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
748: Figuring Out the Functional Organization and Development of Cortical Circuits in the Brain - Dr. David Fitzpatrick
Dr. David Fitzpatrick is Chief Executive Officer, Scientific Director, and Research Group Leader at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience. The brain is important for so many aspects of ou…
747: Conducting Research to Conserve Colorado's Rare Plants - Dr. Jennifer Ramp Neale
Dr. Jennifer Ramp Neale is Director of Research and Conservation at the Denver Botanic Gardens. She is also an Adjunct Professor of Biology at the University of Northern Colorado and the University o…
746: Investigating the Intersection of Nutrition and Bacterial Infection and Pathogenesis - Dr. Eric Skaar
Dr. Eric Skaar is Director of the Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation, Director of the Division of Molecular Pathogenesis, the Ernest W. Goodpasture Chair in Pathology, and Vice Chai…
745: Astrophysicist Radiating Enthusiasm for Research on Plasma Physics and Cosmic Rays - Dr. Ellen Zweibel
Dr. Ellen Zweibel is the W. L. Kraushaar Professor of Astronomy and Physics, and the Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Ellen is a theoretical astrophy…
744: Innovating Drug Discovery with Novel Approaches to Target Disease-Causing Proteins - Dr. Ryan Potts
Dr. Ryan Potts is VP of Research and Head of the Induced Proximity Platform at Amgen that works on ways to bring two or more molecules in close proximity to each other to tackle drug targets that are…
743: Advancing Tissue Engineering, Drug Discovery, and Drug Delivery - Dr. Pankaj Karande
Dr. Pankaj Karande is an Associate Professor in Chemical and Biological Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Pankaj was trained as a chemical engineer, and his research aims to apply engi…
742: Studying Hair Follicles and Skin to Better Understand Tissue Development and Regeneration - Dr. Claire Higgins
Dr. Claire Higgins is a Reader (faculty) in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine in the Department of Bioengineering at Imperial College London. She is also President of the European Hair Res…
741: Engineering Microbes to Improve Equity in Human and Environmental Health - Dr. Ariel Furst
Dr. Ariel Furst is the Paul M. Cook Career Development Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In her research, Ariel has been using microb…
740: Targeting Complex Sugars on Cell Surfaces to Treat Multiple Sclerosis and Cancer - Dr. Michael Demetriou
Dr. Michael Demetriou is Director of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Designated Comprehensive Care Clinic, Professor of Neurology, and Chief of the Division of Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimm…
739: Studying Cell Division to Better Understand and Improve Cancer Therapies - Dr. Beth Weaver
Dr. Beth Weaver is a Professor in the Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology and the Department of Oncology/McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School o…
738: Combining Geology and Microbiology to Investigate Modern and Ancient Microbes - Dr. Magdalena Osburn
Dr. Magdalena Osburn is an Associate Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Northwestern University. Maggie's research brings together microbiology and geology to understand b…
737: Investigating the Mechanics of How Cells Move in Cancer and the Immune System - Dr. Erdem Tabdanov
Dr. Erdem Tabdanov is Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at Penn State College of Medicine and also a Member of the Penn State Cancer Institute. He studies the mechanical and struc…
736: Studying How Food Influences Our Health and Behavior - Dr. Alexis Wood
Dr. Alexis “Lekki” Wood is Associate Professor at USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center in the Division of Pediatrics-Nutrition at Baylor College of Medicine. Research in Lekki’s lab aims to …
735: Growing Our Understanding of the Development, Regeneration, and Evolution of Teeth - Dr. Gareth Fraser
Dr. Gareth Fraser is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Florida. Gareth is a developmental biologist interested in how things form during development, how they a…
734: Examining the Role of Metabolism in Cancer and Response to Cancer Treatment - Dr. Rachel Perry
Dr. Rachel Perry is Assistant Professor of Medicine (Endocrinology) and of Cellular and Molecular Physiology at the Yale University School of Medicine. Rachel’s scientific training focused on how our…
733: Using Microbes to Sustainably Produce Valuable Chemicals and Degrade Toxic Compounds - Dr. Susie Dai
Dr. Susie Dai is an Associate Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology at Texas A&M University. She is also Director of the Biomonitoring Program in the Iowa State Hygienic Lab…
732: Applying Molecular Biology Tools to Characterize Genes and Enhance Crop Species - Dr. Ralph Dewey
Dr. Ralph Dewey is the Philip Morris Professor of Crop and Soil Sciences and Adjunct Professor of Plant and Microbial Biology at North Carolina State University (NCSU). Ralph uses the tools of molecu…
731: Investigating the Mechanisms of Signaling and Regulation in Protein Complexes - Dr. Denise Okafor
Dr. C. Denise Okafor is an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and of Chemistry at Pennsylvania State University. Many of the medications we take work by binding to a particula…
730: Using Chemical Biology to Clarify the Roles of Carbohydrates - Dr. Laura Kiessling
Dr. Laura Kiessling is the Novartis Professor of Chemistry at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Member of the Broad Institute. Laura’s research focuses on carbohydrates, particularly al…
729: Studying Synaptic Plasticity to Understand How the Brain Learns and Adapts - Dr. Nicole Calakos
Dr. Nicole Calakos is the Lincoln Financial Group Distinguished Professor of Neurobiology and Chief of the Movement Disorders section in Neurology at Duke University Medical Center. Research in Nicol…