Welcome to Shaping Science with Nick Dirks where we talk with experts from science, academia, industry, and beyond to explore the latest in research, education and innovation for the public good. Episodes are released on a biweekly basis.
#28 Seven Rasmussen on Whether We’re Alone in the Universe, How the Drake Equation Applies to Life in the Cosmos, and the Need for Effective Science Communicators
Dr. Seven Rasmussen (https://www.sevenrasmussen.com/) is an astrobiologist, author, educator, and science communicator whose work explores one of humanity’s oldest questions: are we alone in the universe? Dr. Rasmussen studies how planets form, evolve, and potentially support life, while also bringing these ideas to wider audiences through her writing. Rasmussen’s recent book, ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Starships,’ uses the famous Drake Equation as a starting point for exploring the odds of intelligent life beyond Earth.
Cloudy with a Chance of Starships: How the Drake Equation Reveals the Odds of Life in the Cosmos (https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691246222/cloudy-with-a-chance-of-starships) was published in 2026 by Princeton University Press
This episode of Shaping Science is made possible with the generous support of Tata Sons (https://www.tata.com/business/tata-sons).
00:00 Intro
01:53 How Did You Become Interested in Astrobiology?
08:02 From Active Galactic Nuclei to Nuclear Astrophysics to Exoplanets
11:10 Exploring Science Fiction Writing
14:56 Writing about Science for a General Readership
18:03 What is the Drake Equation?
19:05 The Principle Issues in Cosmological Thinking
23:07 What Habitability in the Cosmos Means
29:10 The One Place on Earth that Doesn’t Have Life
33:08 Understanding Exoplanets
35:57 Finding Microbial Life Elsewhere in the Solar System
38:29 How to Become an Astrobiologist
43:34 The Need for Effective Science Communicators
21 Sept 2026
#027 Josh Lerner on Venture Capital, Rethinking Innovation, and Shared Knowledge as a Competitive Strategy
Josh Lerner, a leading expert on venture capital, private equity, and innovation policy, is an economist and the Jacob H. Schiff Professor of Investment Banking at Harvard Business School. Over the past three decades, his research has shaped how governments, investors, and entrepreneurs understand the financing of innovation. Prof. Lerner’s work explores when markets succeed, when public policy fails, and what it really takes to build sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems. His newest book ‘Rethinking Innovation’ (https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691168852/rethinking-innovation) with Jean Tirole, published earlier this year by Princeton University Press, explores how corporations have increasingly embraced the sharing of knowledge as a competitive strategy. He was also the recipient of the Academy’s inaugural Constellation Award earlier this year.
This episode of Shaping Science is made possible with the generous support of Tata Sons (https://www.tata.com/business/tata-sons ).
00:00 Intro
02:00 The Innovation Economy and Innovation Policy
08:47 The Silicon Valley: Venture Capital, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
13:55 How Does Venture Capital Work?
20:05 Challenges Around the Innovation Economy/Ecosystem
24:53 The Global Environment Around Successful Innovation Zones
33:58 Developing Funding Mechanisms for Outside-the-Box Research
39:22 The Multi-Dimensional Role of Patents in Innovation
42:02 Regulating Innovation: Quantum Computing, AI, and Beyond
48:09 China’s Innovation Economy
8 Sept 2026
#26 Hans Peter Brondmo on Everyday Robots, Moving Toward an AI Society, and the Future of Work
Hans Peter Brondmo (https://www.brondmo.com/) is a technology entrepreneur, former Google Vice President, and a leading thinker on artificial intelligence, robotics, and the future of work. He has founded several startups and held positions at Nokia in Berlin, Apple in Tokyo, and at CERN in Geneva. At Google’s X — the “moonshot factory” — he founded and led the Everyday Robots project, an ambitious effort to build general-purpose robots capable of working alongside humans in everyday environments. Across a career spanning Silicon Valley, startups, and global tech leadership, Brondmo has consistently been at the forefront of emerging technologies — from early internet marketing to social networks and now embodied AI.
This episode of Shaping Science is made possible with the generous support of Tata Sons (https://www.tata.com/business/tata-sons ).
00:00 Intro
02:21 “Nerd Credentials”
06:40 From Toy Trains and Ham Radio to Computers and Robots
11:12 Finding Success as an Entrepreneur
13:58 Building Robots for Google: “Breaking Glass, but Not Too Much”
17:18 Pre-LLMs: The Robotic Scene in 2016
23:30 The Theory of the Robot in 2019
30:57 Parallels Between LLMs and Robotics
36:30 The Current State of Robotics
44:45 Moving Toward an AI Society
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