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
- 828
- Years Active
- 2014 - 2025
788: Researching the Comparative Genomics of Pathological and Beneficial Bacteria - Dr. Rebecca Wattam
Dr. Rebecca Wattam is a Research Associate Professor in the Network Dynamics and Simulation Science Laboratory within the Biocomplexity Institute of Virginia Tech. Rebecca is the outreach and biology…
787: Examining the Neural Circuits Involved in Using Timing Differences to Localize Sound - Dr. Catherine Carr
Dr. Catherine Emily Carr is a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Maryland, College Park. In the lab, Catherine is interested in understanding how ani…
786: 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. The research in Jam…
785: Investigating Interactions Between the Immune System and Central Nervous System - Dr. Jonathan Kipnis
Dr. Jonathan (Jony) Kipnis is a BJC Investigator and the Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor of Pathology and Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He is…
784: In Her Element Examining Mobile DNA Sequences and Genome Evolution - Dr. Susan Wessler
Dr. Susan Wessler is a Distinguished Professor of Genetics at the University of California, Riverside. She is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor and the Home Secretary of the National A…
783: Studying the Biology of Eye Diseases to Inform the Development of New Therapies - Dr. Ruchira Singh
Dr. Ruchira Singh is an Associate Professor and the recipient of the Dean’s Professorship in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Rochester Medical Center where she also has joint app…
782: Nanoscientist and Physicist Studying the Manipulation of Single Molecules and Atoms - Dr. Philip Moriarty
Dr. Philip Moriarty is a Professor of Physics in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Nottingham. In addition, he is an avid contributor to the Sixty Symbols YouTube video project…
781: Bringing to Light the Benefits of Bacteria and the Connections Between Health and the Human Microbiome - Dr. Patrick Schloss
Dr. Patrick Schloss is an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Michigan. As a microbial ecologist, Pat is fascinated by bacterial communities. He …
780: Researching Soft Robots, Medical Robots, and Haptics in Human-Robot Interactions - Dr. Allison Okamura
Dr. Allison Okamura is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University. She also holds a courtesy appointment in Computer science there. Research in Allison’s lab examines three differen…
779: Finding Fossils of Extinct Species to Explore the Early Evolution of Vertebrates - Dr. Sterling Nesbitt
Dr. Sterling Nesbitt is an Assistant Professor of Geosciences at Virginia Tech, as well as a research associate/affiliate of the American Museum of Natural History, the Vertebrate Paleontology Lab a…
778: Examining the Role that Blood Vessels in the Brain May Play in Alzheimer’s Disease - Dr. Rachel Bennett
Dr. Rachel Bennett is an Assistant Professor in Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Research in Rachel’s lab focuses on understanding how blood vessels in the brai…
777: Epic Research Investigating Epidemics and Infectious Diseases in Wildlife - Dr. Jamie Voyles
Dr. Jamie Voyles is an Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Nevada, Reno. Research in Jamie’s lab focuses on diseases of wildlife. This is an exciting area that spans many different su…
776: Expressing Enthusiasm for Decoding How Genomes are Involved in Human Health and Disease - Dr. Rick Myers
Dr. Richard M. Myers is the President, Science Director, and a Faculty Investigator at HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. In addition, Rick is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Gen…
775: Studying the Sensory Physiology of African Clawed Frogs and Other Animals - Dr. Carly Anne York
Dr. Carly Anne York is an Associate Professor in the Biology Department at Lenoir-Rhyne University. There, she is also the founder and faculty advisor of the student organization SEEDS, which is focu…
774: 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 works at t…
773: 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…
772: Investigating Venom Evolution and Potential for Targeted Therapeutics - Dr. Bryan Fry
Dr. Bryan G. Fry is an Associate Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Queensland in Australia. Bryan studies the evolution of venomous animals over time. His research a…
771: Developing Tools, Terms, and Standards for Genome Editing - Dr. Samantha Maragh
Dr. Samantha Maragh is Leader of the Genome Editing Program and Co-Leader of the Biomarker and Genomic Sciences Group at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). She also repre…
770: Cued in to Environmental Factors Important for Children Learning Languages - Dr. Erin Conwell
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 …
769: Making New Materials for Soft and Flexible Bio-Inspired Robots - Dr. Carmel Majidi
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 Civi…