People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers
Are you searching for great stories to ignite your curiosity, teach you to perform better in life and career, inspire your mind, and make you laugh along the way? In this science podcast, Dr. Marie McNeely introduces you to the brilliant researchers behind the latest scientific discoveries. Join us as they share their greatest failures, most staggering successes, candid career advice, and what drives them forward in life and science.
Our website with show notes]]
Greetings science fans!
We’re elated to welcome you to People Behind the Science where we explore the lives and experiences of the people behind the research and scientific discoveries of today.
People Behind the Science’s mission is to inspire current and future scientists, share the different paths to a successful career in science, educate the general population on what scientists do, and show the human side of science.
In each episode, a different scientist will guide us through their journey by sharing their successes, failures, and passions. We are excited to introduce you to these inspiring academic and industry experts from all fields of science to give you a variety of perspectives on the life and path of a scientist.
Our esteemed guests will tell you:
what motivates them and how they balance their competing responsibilities
how they worked through some of the most challenging times in their careers
advice to help you through your own journey through life and science
Our Podcast
People Behind the Science is a podcast focused on the people doing fascinating research through interviews with top scientists. We are proud to have interviewed so many inspiring scientists, including U.S. National Academy scientists like Josh Sanes, Nick Spitzer, Lou Muglia, Jacob Israelachvili, Gene Robinson, Larry Squire, John Dowling, James Berger, and David Spergel, as well as popular scientists in the media like Donna Nelson (science advisor for the TV show Breaking Bad) and Jack Horner (science advisor for the Jurassic park movies). We are honored to have shared their amazing stories with people in all 50 states in the USA and in over 120 countries across the world.
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 42 minutes
- Episodes
- 829
- Years Active
- 2014 - 2025
569: Developing Stem Cell and Extracellular Vesicle Therapies to Treat Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury - Dr. Franklin West
Dr. Franklin West is an Associate Professor in the Regenerative Biosciences Center at the University of Georgia. In the lab, Franklin and his team are developing and testing stem cell therapies to tr…
568: Determining the Drivers of Diversity in Bats and Other Mammals - Dr. Sharlene Santana
Dr. Sharlene Santana is Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Washington and Curator of Mammals at the University of Washington’s Burke Museum of Natural History and C…
567: Studying the Chemistry of How Carbohydrates Contribute to Human Health and Wellness - Dr. Steve Townsend
Dr. Steven Townsend is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Vanderbilt University. As an organic chemist, Steve’s work involves making drugs and other molecules that are drug-like. He is interested…
566: Creating Computational Models to Determine How the Brain Accomplishes Complex Tasks - Dr. Kanaka Rajan
Dr. Kanaka Rajan is a computational neuroscientist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute within the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. In her re…
565: Analyzing the Surfaces of Ancient Teeth to Understand Human Evolution - Dr. Shara Bailey
Dr. Shara Bailey is Professor and Associate Chair of the Department of Anthropology at New York University (NYU) and Associated Researcher in the Department of Human Evolution at the Max Planck Insti…
564: Using Sulfur to Synthesize New Materials That Transmit Infrared Light - Dr. Darryl Boyd
Dr. Darryl Boyd is a Research Chemist in the Optical Sciences Division of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. He is also the STEM Director at the Transformational Education Adventure Center in McLean…
563: Working to Preserve and Restore Populations of Bees and Other Pollinators - Dr. Lauren Ponisio
Dr. Lauren Ponisio is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Oregon. The United States is home to thousands of different species of native bees that are important fo…
562: Engineering Affordable Organic Electronics to Power and Light the World - Dr. Ayse Turak
Dr. Ayse Turak is Associate Professor and Associate Undergraduate Chair of the Department of Engineering Physics at McMaster University. Ayse develops and studies plastic-based electronic materials, …
561: Investigating How Risk Factors Contribute to Outcomes After Traumatic Brain Injury - Dr. Umesh Venkatesan
Dr. Umesh "Umi" Venkatesan is an Institute Scientist and Director of the Brain Trauma and Behavior Laboratory at Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute (MRRI). Umi is trained as a clinical psychologi…
560: Characterizing Biological Surfaces and Creating New Biomimetic Materials - Dr. Joe Baio
Dr. Joe Baio is an Assistant Professor in the School of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering at Oregon State University. In the lab, Joe studies how materials function in the natural wo…
559: Determining How Disruptions in Brain Development Lead to Neurological and Neurodevelopmental Disorders - Dr. Ileana Soto
Dr. Ileana Soto is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences at Rowan University. She studies how disruption of brain development leads to neurological and neurod…
558: Uncovering the Mechanisms Underlying Uneven Rates of Evolution Across Organisms - Dr. Martha Muñoz
Dr. Martha Muñoz is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University. Martha is an evolutionary biologist who is working to better understand how and wh…
557: Applying Artificial Intelligence to Improve Healthcare - Dr. Wesley Gilson
Dr. Wes Gilson is Artificial Intelligence Lead for North America at Siemens Healthineers. Wes and his colleagues use artificial intelligence in the context of healthcare to gain insights on how to im…
556: Creating New Therapeutics to Treat Testosterone Deficiency - Dr. Robert Dudley
Dr. Robert Dudley is President and CEO at Clarus Therapeutics, Inc. and is a clinical pharmacologist and board-certified toxicologist. With a background in clinical pharmacology and toxicology, Bob h…
555: Investigating How Disruptions in the Gut Microbiome Impact Intestinal Epithelial Cells and Lead to Disease - Dr. Mariana Byndloss
Dr. Mariana Byndloss is Assistant Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Research in Mariana’s lab investigates how the bacteria that live inside…
554: Using Rehabilitation Robotics and Noninvasive Brain Stimulation to Promote Recovery After Brain Injury - Dr. Dylan Edwards
Dr. Dylan Edwards is Director of the Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute as well as an Institute Scientist and Director of the Human Motor Recovery Laboratory there. In addition, he is Professor o…
553: Examining the Impacts of Exercise on Cardiovascular Health After Stroke - Dr. Ada Tang
Dr. Ada Tang is a physical therapist, an Associate Professor in the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University, and a Clinician-Scientist with the Ontario Heart and Stroke Foundation. We…
552: Making a Mechatronic Tremor Suppression Glove for People with Parkinson’s Disease - Dr. Ana Luisa Trejos
Dr. Ana Luisa Trejos is an Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering as well as Biomedical Engineering at Western University in Canada. She is also an Associate Scientist at the Laws…
551: Applying Insights from Human Genetics to Create New Cancer Therapies - Dr. Tim Behrens
Dr. Tim Behrens is Senior Vice President of Human Genetics at the biotech company Maze Therapeutics and Adjunct Professor of Medicine in Rheumatology at the Medical College of Wisconsin. In his resea…
550: Developing Novel Drugs to Treat Autoimmune Disease and Inflammation - Dr. Paul Changelian
Dr. Paul Changelian is Vice President of Biology at Aclaris Therapeutics and Director of Biology at Confluence Life Sciences. He is working to discover new drugs to treat autoimmune disease and infla…