People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers (general)

Dr. James Landers is a Jefferson Scholars Fellow and Commonwealth Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and Associate Professor of Pathology at the University of Virginia. He is also Director of the Center for Nano-Biosystems Integration. He received his B.S. and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Guelph in Canada. Afterwards, James conducted postdoctoral research at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, the University of Toronto School of Medicine, and the Mayo Clinic. He served on the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh before joining the faculty at the University of Virginia where he is today. James has been awarded the University of Virginia’s Jefferson Scholars Award for Excellence in Teaching, and he has been named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. He has joined us today to talk about his experiences in life and science.

Dr. Richard M. Myers is the President, Science Director, and a Faculty Investigator at HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. In addition, Rick is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Genetics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He received is B.S. in biochemistry from the University of Alabama and his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. Afterwards, Rick conducted postdoctoral research at Harvard University. He served on the faculty at the University of California, San Francisco as well as at Stanford University where he contributed substantially to the efforts to sequence the human genome as part of the Human Genome Project. Rick accepted his current position at HudsonAlpha in 2008. He has received many awards and honors throughout his career including an Honorary Doctorate Degree from the University of Alabama, the Blount Initiative Award from the University of Alabama, the Pritzker Foundation Award from the University of Michigan, and the Darden Lecture Award from the University of Alabama. He has also been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Rick has joined us today to talk about his experiences in life and science.

Dr. Marcie Harris-Hayes is an Associate Professor in the Program in Physical Therapy and Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine. She received her Bachelor's degree in biology from Missouri State University and was awarded her Master’s degree in Physical Therapy from Northwestern University. Marcie then worked as a physical therapist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital before joining the faculty at Washington University in St. Louis. While serving on the faculty at Washington University, she completed her doctoral degree in Physical Therapy (DPT) as well as a Master’s degree in Clinical Investigation (MSCI). Marcie is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Young-Hui Chang is a Professor of Biological Sciences at Georgia Institute of Technology where he directs research in the Comparative Neuromechanics Laboratory. Young-Hui received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and his M.S. in Animal Physiology from Cornell University. Next, he conducted his doctoral studies at the University of California, Berkeley, earning his PhD in Integrative Biology in 2000. Prior to joining the faculty at Georgia Tech, Young-Hui was a postdoctoral researcher at Emory University. While at Emory, he was awarded the Association of Korean Neuroscientists President Outstanding Research Hanwha Award. Young-Hui has also been awarded an NSF CAREER Award. He has joined us today to talk about his experiences in life and science.

Dr. Joshua Z. Rappoport is Director of the Center for Advanced Microscopy and Nikon Imaging Center as well as Research Associate Professor of Cell and Molecular Biology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. In addition, he is the author of the recently published book The Cell: Discovering the microscopic world that determines our health, consciousness, and our future. Josh completed his undergraduate studies in Biology at Brown University, and he received his PhD from the Mount Sinai Graduate School of Biological Sciences of New York University. Afterwards, Josh conducted an NIH National Research Service Award postdoctoral fellowship at Rockefeller University and subsequently served on the faculty at the University of Birmingham before coming to Northwestern University. Josh was the recipient of a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) New Investigator Award, and his research has also been supported by the EU and other UK Research Councils. Josh has joined us to talk about his experiences in life and science.

Dr. Dominic D’Agostino is an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of South Florida. He is also a Research Scientist Institute for Human and Machine Cognition. Dominic received his B.S. in Nutritional Sciences and Biological Sciences as well as his Ph.D. in Neuroscience and Physiology at Rutgers University. Afterwards, Dom conducted postdoctoral research at Wright State University and at the University of South Florida before joining the faculty at the University of South Florida. Dom is here with us today to talk about his research and tell us about his experiences in life and science.

Dr. Debbie G. Senesky is an Assistant Professor in the Aeronautics and Astronautics Department at Stanford University. She received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Southern California. Debbie was next awarded her M.S. and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. Before joining the faculty at Stanford, Debbie held positions at GE Sensing, the Berkeley Sensor and Actuator Center, GE Global Research Center, Hewlett Packard, and Delphi Automotive Systems. In recognition for her excellence in research, Debbie has received many awards and honors, including an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Ph.D. Fellowship, a Galiban Faculty Fellowship at Stanford University, the Frederick E. Terman Faculty Fellowship at Stanford University, and the Space Technology Early Faculty Award from NASA. Debbie is with us today to tell us about her life and science.

Dr. Jim Trefil is the Robinson Professor of Physics at George Mason University. He received his PhD in Physics from Stanford University. Postdoc at CERN in Geneva and at MIT. Jim served on the faculty at the University of Illinois and the University of Virginia before joining the faculty at George Mason University where he is today. Jim is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the World Economic Forum. He is also the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Science Writing Award and Andrew W. Germant Award from the American Institute of Physics, as well as the Westinghouse and Subaru Awards from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has authored numerous books for scientists and general audiences alike, including very recently the book Exoplanets: Diamond Worlds, Super Earths, Pulsar Planets, and the New Search for Life Beyond Our Solar System with co-author Dr. Mike Summers. Jim has joined us today to talk about his experiences in life and science.

Dr. Aaron T. Dossey is the President, Founder, and Owner of All Things Bugs LLC, a company developing sustainable insect-based technologies and products in agriculture, food, and medicine. He is also the Founder and President of the Invertebrate Studies Institute and editor of the book Insects as Sustainable Food Ingredients. Aaron received his B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Oklahoma State University. He was awarded his PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Florida College of Medicine and conducted postdoctoral research there afterwards. Aaron worked as a Research Entomologist for the United States Department of Agriculture for two years before launching his company. Aaron is here with us today to talk a little about his research and tell us all about his experiences in life and science.

Dr. Tessa Hill is an Associate Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of California, Davis. She is part of the Bodega Ocean Acidification Research group there at the Bodega Marine Laboratory. Tessa received her B.S. in Marine Science from Eckerd College and her Ph.D. in Marine Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Next, Tessa was awarded a University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship at UC Davis before joining the faculty there. Tessa has received many awards and honors during her career, including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, as well as an NSF CAREER Award. She is also a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences, an American Association for the Advancement of Science Leshner Public Engagement Fellow, and a panelist on the West Coast Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia Panel. Tessa is with us today to tell us about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Chase Spurlock is CEO of IQuity, a specialty diagnostic technology company in Nashville, TN, as well as a faculty member in Medicine at Vanderbilt University. He received his B.S. in Biology at the University of the South in Sewanee, TN. Chase then completed his PhD in Microbiology and Immunology at Vanderbilt University for which he was awarded the Sidney P. Colowick award for outstanding research. Chase is here with us today to talk about his research, his company, and his life.

Dr. Mike Summers is a Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at George Mason University. He majored in Physics, Mathematics, and Russian in his undergraduate studies at Murray State University. Afterwards, Mike was awarded his M.S. in Space Physics from The University of Texas at Dallas and later his PhD in Planetary Science from the California Institute of Technology. Mike next conducted postdoctoral research at Johns Hopkins University. He worked as a Research Physicist at the Naval Research Laboratory before accepting a position as a full time faculty member at George Mason University. Mike has received many awards, including the NASA Group Achievement Award: (as a part of the ) New Horizon Mission, as well as the Alan J. Berman Research Publication award from the Naval Research Laboratory. In addition, he is co-author of the recently published book Exoplanets: Diamond Worlds, Super Earths, Pulsar Planets, and the New Search for Life Beyond Our Solar System. Today, Mike joins us to discuss his life and science.

Dr. Melissa Franklin is the Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics at Harvard University. She completed her undergraduate studies in Physics at the University of Toronto and received her PhD in Physics from Stanford University. Next, Melissa conducted research as a postdoctoral fellow at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She served on the faculty of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and was a Junior Fellow in the Society of Fellows at Harvard before joining the faculty there. Melissa has been named a Fellow of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and a Fellow of the American Physical Society, and she has been awarded the Spark Award for Women in Science from the Women in Science at Harvard-Radcliffe, as well as a Doctorate Degree in Law from Queens University in Canada. Melissa is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Christy Haynes is the Elmore H. Northey Professor of Chemistry at the University of Minnesota. She completed her undergraduate studies in Chemistry at Macalester College and received her MS and PhD in Chemistry from Northwestern University. Next, Christy was awarded a National Institutes of Health National Research Service Award Post-Doctoral Fellowship to conduct research at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She joined the faculty at the University of Minnesota in 2005. Christy has received many awards and honors for her research, including the Sara Evans Faculty Woman Scholar/Leader Award, the Taylor Award for Distinguished Research from the University of Minnesota, the Kavli Foundation Emerging Leader in Chemistry Lecturship, the Pittsburgh Conference Achievement Award, the Joseph Black Award from the Royal Society of Chemistry, an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, the Arthur F. Findeis Award for Achievements by a Young Analytical Scientist from the American Chemical Society Division of Analytical Chemistry, the Society for Electroanalytical Chemistry Young Investigator Award, the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, the NIH New Innovator Award, the NSF CAREER Award, and the Victor K. LaMer Award from the American Chemical Society Division of Colloid and Surface Science. In addition, Christy has been recognized for her excellence in mentoring through receipt of the Advising and Mentoring Award and the Outstanding Postdoctoral Mentor Award both from the University of Minnesota. She has also been listed among the Top 100 Inspiring Women in STEM from Insight into Diversity magazine, the Analytical Scientist's “Top 40 Under 40” Power List, and one of the “Brilliant 10” chosen by Popular Science magazine. Christy is with us today to share stories from her journey through life and science.

Dr. Daniel Lewis is an Associate Professor In the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. each in Materials Science and Engineering from Lehigh University. Afterwards, he was awarded a National Research Council postdoctoral fellowship to work at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Before joining the faculty at Rensselaer, Dan conducted materials science research at GE Global Research. Dan was the recipient of an NSF CAREER Award, as well as a the International Metallographic Contest Jacquet-Lucas Award. He is here with us today to talk about his research and give us an inside look at his experiences in life and science.

Dr. William "Leo" Smith is an Associate Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Associate Curator of the Biodiversity Institute at the University of Kansas. He received his B.S. in Biology from the University of California, San Diego and his M.S. in Biology from Villanova University. Afterwards, Leo attended Columbia University where he earned a  PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Leo was awarded a Learner-Gray Postdoctoral Fellowship to conduct research at the American Museum of Natural History. He also worked at the Field Museum in Chicago for about five years before joining the faculty at the University of Kansas. Leo is here with us today to talk about his research and tell us all about his experiences in life and science.

Dr. Sara Skrabalak is the James H. Rudy Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Indiana University. She received her B.A. in Chemistry from Washington University in St. Louis. She went on to receive her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and was awarded the T.S. Piper Thesis Research Award for her dissertation research. Next, Sara conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Washington in Seattle before joining the faculty at Indiana University. Sara was the recipient of an NSF CAREER Award, the Department of Education Early Career Award, the American Chemical Society Pure Chemistry and Baekeland Awards, and she has also been named a Research Corporation Cottrell Scholar, a Sloan Research Fellow, and a Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar. She was recently named a Fulbright Fellow in 2017. Sara is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Cullen Buie is an Associate Professor and the Esther and Harold E. Egerton Career Development Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from The Ohio State University and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. Afterwards, Cullen was awarded a University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship to conduct research at the University of California-Berkeley. Cullen joined the faculty at MIT in 2010. He has received many awards and honors in his career, including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the DARPA Young Faculty Award, the DuPont Young Professor Award, and the NSF CAREER Award. Cullen was also named a Stanford Distinguished Alumni Scholar, and, in 2016, Cullen was named one of the 100 Most Influential African Americans by The Root. Cullen joins us to give us an inside look into his life and science.

Dr. Sterling Nesbitt is an Assistant Professor of Geosciences at Virginia Tech, as well as a  research associate/affiliate of the American Museum of Natural History, the Vertebrate Paleontology Lab at The University of Texas at Austin, the Virginia Museum of Natural History, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, and the National Museum of Natural History. He received his BA in Integrative Biology from the University of California, Berkeley and went on to complete his MA, MPhil, and PhD in Geosciences at Columbia University. Afterwards, Sterling conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Washington, and the Field Museum before joining the faculty at Virginia Tech where he is today. Sterling is the recipient of the 2016 Virginia Tech College Award for Outreach Excellence from the College of Science. Sterling is here with us today to speak to us about his life and science.

Dr. Mike Blatt is the Regius Professor of Botany at the University of Glasgow and Adjuct Professor at Pennsylvania State University. He conducted his undergraduate studies at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver and at the University of Wisconsin, Madison where he received his BS with honors in Botany and Biochemistry. Next, Mike was awarded a PhD in Plant Biology from Stanford University while working in the Department of Plant Biology at the Carnegie Institution of Washington. During his graduate work, Mike received a Fullbright-Hays Graduate Fellowship to study at the University of Nürnberg. Afterwards, Mike traveled to Yale University Medical School to accept an NRSA Postdoctoral Fellowship and then to the University of Cambridge to accept a NATO Postdoctoral Fellowship. He has served on the faculty at the University of London and Imperial College London prior to joining the faculty at the University of Glasgow. Mike has received many awards and honors throughout his career, including being named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the James Hutton Institute, and the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He is also Editor-in-Chief of the premier international journal Plant Physiology. Mike joins us to discuss his experiences in life and science.

Dr. Erin E. Carlson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Minnesota. Erin received her B.A. in chemistry from St. Olaf College and her PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Subsequently, Erin was awarded an American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowship to conduct research at The Scripps Research Institute. She served on the faculty at Indiana University before joining the faculty at the University of Minnesota where she is today. Among her many awards and honors, Erin is a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), a Pew Biomedical Scholarship, the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, the Indiana University Outstanding Junior Faculty Award, an NSF CAREER Award, and the Cottrell Scholar Award. In addition, she was named a Sloan Research Fellow, an Indiana University Dean's Fellow, and an American Chemical Society Women Chemists Committee Rising Star. Erin is with us today to tell us about her experiences in life and science.

Dr. Andrew Pelling is a Canada Research Chair and Associate Professor in the Departments of Physics and Biology, as well as the Institute for Science, Society, and Policy at the University of Ottawa. Andrew is also the co-founder and CTO of Spiderwort, a company developing open source platforms to enable the widespread and global adoption of biological research in all environments and economic contexts. In addition, Andrew founded pHacktory, which is a a street-level research lab amplifying community ideas through craft, serendipity, and curiosity. Andrew received his B.S. in Biological Chemistry from the University of Toronto and his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles. Afterwards, he conducted postdoctoral research at the London Centre for Nanotechnology at University College London before joining the faculty at the University of Ottawa. Andrew has been the recipient of various awards and honors over the course of his career, including an NSERC Discovery Accelerator Supplement Award, the Province of Ontario Early Researcher Award, and election as a Member of the Global Young Academy. In 2016, Andrew was named a TED Fellow, and just recently he was named a TED Senior Fellow. Andrew is here with us today to talk about his research and tell us all about his experiences in life and science.

Dr. Adam Abate is an Associate Professor in the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences at the University of California San Francisco. He is also a co-founder of the startup company Mission Bio. Adam received his B.A. in Physics from Harvard College, his M.S. in Physics from the University of California Los Angeles, and his PhD in Physics from the University of Pennsylvania. Afterwards, Adam conducted postdoctoral research in Physics and Engineering at Harvard University, and during this time, his research became the foundation for the sequencing company GnuBIO. Adam is currently a member of the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3) program that helps launch start-up companies on the UC campuses. He has received a number of awards and honors during his career, including the NSF CAREER Award, the NIH New Innovator Award, and the Presidential Early Career Award. Adam is here with us today to share stories about his life and science.

Dr. Imogen R. Coe is the founding Dean of the Faculty of Science at Ryerson University.  She is also a Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biology and an affiliate scientist in the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, Keenan Research Centre at St. Michael’s Hospital. In addition, she is a well-known advocate, speaker, and writer for equity, diversity, and inclusion in STEM. She received her BSc in Cell Biology from the University of Exeter in the UK. She received her MSc and PhD in comparative molecular neuroendocrinology from the University of Victoria in Canada. Afterwards, Imogen conducted postdoctoral research at the University of California San Francisco and was later awarded an Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Alberta. She served on the faculty at York University before joining the faculty at Ryerson University. In addition, Imogen is the recipient of Ontario's Premier's Research Excellence Award (now known as the Early Researcher Award). Imogen is with us today to tell us about her journey through life and science.

Dr. David Coyle is a Forest Health Specialist with the The Southern Regional Extension Forestry (SREF) Forest Heath Program. He received his undergraduate training in Biology from Luther College. After receiving his M.S. in Entomology and Forestry from Iowa State University, David worked as a Biological Science Technician for about four years with the USDA Forest Service. He was awarded his PhD in Entomology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Georgia before accepting his current position. David is here with us today to talk a little about his research and tell us all about his experiences in life and science.

Dr. Molly Peeples is an Aura Assistant Astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. She received her B.S. in Physics from MIT and went on to complete her MS and PhD in Astronomy at Ohio State University. Molly was then awarded a Southern California Center for Galaxy Evolution Fellowship during which she worked at UCLA. In 2013, Molly joined the Space Telescope Science Institute as a postdoctoral fellow, and a year later she became a member of the staff and continues to do amazing research there. Molly is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Bryan G. Fry is an Associate Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Queensland in Australia. He completed his undergraduate training in Molecular Biology, Scientific Philosophy, and Psychology at Portland State University and received his PhD from the University of Queensland. Afterwards, Bryan worked as a research assistant at the University of Melbourne, and he was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship to conduct research at the National University of Singapore. Next, Bryan returned to the University of Melbourne as an Australian Research Council postdoctoral fellow. He was later awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Research Fellowship and the Future Fellowship from the Australian Research Council. Bryan was the recipient of the 2011 Fenner Medal from the Australian Academy of Science for his research, and he  is a member of the elite adventurer society The Explorers Club. In addition, he has been featured in documentaries on Animal Planet, BBC, Discovery Channel, and National Geographic TV. He has also been the author of numerous articles and two books: the textbook Venomous Reptiles and Their Toxins, as well as the memoir Venom Doc. Bryan is here with us today to talk a little about his research and tell us all about his experiences in life and science.

Dr. Winslow Briggs is Director Emeritus of the Carnegie Institution Of Science. He received his Ph.D. in Biology from Harvard University. He has served on the faculty at Harvard University and is a Professor of Biology Emeritus at Stanford University. Winslow has been the recipient of many awards and honors over the course of his career. He is an elected Member of the  U.S. National Academy of Science, a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, and a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences. In addition, he was awarded International Prize for Biology from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, the Adolph E. Gude Jr. Award from the American Society of Plant Biologists, an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Freiberg, the Finsen Medal from the International Association of Photobiology, the Sterling Hendricks Medal from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the American Chemical Society, the Stephen Hales Prize from the American Society of Plant Physiologists, the Alexander von Humboldt Senior Scientist Award, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Winslow is here with us today to talk share his passion for research and tell us about his experiences in life and science.

Dr. Shaundra Daily is an Associate Professor of Computer and Information Science and Engineering, as well as the Director of the Digital Arts and Sciences Program at the University of Florida. Shani received her B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Florida State University, a M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, and her M.S. and Ph.D. in Media Arts and Sciences from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She served on the faculty of Clemson University before joining the faculty at the University of Florida. Shani has received many awards and honors for her work, including the American Education Research Association Technology, Instruction, Cognition, and Learning Early Career Research Award, the Black Data Processing Associates Epsilon Award for Most Promising Technologist, and the Diverse Issues in Higher Education Emerging Scholar Award. Shani is with us today to tell us all about her exciting experiences in life and science.

Dr. Barry Byrne is the Earl and Christy Powell University Chair in Genetics, Associate Chair of Pediatrics, Director of the Powell Gene Therapy Center, and Professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Genetics and Microbiology at the University of Florida. Barry received his B.S. in Chemistry from Denison University and his M.D. and Ph.D in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Illinois. He completed his Pediatrics residency, cardiology fellowship training, and post-doctoral training in Biological Chemistry at Johns Hopkins University Hospital. Barry started his career as a faculty member at Johns Hopkins, and he joined the faculty at the University of Florida in 1997. Barry’s excellence in research has been recognized throughout his career through his receipt of various awards including the Faculty Research Prize in Clinical Research and the Research Professor Award from the University of Florida, as well as the Clinician Scientist Award from Johns Hopkins University. Barry is here with us today to talk about his research and tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Christian Franck is an Assistant Professor of Engineering at Brown University. He received his B.S. in aerospace engineering from the University of Virginia, and went on to be awarded his M.S. and Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology. Afterwards, Christian conducted postdoctoral research at Harvard before accepting his current position. Christian is here with us today to talk a little about his research and tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Leif Karlstrom is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Oregon. He completed his undergraduate training at the University of Oregon, receiving a B.S. in Physics and Mathematics, as well as a B.M. in Violin Performance. He received his PhD in Earth and Planetary Science from the University of California, Berkeley where he was awarded the Louderback Research Award. Afterwards, Leif was the recipient of an NSF Division of Earth Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowship to conduct research at Stanford University. He joined the faculty at the University of Oregon in 2015. Leif is here with us today to talk a little about his research and tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Ohara Augusto is a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the Institute of Chemistry at the University of São Paulo. In addition, she is the Director of a network studying the redox process in biomedicine. She completed her undergraduate degree in Chemistry and her PhD in Biochemistry at the University of São Paulo. Afterwards, Ohara conducted postdoctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley and at the University of California, San Francisco before returning to the University of São Paulo to join the faculty. She has received many awards and honors for her work, including being named a Fellow of the Oxygen Society, as well as a Member of the Academy of Sciences of the State of São Paulo, the World Academy of Sciences, and the Brazilian Academy of Sciences. Ohara is also the recipient of the Silver Medal for Biology and Medicine from the International Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Society and has been named Commander of the Order of Scientific Merit by the Presidency of the Republic. Ohara is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Antoine van Oijen is a Distinguished Professor and Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow in the School of Chemistry at the University of Wollongong in Australia. Antoine received his MSc and PhD in Physics from Leiden University in the Netherlands, where his graduate work was recognized with the C.J. Kok prize for best doctoral thesis. Afterwards, he conducted postdoctoral research in Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University. Antoine served on the faculty at Harvard Medical School and Groningen University in the Netherlands before his recent move to the University of Wollongong where he is today. Antoine has received a wide array of honors and awards for his research, including the Armenise-Harvard Junior Faculty Award, a Searle Scholarship, a NSF CAREER Award, a Vici Award from the Dutch Science Foundation, the Dutch Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Award for the most promising young scientist, and the prestigious Australian Research Council Laureate Fellowship. Antoine is here with us today to talk a little about his research and tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Erin Conwell is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and Coordinator for the PhD program in Visual and Cognitive Neuroscience at North Dakota State University. She received her undergraduate degree in Brain and Cognitive Sciences from MIT and her PhD in Cognitive and Linguistic Science from Brown University. Her dissertation research received the Peter W. Jusczyk Award. Afterward, Erin conducted postdoctoral research in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University. Erin is with us today to tell us about some of her experiences in life and science.

Dr. Rebecca Richards-Kortum is the Malcolm Gillis University Professor of Bioengineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering at Rice University. She is also Director of the award-winning Rice 360 Institute for Global Health and founder of Beyond Traditional Borders Program at Rice University. Rebecca received her B.S. in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln and went on to receive her M.S. in Physics and PhD in Medical Physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She served as a faculty member at the University of Texas at Austin, where she was the Cockrell Family Chair in Engineering, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and a Distinguished Teaching Professor. Rebecca has received many awards and honors during her career, including very recently being named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow. Some of her other recent awards include the Pierre Galletti Award (the highest honor from The American Institute for Medical and Biomedical Engineering), the Lemelson-MIT Award for Global Innovation, and the Michael S. Feld Biophotonics Award from the Optical Society of America. She is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Academy of Arts and Sciences, as well as a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Biomedical Engineering Society, the Optical Society of America, and the National Academy of Inventors. Rebecca is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science. 

Dr. Christopher Castro is an Associate Professor in the Department of Atmospheric Science at the University of Arizona. He received his B.S. degree in Meteorology, with the highest distinction, from Pennsylvania State University and went on to be awarded a M.S. and PhD in Atmospheric Science from Colorado State University. Christopher conducted postdoctoral research at Colorado State University before joining the faculty at the University of Arizona in 2006. Christopher is here with us today to talk a little about his research and tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Gemma Reguera is an Associate Professor in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at Michigan State University. She completed her undergraduate studies in Biology at the University of Oviedo in Spain and received her PhD in Microbiology from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Afterward, Gemma conducted postdoctoral research at Harvard Medical School and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst before joining the faculty at MSU where she is today. Gemma is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Tamara Bogdanović is an Assistant Professor in the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Physics, as well as a member of the Center for Relativistic Astrophysics . She received her B.Sc. in Astrophysics from the University of Belgrade in Serbia and her Ph.D. in Astrophysics from Pennsylvania State University. Tamara conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Maryland, where she received a NASA sponsored Einstein Postdoctoral Fellowship as well as an Astronomy Prize Theory Postdoctoral Fellowship. She has also been named an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow, a Cottrell Scholar, and a Cullen-Peck Fellow in recognition of her research and teaching. Tamara is with us today to share stories from her life and science.

Dr. Stacey Harmer is a Professor of Plant Biology in the College of Biological Sciences at the University of California, Davis. She received her BA in Biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley and was awarded her PhD in Biochemistry from the University of California, San Francisco. Afterwards, Stacey conducted postdoctoral research at the Scripps Research Institute in La Joya before joining the faculty at UC, Davis where she has been since 2002. She is the recipient of the American Society of Photobiology’s New Investigator Award and was selected as a Chancellor’s Fellow at UC Davis. Stacey is with us today to share her exciting experiences in life and science.

Dr. Shannon Manning is a Michigan State University (MSU) Foundation Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics. She earned her B.S. in biology from the University of Michigan, her M.P.H. in Hospital and Molecular Epidemiology, and her Ph.D. in Molecular Epidemiology from the University of Michigan. Afterwards, Shannon was awarded an Emerging Infectious Disease Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Shannon is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Christopher Cederroth is an Assistant Professor within the laboratory of Experimental Audiology working on tinnitus within the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. He received his PhD from the University of Geneva, Switzerland for which he was awarded the Denber-Pinard Prize from the University of Geneva. During that time, he also contributed to the launch of the start-up company Amazentis S.A. Before joining the faculty at the Karonlinska Institute, Chris was awarded a Swiss National Foundation Advanced Fellowship for his postdoctoral work conducted at Rockefeller University, as well as the Wenner Gren Foundation and Nicholson Postdoctoral Fellowship to support his research efforts at the Karolinska Institute. Chris is here with us today to talk a little about his research and tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Adam Summers is a Professor in the School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences and Department of Biology at the University of Washington, and he conducts research in his lab within the Friday Harbor Laboratories there. He completed his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and engineering at Swarthmore College, and afterwards worked as a SCUBA instructor in Australia. Adam next decided to pursue graduate school, receiving his master’s degree in Biology from New York University and his PhD in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Massachusetts. He received a Miller Research Postdoctoral fellowship to conduct research at the University of California, Berkeley and went on to serve as a faculty member at UC, Irvine before joining the faculty at the University of Washington. Adam has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In addition, he was awarded the Bartholmew Prize for physiology research from the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology, the UC, Irvine Academic Senate prize for undergraduate teaching, as well as the Directors award for program management excellence from the National Science Foundation. He also writes a monthly biomechanics columnn in Natural History Magazine and served as scientific advisor for the Pixar films “Finding Nemo” and the recently released sequel “Finding Dory”. Adam is here with us today to talk a little about his research and tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Alicia Kowaltowski is a Professor of Biochemistry at the Chemistry Institute at the University of São Paulo in Brazil. She was awarded her PhD in Medical Sciences from The State University of Campinas in Brazil, and she conducted postdoctoral research at the Oregon Graduate Institute (now known as Oregon Health and Sciences University). She is a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellow (2006) and recipient of the CAPES-Elsevier Award (2014). Alicia is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Melik Demirel is a Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at The Pennsylvania State University. He received is B.S. and M.S. in Engineering from Boğaziçi University in Turkey and was awarded his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. Afterwards, Melik conducted postdoctoral research at Los Alamos National Laboratory and was awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship in Molecular Biology at the Max Planck Institute in Gottingen, Germany. He accepted a faculty position at Penn State in 2003. Melik was a recipient of the Young Investigator Award from the Office of Naval Research within the Department of Defense, was selected as a Wyss Institute Visiting Scholar at Harvard University, and was awarded the Outstanding Research Award from Penn State, among other honors during his career. In this episode, he tells us about his experiences in life and science.

Dr. Sapna Sharma is an Associate Professor in Biology at York University. She received her PhD in Ecology and evolution from the University of Toronto and completed postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Montreal and the Center for Limnology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She served on the faculty at Loyola before joining the faculty at York where she is today. Sapna is also founder of a science outreach program at York University for refugee children called SEEDS. She is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. David Stern is the President of the Boyce Thompson Institute and Adjunct Professor in the Plant Biology Section at Cornell University. He conducted his undergraduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley, received his Master’s degree in Biochemistry from Cambridge University, and was awarded his PhD in Biological Sciences from Stanford University. Afterward, David conducted postdoctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley before accepting a position at the Boyce Thompson Institute where he is today. David has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science as well as Fellow of the American Society of Plant Biologists for his distinguished and long-term contributions to plant biology. David is here with us today to talk a little about his research and tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Haley Oliver is an Associate Professor of Food Science at Purdue University, as well as an Adjunct Professor at Texas Tech University. She received her B.S. in Microbiology and Molecular Biology from the University of Wyoming, and she was awarded her PhD in Food Science from Cornell University. Next, Haley received a postdoctoral fellowship to conduct research in food science at Cornell University. Haley is the recipient of the New Teacher Award and the National Early Career Teaching Award from the United States Department of Agriculture, as well as the Outstanding Academic Counseling and Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Awards from Purdue University. She is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Suzana Herculano-Houzel is a Professor of Psychology and Biological Sciences at Vanderbilt University. She received her B.S. in Biology from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and completed her M.S. in Neuroscience at Case Western Reserve University. She was awarded her PhD in Neuroscience from Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris, and conducted part of her graduate work at the Max-Planck Institute for Brain Research. Suzana served on the faculty of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro before joining the faculty at Vanderbilt where she is today. She is the recipient of the Scholar Award in Understanding Human Cognition from the James S. McDonnell Foundation, as well as the José Reis Prize of Science Communication. In addition, Suzana has authored seven books for the general public on neuroscience, including her recently published book The Human Advantage: A New Understanding of How Our Brain Became Remarkable. She has written and presented the TV series Neurológica, has contributed over 260 to the Folha de São Paulo newspaper, and has written for the Scientific American Brazil magazine. In our interview, Suzana shares stories from her life and science.

Dr. Madhur Anand is a Professor in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of Guelph. She received her BSc and PhD from Western University and went on to conduct postdoctoral research at the University of Trieste, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Utrecht University, and the University of New Mexico. Madhur served on the faculty at Laurentian University before accepting a position at the University of Guelph where she is today. Madder is the recipient of many awards and honors, including Premier’s Research Excellence Award, two Canada Research Chairs, Western University’s Young Alumni Award of Merit, the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce Female Professional of the Year Award, and she was named a Young Scientist of the World Economic Forum. In addition to the accolades she has received for her science, Madhur is also an accomplished poet. Her first book of poems “A New Index for Predicting Catastrophes” was published in 2015 and nominated for a Trillium Book award for poetry in 2016. Madhur is with us today to tell us to share stories of her life and science.

Dr. Don Bryant is the Ernest C. Pollard Professor in Biotechnology and Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at The Pennsylvania State University. Don completed his undergraduate training in Chemistry and Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received his PhD in Molecular biology from the University of California, Los Angeles. He was awarded an NSF-CNRS Postdoctoral Fellowship to conduct research at the Institut Pasteur in France, as well as a DOE Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at Cornell University, before joining the faculty at Penn State. During his career, Don has received many awards and honors. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, an elected Member of the Board of Governors of the American Academy of Microbiology, as well as a Member of the Board of Directors for the Rebeiz Foundation for Basic Research. Don is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Gail Ashley is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Rutgers University. She is Undergraduate Program Director and Director of the Quaternary Studies Graduate Certificate Program. She received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Geology from the University of Massachusetts and completed her Ph.D. at the University of British Columbia. After receiving her Ph.D., Gail accepted a faculty position at Rutgers, and she has been a faculty member there for 39 years. Gail has received many awards and honors during her career including the Sedimentary Geology Division of the Geological Society of America’s Laurence L. Sloss award for her lifetime achievements in sedimentary geology, as well as an Outstanding teaching award from the Association of Women Geoscientists. She has also served as President of the Society for Sedimentary Geologists, President of the Geological Society of America, President of the Society of Economic and Petroleum Mineralogists, and President of the American Geosciences Institute. In addition, Gail has served as Editor-in Chief of the Journal of Sedimentary Research. Gail is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Angelique C. Johnson is Founder and CEO of the startup company MEMStim LLC which is dedicated to reducing the cost of cochlear implants to treat hearing loss. She is also an adjunct faculty member in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Louisville. She received her undergraduate training in computer engineering and mathematics from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Angelique completed her MSE and PhD in Electrical Engineering at the University of Michigan (NSF Center for Wireless Integrated MicroSystems, which is now the Center for Wireless Integrated MicroSensing and Systems). She has received many awards and honors for her work, including the Pryor-Hale award for Best Business at the Michigan Business Challenge, funding from the NSF Innovation Corps program, as well as NIH phase I and phase II SBIR grants. Angelique is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Chris Buddle is an Associate Professor in the Department of Natural Resource Sciences and Associate Dean of Student Affairs at McGill University. He received his undergraduate training in Ecology at the University of Guelph and was awarded his PhD in Ecology and Environmental science from the University of Alberta. Afterwards, Chris conducted postdoctoral research at Miami University before accepting a position at McGill where he is today. He has received a number of his awards for his exceptional teaching and research, including the Entomological Society of Canada’s C. Gordon Hewitt Award for Excellence in Entomology in Canada, the MacDonald Campus Award for Teaching Excellence, and the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education’s Desire2Learn Teaching Innovation Award. Chris also writes great articles in his Arthropod Ecology Blog. He is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Malia Gehan is a new Assistant Member at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. She received her undergraduate training in Biology from Willamette University and her PhD in Plant Biology from Michigan State University. Afterwards, Malia was awarded a National Science Foundation Plant Genome Initiative Postdoctoral Fellowship working at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, and she subsequently worked as a Research Scientist there before accepting her new position. Malia is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Seán Barry is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Carleton University. He received his B.Sc. in Chemistry from Queen’s University at Kingston and was awarded his PhD in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Ottawa. Next, Seán conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Bourgogne in France, Cornell University, and Harvard University. Seán served as a Lecturer at the University of Ottawa and a Visiting Scholar at Harvard University before joining the faculty at Carleton University where he is today. Seán is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Teresa Bergholz is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Veterinary and Microbiological Sciences at North Dakota State University. She completed undergraduate training in Food Science and Microbiology at Michigan State University and also received her PhD in Food Science from Michigan State University. Afterwards, Teresa conducted postdoctoral research in the Department of Food Science at Cornell University before joining the faculty at NDSU where she is today. Teresa is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Todd Cade is an Associate Professor of Physical Therapy and Medicine, as well as Associate Director of Postdoctoral Fellowships in the Program in Physical Therapy at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine. He received his undergraduate training in Kinesiological Science at the University of Maryland, College Park and went on to complete his M.Sc. in Physical Therapy at the University of Miami. Afterwards Todd was awarded his PhD in Rehabilitation Science from the University of Maryland and he received a postdoctoral fellowship in Endocrinology and Metabolism at Washington University in St. Louis before joining the faculty there. Todd is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Christine McCarthy is the Lamont Assistant Research Professor at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University. She received her B.S. in Geophysics from the University of Oregon and went on to receive her M.Sc. and PhD in Geological Science from Brown University. Afterward, Christine conducted postdoctoral research at the Earthquake Research Institute at the University of Tokyo in Japan. She was awarded a Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Postdoctoral Fellowship, followed by a NASA Early Career Fellowship, before joining the faculty at Columbia where she is today. Christine is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Rob Johns is a Research Scientist and Forest Insect Ecologist for the Natural Resources Canada Atlantic Forestry Centre. He is also an Adjunct Professor in Biology at the University of New Brunswick and St. Francis Xavier University. Rob received his undergraduate training in biology from St. Francis Xavier University and PhD in Biology from the University of New Brunswick. He was then was awarded a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship from the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science before joining the Canadian Forest Service where he is today. Rob is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Laurie Santos is a Professor of Psychology and Director of the Comparative Cognition Laboratory at Yale University. She received her B.A. in Psychology and Biology from Harvard and Radcliffe College, and went on to complete her M.A. and Ph.D. in Psychology from Harvard University. Among Laurie’s many awards and honors, she has received the American Psychological Association’s Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contributions to Psychology, the Lex Hixton Prize for Teaching Excellence in the Social Sciences, the Arthur Greer Memorial Prize for Outstanding Junior Faculty at Yale, the Stanton Prize from the Society for Philosophy and Psychology, and she has been named one of TIME Magazine’s “Leading Campus Celebrities”. Laurie and her research have been featured by The Today Show, BBC News, NPR News, NBC News, The New York Times, and many other media outlets. She is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. David C. Weindorf is the Associate Dean for Research in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, as well as Professor and BL Allen Endowed Chair of Pedology in the Department of Plant and Soil Science at Texas Tech University. He received his B.S. in Range Management, M.S. in Soil Science, and Ph.D. in Agronomy all from Texas Tech. David next accepted a faculty position at Tarleton State University, followed by a faculty position at Louisiana State University, before joining the faculty at Texas Tech. David is the recipient of numerous awards and honors including the Texas Tech Faculty International Scholarship Award, the USDA-NRCS National Cooperative Soil Survey’s Eagle Award, and a Fulbright Scholarship where he spent time at the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of ClujNapoca, Romania. He is also a member of the Soil Science Society of America and chair elect of the Pedology Section of the Soil Science Society of America. David is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Stephen Heard is Professor of Biology at the University of New Brunswick. He received his B.Sc. in Biology from the University of Waterloo and his PhD in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania. Afterwards, Steve conducted postdoctoral research at the University of British Columbia and served on the faculty at the University of Iowa before joining the faculty at New Brunswick where he is today. Steve also writes a blog called Scientist Sees Squirrel, and he is the author of a new book, hot-off-the presses this April, called The Scientist’s Guide to Writing: How to write more easily and effectively throughout your scientific career. Steve is here with us today to talk about his experiences in life and science.

Dr. Matt O'Neal is an Associate Professor of Entomology at Iowa State University. He received his B.S. in Biology and M.S. in Entomology from the University of Illinois. Matt served as a Peace Corps Volunteer between those two degrees. After his masters he went on to receive his PhD in Entomology from Michigan State University. Next, Matt conducted postdoctoral research at Michigan State before joining the Faculty at the Iowa State where he is today. Matt’s honors and awards include the Team Achievement Award for the Crop Advantage Series from Iowa State University Extension, the National Excellence In Multistate Research Award from the American Public Land-Grant Universities, and the Integrated Pest Management Team Award from the Entomological Foundation. He has also received various awards from the Entomological Society of America, the American Society of Agronomy, and the Board Certified Entomologists of Mid-America for his educational and outreach efforts. In addition, Matt is co-host of the Soybean Pest Podcast with his colleague Erin Hodgson. Matt is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Lewis Cantley is the Director of the Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medical College as well as the Stanton Clinical Cancer Program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. He is also Professor of Cancer Biology in Medicine and Professor in Oncology Research at Weill Cornell Medical College. In addition, Lewis is Co-Founder of Petra Pharma and Agios Pharmaceuticals. He received his B.S. in Chemistry from West Virginia Wesleyan College and his Ph.D. in Biophysical Chemistry from Cornell University. Lewis conducted postdoctoral research at Harvard University, and served on the faculty at Harvard University, as well as Tufts University before joining the faculty at Cornell. Lewis has received many awards and honors during his career, including the 2005 Pezcoller Foundation-American Association for Cancer Research International Award for Cancer Research, the 2013 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, the 2015 Ross Prize in Molecular Medicine, the 2015 Wolf Prize, the 2015 Association of American Cancer Institutes Distinguished Scientist Award, the 2015 Canada Cairdner award, and he was named one of “The World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds” in 2015 by Thomson Reuter. Lewis is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, as well as a Member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, and the European Life Sciences Academy. Lewis is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Blake Meyers is a Member Principal Investigator at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and a Professor in the Division of Plant Sciences at the University of Missouri. He received a B.A. in Biology from the University of Chicago, and went on to receive his MS and PhD in Genetics from the University of California, Davis. Afterwards, Blake completed postdoctoral fellowships at Dupont Genomics and at the University of California, Davis. Before accepting his current positions, Blake was the Edward F. and Elizabeth Goodman Rosenberg Professor and Chair of the Department Plant and Soil Sciences of the University of Delaware. Blake is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Dave Messina is the Chief Operating Officer at Cofactor Genomics. He completed his undergraduate training in biology at the University of Illinois at Chicago and received his MA in Genetics from Washington University School of Medicine. Dave worked as a Senior Programmer Analyst at the Genome Sequencing Center at Washington University for a few years before going back to school to get his PhD in Computational Biology from Stockholm University. Dave joined the team at Cofactor in 2012. Dave is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Denise Herzing is Director and Founder of a non-profit scientific research organization called The Wild Dolphin Project, as well as an Affiliate Assistant Professor of Biological and Psychological Sciences at Florida Atlantic University. She received her B.S. in Marine Zoology from Oregon State University, her M.A. in Behavioral Biology from San Francisco State University, and her Ph.D. in Behavioral Biology and Environmental Studies from the Union Institute Graduate School. Denise is author of the book Dolphin Diaries which details her experiences studying dolphins, and she recently co-edited a book called Dolphin Communication and Cognition. Denise is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and is a fellow of the Explorers Club. She is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Franck Polleux is a Professor of Neuroscience and member of the Zuckerman Mind, Brain, Behavior Institute at Columbia University. He completed his undergraduate degree as well as his PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Claude Bernard in Lyon, France. Afterward, he travelled to Johns Hopkins University for his postdoctoral fellowship. Franck served on the faculty at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA before joining the faculty at Columbia University where he is today. Franck is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Russell Foster is Professor and Chair of Circadian Neuroscience, Supernumerary Fellow in Circadian Neuroscience, Head of the Department of Ophthalmology, a Nicholas Kurti Senior Fellow, Head of the Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Head of The Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute at Brasenose college at the University of Oxford. Russell received his PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Bristol. He worked at the National Science Foundation Center for Biological Timing at the University of Virginia, and afterward served on the faculty at Imperial College before accepting a position at the University of Oxford where he has been for 10 years. Russell is a Fellow of the Royal Society, and in 2015, he received the honor of an appointment of Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Russell has received many other national and international awards for his accomplishments in science including Japan’s Honma Prize, the USA’s Cogan Award, Harvard University's Farrell Prize in Sleep Medicine, as well as the UK’s Zoological Society Scientific Medal and Edridge-Green Medal from the Royal College of Ophthalmologists. In addition, Russell is the author of the popular science books Rhythms of Life, Seasons of Life, and Sleep: a very short introduction. Russell is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Brendan Frey is the President and CEO of Deep Genomics. He is also Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the Banting and Best Department of Medical Research, and the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto. In addition, Brendan is the Canada Research Chair in Information Processing and Machine Learning. Brendan received his PhD from the University of Toronto, both in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Afterwards, Brendan was was awarded a Beckman Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. He served on the faculty at the University of Waterloo before joining the faculty at the University of Toronto where he is today. Brendan has received many awards and honors during his career, including being named a Fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and a recipient of the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada John C. Polanyi Award. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, American Association for the Advancement of Science, as well as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Brendan is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Erin Hodgson is an Associate Professor and Extension Entomologist at Iowa State University. She received her undergraduate training in Biology and Botany and her M.S. in Entomology from North Dakota State University. Erin was awarded her Ph.D. in Entomology from the University of Minnesota, followed by a postdoctoral research position also at the University of Minnesota. Erin served on the faculty at Utah State University before joining the faculty at Iowa State where she is today. Erin has received many awards and honors in her career, including the Editor’s Choice Award from the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, the Iowa State University Outreach and Extension New Professional Award, and multiple awards from the Entomological Society of America for her educational and outreach efforts. In addition, Erin is co-host of the "Soybean Pest Podcast" with her colleague Matt O’Neal. Erin is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Roger Smith is the Chief Technology Officer for the Nicholson Center for Surgical Advancement at Florida Hospital. He is also Graduate Faculty at the University of Central Florida, and President of Simulation First. Roger received his B.S. in Applied Mathematics, a M.S. in Statistics, a Master’s and Ph.D. in Business Administration, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science. In addition to his current appointments, Roger has held a number of exciting positions in academia, industry, and government sectors, including serving as an Instructor at Texas Tech University, Senior Engineer at General Dynamics, Technical Director of Mystech Associates, Technical Director of STAC, Professor at Florida Institute of Technology, Vice President of BTG Corporation, Vice President and Group Chief Technology Officer of Titan Corporation, Professor at Full Sail University, Chief Engineer at SPARTA Inc., Chief Technology Officer for U.S. Army Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation, Research Scientist for Texas A and M University, and Professor at Adventist University of Health Sciences. He has received many awards and honors during his career, including being named one of the top academic researchers in the world in Technology and Innovation Management from the International Association for Management of Technology, the Des Cummings Innovation Award from Florida Hospital, the Swartz Innovation Award from the Orlando EDC, and the PEO STRI Commander’s Award for Public Service. Roger is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Jill Pruetz is a Professor of Anthropology at Iowa State University and a National Geographic Society Emerging Explorer. In addition, Jill is the founder of the non-profit organization NeighborApe that she founded in 2008. She received her BA in Anthropology from Texas State University and her PhD in Anthropology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Jill then conducted postdoctoral research at Miami University before joining the faculty at Iowa State where she is today. Jill and her excellent research have been featured by NPR, BBC, CBC, National Geographic, New Scientist Magazine, The Today Show, and others. She is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Jim Tour is the T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Computer Science, and Professor of Materials Science and NanoEngineering at Rice University. He is also the founder and principal of NanoJtech Consultants, LLC, which performs technology assessments for prospective investors. He received his B.S. in Chemistry from Syracuse University and his Ph.D. in Synthetic Organic and Organometallic Chemistry from Purdue University. Jim went on to conduct postdoctoral research at the University of Wisconsin and Stanford University. He served on the faculty of the University of South Carolina for 11 years before joining the faculty at Rice where he is today. Jim has received many awards and distinctions in his career. He was named among the 50 Most Influential Scientists in the World Today by TheBestSchools.org in 2014, among The World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds by Thomson Reuters ScienceWatch.com in 2014, and Scientist of the Year by R and D Magazine in 2013. Jim is the recipient of the NASA Space Act Award, Feynman Prize in Experimental Nanotechnology, the Houston Technology Center’s Nanotechnology Award, and the Purdue University Distinguished Alumni Award. He is also an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Jim is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Maria Marco is an Associate Professor in The Department of Food Science & Technology at The University of California, Davis. She received her BS at The Pennsylvania State University and her PhD in Microbiology at the University of California, Berkeley. She went on to work as a postdoc and then as a project scientist at NIZO food research and TI Food & Nutrition in The Netherlands before accepting a faculty position at UC, Davis where she is today. Maria is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Eric Green is the Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health. He received his B.S. in Bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and his M.D. and Ph.D. in Cell Biology from Washington University in St. Louis. Afterward, Eric completed his residency at Washington University in Laboratory Medicine and as part of his residency he did a postdoctoral research in genetics. Eric served on the faculty and as co-investigator in the Human Genome Center at Washington University School of Medicine before accepting a position at the National Institutes of Health where he has been now for over 20 years. Eric has been the recipient of many awards and honors during his career, including the NIH Director’s Award (multiple times), the Alumni Achievement and the Distinguished Alumni Awards from Washington University School of Medicine, as well as a Ladue Horton Watkins High School Distinguished Alumni Award. He is also a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians. Eric is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Mina Bissell is a Distinguished Scientist in the Life Sciences Division of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She received her B.A. in Chemistry from Radcliffe College and a M.Sc. in Bacteriology and Biochemistry as well as a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from Harvard University. Afterward, Mina was awarded a Milton Postdoctoral Fellowship at Harvard University followed by an American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley. She started off at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory to study cell biology and cancer viruses and has dedicated over 40 years of her career to exceptional research there, rising through the ranks to her current position. Mina has received many awards and honors during her career. Just to name a few, she was awarded the highest award of the Department of Energy called the Lawrence Award, the Lifetime Achievement Prize from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the American Cancer Society's Medal of Honor, the Susan G. Komen Foundation Brinker Award, an Honorary Doctorate from Pierre and Marie Curie University, and many more. In addition, Mina has been elected as a Member of the National Academy of Sciences and a Member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. She is also a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the Royal Society of Chemistry. A few years ago an award in Portugal was created in Mina's name, and the Mina J. Bissell Award is given every 2 years to a person who has changed our perception of a field. Mina is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi is the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Chemical and Systems Biology and Radiology at Stanford University. She is also an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Carolyn received her undergraduate training in Chemistry at Harvard University and was awarded her PhD in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. She went on to complete postdoctoral research at the University of California, San Francisco and then accepted a faculty position at UC, Berkeley. Carolyn just recently joined the faculty at Stanford in 2015. She is the recipient of the UCSF 150th Anniversary Alumni Excellence Award, the Hans Bloemendal Award from Radboud University, the Heinrich Wieland Prize, the Royal Society of Chemistry Organic Division Bioorganic Chemistry Award, the Lemelson-MIT Prize for Inventors, a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, and many other national and international awards and honors. In addition, Carolyn is an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the Institute of Medicine, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. Carolyn is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science. 

Dr. Nathan Morehouse is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. He received his B.S. in Biological Sciences from Cornell University and was awarded a PhD in Biology from Arizona State University. Nate conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Tours in France before joining the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh where he is today. Nate is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Chris Lortie is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at York University. He received his B.Sc. in Biology, Bachelor’s of Education, and master’s degrees from Queen’s University and was awarded a PhD in Botany from the University of British Columbia. Chris conducted postdoctoral research at Sonoma State University, as well as UC Berkeley and the University of Montana before joining the faculty at York University where he is today. Chris is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Patrick Schloss is an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Michigan. After completing his undergraduate studies at Cornell University, Pat stayed on to receive his PhD. Both degrees were in Biological & Environmental Engineering. He went on to do his postdoctoral training at the University of Wisconsin and served on the faculty at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst before joining the faculty at the University of Michigan where he is today. Pat is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Celeste Nelson is an Associate Professor in Chemical and Biological Engineering, as well as Molecular Biology at Princeton University. She is also a Member of the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and the Breast Cancer Research and Cancer Metabolism and Growth Programs. Celeste received her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University and conducted postdoctoral research at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory before joining the faculty at Princeton. Celeste is the recipient of many awards and honors during her career. She has received the Princeton School of Engineering and Applied Science Distinguished Teacher Award, the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, the Allan P. Colburn Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the Technology Review TR35 Young Innovator Award, and an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship in Molecular Biology. She is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Jeremy Brownlie is a Senior Lecturer and Deputy Head of the School of Natural Sciences at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia, as well as Secretary of Science and Technology Australia. He received his B.S. and Ph.D. in Genetics from The Australian National University. He went on to conduct postdoctoral research at The University of Queensland before joining the faculty at Griffith University where he is today. Jeremy is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Kenneth Heilman is the James E. Rooks, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Neurology and Health Psychology at the University of Florida College of Medicine. He is also Director of the Memory Disorders Clinics, the Center for Neuropsychological Studies, and the Behavioral Neurology-Neuropsychiatry Fellowship Program at the University of Florida. Ken received his M.D. from the University of Virginia and continued his training in Internal Medicine at the Cornell University Medical Center. Afterward, he served as Captain in the Air Force and was Chief of Medicine at NATO Hospital in Izmir, Turkey during the Vietnam War. When Ken returned, he completed his Neurology Residency and Fellowship at Harvard University an then joined the faculty at the University of Florida. Ken is the recipient of a University of Florida Research Foundation Professorship, the Clinical Research Award from the University of Florida College of Medicine, and the Behavioral Neurology Society Outstanding Achievement Award. He has also authored multiple books including The Believer’s Brain which published last year. He is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Joel Fodrie is an Assistant Professor in the Institute of Marine Sciences and Department of Marine Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He received his undergraduate training in Biology and History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and went on to receive his Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. Afterward, Joel conducted postdoctoral research with the Marine Sciences Consortium at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. Joel served on the faculty at the University of South Alabama before joining the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he is today. Joel is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Chelsea Specht is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Plant and Microbial Biology and also Integrative Biology, as well as the Curator of monocots at the Jepson Herbaria at the University of California, Berkeley. She received her B.A. From the University of Delaware. Chelsea went on to complete her M.S. and Ph.D. in Biology from New York University. Afterward, Chelsea worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Botany at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History before joining the faculty at UC, Berkeley where she is today. Chelsea has received the Prytanean Faculty Award from the Prytanean Honors Society Alumni, the Hellman Award from the Hellman Faculty Fund, the Presidential Chair Fellowship from the Division of Teaching and Learning, a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, and a Kavli Fellowship from the National Academy of Sciences. She was also recently elected to the California Academy of Sciences. She is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Adam Gazzaley is a Professor of Neurology, Physiology and Psychiatry and the Founding Director of the Neuroscience Imaging Center at the University of California, San Francisco. Adam is also Co-Founder and Chief Science Advisor of Akili Interactive Labs, a company that is developing therapeutic video games. He received his M.D. And Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Adam then completed his Internship in Medicine and Clinical Residency in Neurology at the University of Pennyslvania, followed by postdoctoral training in Cognitive Neuroscience at UC, Berkeley before joining the faculty at UCSF where he is today. Adam is the recipient of the Pfizer/AFAR Innovations in Aging Award, the Ellison Foundation New Scholar Award in Aging, the Harold Brenner Pepinsky Early Career Award in Neurobehavioral Science, and the UCSF 150th Anniversary Alumni Excellence Award. He is also an elected Member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation. Adam is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Douglass F. Taber is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Delaware. He received his B.S.in Chemistry from Stanford University and Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Columbia University. Douglass conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Wisconsin and served on the faculty at Vanderbilt University before joining the faculty at the University of Delaware where he is today. Douglass is a Fellow of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and recipient of the Allan R. Day Award from the Philadelphia Organic Chemists Club. He is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Ryan Martin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Case Western Reserve University. He received a B.S. in Ecology and Evolution from the University of California, Santa Cruz and was awarded his Ph.D. in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Afterward, Ryan conducted postdoctoral research at North Carolina State University and the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis in Knoxville, TN before accepting a faculty position at Case Western where he is today. Ryan is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Karmella Haynes is an Assistant Professor in the Ira A. Fulton School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering at Arizona State University. She is also a senior judge for the International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition. She received her Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics from Washington University in St. Louis. Prior to joining the faculty at ASU, Karmella was awarded a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Teaching and Research fellowship at Davidson College, followed by an NIH postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School. Karmella is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Pat Hutchings is a Senior Principal Research Scientist at the Australian Museum Research Institute. She received her B.Sc. with Special Honors from Queen Mary's College of the University of London and her Ph.D. and D.Sc. in reproductive biology of a sea worm from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Pat is a Fellow and Senior Vice President of the Royal Zoological Society of New South Whales. She is Past president of the Australian Coral Reef Society, Former Councillor of the Australian Marine Sciences Association, Past President of the International Polychaete Association, and Former Vice President of the Coast and Wetlands Society. In addition, she was the recipient of the Silver Jubilee Medal from the Australian Marine Science Association for her contributions to marine sciences. Pat is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Patrick Lusk is an Assistant Professor of Cell Biology at Yale University. He received his B.S. and Ph.D. in Cell Biology from the University of Alberta and went on to conduct postdoctoral research at The Rockefeller University before accepting his current position at Yale. Patrick is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Peter Crane is the Carl W. Knobloch Jr. Dean of the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and Professor of Botany at Yale University. Peter received his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Reading in the United Kingdom. Afterward, he conducted postdoctoral research at Indiana University and worked for about 17 years at the Field Museum in Chicago, rising from Assistant Curator in Paleobotany to Museum Director. Peter then served as Director and Chief Executive of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He also served as the John and Marion Sullivan University Professor at the University of Chicago before joining the faculty at Yale where he is today. Peter has received many prestigious awards and honors during his career. First and foremost, he was knighted in the United Kingdom in 2004 for his contributions to horticulture and conservation. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society, a Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences, a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In addition, Peter has received multiple honorary degrees and fellowships, including an honorary doctoral degree from the University of Cambridge. He was also the recipient of the International Prize for Biology awarded in Japan last December, as well as many other national and international awards. Peter is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. David Beversdorf is an Associate Professor of Radiology, Neurology, and Psychological Sciences and holds the William and Nancy Thompson Chair of Radiology at the University of Missouri. In addition, David is the Director of the Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory at the MU Thompson Center, Director of the Center for Translational Neuroscience and Director of Graduate Studies for the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program there. He received his M.D. from Indiana University School of Medicine and completed a Neurology residency at Dartmouth. David then completed a fellowship in Behavioral Neurology at the University of Florida and served on the faculty at Ohio State University before joining the faculty at the University of Missouri where he is today. David is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Wendy Chung is the Herbert Irving Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine and Director of Clinical Genetics at Columbia University. She received her undergraduate training at Cornell University and went on to receive her PhD in Molecular Genetics from Rockefeller University and her M.D. from Cornell University. Afterward, Wendy completed her Internship and Residency in Pediatrics, a Fellowship in Clinical Genetics, and a Fellowship in Molecular Genetics at the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center. Wendy is the recipient of an American Academy of Pediatrics Young Investigator Award, the Charles W. Bohmfalk Award for Distinguished Contributions to Teaching in the Clinical Years, the Medical Achievement Award from Bonei Olam, as well as the Presidential Award for Outstanding Teaching from Columbia University. Wendy is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Jon Butterworth is a Professor of Physics and Head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at University College London. He received his B.A. in Physics and his Ph.D. in Particle Physics from the University of Oxford. Afterwards, Jon was hired by Pennsylvania State University to conduct postdoctoral research at the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) in Hamburg, Germany before joining the faculty at UCL where he is today. John is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics and recipient of their Chadwick Prize. He has also been awarded a Wolfson Research Merit Award from the Royal Society, an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship, and a Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council Senior Research Fellowship. In addition, Jon is the author of the book Most Wanted Particle and author of a blog for The Guardian called Life and Physics. Jon is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Simon DeDeo is external faculty at the Santa Fe Institute and Assistant Professor at Indiana University in Complex Systems and in Cognitive Science. He completed his undergraduate studies in Astrophysics at Harvard University and received a Master's Degree in Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics from Cambridge University. Simon went on to receive his PhD in Astrophysical Sciences from Princeton University and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Tokyo, the University of Chicago as a Kavli Fellow, and also at the Santa Fe Institute as an Omidyar Fellow. Simon is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Jennifer Grandis is a Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Director of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, and Associate Vice Chancellor of Clinical and Translational Research at the University of California, San Francisco. She is also an American Cancer Society Professor. Jennifer received her B.A. in Biology and Art History at Swarthmore College and was awarded her M.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She completed her residency and an Infectious Disease Fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and went on to serve on the faculty there for over 20 years before accepting her current position at UCSF. Jennifer has received many honors and awards during her career, including the Peggy Wheelock Award for Excellence in Research, Mentoring, and Promotion of Women in Science from the University of Nebraska, as well as the University of Pittsburgh’s Provost’s Award for Excellence in Mentoring, Philip Hench Distinguished Alumnus Award, Chancellor’s Distinguished Research Award, Scientific Leadership Award, promotion to Distinguished Professor of Otolaryngology, and more. Jennifer is also an Elected Member of the Association of American Physicians, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. Jennifer is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Michael Archer is a Professor of Paleobiology in the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of New South Wales in Australia. Mike received his undergraduate education from Princeton University in Geology and Biology. He was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Australia and remained there to earn his PhD in Zoology from the University of Western Australia. Mike has since worked at the Western Australian, Queensland, and Australian Museums, and he joined the faculty at the University of New South Wales in 1978. Mike has received many awards and honors, including being named one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Sydney in 2008, receipt of the Riversleigh Society Medal, the TH Huxley Award from the Australian Museum, and the Australian Centennial Medal from the Federal Government of Australia. He is a Member of the Australia Institute of Biology, as well as a Fellow of the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales, the World Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Australian College of Educators, The Australian Academy of Science, the Royal Society of New South Wales, and Australia 21. Mike is here with us today to tell us all about his journey through life and science.