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.
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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
369: Engineering Solutions to Improve Global Healthcare Quality and Access - Dr. Rebecca Richards-Kortum
Dr. Rebecca Richards-Kortum is the Malcolm Gillis University Professor of Bioengineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering at Rice University. She is also Director of the award-winning Rice 360…
368: Producing a Flood of Knowledge Modeling Monsoons - Dr. Christopher Castro
Dr. Christopher Castro is an Associate Professor in the Department of Atmospheric Science at the University of Arizona. He received his B.S. degree in Meteorology, with the highest distinction, from …
367: Harnessing the Power of Microbes to Clean Up Toxins and Recover Energy from Wastes - Dr. Gemma Reguera
Dr. Gemma Reguera is an Associate Professor in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at Michigan State University. She completed her undergraduate studies in Biology at the University of Oviedo in Spai…
366: Studying Signatures of Supermassive Black Holes - Dr. Tamara Bogdanović
Dr. Tamara Bogdanović is an Assistant Professor in the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Physics, as well as a member of the Center for Relativistic Astrophysics . She received her B.Sc. in A…
365: Timely Research on Circadian Clocks and Rhythmic Reorientation in Plants - Dr. Stacey Harmer
Dr. Stacey Harmer is a Professor of Plant Biology in the College of Biological Sciences at the University of California, Davis. She received her BA in Biochemistry from the University of California, …
364: Deciphering Genetic Variations in Bacteria that Lead to Disease - Dr. Shannon Manning
Dr. Shannon Manning is a Michigan State University (MSU) Foundation Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics. She earned her B.S. in biology from the University of…
363: Dedicated to Discovering the Causes and Treatments for Hearing Deficits - Dr. Christopher Cederroth
Dr. Christopher Cederroth is an Assistant Professor within the laboratory of Experimental Audiology working on tinnitus within the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at the Karolinska Institut…
362: Fascinated by the Effects of Material Properties on the Form and Function of Fishes - Dr. Adam Summers
Dr. Adam Summers is a Professor in the School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences and Department of Biology at the University of Washington, and he conducts research in his lab within the Friday Harbor…
361: Breaking Down Mitochondrial Function to Understand the Mechanisms of Metabolism - Dr. Alicia Kowaltowski
Dr. Alicia Kowaltowski is a Professor of Biochemistry at the Chemistry Institute at the University of São Paulo in Brazil. She was awarded her PhD in Medical Sciences from The State University of Cam…
360: Synthesizing Self-Healing Materials Using Squid Proteins - Dr. Melik Demirel
Dr. Melik Demirel is a Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at The Pennsylvania State University. He received is B.S. and M.S. in Engineering from Boğaziçi University in Turkey and was awar…
359: Looking at Lakes to Learn About the Impacts of Climate Change, Invasive Species, and Pollution - Dr. Sapna Sharma
Dr. Sapna Sharma is an Associate Professor in Biology at York University. She received her PhD in Ecology and evolution from the University of Toronto and completed postdoctoral fellowships at the Un…
358: Growing Our Understanding of Photosynthesis to Improve Plant Metabolism - Dr. David Stern
Dr. David Stern is the President of the Boyce Thompson Institute and Adjunct Professor in the Plant Biology Section at Cornell University. He conducted his undergraduate studies at the University of …
357: Food for Thought: Research to Reduce Foodborne Disease and Improve Food Safety - Dr. Haley Oliver
Dr. Haley Oliver is an Associate Professor of Food Science at Purdue University, as well as an Adjunct Professor at Texas Tech University. She received her B.S. in Microbiology and Molecular Biology …
356: Sizing Up Species’ Brains to Understand Nervous System Diversity and Development - Dr. Suzana Herculano-Houzel
Dr. Suzana Herculano-Houzel is a Professor of Psychology and Biological Sciences at Vanderbilt University. She received her B.S. in Biology from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and…
355: Piecing Together the Patterns and Processes that are Impacting Ecosystems - Dr. Madhur Anand
Dr. Madhur Anand is a Professor in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of Guelph. She received her BSc and PhD from Western University and went on to conduct postdoctoral research …
354: Conducting Illuminating Research on Photosynthetic Bacteria - Dr. Don Bryant
Dr. Don Bryant is the Ernest C. Pollard Professor in Biotechnology and Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at The Pennsylvania State University. Don completed his undergraduate training i…
353: Searching the Sediments to Uncover Sources of Food and Water for Early Humans - Dr. Gail Ashley
Dr. Gail Ashley is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Rutgers University. She is Undergraduate Program Director and Director of the Quaternary Studies Grad…
352: Wired for Innovation: Modifying the Manufacturing of Microelectrode Arrays for Cochlear Implants - Dr. Angelique Johnson
Dr. Angelique C. Johnson is Founder and CEO of the startup company MEMStim LLC which is dedicated to reducing the cost of cochlear implants to treat hearing loss. She is also an adjunct faculty membe…
351: Chilling Out Studying the Biodiversity of Arctic Arthropods - Dr. Chris Buddle
Dr. Chris Buddle is an Associate Professor in the Department of Natural Resource Sciences and Associate Dean of Student Affairs at McGill University. He received his undergraduate training in Ecology…
350: Cool Research on Plant Responses to Temperature Stress - Dr. Malia Gehan
Dr. Malia Gehan is a new Assistant Member at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. She received her undergraduate training in Biology from Willamette University and her PhD in Plant Biology from …