Scientific breakthroughs make big headlines, but what about the people behind those headlines? Each week, Ellie is joined by a new guest to dissect their work, delve into their life in science and examine what makes them tick. This informal chat show dispels myths about who scientists are, by talking to people from across the STEMM subjects at all stages of their careers, and discussing their life inside and outside of science.
Dr Kirsty MacLeod: Lizard mothers, nomadic academics, and The WEE Podcast
This week I talk to Dr Kirsty MacLeod about lizard mothers, the importance of fika, the highs and lows of moving for academia, deciding how honest to be on social media, and all about the wonderful WEE Podcast (theweepodcast.org (http://theweepodcast.org/)).
Dr Kirsty MacLeod is a behavioural and evolutionary ecologist, with broad interests in maternal investment, reproductive systems, stress physiology, and sociality – basically loads of important areas which apply to so much of the animal kingdom! Alongside her research she is an accomplished and enthusiastic science communicator, and if you’re into your science podcasts (which I hope you are, because you’re here!) you may well know her from The Women in Ecology and Evolution podcast, perhaps better known as the WEE Podcast, which highlights awesome women in ecology and evolution.
Intro and outro music: Funky Chunk by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3789-funky-chunk
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
19 Mar 2021
Dr Adam Rutherford: Combatting race pseudoscience, glamorous lab work, and The Odyssey
This week I'm joined by geneticist, broadcaster and writer, Dr Adam Rutherford to hear about how he went from a PhD to the BBC, the broadcasting process in lockdown, whether we can combat racism with good science, whether social media is a force for good or evil, and why he teaches celebs to pipette. In a twist we even end up nerding out about Classics.
Dr Adam Rutherford is a broadcaster, writer and scientist. You’ll probably know Adam as the host of BBC Radio 4’s flagship science show, Inside Science, as well as the co-host, alongside Dr Hannah Fry, of the radio show and podcast, The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry. A geneticist by training, Adam is now one of the best known science communicators in the UK, and author of multiple popular science books including "The Book of Humans", "A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived" and his most recently published book "How to Argue with a Racist".
5 Mar 2021
Dr Helen Scales: The Brilliant Abyss, freediving, and bone-eating worms
This week I talk to the incredible Dr Helen Scales, about her new books, The Brilliant Abyss and The Great Barrier Reef, her favourite deep sea creatures, the joy of freediving, and her tips for getting into science communication and broadcasting. PLUS get 20% off The Brilliant Abyss by using the discount code in the episode!
Dr Helen Scales is a marine biologist, broadcaster and writer. She is the author of many award-winning books, including “Spirals in Time” and “Eye of the Shoal”. She has just published her first children’s book “The Great Barrier Reef” and her newest release “The Brilliant Abyss” will be available in the UK later this month. Dr Scales has presented radio documentaries covering diverse aspects of marine biology, is a regular guest on BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service, and currently co-hosts the “Catch Our Drift” podcast. She also teaches at the University of Cambridge and is a science advisor for the marine conservation charity Sea Changers.
Intro and outro music: Funky Chunk by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3789-funky-chunk
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
19 Feb 2021
Jack Ashby: Platypuses, museum careers, and decolonising natural history exhibits
This week I talk to the awesome Jack Ashby about why Australian mammals are the best animals, what it takes to get a job in the museum sector, what biases are hidden in plain sight in museum displays, and how we can decolonise natural history exhibits.
Jack Ashby is the Assistant Director of the Museum of Zoology at the University of Cambridge and an Australian mammal ecologist. He is also the author of the widely-acclaimed book, “Animal Kingdom: A Natural History in 100 Objects”, and a soon-to-be-released book about Australian mammals and why they matter. He has spoken and written widely about the biases in museum collections and exhibits, and how we can start to change this.
Intro and outro music: Funky Chunk by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3789-funky-chunk
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
5 Feb 2021
Sophie Pavelle: Beaver reintroductions, professional sci-comm, and 300-mile walks
This week I talk to the amazing Sophie Pavelle about UK beaver reintroductions, her soon-to-be-published book, getting a foot in the door in professional science communication, learning to face the audience on social media, and why she keeps going on 300-mile-long walks.
Sophie Pavelle is a zoologist and science communicator, and Campaign and Communications Coordinator for The Beaver Trust. She has also starred in nature documentaries including Beavers Without Borders and a range of films with the Back from the Brink conservation campaign. She is also a talented nature writer, with work featured in The Metro and BBC Countryfile magazine, and she is currently writing her first book, “Forget-me Not” which will be published by Bloomsbury next year.
Intro and outro music: Funky Chunk by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3789-funky-chunk
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
22 Jan 2021
Professor Chris Jackson: Sustainable geoscience, advocacy for equity, and the RI Christmas Lectures
In the first episode of Series 4, I talk to the inspirational Prof. Chris Jackson about the myriad meanings of sustainable geoscience, his dangerous and exciting expeditions, the failings of universities to provide equitable environments for students and staff, and what it’s really like behind the scenes of the RI Christmas Lectures.
At the time of recording, Professor Chris Jackson is Equinor Professor of Basin Analysis at Imperial College London, but in February 2021 he will be moving to the University of Manchester to take up the position of Chair in Sustainable Geoscience. Even if you aren’t a geoscience buff, you will likely have heard of Professor Jackson through his broadcasting work. Most recently, many listeners will have invited him into their living rooms as one of the presenters of the Royal Institution’s 2020 Christmas Lectures, broadcast on the BBC. He made history by being the first Black presenter in the programme’s 195-year record. He has also starred in a number of BBC, National Geographic and Channel 5 documentaries, including the BBC series "Expedition Volcano".
Intro and outro music: Funky Chunk by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3789-funky-chunk
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
4 Jan 2021
Charles Emogor: Pangolins, poachers, and equality in academia
In the last Us and STEMM of the series, I’m chatting to Charles Emogor about the elusive and adorable pangolin, how he manages to have respectful conversations with poachers, what he believes should be done to dismantle systemic racism in academia, and his outreach work to spread knowledge and appreciation of pangolins as widely as possible.
Charles Emogor is a PhD Student in the Conservation Science Group in the Department of Zoology at the University of Cambridge. Charles’ research seeks to understand the distribution and ecology of the white-bellied pangolin in Nigeria, and address fundamental questions about pangolin exploitation.
Intro and outro music: Funky Chunk by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3789-funky-chunk
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
4 Jan 2021
H S Sathya Chandra Sagar: Problems of the pet trade, the value of mentorship, and a life-long love affair with nature
This week I’m chatting to H S Sathya Chandra Sagar (Sagara) about the effects of the pet trade on wild bird populations, the importance of mentorship in his career, and his life-long love of nature.
H S Sathya Chandra Sagar is a PhD Researcher in the Sound Forest Lab at the University of Wisconsin. At the time of recording this podcast he was working as a Research Assistant at the Indian Institute of Science and as a Conservation Scientist at WildCAT-C.
Funky Chunk by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3789-funky-chunk
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
4 Jan 2021
Mairenn Collins Attwood: Angry birds, Miombo woodland, and aardvark holes
This week I’m chatting to Mairenn Collins Attwood about why drongos are so aggressive, why avian victims of African cuckoos are so gullible, how an aardvark hole led to a dramatic fieldwork fail, and what a childhood experiment with Haribo taught her about science.
Mairenn Collins Attwood recently finished her MPhil and is about to start her PhD, both in the Spottiswoode Group in the Zoology Department at the University of Cambridge. Mairenn’s MPhil research looked at the relationship between African cuckoos and their hosts, the fork-tailed drongo, in Zambia.
Funky Chunk by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3789-funky-chunk
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
4 Jan 2021
Michael Pashkevich: Spiders, palm oil, and research in lockdown
This week I'm talking to Michael Pashkevich about why we should love spiders, whether we should boycott palm oil, how to engage underrepresented groups in STEMM and how lockdown has affected his PhD.
Michael Pashkevich is a PhD student in the Insect Ecology Group in the Department of Zoology at the University of Cambridge. His research interests focus on spider ecology and sustainable agricultural management. For his PhD he is studying the biodiversity and functional ecology of spiders in Sumatran oil palm plantations.
Funky Chunk by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3789-funky-chunk
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
4 Jan 2021
Professor Nick Davies FRS: Cuckoos, Darwin, and tips for young scientists
This week I spoke to Professor Nick Davies FRS to find out how sneaky cuckoos trick their unwitting hosts, how the field of Behavioural Ecology has evolved in the last 50 years, and how young scientists can keep a sense of balance and perspective.
Professor Nick Davies FRS is Professor of Behavioural Ecology at the Department of Zoology at the University of Cambridge, and a Fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge. His 50 year career has had enormous influence on the field of Behavioural Ecology and it really was an honour to chat to him. For natural science students his textbooks are much-loved staples, and for wider audiences his book “Cuckoo: Cheating by Nature” has been widely acclaimed. Sir David Attenborough doesn’t turn up as a surprise to just anyone’s retirement event - so hopefully that shows what an inspirational scientist and naturalist Prof. Davies really is.
Intro and outro music: Funky Chunk by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3789-funky-chunk
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
4 Jan 2021
Dr Rahia Mashoodh: Genes, kick-ass women, and pizza dough
This week I'm joined by Dr Rahia Mashoodh to talk about how life experiences can turn genes on and off, whether a healthy work/life balance is possible in academia, the British obsession with academic tea-time, and how becoming a pizza dough aficionado can help weather life's storms.
Dr Rahia Mashoodh is a BBSRC Future Leaders Fellow in the Department of Zoology at the University of Cambridge. Her research themes span developmental biology, brain and behaviour, and genomics.
Intro and outdo music: Funky Chunk by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3789-funky-chunk
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
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