Scientist artwork

Scientist

40 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 26 ratings

Scientist is a podcast about people who do science. Expanding the boundaries of knowledge is a deeply human endeavor, and host Toshiki Nakashige talks with scientists about their personal experiences as researchers, educators, and creators. This podcast highlights diverse fields of science and takes a humanist approach to understanding the scientific process. Join Toshiki as he and his guests discover something new about themselves.

Science Education anthropology chemistry social biology botany engineering linguistics medicine psychology science
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed

Episodes

Alix Deymier

October 12, 2020 11:00 - 48 minutes - 44.3 MB

This episode is supported by Toshiki’s Patreon patrons. Alix Deymier is an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the School of Dental Medicine at UConn Health. Initially interested in science through art conservation and ceramics, Alix is a materials scientist whose lab examines dental ceramics (or bones) and acid-base diseases that affect those materials. She chronicles her training and emphasizes the importance of negotiation. Thanks to a mutual understanding with her advisers...

Luciano Marraffini

October 05, 2020 11:00 - 52 minutes - 48.1 MB

This episode is supported by Toshiki’s Patreon patrons. Luciano Marraffini is a Professor at The Rockefeller University and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. A microbiologist interested in how bacteria function, he heads the Laboratory of Bacteriology. His research group examines CRISPR-Cas systems that help bacteria and other microbes acquire immunity against invading viruses. Comprising six types and found in various bacterial species, these systems employ diverse mechanisms ...

Daniel Mindiola

September 28, 2020 11:00 - 49 minutes - 45.9 MB

Daniel Mindiola is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania. He is an organometallic chemist and leads a research group studying organometallic catalysts involved in various industrially relevant chemical transformations. One of the subjects of his research is the activation of the molecule methane, the major component of natural gas, and the long-term application of this research area is to harness methane as a carbon source via non-combustion processes. ...

Welcome to Scientist

August 24, 2020 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.68 MB

Scientist is a podcast about people who do science. Hosted and produced by Toshiki Nakashige. Listen to the trailer featuring interview guests from Season 2 of the podcast.

Become a Patron for Scientist

August 08, 2019 11:00 - 2 minutes - 2.29 MB

A special announcement: Season 2 of Scientist will start in November! In the meantime, please consider supporting the podcast by becoming a patron for Scientist. I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at The Rockefeller University and will be finishing my position in September to pursue science communication and science media full time, and to this end, I'm starting a business that will formalize my creative projects, including this podcast. My motivation to continue interviewing guests ...

I Want Your Feedback

May 21, 2019 11:00 - 1 minute - 1.04 MB

I’m happy to announce that I’m starting to work on a new season of Scientist. I finished the first series of episodes in November 2018, and after producing 31 consecutive weekly episodes, I needed a few months to think about where to go from there. In the meantime, I started a different podcast called The Big Root, which has little to do with science but has been extremely therapeutic in balancing my left and right brain. In March, my live interview with Victor Torres sparked renewed inspira...

Victor Torres

April 01, 2019 11:00 - 57 minutes - 105 MB

Victor Torres is Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology at New York University School of Medicine. We talk about Staph infections, vaccinations, and Puerto Rico. This is a special live episode in collaboration with RockEDU at The Rockefeller University. For more information: Victor Torres’ lab website Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website on Staphylococcus aureus RockEDU Science Outreach website

Kathryn Ibata-Arens

November 19, 2018 12:00 - 57 minutes - 105 MB

Kathryn Ibata-Arens is Vincent de Paul Professor of Political Science and Director of the Global Asian Studies Program at DePaul University in Chicago, IL. We talk about political economy, service to the Japanese American community, and having a family. For more information: Beyond Technonationalism: Biomedical Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Asia by Kathryn C. Ibata-Arens MITI and the Japanese Miracle: The Growth of Industrial Policy, 1925-1975 by Chalmers Johnson Depaul University ...

Eugene Chang

November 12, 2018 12:00 - 53 minutes - 97.8 MB

Eugene Chang is Martin Boyer Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago in Chicago, IL. We talk about the gastrointestinal microbiome, his role in a collaborative research team, and how mentorship shaped his physician-scientist career. For more information: The Microbiome Center website Michael Field, MD (1933–2014) by Eugene B. Chang, Stefano Guandalini, Mrinalini C. Rao, Joseph H. Sellin, Carol E. Semrad, and Howard Worman I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Gr...

Kenneth Gillingham

November 05, 2018 12:00 - 52 minutes - 95.3 MB

Kenneth Gillingham is Associate Professor of Economics at the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies of Yale University in New Haven, CT. We talk about energy economics, methodology, and the federal government. For more information: Solar power is contagious. These maps show how it spreads. by Brad Plumer White House Council of Economic Advisers website William Nordhaus 2018 Nobel Prize Winner video and article Climate Feedback website

Gregory Plunkett

October 29, 2018 11:00 - 59 minutes - 109 MB

Gregory Plunkett is Director and Curator of the Cullman Program for Molecular Systematics at the New York Botanical Garden. We talk about phylogenetic analysis, naming plants, and Vanuatu. For more information: Traditional Shelters, Cyclone Houses, and the Temptations of Modern Construction on the New York Botanical Garden website Linguist K. David Harrison to Document Plants, Languages in Vanuatu by Ryan Dougherty

Michael Balick

October 22, 2018 11:00 - 57 minutes - 106 MB

Michael Balick is Vice President for Botanical Science and Director of the Institute of Economic Botany at The New York Botanical Garden. We talk about ethnobotany, collaboration, and chewing on ginseng. For more information: Plants, People, and Culture: The Science of Ethnobotany by Paul Cox and Michael Balick Plants and People of Vanuatu project description Category 5 Cyclone Pam Devastates Vanuatu by Alan Taylor Ancient Wisdom, Modern Practices: Three Decades of Studying the Plants ...

Alexandra Horowitz

October 15, 2018 11:00 - 53 minutes - 97.2 MB

Alexandra Horowitz is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Barnard College in New York. We talk about the umwelt of dogs, teaching nonfiction writing, and what I learned about walking my black lab Jayden. For more information: Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know by Alexandra Horowitz On Looking: Eleven Walks with Expert Eyes by Alexandra Horowitz Being a Dog: Following the Dog Into a World of Smell by Alexandra Horowitz Watch Shigeru Miyamoto me...

Paula Diaconescu

October 08, 2018 11:00 - 54 minutes - 100 MB

Paula Diaconescu is Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles. We talk about organometallic chemistry, Romanian inorganic chemists, and why she applied to 42 graduate schools. For more information: Ferrocene by Lars Öhrström SoCal Organometallics website

Christine Shearer

October 01, 2018 11:00 - 53 minutes - 97.1 MB

Christine Shearer is Senior R&D Engineer at Annie’s Homegrown in Berkeley, CA. We talk about food science, socially responsible practices, and innovation. For more information: Annie’s Homegrown website A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution by Jennifer A. Doudna and Samuel H. Sternberg Sporkful podcast BBC’s The Food Chain podcast

Jason Kandybowicz

September 24, 2018 11:00 - 59 minutes - 108 MB

Jason Kandybowicz is an Associate Professor of Linguistics at The Graduate Center of The City University of New York. We talk about linguistic field methods, endangered and fictional African languages, and how Japanese and Yoda’s speech are similar. For more information: Africa’s Endangered Languages: Documentary and Theoretical Approaches, edited by Jason Kandybowicz and Harold Torrence World’s Languages Dying Off Rapidly by John Noble Wilford Endangered Language Alliance website Livi...

Roger Peng

September 17, 2018 11:00 - 56 minutes - 103 MB

Roger D. Peng is a Professor in the Department of Biostatistics at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. We talk about statistics, podcasts, and responsibilities of the data scientist. For more information: Data Science Specialization on Coursera The Effort Report podcast Not So Standard Deviations podcast Scriptnotes podcast Hello Internet podcast

Stefano Sacanna

September 10, 2018 11:00 - 49 minutes - 91.4 MB

Stefano Sacanna is Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at New York University. We talk about colloidal materials, interdisciplinary research, and wearing GoPro cameras in lab. For more information: Micro-particles self-assemble into spinning gears video Colloids and Interface Symposium website Colloid Open Access Library Colloid synthesis tutorials

Elaine Fuchs

September 03, 2018 11:00 - 53 minutes - 98.3 MB

Elaine Fuchs is Rebecca C. Lancefield Professor, Howard Hughs Medical Institute Investigator, and Head of the Robin Chemers Neustein Laboratory of Mammalian Cell Biology and Development at The Rockefeller University in New York. We talk about stem cells, grantsmanship, and fearlessness. For more information: Elaine Fuchs: The Drive to Succeed, World Science Festival President Obama Awards National Medal of Science and Medal of Technology, October 2009 Seven Actionable Strategies for Adv...

Psyche Loui

August 27, 2018 11:00 - 57 minutes - 106 MB

Psyche Loui is Assistant Professor of Music and Psychology at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. We talk about cognitive neuroscience, liberal arts education, and skin orgasms. This episode is hosted by Jeremy Auerbach. For more information: Psyche Loui's website How Our Brains Learn to Like Music by Psyche Loui (TEDxCambridge 2011) Tone Deafness: A New Disconnection Syndrome? by Psyche Loui, David Alsop and Gottfried Schlaug Music, language, and the brain by Aniruddh D. Patel Lau...

Joyce White

August 20, 2018 11:00 - 1 hour - 113 MB

Joyce White is the Director of the Middle Mekong Archaeological Project and Director of the Ban Chiang Project at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Philadelphia, PA. We talk about Ban Chiang, monographs, and tourism. For more information: Penn Museum website Chester Gorman by Froelich Rainey Ban Chiang Archaeological Site Ban Chiang Museum on TripAdvisor Middle Mekong Archaeological Project Operation Antiquity, Institute for Southeast Asian Arch...

Omar Abdel-Wahab

August 13, 2018 11:00 - 55 minutes - 101 MB

Omar Abdel-Wahab is an Associate Member in the Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program and Attending Physician in the Department of Medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. We talk about specializing in hematology, working at a cancer research institution, and being a physician-scientist. For more information: Abdel-Wahab Lab website Frequent pathway mutations of splicing machinery in myelodysplasia by Seishi Ogawa and coworkers Finding Nirvana: Paths to Becoming ...

Gaelin Rosenwaks

August 06, 2018 11:00 - 57 minutes - 105 MB

Gaelin Rosenwaks is a marine scientist and the Founder and President of Global Ocean Exploration. We talk about bluefin tuna, expedition science, and outreach. For more information: Gaelin Rosenwaks’ website Gaelin Rosenwaks’ Instagram Global Ocean Exploration Giant Trevally: Fishing for Science in Seychelles Gallery Review: Gaelin Rosenwaks’s “Science at Sea” by Calleigh Smith Gaelin Rosenwaks on CBS News for World Oceans Day Netflix's Chasing Coral trailer Monterey Bay Aquarium S...

Adam Summers

July 30, 2018 11:00 - 59 minutes - 108 MB

Adam Summers is Professor of Biology and School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences at the University of Washington Friday Harbor Laboratories on San Juan Island, WA. We talk about fish, fish burritos, and animated fish. For more information: Natural History: An Engine for Bioinspiration by Adam Summers How Sharing Big Data is Changing the World by Adam Summers X-ray Reconstruction of Moving Morphology oVert Thematic Collection Network Q&A: Fabulous fact fisher by Daniel Cressey Pictur...

Gabriela González

July 23, 2018 11:00 - 44 minutes - 81.7 MB

Gabriela González is Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA. We talk about LIGO, women in physics, and Argentina. For more information: LIGO NSF Press Conference in February 2016 LIGO Livingston website 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics Gabriela González's 2017 TED Talk Gabriela González's 2016 TEDxCórdoba Talk Love and the two-body problem by Valerie Jamieson

Jelani Nelson

July 16, 2018 11:00 - 57 minutes - 106 MB

Jelani Nelson is Associate Professor of Computer Science John L. Loeb Associate Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. We talk about algorithms, programming contests, and Ethiopia. For more information: Jelani Nelson on Quora Jelani Nelson's MIT classes Jelani Nelson's TEDxAddis talk on streaming algorithms Jelani Nelson on EBS TechTalk with Solomon (Part 1 and Part 2) AddisCoder

John C. Mather

July 09, 2018 11:00 - 53 minutes - 98.7 MB

John C. Mather is Senior Astrophysicist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. He is currently Senior Project Scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope. We talk about cosmic microwave background, building telescopes, and the role of science in society and government. For more information: John C. Mather's Nobel Prize Telephone Interview, Biographical, and Lecture TEDx talk on gravitational waves Interview with American Visionary Art Museum

Marcelo Ang

July 02, 2018 11:00 - 58 minutes - 108 MB

Marcelo Ang is Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Acting Director of the Advanced Robotics Center at the National University of Singapore. We talk about self-driving cars, robotics competitions, and international collaborations. For more information: Marcelo Ang's TEDxNUS talk Singapore unveils self-driving scooter, ideal for phone-obsessed walkers by Yiming Woo nuTonomy

Eng Eong Ooi

June 25, 2018 11:00 - 59 minutes - 110 MB

Eng Eong Ooi is Professor and Deputy Director of the Emerging Diseases Programme at Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore. We talk about dengue fever, Singapore, and family. For more information: Eng Eong Ooi's 2011 Open Conversations Interview at Duke-NUS Eng Eong Ooi's 2013 Interview with the Cognitive Neuroscience Lab at Duke-NUS Eng Eong Ooi's 2014 Interview with AsiaNews

Rich Cohen

June 18, 2018 11:00 - 54 minutes - 99.2 MB

Rich Cohen is the Associate Director of Technical Programs at Bolt Threads in Emeryville, CA. We talk about spider silk, applied science, and my biotech startup idea. For more information: Bolt Threads Website This Limited Edition Hat Is Made From A Bioengineered Silk And Natural Wool Blend by Rachel Arthur Sustainable Silk, Stella McCartney Industrial brewing yeast engineered for the production of primary flavor determinants in hopped beer by Keasling and coworkers Clean Meat: How Gr...

Catherine Bliss

June 11, 2018 11:00 - 1 hour - 114 MB

Catherine Bliss is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. We talk about sociogenomics, qualitative methodology, and personal genetic testing. For more information: Race Decoded: The Genomic Fight for Social Justice by Catherine Bliss Social by Nature: The Promise and Peril of Sociogenomics by Catherine Bliss The Genome Factor: What the Social Genomics Revolution Reveals about Ourselves, Our History, and ...

Heran Darwin

June 04, 2018 11:00 - 59 minutes - 109 MB

Heran Darwin is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the New York University School of Medicine in New York. We talk about the proteasome, basic science, and mentorship. For more information: The Ligo Project Art of Science Performance Art Proteasome Heran Darwin's Twitter

Alison Olechowski, Kapil Amarnath, and Amanda Vernon

May 28, 2018 11:00 - 1 hour - 127 MB

Alison Olechowski is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Toronto in Canada. Kapil Amarnath is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Physics at the University of California, San Diego. Amanda Vernon is a graduate student in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in Cambridge, MA. We talk about technology, popular culture, and claiming scientists. For more inf...

Sarah Gaither

May 21, 2018 11:00 - 58 minutes - 106 MB

Sarah Gaither is Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University. We talk about social psychology, biracial identity, and wedding photos. For more information: Duke Identity & Diversity Lab 'Racial Impostor Syndrome': Here Are Your Stories, NPR Code Switch What You'll Never Understand About Being Biracial by Brianna Moné She’s Biracial, And It’s Not A Secret: Meet Duke Psychologist Sarah Gaither by Amanda Magnus and Frank Stasio

Martin Chalfie

May 14, 2018 11:00 - 55 minutes - 102 MB

Martin Chalfie is University Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Columbia University. We talk about green fluorescent protein, 2008, and Douglas Prasher. For more information: Martin Chalfie's Nobel Prize Telephone Interview, Biographical, and Lecture The Thrill of Defeat by Bob Goldstein Implications for bcd mRNA localization from spatial distribution of exu protein in Drosophila oogenesis by Shengxian Wang and Tulle Hazelrigg Glowing Gene's Discoverer Left Out Of No...

Margaret Polaneczky

May 07, 2018 11:00 - 44 minutes - 81.9 MB

Margaret Polaneczky is a gynecologist at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York. We talk about women's health, ethics, and New York. For more information: The Blog That Ate Manhattan, Margaret Polaneczky's blog Breast Screening Decisions A Doctor Prescribes Clarity on Mammography by Jonathan Cohn Facilitating informed decisions about breast cancer screening: development and evaluation of a web-based decision aid for women in their 40s Responsible Conduct of Research, Memorial Sloan Ketter...

Ken Buesseler

April 30, 2018 10:00 - 1 hour - 117 MB

Ken Buesseler is Senior Scientist of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. We talk about measuring radioactivity after the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear disasters, crowdfunding, and dealing with foreign governments and online trolls. For more information: Cafe Thorium, research group website Our Radioactive Ocean, citizen science initiative Ken Buesseler's 2014 Reddit AMA Ken Buesseler's 2016 Reddit AMA WHOI Center for Marine and Environmenta...

Michael Eisen

April 23, 2018 10:00 - 1 hour - 125 MB

Michael Eisen is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and Professor of Genetics, Genomics and Development at the University of California, Berkeley. We talk about fruit flies, Open Access, and running for political office. For more information: it is NOT junk, Michael Eisen's blog Eisen Lab at UC Berkeley PLOS: Public Library of Science, Open Access publisher and advocacy organization Publisher for the People by Will Harper Q&A: Michael Eisen bids to be first fly biologist i...

Premiering April 2018

February 21, 2018 12:30

I am excited to announce that the first season of Scientist will premiere in April 2018! To celebrate its launch, there will be a podcast release party in New York on Tuesday April 24, 2018. For more information and to register for the event, please visit the Eventbrite page. To receive news and updates, please subscribe to the mailing list, and follow the Facebook page.

Introduction

July 24, 2017 14:55

Scientist is a podcast about people who do science. Behind every scientific discovery are humans who dedicate their lives to understand something that has never been understood before. By having conversations with scientists from a variety of fields, I will explore the humanity in science. We will discuss the role of the scientist in politics, how scientists communicate their work to a broader audience, and what it’s like to be trained in science in the 21st century. The first episode of S...

Twitter Mentions

@herandarwin 1 Episode