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

Dr. Erin Conwell is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and Coordinator for the PhD program in Visual and Cognitive Neuroscience at North Dakota State University. Erin studies how children aged 6 and younger learn about the structure of their native language. She is conducting studies to determine how they understand what we say to them and how they produce words, sentences, and phrases that are understandable to us. She also examines how children’s understanding and representation of language changes over the course of their first 6 years of life. Erin spends her free time hanging out with her husband and daughter. As a researcher of childhood development, she has often found herself closely observing and celebrating the milestones of her own daughter’s development. In addition, Erin is an avid reader who typically makes it through 80-100 books per year. Her other hobbies include knitting and curling. She received her undergraduate degree in Brain and Cognitive Sciences from MIT and her Ph

Dr. Carmel Majidi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. There, he also holds courtesy appointments in the Robotics Institute and in Civil and Environmental Engineering. In Carmel’s soft machines lab, they are engineering new types of materials that can be used to make machines and robots soft, flexible, and more lifelike. The goal is for these machines to move more like natural organisms. When not working, Carmel is often out engaging in physical activities including hitting the gym or walking/jogging in nearby parks and along river trails. He also enjoys the arts and travel. Carmel travels frequently for work, and he likes to block off extra time on these trips to visit museums and cultural landmarks. Carmel received his B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Cornell University and his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley. He completed postdoctoral fellowships at Princeton Uni

Dr. Fiona "Boo" Maisels is a Conservation Scientist with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and an Honorary Professor of Biological and Environmental Sciences in the African Forest Ecology Group at the University of Stirling in Scotland. Boo’s research has focused on understanding the natural world and the interactions between plants, animals, people, and landscapes. In her work as a conservation scientist, Boo is also working to find ways to solve the problems they identify in these interactions to better preserve the natural world. When she’s not working, Boo spends her time walking around outdoors where she can enjoy the flowers, trees, birds, and everything else that’s alive. There are many great green spaces where she lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, but Boo really loves exploring different forests around the world. She completed her PhD and postdoctoral fellowship at Edinburgh University and has worked as a conservation scientist since then in the Central African tropical forest region. Boo is an elec

Dr. Douglas Futuyma is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at Stony Brook University. He also holds an appointment as a Research Associate at the American Museum of Natural History. Throughout his career, Douglas has been fascinated by evolution and how species adapt to their environments. Much of his research has examined the ways in which insects that eat plants have evolved (or failed to evolve) in their ability to eat different kinds of plants. Beyond his specific research area of expertise, Douglas has taught courses on evolution and evolutionary ecology, as well as served as a general spokesperson for evolution. Douglas is a passionate naturalist who loves being outdoors and expanding his knowledge of natural history. He has also been an avid birdwatcher for many years. Each weekend, Douglas joins other members of the local birding community to observe birds in their area. In addition, Douglas is an opera and classical music enthusiast. Douglas received his B.S. in Conse

Dr. Jo Dunkley is a Professor of Physics and Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton University and author of the book Our Universe: An Astronomer's Guide. Jo is a cosmologist, and her job is to study the universe. She conducts research to try to approximate how space behaves as a whole. This includes looking into space and taking measurements to determine how the universe began, what it’s made of, how it’s growing, and what is going to happen to it in the future. Physics and family are two of the major pieces in Jo’s life. She loves spending time with her two daughters, while they run, draw, sing, and learn about space. She received her MSci with First Class Honors in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge and her PhD in Astrophysics from the University of Oxford. Afterwards, she conducted postdoctoral research and was subsequently a Visiting Research Fellow at Princeton University. Before joining the faculty at Princeton University, Jo served on the faculty at the University of Oxford. Over the cours

Dr. John Aitchison is President and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research, the largest independent, non-profit organization in the U.S. that is focused solely on infectious disease research. In addition, John serves as an affiliate or adjunct Professor at the University of Washington, the University of British Columbia, the University of Alberta, and the Institute for Systems Biology. John’s research investigates the systems biology related to infectious disease by using technology, computation, and high throughput biology to examine molecules in complex biological systems to better understand how the system will react to a new stimulus or perturbation. Their ultimate goal is to predict how effective a drug or vaccine will be against a particular disease and to implement it with high efficiency. When he’s not in the office or the lab, John loves to be out on the water sailing and racing sailboats. He’s also a fan of playing squash, skiing, spending time with his family, and being outdoors. Jo

Dr. Robert S. Langer is the David H. Koch Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Being one of the eight Institute Professors is the highest honor that can be awarded to a faculty member at MIT. Much of Bob’s research is at the interface between materials and medicine. His lab has created nanoparticles and drug delivery systems, engineered tissues and organs for things like artificial skin for burn victims, and made organ-on-a-chip technology to help develop and test new drugs that may someday help patients. When he’s not working, Bob enjoys spending time with his family, taking his kids to sporting events, lifting weights, and going on walks with his wife. He received his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Cornell University and his Sc.D. in chemical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Afterwards, Bob worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Children’s Hospital Boston and at Harvard Medical School. He joined the faculty at MIT in 1978. Since then,

Dr. Marcie O'Malley is the Stanley C. Moore Professor of Mechanical Engineering, as well as a Professor of Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering at Rice University. Marcie is also an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Baylor College of Medicine and at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. In addition, she is Director of the Mechatronics and Haptic Interfaces Lab at Rice University, Director of Rehabilitation Engineering at TIRR-Memorial Hermann Hospital, and co-founder of Houston Medical Robotics, Inc. The goal of Marcie’s research is to use robotic systems to maximize what people can achieve. She is working on incorporating robotics to rehabilitate and restore function in people after spinal cord injury or stroke. To do this, Marcie creates wearable and interactive robots to assist with therapy. Another area of Marcie’s research focuses on the use of robots for training via surgical simulations. Outside of her scientific i

Dr. Ryan Martin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Case Western Reserve University. As an Evolutionary Ecologist, Ryan is interested in animal diversity and design. Animals seem to be well adapted to their environment, and Ryan works to understand how diversity, adaptation, and design occur through the action of natural selection. He investigates how the presence of predators, weather conditions, and other environmental features change the way animals survive and produce offspring. In his free time, Ryan enjoys trying new restaurants with his fiancée. They also love to go hiking with their dogs, and Ryan has been honing his photography skills. 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

Dr. Kim Waddell is an Assistant Professor in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine as well as a faculty member with the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics, a Senior Fellow in the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, and Research and Innovation Manager in the Penn Medicine Nudge Unit at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, Kim is a Research Health Scientist at the VA Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion. Kim’s research focuses on behavior change and how to help motivate people to make decisions that are more aligned with their longer term goals. She is particularly interested in physical activity and using approaches from behavioral science to motivate adults who have had a stroke or have Parkinson’s disease to increase their daily activity. Another area that Kim is interested in is designing clinical decision support systems and ways to improve decision making to make sure that people are getting the r

Dr. Francisca Ikuenobe is a Professor of Geology and Geophysics at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. In her research, Franca studies rocks to understand the clues they can reveal about the living things, environments, and climates of the past. Franca is particularly interested in the microfossils of pollen, spores, and phytoplankton that are preserved in rock. She uses these to help determine the age of rocks and what they can tell us about the history of an area. Franca loves reading entertainment magazines like Vogue Magazine and watching entertainment news on TV. When Entertainment Tonight is about to start, she drops everything she’s doing to watch it. She received her B.Sc. in Geology from the University of Ife in Nigeria (now Obafemi Awolowo University). Afterwards, Francisca worked as a production geologist and subsequently a palynologist for Shell Petroleum Development Company for a year before enrolling in graduate school. She received her M.Sc. in applied geology also from the Unive

Dr. John Majercak is Head of Antibody Discovery at Lampire Biological Laboratories, a life science company at the forefront of innovation and discovery. At Lampire Biological Laboratories, John works primarily with antibodies, a type of blood protein. He generates new antibodies and provides existing antibodies to companies and academic institutions for use in research, development of antibody therapeutics, and other applications. When he’s not at work, John enjoys listening to podcasts and exploring other scientific fields, including physics, astronomy, and space exploration. He also spends his free time doing home renovations, and he’s currently working on a bathroom remodel. John received his PhD in Biochemistry from Rutgers University. Afterwards, he completed an industry postdoctoral fellowship at Novartis. Over the next nearly two decades, John worked at several companies, rising in the ranks to hold various positions at Merck, Boehringer Ingelheim, Johnson & Johnson, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Molec

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. Much of the research in Adam’s lab focuses on aging and how aspects of cognition, like memory and attention, change over our lifespan. They are working to develop new, innovative tools, including engaging video games, to enhance brain function, improve cognition, and improve quality of life. In his free time, Adam can be found spending quality time with friends and family. He is a fan of hanging out over dinner, enjoying live music, hiking, camping, and getting outdoors. 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 traini

Dr. Lin Tian is a Scientific Director at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience and Clinical Professor at the University of California, Davis. The main goal of Lin’s lab is to develop, leverage, and also share novel optical and molecular tools that can help us to characterize neural signaling and find new treatment targets for neuropsychiatric disorders. In addition to her scientific and leadership roles, Lin is a mom, wife, and daughter. She often spends her free time with her family, driving her two sons to different activities, cheering for them at their swim meets and baseball games, and helping them with homework. Lin also enjoys walking her dog and doing things around the house. She earned her B.S. in Neuroscience from the University of Science and Technology of China and her Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Molecular, and Cellular Biology from Northwestern University. She then completed postdoctoral training at Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Janelia Research Campus. Lin remained at HHMI as a Resear

Dr. Maureen Murphy is a Professor and Program Leader in the Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program of the Wistar Institute Cancer Center in Philadelphia. She is also the Associate Vice president for Faculty Affairs and Associate Director For Education and Career Development there. Maureen’s research is aimed at understanding and developing cures for cancer. Specifically, they focus on the p53 tumor suppressor protein that is responsible for stopping tumors from forming. When she’s not in the lab, you can find Maureen hiking outside with her dogs. She loves nature and thinks dogs are wonderful for reminding us to take a break from our hectic schedules to enjoy life. Maureen is also a fan of traveling, cycling, and yoga. Maureen received her B.S. in biochemistry from Rutgers University and a Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. After graduate school, she completed postdoctoral research at Princeton University. Maureen served on the faculty at the Fox Chase Cance

Dr. Carlos Portela is the Brit and Alex d'Arbeloff Career Development Professor in Mechanical Engineering at MIT. Carlos’s research involves designing, making, and testing new types of materials that have unconventional properties. To do this, they rearrange the components of existing materials in three dimensions at the micro or nano scale to create new architected materials. The new materials may absorb a lot of energy upon impact, or be extremely lightweight, but also very stiff. When he’s not working, Carlos likes to stay active by running, playing golf, and playing a variety of team sports. He also enjoys exploring new restaurants in Boston, particularly places that serve Asian-Spanish fusion food. He received his bachelor's degrees in aerospace engineering and physics from the University of Southern California, his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Carlos remained at Caltech to conduct postdoctoral research before joining the faculty

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. Joel studies estuaries which are habitats where freshwater from rivers and streams mixes with the salt water of the ocean. He acts as a sort of detective to investigate how things like salt marshes, sea grasses, and oyster reefs keep this habitat healthy and to determine what may be driving observed changes in fish abundance in these areas. Joel has always loved going out on the water for activities like fishing, surfing, and boating. He got his first boat when he was only 13 years old! In addition, Joel is also an enthusiastic basketball player and reader of Revolutionary Era history books and biographies. 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 Cali

Dr. Taylor Hutchison is an astrophysicist and a Postdoctoral Fellow at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Taylor uses large telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope to study the most distant galaxies that we can detect in the universe. Her goal is to answer questions like what kinds of stars are inside these galaxies, how massive the galaxies are, and what elements are present. When she’s not working, Taylor engages in a variety of hobbies, crafts, and opportunities to learn new skills. She particularly enjoys reading, hiking, sewing her own clothing, and creatively reusing items that may have otherwise been thrown away. For example, she uses recycled cardboard and newspapers to make baskets and other tools. She received her bachelor’s degree in physics from Southwestern University and her Master’s and PhD degrees in Astronomy from Texas A&M University. She was the recipient of the Dr. Joseph Newton Graduate Service Award, a University Prestigious Fellowship Scholarship, the Leadership in Equity

Dr. Ken Dawson-Scully is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Florida Atlantic University. Ken uses the fruit fly as a model to understand how animals have adapted to different kinds of changes in the environment and how they can cope with it. He uses neurophysiology and behavioral genetics approaches to study the impacts of different kinds of stresses, including high temperature and low oxygen. This work has important applications for human conditions like febrile seizures that can occur when the body temperature rises or complications from stroke that deprive parts of the brain of oxygen. Much of Ken's free time is spent with his two kids. His daughter plays basketball and the trombone, and his son is into tennis and the baritone. This means he gets to go to a lot of practices, games, and concerts with his family. Moving from Canada to Florida has turned them into avid beach-goers as well, so they like to enjoy as much sand and sun together as possible. He received his Master's

Dr. Stacey Harmer is a Professor of Plant Biology in the College of Biological Sciences at the University of California, Davis. Stacey studies different biological rhythms and the circadian clocks within organisms that create and maintain those rhythms. Circadian clocks can be found in various organisms, from bacteria to people. In particular, Stacey is interested in understanding why plants have circadian clocks, how these clocks work in plants, and what aspects of physiology and development these clocks control. Stacey likes to take her mind off research when she’s not in the lab by doing yoga and road biking. She and her husband also enjoy cooking and eating their delicious kitchen creations. She received her BA in Biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley and was awarded her PhD in Biochemistry from the University of California, San Francisco. Afterwards, Stacey conducted postdoctoral research at the Scripps Research Institute in La Joya before joining the faculty at UC, Davis where she has