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
309: Hunting Down Genes that Cause Human Disease - Dr. Wendy Chung
Dr. Wendy Chung is the Herbert Irving Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine and Director of Clinical Genetics at Columbia University. She received her undergraduate training at Cornell Unive…
308: Colliding Particles to Comprehend the Components of Matter - Dr. Jon Butterworth
Dr. Jon Butterworth is a Professor of Physics and Head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at University College London. He received his B.A. in Physics and his Ph.D. in Particle Physics from …
307: The Science Behind the Formation and Future of Human Societies - Dr. Simon DeDeo
Dr. Simon DeDeo is external faculty at the Santa Fe Institute and Assistant Professor at Indiana University in Complex Systems and in Cognitive Science. He completed his undergraduate studies in Astr…
306: Surgeon and Scientist Studying Signal Transduction in Head and Neck Cancer - Dr. Jennifer Grandis
Dr. Jennifer Grandis is a Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Director of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, and Associate Vice Chancellor of Clinica…
305: Digging into the Fossil Record to Understand Our Planet’s Past and Aid Present Conservation Efforts - Dr. Michael Archer
Dr. Michael Archer is a Professor of Paleobiology in the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of New South Wales in Australia. Mike received his undergraduate educ…
304: Branching Out to Better Understand Evolutionary Relatedness By Examining Phylogenetic Trees - Dr. James O'Dwyer
Dr. James O'Dwyer is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Plant Biology and the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He was awarded a ma…
303: Expressing His Passion for Science and Bacterial Genetics - Dr. Stanley Maloy
Dr. Stanley Maloy is Dean of the College of Sciences, Associate Director of the Center for Microbial Sciences, and Professor in Biology at San Diego State University. He received his Ph.D. in Molecul…
302: Dedicating Her Energy to Engineering Solutions to Fuel Our Future - Dr. Susan Krumdieck
Dr. Susan Krumdieck is a Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Advanced Energy and Material Systems Lab at the University of Canterbury. She is also Research Leader with the Geother…
301: Conducting Diverse Research in Macroevolution, Macroecology, and Microbial Biogeography - Dr. Hélène Morlon
Dr. Hélène Morlon is a Research Scientist with the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) at the Institute of Biology at the Ecole Nomale Supérieure in Paris. She is also affiliated to the In…
300: A Microbiologist Celebrating the Little Things in Life and Science - Dr. Moselio Schaechter
Dr. Moselio Schaechter is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Tufts University School of Medicine, Adjunct Professor at San Diego State University, and an Adjuct Professor at the University of Cali…
299: Designing Devices to Diagnose Deficits in Hearing - Dr. Dennis Barbour
Dennis is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Neurobiology, and Otolaryngology at Washington University in St. Louis. He is also the Founder and President of Bonauria, a company that ap…
298: A Scientist Who Acts On Guidance and Ingenuity to Extend Our Understanding of Neural Development - Dr. Brock Grill
Dr. Brock Grill is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at the Scripps Research Institute in Florida. He received his B.Sc. in Microbiology from the University of Alberta and was …
297: Studying Stress and its Connection with Chronic Pain - Dr. Jennifer Graham-Engeland
Dr. Jennifer Graham-Engeland is an Associate Professor in the Biobehavioral Health Department at The Pennsylvania State University. She graduated from Cornell University majoring in Psychology and En…
296: Forecasting Climate Variability to Improve How We Cope with Change - Dr. Benjamin Zaitchik
Dr. Benjamin Zaitchik is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Johns Hopkins University. Ben received his undergraduate training in Biology at Harvard University…
295: Making Critical Connections to Clarify the Molecular Mechanisms of Synaptic Transmission and Plasticity - Dr. Robert Malenka
Dr. Robert C. Malenka is the Pritzker Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Director of the Pritzker Laboratory, and Deputy Director of the Stanford Neurosciences Institute at Stanford Uni…
294: Fueling Up on Inspiration Investigating How Bacteria Can Facilitate Biofuel Production - Dr. Jan Westpheling
Dr. Jan Westpheling is a Professor of Genetics in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Georgia. She received her B.S. degree in Microbiology from Purdue University. Jan work…
293: Running Exciting Experiments in Robotic Locomotion - Dr. David Remy
Dr. C. David Remy is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He received his M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin,…
292: Passionately Pursuing Projects on the P53 Tumor Suppressor Protein - Dr. Maureen Murphy
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 …
291: How and Why We Judge the World: The Science of Morality Discussed - Dr. David Pizarro
Dr. David Pizarro is an Associate Professor in Psychology at Cornell University and Chief Science Officer at BeWorks which applies scientific thinking to marketing and operational challenges in busin…
290: Treating Bone and Soft Tissue Tumors - Dr. Wakenda Tyler
Dr. Wakenda Tyler is an Associate Professor in Orthopaedic Oncology and Metabolic Bone Disease and Adult Reconstruction at the University of Rochester Medical Center. She was awarded her M.D. And M.P…