Two Daves and a Doc

In this episode, we welcome our next guest onto the show, Dr Nadina Galle, who gained her PhD in Ecological Engineering jointly between our home institution of University College Dublin and Trinity College Dublin.

Born in the Netherlands and raised in Canada, She developed a love for the outdoors and a commitment to conserving nature from a young age. Reading works by Jane Jacobs and James Howard Kunstler as a teenager, she began questioning the imbalance between nature and the encroaching urban sprawl she saw around me in suburban Canada.

‍As an ecological engineer, driven by a love for ecology and a fascination with technology, her work focuses on research, design, and piloting emerging technologies to build better urban ecosystems for people and nature, A framework she calls the “Internet of Nature”.

With over a decade of experience in academia across four continents, scientific research is squarely in her wheelhouse. But her research combined with my years working at—and building her own—tech start-ups is unique. She now delivers keynotes, moderates global events, disseminates knowledge, and launches products at the nexus of cities, ecology, and technology. Work that has been recognized by National Geographic, Forbes, The Next Web, Newsweek, ELLE, and the European Space Agency.

We chat with Nadina about Nature, the importance of self-promotion in today's online world and about her new form of impact-driven research.

In this episode, we welcome our next guest onto the show, Dr. Carly Anne York, who gained her PhD in Ecological Science from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, focusing on the predatory responses of squid through ontogeny.

As a biology professor and science communicator, she endeavours to teach scientific concepts to a large diversity of students in a clear and enthusiastic manner. Her goal in teaching is to give students a solid understanding of the fundamental principles of biology by: (1) cultivating an excitement in science and the scientific process, (2) effectively breaking down intricate topics to their core principles so that they are readily accessible for the student, and (3) mentoring undergraduates by providing training and experience in research.

We chat with Carly about science communication, the importance of new teaching methods in our modern world and the power of communication to non-scientists in research.

In this episode we're joined by Dr. Helen Zidon, our first non-Phd guest, who gained her MD in Medicine, Surgery and Obstetrics from the https://www.rcsi.com/dublin (Royal College of Surgeons) in Dublin. After some time in hospitals, she decided to focus on the commercial world, working with a medical imaging company as the Medical content advisor to ensure accurate medical information, as the COO of https://www.medicsabroadgroup.com/ (Medics Abroad), and is now Deputy Head of Medical Information at https://www.aspenpharma.com/ (Aspen Pharma Group). We chat with Helen about conspiracy theories, anti-vax and the poor understanding of science and medicine around the world.

In this episode, we discuss how to start your PhD writing, which is one of the most difficult initial tasks you'll facing in the early days. How do you start? What's a Conference Paper? How do Poster Sessions work at Conferences? Join us as we chat about the earliest stages of academic writing, using opportunities effectively and how to prepare, publish and present your academic work.

Today, we welcome our next guest onto the show, Dr Antoinette Cameron-Pimblett, who gained her PhD in Reproductive Health from University College London, focusing on specific reproductive health issues specific patient cohorts.

Her research areas include Reproductive Medicine, Rare Disease, Diabetes and uro-oncology. She is currently an Innovation Project Coordinator at Open Medical. Open Medical specialises in bespoke cloud-based platforms which are interoperable with current NHS EPR systems.

We chat with Antoinette about non-standard paths to Doctoral studies, the hidden setbacks we may face in our journeys and our ideal goals for a more inclusive doctoral journey for all.

Today, we welcome our next guest onto the show, Dr. Vivian Rath, who gained his PhD in Higher Education Administration from Trinity College Dublin, focusing on the social engagement experiences of disabled students in higher education in Ireland.

During his 12 years working and studying in higher education, he developed a deep understanding of the management of the student experience for all while providing for the needs of 7,000+ students via roles as UCD Students' Union Welfare Officer and Vice President representing 20,000 students. A background Degree in Pharmacology and a Masters in Business Management from Smurfit Business School, along with key roles in access, disability and employment, left him well suited for roles as Director and Secretary of the Board of Ahead, Governor on the UCD Governing Authority and Chair of Student Affairs Ireland.

He is an appointee to the National Disability Stakeholders Group, National Disability Inclusion Strategy Group and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Disability Advisory Committee. His research interests include diversity and equality, employment practices, higher education, representation, active citizenship, and leadership.

We chat with Vivian about equality of access to higher education, the availability of social experiences for all while in University and how "One Size Fits None" in the educational space.

we welcome our next guest onto the show, Dr. Angela Duffy, who gained her PhD in Clinical Pharmacology (Life Sciences) from University College Dublin.

Angela is a strategic adviser to businesses. She started her own market research consultancy after years of corporate experience. In the US she worked as a global marketing manager for Medtronic, and in Ireland led innovation activities for the company. She has led international and cross-functional teams. Angela held academic positions in both NUIG and RCSI. She has a PhD, an MBA and diploma in digital marketing. She is an expert in market research and customer insights, and a specialist in identifying new opportunities.

We chat with Angela about her PhD journey, how to branch out into industry-based research, and how to then make the jump into Venture Investing and the land of the Startup.

In Episode 8, we discuss the dreaded Doubt! It's a natural part of undertaking anything new, which at its core we all do during Doctoral research. Early doubt about joining a program, midway doubt about your research approach or methods and final doubt before your Viva!

Join us as we chat about dealing with doubt, using it to your advantage and how to prepare, push through and progress past it.

In Episode 7 , we talk to Gabriele Marinello, Co-Founder of Qeios, a new research platform allowing users to create beautiful, SEO-friendly preprints, post them, and get research into the best possible shape with early feedback from peers. We talk about the historically closed peer-review process, disruption through technology and the growth of impact measurement in research!

In Episode 6, we welcome our next guest onto the show, Dr. Aisling O'Neill, who gained her PhD in Entrepreneurship, Motivation and Networks from Waterford Institute of Technology. Dr. O'Neill's passion lies in facilitating the development of impactful knowledge through high-level research and innovation. She plays an instrumental role in driving the development of a sustainable entrepreneurial economy in the South East Region of Ireland. We chat with Dr. O'Neill about her PhD journey, how to build external networks during your doctoral work and how to add some elements of the startup world into your research.