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
688: Resistance on the Rise: Researching the Arms Race of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria and Potential Transfers from Livestock to Humans - Dr. Tara Smith
Dr. Tara C. Smith is an Associate Professor in Epidemiology at Kent State University and Adjunct Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Iowa. She works with bacteria that can be tra…
687: Studying the Formation and Function of the Gut to Understand Mechanisms of Disease - Dr. Michele Battle
Dr. Michele Battle is an Associate Professor of Cell Biology, Neurobiology & Anatomy at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Michele’s research is focused on studying how organs in the gut form and func…
686: Battling Antibiotic Resistance Through Development and Discovery of Novel Antibacterial Agents - Dr. Erin Carlson
Dr. Erin E. Carlson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Minnesota. Research in Erin’s lab focuses on microbes. They are interested in how these organisms int…
685: Conserving Species in Extreme Environments - Dr. Joel Berger
Dr. Joel Berger is the Barbara Cox Anthony University Chair of Wildlife Conservation at Colorado State University. He is also a longtime Senior Scientist with the Wildlife Conservation Society, and t…
684: Accumulating Evidence on the Contribution of Free Radicals in Protein Aggregation - Dr. Ohara Augusto
Dr. Ohara Augusto is a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the Institute of Chemistry at the University of São Paulo. In addition, she is the Director of a network studying the redox proce…
683: Synthesizing Self-Healing Materials Using Squid Proteins - Dr. Melik Demirel
Dr. Melik Demirel is a Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at The Pennsylvania State University. Melik is fascinated by complexity in living and nonliving systems. He works at the intersec…
682: Examining How Microbes Shape Our World by Influencing Evolution and Ecology - Dr. Rosie Alegado
Dr. Rosie Alegado is an Associate Professor of Oceanography and Sea Grant at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa where she is Director for the Center of Ulana ʻIke Center of Excellence and a member o…
681: Food for Thought: Research to Reduce Foodborne Disease and Improve Food Safety - Dr. Haley Oliver
Dr. Haley Oliver is an Associate Professor of Food Science at Purdue University, as well as an Adjunct Professor at Texas Tech University. The overall goal of Haley’s research is to reduce foodborne …
680: Bringing a Structured Approach to Our Understanding of Degeneration in the Aging Brain - Dr. Greg Petsko
Dr. Greg Petsko is the Arthur J. Mahon Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience and Director of the Helen and Robert Appel Alzheimer's Disease Research Institute at Weill Cornell Medical College, as w…
679: Pioneering Advanced Mass Spectrometry for Proteomics and Metabolomics - Dr. Neil Kelleher
Dr. Neil Kelleher is the Walter and Mary Elizabeth Glass Professor of Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences, and Medicine at Northwestern University. Neil is a protein biochemist. He weighs and analyzes p…
678: Growing Our Understanding of Photosynthesis to Improve Plant Metabolism - Dr. David Stern
Dr. David Stern is the President of the Boyce Thompson Institute and Adjunct Professor in the Plant Biology Section at Cornell University. He and his colleagues study how plants use light to make the…
677: Studying Signatures of Supermassive Black Holes - Dr. Tamara Bogdanović
Dr. Tamara Bogdanović is an Assistant Professor in the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Physics, as well as a member of the Center for Relativistic Astrophysics. She is a theoretical physici…
676: Using Algae to Capture CO2 and Create Foods, Biofuels, Chemicals, and Pharmaceuticals - Dr. Thomas Brück
Dr. Thomas Brück is the Werner Siemens Chair of Synthetic Biotechnology at the Technical University of Munich in the School of Natural Sciences. Thomas uses biotechnology methods to more efficiently …
675: Harnessing the Power of Microbes to Clean Up Toxins and Recover Energy from Wastes - Dr. Gemma Reguera
Dr. Gemma Reguera is an Associate Professor in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, as well as Plant, Soil, and Microbial Science at Michigan State University. She studies bacteria that help us by cl…
674: Piecing Together the Patterns and Processes that are Impacting Ecosystems - Dr. Madhur Anand
Dr. Madhur Anand is a Professor in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of Guelph. She is an ecologist who examines the impacts of global ecological changes on ecosystems. This incl…
673: Exploring Pain Science Education and Pain Management in Children - Dr. Joshua Pate
Dr. Joshua Pate is a Lecturer in Physiotherapy at the University of Technology Sydney in Australia. He is also a pain researcher, Children's book author, and co-founder of One Thing, a video platform…
672: 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. Naomi is an ecohydrolo…
671: Dedicating Her Energy to Engineering Solutions to Fuel Our Future - Dr. Susan Krumdieck
Dr. Susan Krumdieck is a Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Advanced Energy and Material Systems Lab at the University of Canterbury. She is also Research Leader with the Geother…
670: Chemistry is Key: Studying Self Assembly and the Origins of Life - Dr. Lee Cronin
Dr. Lee Cronin is the Regius Professor of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow. Lee is answering a variety of questions that involve chemistry. He is particularly interested in determining how life…
669: Conducting Research to Conserve Coral Reefs - Dr. Emily Darling
Dr. Emily Darling is Director of Coral Reef Conservation at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of…