Each week we bring you a series of personal and values-based interviews with scientists from all fields. Our hope with this podcast is to give listeners the chance to meet the scientists behind the science.
Leena Williams & Shannon Wolfman
For our Season 1 finale, Shannon and Leena interview each other! Don’t worry, though! We’ll be back soon with new episodes, and we’ll be re-releasing some of our favorites from Season 1 in the meantime.
Today on the show we interview Dr. Daniel McGehee who was Shannon’s PhD advisor. Dan got his undergraduate degree in Biology at Guilford College and his PhD in Physiology at UNC Chapel Hill. After receiving his PhD he did his postdoc at Columbia University and is now a full professor at the University of Chicago where he runs a lab studying nicotine addiction. We talked about his old life as a sailboat captain in the Caribbean (yes, really), why he left paradise to pursue science, and how science has changed over the years. We hope you like it!
Today on the show, we are talking with astronomer and biodiversity writer Dr. Daniel Hudon. Daniel got his Master’s in Astronomy at the University of British Columbia, followed by his PhD in Astronomy from the University of Toronto. He currently lectures in Astronomy and Mathematics at Boston University and Northeastern University, while also making time to write books like The Bluffer’s Guide to the Cosmos and most recently Brief Eulogies for Lost Animals. We talked about how an astronomer turned his focus to life on earth and the biodiversity crisis, what astronomers actually do, and which extinct animal he mourns the most. We hope you like it!
Today on the show, we are joined by biostatistician Dr. Abidemi K. Adeniji. Abi got his undergraduate degree in Mathematics at the University of Maryland, College Park. He then got his Master’s and PhD in Biostatistics from the University of Pittsburgh, and is currently the Associate Director of Biostatistics at EMD Serono. He tells us about his childhood in Lagos, Nigeria, what it’s like to work at a biopharmaceutical company, and most importantly, he tells us what Biostatistics actually is. So if you’ve ever wondered about people who like math and statistics so much that they make it their job, this is the show for you! We hope you like it!
Today on the show we interview Professor Anthony Holtmaat who is currently Leena’s Principal Investigator or her supervisor. Anthony received his Masters in Science in Medical Biology and his PhD in Molecular Neuroscience from Utrecht University in the Netherlands. He is currently a full professor and has his own laboratory at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. We talked about everything from growing up in the Netherlands to using a process known as synaptic plasticity to reorganize working brain circuits, to compensate for damaged brain circuits. This type of work could for example improve recovery after a stroke.
Today on the show, we are joined from Germany by Dr. William Taylor, a real life archaeologist! William got his undergraduate degree in International Relations from Carleton College. He then got his Master’s and PhD in Anthropology-Archaeology from the University of New Mexico. He is currently a post-doctoral researcher in the Archaeology department at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. We talked about what it’s like in Mongolia, why we should care about ancient horses, and the damage done to science by Indiana Jones. We hope you like it!
On this episode, Dr. Iboro Umana, a neuroscientist and Medical Student and a good friend of Shannon joins us from Chi town. Iboro got his B.A. in Philosophy, Neuroscience and Psychology from Washington University in Saint Louis. He got his PhD in Neurobiology from the University of Chicago and is now in his final year of medical school. During his PhD Iboro was studying novel pathways for controlling pain by targeting the nicotinic receptor, which is the same receptor activated by nicotine. We talked about everything from amazing Nigerian weddings to being Not that Kind of Doctor while being that kind of doctor.
"What is a particle?" with Dr. Matthew McCullough
Today on the show, we are joined in the home studio with Dr. Matthew McCullough. Matthew got his Masters of Physics and his doctorate in Theoretical Particle Physics from the University of Oxford in the UK. He is currently working as a theoretical physicist at the CERN laboratory coming up with cool new theories about Dark Matter and our universe. As a theorists, not to be confused with previous pod guests that were experimental physicists, his job is to think deeply about the rules that govern the universe and to come up with brand new theories about how it all works. We talked about growing up in Belfast, Ireland; getting kicked out of his band; how we know Dark Matter exists; and ultimately, how math underpins the nature of our universe.
Today on the show, we're joined from Abaco, Bahamas by the future Dr. Enie Hensel! Enie got her undergraduate degree in Zoology / Ecology wildlife and conservation at the University of Florida (where she met her husband and former podcast guest Dr. Marc Hensel). She is currently working on a PhD in Biology with a concentration in Ecology and Evolution in the Department of Applied Ecology at North Carolina State University. She is currently a Global Change Fellow under the Southeast climate Science Center. We talked about restoring coral reefs, using drones for research, and of course, sharks! We hope you like it.
Today on the show, we’re joined from Linkoping, Sweden by another grad school roommate of Shannon's, Dr. Leah Mayo. Leah got her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience at the University of Michigan. She got ger Master’s in Molecular Pathogenesis and Molecular Medicine and her doctorate in Neurobiology at the University of Chicago. She is now doing a post-doc in Sweden at Linkoping University. We talked about her Native American roots, drug addiction, and what it’s like to live in Sweden. So, we hope you like it!
Today on the show, we’re joined in the home studio by Dr. Keith Sabin. Keith got his undergraduate degree in International Environmental Studies at Rutgers University. After a detour in East Asian Studies at Hebrew University, he got his Master’s in Limnology (which is the study of fresh water bodies of water) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also got a Master’s of Public Health in Epidemiology at Columbia University. He then got his PhD in International Health-Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He has since worked at the CDC and WHO as senior epidemiologist, and is currently Senior Advisor in Epidemiology at UNAIDS. We really loved this interview! We got to hear about New York in the late ‘70s, HIV from a global perspective, and why public health workers and medical doctors aren’t always on the same wavelength. We hope you like it!
Today on the show, we’re joined from Boston, Massachusetts by soon-to- be Dr. Holly Walters. Holly got her undergraduate degree in Anthropology and at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She then got her Master’s in Anthropology and is currently finishing up her PhD in Anthropology at Brandeis University. We talk about Hindu deities in India and Nepal, what makes a scientist, and why anthropologists are so critical to science moving forward. This was such an interesting and thought-provoking conversation, and we hope you like it!
Today on the show, we’re joined from Abaco, Bahamas by soon-to-be Dr. Marc Hensel, Shannon’s college BFF. Marc got his undergraduate degree in Zoology and his Master’s in Biology at the University of Florida. He is currently wrapping up his PhD in Biology at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. We talk about catching alligators, why you should care about salt marshes, snail poop, and much more! We had so much fun talking to Marc, who is just such a funny guy. We hope you like it!
Today on the show, we’re joined from Gainesville, Florida by Dr. Amber Muehlmann, an amazing friend and mentor to Shannon. Amber got her undergraduate degree in Psychology from San Diego State University and her Master’s and PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Florida. After a post-doctoral fellowship in the psychiatry department at UF and another Master’s degree in clinical and translational science, she is now an assistant professor running her own lab at UF. She also recently earned her MBA, also from the University of Florida. We talk drug development and accessible science, so enjoy the Muehlmania on your Thanksgiving travels!
On this episode, Dr. Gabriel Facini, a particle physicist and Leena’s good friend, joins us in the studio. Gabe got his B.S. in Engineering Physics from the University of Arizona (ARIZONA!). He received his PhD in 2011 from Northeastern University, working at the Tevatron experiment. He is now an STFC Ernest Rutherford fellow at University College London and is the convener of the largest physics group, the Exotics group, in the ATLAS experiment at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider. We talked about everything from Hell’s Kitchen to extra dimensions in the Universe.
On this episode, Dr. Arielle Baskin-Sommers joins us from sabbatical in New York City. Arielle received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Neuroscience from Brown University. She went on to get her Master’s and PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After a post-doctoral fellowship and clinical psychology fellowship at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, she went on to start her own lab, and is currently an Assistant Professor at Yale University. We asked a million different questions about psychopaths, and it was fascinating!
On this episode, Dr. Gregg Tabot, a machine learning engineer, computational neuroscientist, and Shannon’s close friend, joins us from San Francisco. Gregg got his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at Virginia Tech. He then got his PhD in Computational Neuroscience at the University of Chicago. He now works as a machine learning engineer at the start-up AppDiff. We talked about his research into making prosthetic arms that can transmit touch information to the brain, and got his thoughts on artificial intelligence and how you can teach machines to learn. We hope you like it!
On this episode, Dr. Meaghan Creed, a neuroscientist and good friend of both Leena and Shannon, joins us from Balitmore, Maryland. Meaghan got her HBSc in Psychology & Neuroscience at the University of Toronto, and then got her PhD in Neuroscience also at the University of Toronto. She studies how cocaine re-wires the brain’s reward circuitry, and she developed a new treatment that can reverse how cocaine rewires the brain. She is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland’s School of Medicine, in the U.S. We talked about her interest in arctic tomatoes and the Canadian seal hunt, 80 hour work weeks, and her work investigating a new hope for the treatment of drug addition.
On this episode, Dr. Mark Williams, an experimental particle physicist (and Leena’s husband!), joins us in the home studio. Mark got his MPhys in physics at Oxford University, and his PhD in particle physics at Lancaster University, in the United Kingdom. He moved to the Tevatron Particle Accelerator in Chicago, Illinois to do field work during his PhD. He currently has a Royal Society Fellowship and a tenure-track position at the University of Manchester while based at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. We talked about his adventures in semi-professional foosball, his work investigating why antimatter matters, and the improbability of our existence.
On this episode, Dr. Josiah Zayner joins us all the way from San Francisco. Josiah got his bachelor’s degree in plant biology at Southern Illinois University, his master’s degree in cell and molecular biology at Appalachian State, and then his PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at the University of Chicago. He worked as a research scientist at NASA in the synthetic biology program before leaving to work full-time as a biohacker. He is the founder and CEO of The Odin and has gained a lot of attention for his creative and daring approach to science. We talked about NASA, the future of scientific inquiry, self-experimentation, and so much more!
On this episode, we interviewed Dr. Katy Tschann-Grimm, Leena's close personal friend. Katy got her bachelor’s degree in physics at UCLA, and then got her PhD in Particle Physics at the State University of New York, Stony Brook. She is currently starting a faculty position in the Department of Physics at California State University East Bay, in San Francisco. We discussed that Goddamn Particle, the Higgs Boson, and she told us about her visit with Al Gore at CERN. We also talked about her love of baking and her current projects writing cookbooks. She also kind enough to offer some advice for getting kids interested in science.
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