Penn Talks Science

About Penn Talks Science

Our mission is to bring science to all aspects of life such as policy making, diplomatic decisions and communication. Episodes of Penn Talks Science are grouped into themes with monthly episodes. Some episodes in each theme will feature students talking to each other with genuine questions and conversations and some feature students chatting with experts in their fields. Stay tuned to hear what we’re asking questions about today’s most interesting scientific topics!

Publisher

Penn Science Policy and Diplomacy Group

Category

science

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

9 Mar 2021

Latest episode

6 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

32 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   6 Aug 2026

   Scientist Spotlight: Phillip Scott

   Join us for an interview with Dr. Phillip Scott, a professor of immunology at Penn's School of Veterinary Medicine studying leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease affecting millions of people worldwide. We discuss how the immune system determines whether the disease resolves or turns severe, the state of therapies and his lab's research, and why neglected tropical diseases like this one remain so underfunded despite their global impact.

2. 

   13 May 2026

   Scientist Spotlight: Dani Bassett

   Join us for a conversation with Dr. Dani Bassett, a professor of Bioengineering, Physics, Neurology, and more studying the connectivity of the brain. We discuss Dr. Bassett's journey into academia, interdisciplinary approaches to asking scientific questions, and their perspective on scientific communication and advocacy.

3. 

   2 Mar 2026

   Scientist Spotlight: Franklin Staback Rodríguez

   Listen to Dr. Franklin Staback Rodríguez talk about his science and personal journeys in our newest Scientist Spotlight episode. As a former Penn immunology graduate student and now a postdoc at CHOP in Janis Burkhardt’s lab, Dr. Staback Rodríguez tells us about his beginnings in science, being an HHMI Gilliam fellow, and the community he’s helped foster by advancing the program Hablemos Ciencia.

Reach and audience

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

Spotify

4.9 / 5

13 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 28 / 100

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

Quality

28

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

71

Contact Penn Talks Science

Guest appearances

Books guests

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