We made it all the way to the series finale!! And what an AMAZING episode this is! This week, my guest is Dr. Lucie Low, Scientific Program Director of the Tissue Chips for Drug Screening Program at the National Institute of Health which encompasses programs of work such as the Tissue Chips for Disease Modelling and Tissue Chips in Space. Organs-on-chips or tissue chips are some of the hottest tools in the biosciences right now. In this episode, find out what they are, how they have immense potential to deliver huge benefits for patients and to alleviate some of the ethical concerns of animal ..read more

If it were down to you, how would you train the next generation of scientists and doctors? This week, my guest is Dr Garrick Wilson who is the Convergence Science PhD training program manager at the Cancer Research UK Convergence Science Centre. This is a man whose job is to literally ask: How do you make a scientist? In this episode, Garrick shares his thoughts and opinions on how to develop the next generation of scientists and what to look for in a prospective mentor. He also recounts how he felt during his PhD interview, gives some incredible interview advice and gives us a flavour of what ..read more

What is it like to be a clinical academic researcher?  To explore this, I am joined this week by Professor Justin Mason, a Professor of Vascular Rheumatology at Imperial College London. Justin is an incredibly distinguished academic who runs both a highly successful research group and a large vessel vasculitis clinic at Hammersmith hospital. This week is a brilliant episode - featuring an overview of Justin's cutting edge research, some amazing personal stories from throughout his career, and of course some fantastic advice for early career researchers.

 We really do dive in deep and dis ..read more

We have all felt the bass pulsing through us in a nightclub, but how can sound be leveraged as a biological research tool? This week, my guest is Dr James Armstrong, who is a Research Fellow in the Department of Materials at Imperial College London. James is an outstanding early career academic and has published research papers in fields such as ultrasound manipulation, tissue engineering and 3D bioprinting. During the pandemic, James also organised the highly successful virtual seminars in biomedical science - bringing together researchers in the biomedical community from the across the world ..read more

Good public health measures seem like an overreaction - because nothing happens! This week my guest is Dr Nisreen Alwan, who is an associate professor in Public Health at the University of Southampton. Nisreen is an incredible role model and was named amongst other inspiring and influential women from around the world in the BBC 100 Women 2020 list. She was also awarded an MBE in the 2021 NY honours list for services to Medicine and Public Health during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this episode we discuss all about Nisreen's research into the health and wellbeing of women and children, where ..read more

How do you get that very first grant as an early career researcher? What goes on behind the scenes from the perspective of grant writing? This week, my guest is Professor Giovanni Mann who is a Professor of Vascular Physiology at King’s College London. Giovanni has served as President of multiple learned societies and has been on the panels for many esteemed funding bodies including the British Heart Foundation. In this episode, hear Giovanni’s advice about grants and grant funding for early career researchers. We also discuss Giovanni’s path through the American university system where he ini ..read more

This week, my guest is Dr Vahitha Abdul Salam who is a Lecturer in Vascular Pharmacology at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). Before moving to the UK over 15 years ago, Vahitha received a gold medal for finishing with the top national scores in her undergrad in Malaysia. She then worked as a clinical pharmacist and once participated in police raids of suspected drug smugglers until a close advisor suggested she pursue further study as a PhD student. In this episode, Vahitha and I discuss all about a condition called Pulmonary Hypertension, proteomics and the Role of Chlorine and Chloride ..read more

How are things made? What is it about certain materials that produces emotions and makes you feel good? My guest this week is Dr Anna Por-shy-ski, an award-winning materials scientist, fellow science communicator, ultramarathon swimmer, part time stand up comic and a newly published first time author with her debut book, handmade. In this episode, Anna and I discuss all things materials including the different types of materials, what it means to be a smart material, examples of smart materials that naturally occur in nature and much much more. We also discuss Anna’s career path and how her ex ..read more

A Hacker is not just a hooded figure behind a computer screen! This week, my guest is Dr David Miller who is a resident hack fellow at the Imperial College Advanced Hackspace. Originally from NZ, he moved to and from opposite sides of the world through various academic posts before settling into his role as a Hackspace Fellow. As a resident hacker, David’s job is to use alternative and sometimes unconventional approaches to solve all manner of multidisciplinary problems encompassing engineering, chemistry, electronics, materials science, physics and beyond.

 In this episode, hear how David ca ..read more

Do you want to stay in science but don’t want an academic career? 

 This week, I am joined by Dr Vicky Sherwood - an expert scientific writer in clinical research at Novartis. Vicky also runs @biomedbadass, a space for early career researchers to gain an understanding of alternative scientific careers in industry. 

In this episode, Vicky and I discuss the options available to anybody interested in a prospective career in Scientific Writing and all about her experiences working in industry. We also discuss Vicky's career path, including how she transitioned from an academic PI working in ..read more