People Behind The Science Podcast - Stories From Scientists About Science, Life, Research, And Science Careers

Dr. Roger Smith is the Chief Technology Officer for the Nicholson Center for Surgical Advancement at Florida Hospital. He is also Graduate Faculty at the University of Central Florida, and President of Simulation First. Roger received his B.S. in Applied Mathematics, a M.S. in Statistics, a Master’s and Ph.D. in Business Administration, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science. In addition to his current appointments, Roger has held a number of exciting positions in academia, industry, and government sectors, including serving as an Instructor at Texas Tech University, Senior Engineer at General Dynamics, Technical Director of Mystech Associates, Technical Director of STAC, Professor at Florida Institute of Technology, Vice President of BTG Corporation, Vice President and Group Chief Technology Officer of Titan Corporation, Professor at Full Sail University, Chief Engineer at SPARTA Inc., Chief Technology Officer for U.S. Army Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation, Research Scientist for Texas A and M University,

Dr. Jill Pruetz is a Professor of Anthropology at Iowa State University and a National Geographic Society Emerging Explorer. In addition, Jill is the founder of the non-profit organization NeighborApe that she founded in 2008. She received her BA in Anthropology from Texas State University and her PhD in Anthropology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Jill then conducted postdoctoral research at Miami University before joining the faculty at Iowa State where she is today. Jill and her excellent research have been featured by NPR, BBC, CBC, National Geographic, New Scientist Magazine, The Today Show, and others. She is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Jim Tour is the T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Computer Science, and Professor of Materials Science and NanoEngineering at Rice University. He is also the founder and principal of NanoJtech Consultants, LLC, which performs technology assessments for prospective investors. He received his B.S. in Chemistry from Syracuse University and his Ph.D. in Synthetic Organic and Organometallic Chemistry from Purdue University. Jim went on to conduct postdoctoral research at the University of Wisconsin and Stanford University. He served on the faculty of the University of South Carolina for 11 years before joining the faculty at Rice where he is today. Jim has received many awards and distinctions in his career. He was named among the 50 Most Influential Scientists in the World Today by TheBestSchools.org in 2014, among The World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds by Thomson Reuters ScienceWatch.com in 2014, and Scientist of the Year by R and D Magazine in 2013. Jim is the recipient of the N

Dr. Maria Marco is an Associate Professor in The Department of Food Science & Technology at The University of California, Davis. She received her BS at The Pennsylvania State University and her PhD in Microbiology at the University of California, Berkeley. She went on to work as a postdoc and then as a project scientist at NIZO food research and TI Food & Nutrition in The Netherlands before accepting a faculty position at UC, Davis where she is today. Maria is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Eric Green is the Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health. He received his B.S. in Bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and his M.D. and Ph.D. in Cell Biology from Washington University in St. Louis. Afterward, Eric completed his residency at Washington University in Laboratory Medicine and as part of his residency he did a postdoctoral research in genetics. Eric served on the faculty and as co-investigator in the Human Genome Center at Washington University School of Medicine before accepting a position at the National Institutes of Health where he has been now for over 20 years. Eric has been the recipient of many awards and honors during his career, including the NIH Director’s Award (multiple times), the Alumni Achievement and the Distinguished Alumni Awards from Washington University School of Medicine, as well as a Ladue Horton Watkins High School Distinguished Alumni Award. He is also a member of the American Society for Clinic

Dr. Mina Bissell is a Distinguished Scientist in the Life Sciences Division of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She received her B.A. in Chemistry from Radcliffe College and a M.Sc. in Bacteriology and Biochemistry as well as a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from Harvard University. Afterward, Mina was awarded a Milton Postdoctoral Fellowship at Harvard University followed by an American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley. She started off at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory to study cell biology and cancer viruses and has dedicated over 40 years of her career to exceptional research there, rising through the ranks to her current position. Mina has received many awards and honors during her career. Just to name a few, she was awarded the highest award of the Department of Energy called the Lawrence Award, the Lifetime Achievement Prize from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the American Cancer Society's Medal of Honor, the Susan G.

Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi is the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Chemical and Systems Biology and Radiology at Stanford University. She is also an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Carolyn received her undergraduate training in Chemistry at Harvard University and was awarded her PhD in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. She went on to complete postdoctoral research at the University of California, San Francisco and then accepted a faculty position at UC, Berkeley. Carolyn just recently joined the faculty at Stanford in 2015. She is the recipient of the UCSF 150th Anniversary Alumni Excellence Award, the Hans Bloemendal Award from Radboud University, the Heinrich Wieland Prize, the Royal Society of Chemistry Organic Division Bioorganic Chemistry Award, the Lemelson-MIT Prize for Inventors, a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, and many other national and international awards and honors. In addition, Carolyn is an elected Fellow of the National A

Dr. Nathan Morehouse is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. He received his B.S. in Biological Sciences from Cornell University and was awarded a PhD in Biology from Arizona State University. Nate conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Tours in France before joining the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh where he is today. Nate is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Chris Lortie is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at York University. He received his B.Sc. in Biology, Bachelor’s of Education, and master’s degrees from Queen’s University and was awarded a PhD in Botany from the University of British Columbia. Chris conducted postdoctoral research at Sonoma State University, as well as UC Berkeley and the University of Montana before joining the faculty at York University where he is today. Chris is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.    

Dr. Patrick Schloss is an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Michigan. After completing his undergraduate studies at Cornell University, Pat stayed on to receive his PhD. Both degrees were in Biological & Environmental Engineering. He went on to do his postdoctoral training at the University of Wisconsin and served on the faculty at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst before joining the faculty at the University of Michigan where he is today. Pat is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Celeste Nelson is an Associate Professor in Chemical and Biological Engineering, as well as Molecular Biology at Princeton University. She is also a Member of the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and the Breast Cancer Research and Cancer Metabolism and Growth Programs. Celeste received her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University and conducted postdoctoral research at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory before joining the faculty at Princeton. Celeste is the recipient of many awards and honors during her career. She has received the Princeton School of Engineering and Applied Science Distinguished Teacher Award, the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, the Allan P. Colburn Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the Technology Review TR35 Young Innovator Award, and an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship in Molecular Biology. She is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Jeremy Brownlie is a Senior Lecturer and Deputy Head of the School of Natural Sciences at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia, as well as Secretary of Science and Technology Australia. He received his B.S. and Ph.D. in Genetics from The Australian National University. He went on to conduct postdoctoral research at The University of Queensland before joining the faculty at Griffith University where he is today. Jeremy is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Kenneth Heilman is the James E. Rooks, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Neurology and Health Psychology at the University of Florida College of Medicine. He is also Director of the Memory Disorders Clinics, the Center for Neuropsychological Studies, and the Behavioral Neurology-Neuropsychiatry Fellowship Program at the University of Florida. Ken received his M.D. from the University of Virginia and continued his training in Internal Medicine at the Cornell University Medical Center. Afterward, he served as Captain in the Air Force and was Chief of Medicine at NATO Hospital in Izmir, Turkey during the Vietnam War. When Ken returned, he completed his Neurology Residency and Fellowship at Harvard University an then joined the faculty at the University of Florida. Ken is the recipient of a University of Florida Research Foundation Professorship, the Clinical Research Award from the University of Florida College of Medicine, and the Behavioral Neurology Society Outstanding Achievement Award. He has also authored

Dr. Joel Fodrie is an Assistant Professor in the Institute of Marine Sciences and Department of Marine Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He received his undergraduate training in Biology and History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and went on to receive his Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. Afterward, Joel conducted postdoctoral research with the Marine Sciences Consortium at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. Joel served on the faculty at the University of South Alabama before joining the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he is today. Joel is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Chelsea Specht is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Plant and Microbial Biology and also Integrative Biology, as well as the Curator of monocots at the Jepson Herbaria at the University of California, Berkeley. She received her B.A. From the University of Delaware. Chelsea went on to complete her M.S. and Ph.D. in Biology from New York University. Afterward, Chelsea worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Botany at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History before joining the faculty at UC, Berkeley where she is today. Chelsea has received the Prytanean Faculty Award from the Prytanean Honors Society Alumni, the Hellman Award from the Hellman Faculty Fund, the Presidential Chair Fellowship from the Division of Teaching and Learning, a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, and a Kavli Fellowship from the National Academy of Sciences. She was also recently elected to the California Academy of Sciences. She is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and

Dr. Adam Gazzaley is a Professor of Neurology, Physiology and Psychiatry and the Founding Director of the Neuroscience Imaging Center at the University of California, San Francisco. Adam is also Co-Founder and Chief Science Advisor of Akili Interactive Labs, a company that is developing therapeutic video games. He received his M.D. And Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Adam then completed his Internship in Medicine and Clinical Residency in Neurology at the University of Pennyslvania, followed by postdoctoral training in Cognitive Neuroscience at UC, Berkeley before joining the faculty at UCSF where he is today. Adam is the recipient of the Pfizer/AFAR Innovations in Aging Award, the Ellison Foundation New Scholar Award in Aging, the Harold Brenner Pepinsky Early Career Award in Neurobehavioral Science, and the UCSF 150th Anniversary Alumni Excellence Award. He is also an elected Member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation. Adam is here with us today to tell us all abo

Dr. Douglass F. Taber is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Delaware. He received his B.S.in Chemistry from Stanford University and Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Columbia University. Douglass conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Wisconsin and served on the faculty at Vanderbilt University before joining the faculty at the University of Delaware where he is today. Douglass is a Fellow of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and recipient of the Allan R. Day Award from the Philadelphia Organic Chemists Club. He is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Ryan Martin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Case Western Reserve University. He received a B.S. in Ecology and Evolution from the University of California, Santa Cruz and was awarded his Ph.D. in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Afterward, Ryan conducted postdoctoral research at North Carolina State University and the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis in Knoxville, TN before accepting a faculty position at Case Western where he is today. Ryan is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Karmella Haynes is an Assistant Professor in the Ira A. Fulton School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering at Arizona State University. She is also a senior judge for the International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition. She received her Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics from Washington University in St. Louis. Prior to joining the faculty at ASU, Karmella was awarded a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Teaching and Research fellowship at Davidson College, followed by an NIH postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School. Karmella is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Pat Hutchings is a Senior Principal Research Scientist at the Australian Museum Research Institute. She received her B.Sc. with Special Honors from Queen Mary's College of the University of London and her Ph.D. and D.Sc. in reproductive biology of a sea worm from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Pat is a Fellow and Senior Vice President of the Royal Zoological Society of New South Whales. She is Past president of the Australian Coral Reef Society, Former Councillor of the Australian Marine Sciences Association, Past President of the International Polychaete Association, and Former Vice President of the Coast and Wetlands Society. In addition, she was the recipient of the Silver Jubilee Medal from the Australian Marine Science Association for her contributions to marine sciences. Pat is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.