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
728: Researching Risk Factors and Therapies for Blood Clots in the Lungs and Legs - Dr. Alex Spyropoulos
Dr. Alex Spyropoulos (“Dr. Spy”) is a Professor of Medicine at the Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine as well as System Director of Anticoagulation and Clinical Thrombosis Services for the multi-ho…
727: Investigating Insidious Insects in the Field of Agricultural Pest Management - Dr. Erin Hodgson
Dr. Erin Hodgson is an Associate Professor and Extension Entomologist at Iowa State University. She specializes in insects in agriculture, often focusing on corn and soybean crops. Erin also works wi…
726: Mechanical Engineer Making Miniature Mobile Robots - Dr. Sarah Bergbreiter
Dr. Sarah Bergbreiter is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering with a joint appointment in the Institute for Systems Research at the University of Maryland. Sarah’s resea…
725: Improving How We Diagnose and Treat Certain Blood Clotting Conditions - Dr. Anand Padmanabhan
Dr. Anand Padmanabhan is a pathologist, transfusion medicine physician, and Associate Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the Mayo Clinic. Anand studies blood clotting, also known as “t…
724: Heading Up Research Designing New Materials for Helmets to Prevent Brain Injury - Dr. Ellen Arruda
Dr. Ellen Arruda is the Maria Comninou Collegiate Professor of Mechanical Engineering with joint appointments as Professor of Biomedical Engineering, as well as Macromolecular Science and Engineering…
723: Analyzing Complex Networks of Plant-Animal Interactions - Dr. John Kress
Dr. John Kress is a Distinguished Scientist and Curator of Botany at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. John’s research involves exploring the natural world and all the organisms t…
722: Taking Critical Steps to Elucidate Mechanisms of Limb Movement in Locomotion - Dr. Young-Hui Chang
Dr. Young-Hui Chang is a Professor of Biological Sciences at Georgia Institute of Technology where he directs research in the Comparative Neuromechanics Laboratory. Research in Young-Hui’s lab aims t…
721: Unraveling Mysteries Surrounding the Development and Function of Glial Cells - Dr. Sonia Mayoral
Dr. Sonia Mayoral is the Robert J. and Nancy D. Carney Assistant Professor of Brain Science at Brown University. In the lab, Sonia studies glial cells, the cells in your brain that aren’t neurons. Th…
720: Stimulating Research on the Mechanisms of Memory and Applications of Memory Modulation - Dr. Steve Ramirez
Dr. Steve Ramirez is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Boston University. In his research, Steve is studying learning and memory, and he is interested in…
719: Studying the Sea through Shells, Skeletons, and Sediments - Dr. Abby Smith
Dr. Abby Smith is an Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Marine Science at the University of Otago. In the lab, Abby is dedicated to studying shells and the animals that make shells. Sh…
718: Making Molecular Movies of Complex Chemical Reactions in Live Cells - Dr. Antoine van Oijen
Dr. Antoine van Oijen is a Distinguished Professor and Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow in the School of Chemistry at the University of Wollongong in Australia. The work Antoine does combi…
717: Developing Tools and Resources to Accelerate Neuroscience Discovery - Dr. Hongkui Zeng
Dr. Hongkui Zeng is Executive Vice President and Director of the Allen Institute for Brain Science. She is dedicated to understanding how the brain is organized and how the different components of th…
716: Metabolic-Based Therapies As a Key Component in Treating Cancer and Other Diseases - Dr. Dominic D'Agostino
Dr. Dominic D’Agostino is an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of South Florida. He is also a Research Scientist Institute for Human and…
715: An Astrophysicist Studying the Elements of Galaxy Evolution - Dr. Molly Peeples
Dr. Molly Peeples is an Aura Assistant Astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. Molly’s research is improving our understanding of galaxies and helping to reveal wh…
714: Tiny Technology with Big Impacts: Nanoparticles for Medicine, Energy, and the Environment - Dr. Christy Haynes
Dr. Christy Haynes is the Elmore H. Northey Professor of Chemistry at the University of Minnesota. In Christy’s research group, they are working to develop new methods to monitor small quantities of …
713: Combining Chemistry and Biology to Develop New Research Tools and Therapeutics - Dr. David Liu
Dr. David R. Liu is the Richard Merkin Professor and Director of the Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, vice-chair of the faculty at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard…
712: Dr. Lynne Maquat: Understanding Cellular and Molecular Pathways that Contribute to Human Disease
Dr. Lynne Maquat is the J. Lowell Orbison Endowed Chair and Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics in the School of Medicine and Dentistry, Director of the Center for RNA Biology, and Chair of Grad…
711: Researching RNA Regulation of Reproduction in Plants - Dr. Blake Meyers
Dr. Blake Meyers is a Member Principal Investigator at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and a Professor in the Division of Plant Sciences at the University of Missouri. The focus of Blake’s r…
710: Investigating Carbon Capture Solutions from Cars to Coal-Fired Power Plants - Dr. Jennifer Wilcox
Dr. Jennifer Wilcox is an Associate Professor in Chemical and Biological Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines and an Investigator within the Clean Energy Conversions Laboratory there. The rese…
709: Examining How the Brain Controls Our Thoughts and Actions to Reach Our Goals - Dr. Tim Buschman
Dr. Tim Buschman is Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Princeton University. He studies a process called cognitive control, a process in the brain that allows you to control your o…