Conversations with scientists

About Conversations with scientists

Scientists talk about what they do and why they do what they do. Their motivations, their trajectory, their setbacks, their achievements. They offer their personal take on science, mentoring and the many aspects that have shaped their work and their lives. Hosted by journalist Vivien Marx. Her work has appeared in Nature journals, Science, The Economist, The NY Times, The Wall Street Journal Europe and New Scientist among others. (Art: Justin Jackson)

Publisher

Vivien Marx

Category

science · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

3 May 2020

Latest episode

6 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

57 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   6 Sept 2026

   AI agents and human scientists. A conversation with Dr. James Zou, Stanford University

   AI agents and AI co-scientists are tools but also quite a bit more than that. They can fix software pipelines, analyze data mountains, develop hypotheses, debate. I asked Dr. James Zou of Stanford University all about how the world of science will change as AI agents gain more autonomy. He shared thoughts on his lab's projects, conferences he and others organized and how one can even personalize AI agents to be a bit like one's favorite science hero.

2. 

   23 Jun 2026

   Being an LGBTQ+ ally: a conversation with Lucas Lixinski

   In STEM fields, being LGBTQ+ can be used against you. That's when having allies is especially important. Lucas Lixinski, a professor at the Faculty of Law and Justice at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, in Australia talks honestly and openly about how hard being an ally can be, but also how wonderful it is. Lixinski also describes about how, in tough times, one may need to hide one's LGBTQ+-ness for a moment. But even in those dark phases, one can rest assured that a time will come in which you can, as he says, "be your full-blown joyous self. " (Art. J. Jackson)

3. 

   20 Jun 2026

   ISSCR annual meeting: sneak peek of the sneak peek podcast

   The annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) is coming up July 8-11. If you are interested in stem cells, please tune into the sneak peek podcast of this meeting. And this is a sneak-peek of that sneak peek podcast. It's with the two program chairs of the meeting, Dr Fiona Doetsch (https://www.biozentrum.unibas.ch/research/research-groups/research-groups-a-z/overview/unit/research-group-fiona-doetsch) from the University of Basel and Dr Nozomu Yachie (https://yachie-lab.org/nzmyachie.html?lang=EN) from the University of British Columbia who also has a lab at the University of Osaka. (Art: J. Jackson)

Who has been a guest on Conversations with scientists

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Daria Ivanova
• Sam Lord
• Will Ratcliffe

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 23 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

19

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

68

Contact Conversations with scientists

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.