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
249: Radiant Researcher Illuminating the Attributes of Dying Stars - Dr. Kurtis Williams
Dr. Kurtis Williams is an Assistant Professor at Texas A and M University, Commerce. He received his Master's and PhD degrees in Astronomy and Astrophysics from the University of California, Santa Cr…
248: Chemical Compounds as Protectors of Plants! - Dr. Jack Schultz
Dr. Jack Schultz is a Professor in Plant Sciences and Director of the Bond Life Sciences Center at the University of Missouri. He received his PhD in Zoology from the University of Washington and com…
247: Conducting Cool Science on Conservation in Arctic and Subarctic Ecosystems - Dr. Luise Hermanutz
Dr. Luise Hermanutz is a Professor in the Department of Biology at Memorial University in Canada. She received her PhD in Plant Ecology from Western University in London, Ontario. Afterward, She taug…
246: Dynamic Scientist Bringing Energy, Laser-Focus, and Structure to His Nanoscience Research and Role as Chancellor - Dr. Tom George
Dr. Tom George is Chancellor and Professor of Chemistry and Physics at the University of Missouri - St. Louis. He earned his bachelors degree from gettysburg college and MS and PhD in Theoretical Che…
245: Mysterious Microbes in Our Guts, the Ground, the Air, and Everywhere! - Dr. Noah Fierer
Dr. Noah Fierer is a microbial ecologist and an Associate Professor in the Ecology & Evolutionary Biology department and a fellow in the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences a…
244: Researching the Role of Genes in the Evolution and Development of Reproductive Systems - Dr. Cassandra Extavour
Dr. Cassandra Extavour is a Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard University. She received her PhD from the Severo Ochoa Center f…
243: Scientific Simulations in Stream and Ecosystem Synergies - Dr. Naomi Tague
Dr. Christina (Naomi) Tague is an Associate Professor of ecoHydrology in the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She received her Bache…
242: Paving Pathways to Success Studying Substance Abuse and the Brain - Dr. Yasmin Hurd
Dr. Yasmin Hurd is Professor of Psychiatry, Neuroscience and Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics as well as the Ward-Coleman Chair in Translational Neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine in N…
241: From Microbes to Man - Exploring Evolution, Ecology, and the Exciting Unknowns in Science - Dr. Rob Dunn
Dr. Rob Dunn is an Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at North Carloina State University. He is also an accomplished author with his books Every Living Thing, The Wild Life of Our Bodies, an…
240: 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…
239: Looking Beneath the Surface to Study the Science of Water Movement, Distribution, and Quality - Dr. Tess Russo
Dr. Tess Russo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geosciences at The Pennsylvania State University. She received her PhD in Earth and Planetary Sciences from the University of California,…
238: Investigating Interactions and Invasions in Evolutionary Ecology - Dr. Ruth Hufbauer
Dr. Ruth Hufbauer is a Professor of Evolutionary Ecology at Colorado State University in the department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management. She received her Phd in Entomology, Ecology an…
237: Science in Motion and How the Brain and Spinal Cord Control Movement - Dr. Reggie Edgerton
Dr. Reggie Edgerton is a Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology at the University of California, Los Angeles. Reggie received his Master's degree from the University of Iow…
236: Taking Genetics from Bench to Farm Studying Crop Resistance to Disease and Stress - Dr. Pam Ronald
Dr. Pam Ronald is a Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology and the Genome Center at the University of California, Davis. She is also the Director of the UC Davis Institute for Food and Agricu…
235: Seeing Science and Symbiosis Through the Lens of an Evolutionary Microbiologist - Dr. Seth Bordenstein
Dr. Seth Bordenstein is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and in the Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology at Vanderbilt University. He received his unde…
234: Egg-cell-ent Research in Reproduction, Fertilization, and Embryonic Development - Dr. Mariana Wolfner
Dr. Mariana Wolfner is the Goldwin Smith Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics and a Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow at Cornell University. She received her BA in Genetics and Chemistry fr…
233: Researching the Road to Recovery in Neural Repair After Stroke - Dr. Tom Carmichael
Dr. S. Thomas (Tom) Carmichael is a Neurologist, as well as Professor and Vice Chair for Research in the Neurology Department at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is also a Member of the …
232: The Pet Vet Describes His Career, Life Lessons, and Behaviors for Success - Dr. Nick Dodman
Dr. Nick Dodman is a Professor, as well as Section Head and Program Director for the Animal Behavior Department of Clinical Sciences at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University.…
231: Using Genetics to Understand Plant Evolution and Trace back the Roots of Agriculture - Dr. Michael Clegg
Dr. Michael Clegg is a Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences, Ecology, and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Irvine. He is also the past Foreign Secretary of the US National A…
230: Signaling the Wave of the Future with Ultrasound Research Applications - Dr. Larry Crum
Dr. Lawrence Crum is the Principal Physicist and Founder/Former Director of the Center for Industrial and Medical Ultrasound in the Applied Physics Laboratory, and Research Professor of Bioengineerin…