

#30 — Prisca Liberali of the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI) is a pioneer in the field of cellular self-organization and collective behaviors during developmental and regenerative processes.

In today’s energetic and inspiring episode of The Microscopists, Peter O’Toole learns more about Prisca’s training as a chemist, her research into organoids, her inner drive, and why it sometimes pays to take risks. We also learn more about her love of sport and the outdoors, who she was rooting for in the Eurovision Song Contest, and why she started buying herself Lego during lockdown.

Watch or Listen to all episodes of The Microscopists here: https://themicroscopists.bitesizebio.com/