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
269: Contemplating Community Connectivity and Conservation in Coral Reefs - Dr. Josh Drew
Dr. Josh Drew is a Lecturer in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology and Director M.A. in Conservation Biology Program at Columbia University. He received his M.S. degree in …
268: Clearing Out Brain Clutter: A Glimpse into the Glymphatic System - Dr. Jeff Iliff
Dr. Jeff Iliff is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at Oregon Health and Science University, as well as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Cente…
267: Directing Our Eyes to the Skies with Stellar Infrared Images of Asteroids, Comets, and Stars - Dr. Amy Mainzer
Dr. Amy Mainzer is a Senior Research Scientist and the Principle Investigator for the Near Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) mission at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Sh…
266: Having a Blast Studying Magma Crystals to Understand Volcanic Eruptions - Dr. Erik Klemetti
Dr. Erik Klemetti is an Assistant Professor of Geosciences at Denison University. He received his Bachelor's degree in History and Geosciences from Williams College and his PhD in Geology from Oregon…
265: Investigating Important Interactions Between Molecules and Membrane Proteins - Dr. Olaf Andersen
Dr. Olaf Andersen is a Professor of Physiology and Biophysics at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University and Director of the Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program in New York City. He was awarded …
264: Cracking the Climate Code - Deciphering Signatures in Geologic and Hydrologic Records to Model Climate Variability - Dr. Gavin Schmidt
Dr. Gavin Schmidt is the Director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Principal Investigator of the ModelE Earth System Model there. He received his PhD in Applied Mathematics from Un…
263: Professor Applying Principles of Physics to Biological Systems - Dr. Sonya Bahar
Dr. Sonya Bahar is a Professor of Biophysics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy as well as Director of the Center for Neurodynamics at the University of Missouri, St. Louis. She received her …
262: Getting to the Root of Plant-Activated Carcinogens and Environmental Mutagenesis - Dr. Jim Gentile
James M. Gentile is the Dean for Natural and Applied Sciences at Hope College and the past President of Research Corporation for Science Advancement, a Tucson, AZ-based foundation dedicated to scienc…
261: Researching Relationships and How They Impact Mental Health and Learning in Children - Dr. Jennifer Jenkins
Dr. Jennifer Jenkins is the Atkinson Chair of Early Child Development and Education and the Interim Academic Director of the Frazer Mustard Institute of Human Development at the University of Toronto…
260: Studying How Synapses Sustain Signaling to Process Sound - Dr. Samuel Young
Dr. Samuel M. Young, Jr. is an Independent Max Planck Research Group Leader of Molecular Mechanisms of Synaptic Function at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience in Jupiter, Florida. He r…
259: Developing The Lens for Transparency in Innovation - Dr. Richard Jefferson
Dr. Richard Jefferson is the Chief Executive Officer of an independent, non-profit institute called Cambia. He is also Professor of Science, Technology & Law at Queensland University of Technology an…
258: The Brains Behind Analyses of Substance Abuse and Addiction - Dr. Oné Pagán
Dr. Oné Pagán is an Associate Professor of Biology at West Chester University. He received his Bachelor's degree in General Sciences and his Master's degree in Biochemistry from the University of Pue…
257: Science on Stress in Single-Celled Organisms - Dr. Amy Vollmer
Dr. Amy Vollmer is Professor and Department Chair of Biology at Swarthmore College. She received her Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry from Rice University and her PhD in Biochemistry from the Univer…
256: Advancing Microbial Applications in Agricultural Management - Dr. Louis Schipper
Dr. Louis Schipper is a Professor in the School of Science at the University of Waikato. He received his undergraduate, Master's, and PhD degrees in biology from the University of Waikato. Afterward,…
255: Researching Hot Topics in Climate Science - Dr. Michael Mann
Dr. Michael E. Mann is Distinguished Professor of Meteorology at Penn State University, with joint appointments in the Department of Geosciences and the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute (EES…
254: Sound Science in Restoring Hearing with Cochlear Implants - Dr. Fan-Gang Zeng
Dr. Fan-Gang Zeng is Director of the Center for Hearing Research and Professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Biomedical Engineering, Cognitive Sciences and Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at th…
253: Continuing the Tradition of Superb Science in Traditional Medicine - Dr. Alain Cuerrier
Dr. Alain Cuerrier is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Montreal, as well as a Botanist and Researcher at the Montreal Botanical Garden. He received h…
252: Translating Gene Expression Experiments into Therapies for Human Disease - Dr. Andrea Califano
Dr. Andrea Califano is the Clyde and Helen Wu Professor of Chemical Systems Biology in the Departments of Systems Biology, Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, and Biomedical Informatics at Columbia …
251: Sequencing Species in Deep-Sea Sediments - Dr. Holly Bik
Dr. Holly Bik is a Birmingham Fellow in the School of Biosciences at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom. She completed her PhD in Deep Sea Biology and Molecular Phylogenetics at the U…
250: A Pathologist's Path to Paramount Discoveries in Protein Separation and Genetic Recombination - Dr. Oliver Smithies
Dr. Oliver Smithies is the Weatherspoon Eminent Distinguished Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of North Caronlina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. …