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

Dr. Jennifer F. Biddle is an Assistant Professor in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment at the University of Delaware. She received her PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Pennsylvania State University. Jen then went on to complete postdoctoral fellowships in the Department of Geosciences at Penn State and in the Department of Marine Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before joining the faculty at University of Delaware. Jen is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Katrina Steiling is a physician-scientist and Assistant Professor of Medicine and Bioinformatics in the Section of Computational Biomedicine at Boston University School of Medicine. She completed her Doctorate of Medicine at Boston University Medical School, and her Internship and Residency in Internal Medicine at Boston University Medical Center followed by a post-doctoral research fellowship with The Pulmonary Center. Concurrent with her clinical fellowship training in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Boston University Medical Center, Katie completed a Masters of Science in Bioinformatics through the Boston University College of Engineering. Katie is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Alexandra Harmon-Threatt is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She received her PhD from the University of California, Berkeley and completed an NSF postdoctoral Fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis. Alex is today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Irving R. Epstein is the Henry F. Fischbach Professor of Chemistry and a member of the Volen Center for Complex Systems at Brandeis University, as well as a Professor of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He received his Masters degree in Chemistry and his PhD in Chemical Physics from Harvard University. Irving then completed a NATO Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University before joining the faculty at Brandeis. Irving has received a number of honors and awards during his career, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Grass Fellowship of the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University. Irving is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Emily Cross is a Senior Lecturer of cognitive neuroscience and a dancer who shares a dual appointment at the School of Psychology at Bangor University in North Wales and the Department of Social and Cultural Psychology and the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour at Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands. She studied psychology and dance as an undergraduate at Pomona College, and went on to complete a MSc in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Otago in New Zealand as a Fulbright fellow. She returned to the USA to complete a PhD in cognitive neuroscience at Dartmouth College, and then moved on to postdoctoral positions at the University of Nottingham in the UK and the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany. Emily is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Nan Arens is an Associate Professor of Geosciences at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in New York. She received her Masters degree in Geology from Pennsylvania State University as well as a Masters degree in Biology from Harvard University. Nan then went on to complete her PhD in Biology at Harvard. She served as a faculty member at the University of California at Berkeley and Curator of Fossil Plants at the University of California Museum of Paleontology before joining the faculty at Hobart and William Smith. Nan is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Steve Ormerod is a Professor in Ecology in the Cardiff School of Biosciences at Cardiff University in the United Kingdom. He is also Chair of Council of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Chair of the Science Development Group of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Vice-Chair of the Welsh Water Environment Advisory Panel, and Co-Chair of the Cardiff Water Research Consortium. Steve received his PhD in River Ecology from Cardiff University. He has been recognized with many awards and honors, including being an elected Fellow of the Society of Biology, the Learned Society of Wales, and the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management, as well as a Fellow of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. Steve has also received the Ralph Brown Expedition Award from the Royal Geographical Society, the Past-President’s Medal of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management, and the Marsh Award for Marine and Freshwater Conservation from the Zoological Society of London. Steve is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Ralph Adolphs is the Bren Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and Professor of Biology at the California Institute of Technology. He received his PhD in Neurobiology from Caltech and completed his postdoctoral training at the University of Iowa. Ralph is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. David Klahr is the Walter van Dyke Bingham Professor of Cognitive Development and Education Sciences in the Department of Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University. He is also the Training Director of the Program in Interdisciplinary Education Research and is on the Executive Committee and is the Education Director for the Pittsburgh Science of Learning Center. After completing his undergraduate at MIT, he worked for a few years before returning to graduate school, receiving his Masters Degree from the Carnegie Institute of Technology and his PhD from Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Klahr served briefly on the faculty of the University of Chicago, before joining the faculty at Carnegie Mellon University where he remains today. David has received many awards and honors during his career. He is a member of the National Academy of Education, an Inaugural Fellow of the American Educational Research Association, a Fellow of both the Developmental and Experimental Divisions of the American Psychological Association, and also a Founding Fellow of the American Psychological Society. David is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Michael Snyder is the Stanford Ascherman Professor and Chair of the Department of Genetics at Stanford University, as well as the Director of the Stanford Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine. Mike is also a co-founder of several biotechnology companies, including Protometrix (now part of Life Technologies), Affomix (now part of Illumina), Excelix, and Personalis, and he presently serves on the board of a number of companies. He received his PhD from the California Institute of Technology and completed postdoctoral training at Stanford University. He served on the faculty at Yale University for over 20 years before joining the faculty at Stanford. Mike has received many awards and honors during his career, including the Burroughs Wellcome Scholar Award, the Connecticut Medal of Science, and the Pioneer Award from the Human Proteome Organization. Mike is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Ray Arvidson is a James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and the Director of the Earth and Planetary Remote Sensing Laboratory at Washington University in St. Louis. He is also the Deputy Principal Investigator for the Mars Exploration Rover Mission as well as a member of the Science team of Curiosity Rover Mission of 2012. He received his Masters and PhD from Brown University and joined the faculty at Washington University afterwards. He has received many awards and honors in his career, including three NASA Public Service Medals, a Washington University Distinguished Faculty Award, Washington University Advisor of the Year Award, the Missouri Governor's Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Student Union Professor of the Year Award, the Outstanding Graduate Faculty Mentor Award, the Arthur Holly Compton Award for Faculty Achievement, the Whipple Award from the American Geophysical union, and a number of NASA citations and awards from Washington University in Saint Louis. In addition, Ray was recently inducted into Williamstown High School Hall of Fame. He is also a Fellow of the Geological Society of America and the American Geophysical Union. Ray is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Hope Jahren is a Professor in the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at the University of Hawaii. She received her PhD in Soil Science from the University of California at Berkeley. Hope was a faculty member at Georgia Tech and Johns Hopkins University before accepting a position at the University of Hawaii. She has received many awards and honors during her career, including the Fulbright Award in Geology, the Fulbright Award in Environmental Science, the Fulbright Award in Arctic Science, the ARCS Scientist of the Year Award for the Honolulu Chapter, and the Best University Research Award in the Department of Energy. She is one of four scientists, and the only woman, to have been awarded both of the Yount Investigator Medals given within the Earth Sciences: the Donath Medal (the Geological Society of America Young Scientist Award) and the James B. Macelwane Medal (American Geophysical Union Young Scientist Award). Hope is also a fellow of the Geological Society of America, a Biogeochemistry Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow, and was named one of the Popular Science “Brilliant 10” in 2005. Hope is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Joel S. Perlmutter is the Elliot Stein Family Professor of Neurology, Professor of Radiology, Neurobiology, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy at Washington University in St. Louis. He is also Head of Movement Disorders, Director of the NeuroClinical Research Unit, Director, Director of the American Parkinson Disease Association Advanced Research Center for Parkinson Disease, and Director of the Huntington Disease Center of excellence all at Washington University in St. Louis. Joel received his undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Princeton University and his Medical Degree from the University of Missouri in Columbia. He completed his Residency in Neurology at the Washington University School of Medicine, followed by a Fellowship in the Department of Neurology at WashU as well. Joel has received many awards and honors in his career, including Eliasson Award for Teaching Excellence, the Outstanding Young Alumni Physician's Award from the University of Missouri, Mentor of the Year Award from the Women’s Academic Network at Washington University, a Special Recognition Award for Graduate Student Education at Washington University, and the Distinguished Service Teaching Award for Medical Students. Joel is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, a Fellow of the American Neurological Association, and a member of Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honorary Society. Joel is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Cathy Dwyer is Team Leader and a Professor of Animal Behaviour and Welfare at Scotland’s Rural College. She received her PhD from the Royal Veterinary College in London before joining the Animal Behaviour and Welfare Team at Scotland’s Rural College. Cathy is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Alex Hayes is an Assistant Professor of Astronomy at Cornell University. He received a Masters in Engineering from Cornell University and worked at the Jet Propulsion laboratory Lincoln laboratory at MIT and then Masters of Science and PhD from the California Institute of Technology. He served as a Miller fellow at UC Berkeley before joining the faculty at Cornell. He has received many awards and honors in his career, including being named a NASA Early Career Fellow and receiving the Ronald Greeley Early Career Award. Alex is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Christopher Bettinger is an Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Biomedical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. He received a Masters of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering and a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He completed his post-doctoral fellowship at Stanford University before joining the faculty at Carnegie Mellon. Chris has received many awards and honors in his career, includingthe National Academy of Sciences Award for Initiatives in Research, MIT Department of Materials Science and Engineering Award for “Outstanding PhD Thesis”, the ACS AkzoNobel Award for Polymer Chemistry, the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Society Young Investigator Award, and the MIT Tech Review TR35 Top Young Innovator. He is also a co-inventor on several patents and was a finalist in the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition. Chris is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Jonathan Lynch is a Professor of Plant Nutrition at Pennsylvania State University. He received his Masters and PhD in Plant Physiology from the University of California, Davis and completed his postdoctoral training at UC Davis as well. Jonathan worked as a Senior Staff Researcher at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture before joining the faculty at Penn State. Jonathan has received many awards and honors during his career. He was named a Distinguished Professor by the Mexican Academy of Science and is a Fellow of the Crop Science Society of America. He has also received the Alex and Jessie C. Black Award for Excellence in Agricultural Research, the Howard P. Taylor lectureship in root biology research, the China Friendship Award (the highest recognition awarded foreigners by the government of China), and the Excellent Educational Work Prize from Guangdong Province in China. Jonathan is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Gene Robinson is the Swanlund Chair of Entomology, Director of the Institute for Genomic Biology, and Director of the Bee Research Facility at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He received his PhD in Entomology from Cornell University and joined the faculty of the University in 1989. Gene has received many awards and honors over the course of his career, including the Burroughs Wellcome Innovation Award in Functional Genomics, the Founders Memorial Award from the Entomological Society of America, a Fulbright Senior Research Fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and an NIH Pioneer Award. He is also a Fellow of the Animal Behavior Society, a Fellow of the Entomological Society of America, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and member of the US National Academy of Sciences. Gene is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Amy Esler is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, a licensed psychologist in the Pediatric Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinic, and Director of the Fragile X Clinic at the University of Minnesota. Amy received her Masters in School Psychology and her PhD in School Psychology from the University of Minnesota. She worked as a school psychologist for a few years before going to the University of Michigan where she specialized in autism diagnosis and research. Amy is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Larry Squire is a Professor of Psychiatry, Neurosciences, and Psychology at the University of California San Diego and a Senior Research Career Scientist at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in San Diego. He received his PhD From the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and completed his postdoctoral training at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine before joining the faculty at UCSD. Larry has received many honors and awards during his career. He is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, The National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and The Institute of Medicine. Larry also previously served as President of the Society for Neuroscience. He is also a William James Fellow of the American Psychological Society and has received many awards, including the Award for Scientific Reviewing from the National Academy of Sciences. Larry is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Benjamin Halpern is a Professor in the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California Santa Barbara and Chair in Marine Conservation at Imperial College London. He also serves as the Director of the Center for Marine Assessment and Planning (CMAP) at UC Santa Barbara and as a Research Associate at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS). Ben received his PhD in Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology from the University of California Santa Barbara. Afterwards, he held a joint postdoctoral fellowship at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis and the Smith Fellowship Program sponsored by The Nature Conservancy. He then worked as a Research Biologist at the Marine Science Institute and was a Center Associate of the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis before accepting his current positions. Ben is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Dustin S. Siegel is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Southeast Missouri State University. He received his Masters in Biology from Southeastern Louisiana University and his PhD in Biology from Saint Louis University. Dustin is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Patrick Hart is an Associate Professor and Department Chair in the Department of Biology at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. He received his Ph.D. in Zoology (Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology) from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and joined the faculty of the University of Hawaii in 2005. Patrick is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Laura Burkle is an Assistant Professor of Ecology at Montana State University. She received her PhD in Biology from Dartmouth College. Laura then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis before joining the faculty at Montana State. Laura is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Scott Fruin is Assistant Professor in Preventive Medicine at the University of Southern California (USC) Keck School of Medicine. Scott worked as a Mechanical Engineer at Bell Labs for a few years before earning his Bachelors and Masters degrees at the University of Minnesota. He also spent a year traveling the world before working as a Consulting Environmental Engineer before returning to the academic world to get his PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles. He also worked for the government on the Air Resources Board for 7 years. Scott is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Peter Wilf is a Professor in the Department of Geosciences at Pennsylvania State University. After graduating college from the University of Pennsylvania, Peter spent a few years teaching math and science in a middle school and then spent some time as a professional performing musician. He then entered the academic research world, receiving his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and subsequently completing a postdoctoral fellowship with the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Peter also served as a Michigan Fellow and Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan before joining the faculty at Penn State. Peter is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Cameron Thrash is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Louisiana State University. After completing his undergraduate studies at UC San Diego, Cameron worked as a technician at the Scripps Research Institute. He then started graduate school, receiving his PhD in Microbiology from UC Berkeley, followed by postdoctoral training at Oregon State University. Cameron is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Jack Horner is the Regents Professor of Paleontology and Curator of Paleontology of the Museum of the Rockies at Montana State University. Jack is known for making many groundbreaking discoveries in paleontology, including the first dinosaur eggs in the Western Hemisphere, the first evidence of dinosaur colonial nesting, the first evidence of parental care among dinosaurs, and the first dinosaur embryos. He has received many awards and accolades during his career, including the MacArthur Fellowship “Genius Grant”, and honorary doctorate degrees from the University of Montana and Pennsylvania State University. Jack also has served as the technical adviser for all of the Jurassic Park movies and is the model for movie's lead character, Dr Alan Grant. Jack is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Mike Barlow is a Professor and Head of Astrophysics at University College London. He received his PhD in astrophysics from the University of Sussex. Afterwards, he completed a European Space Research Organisation and NASA fellowship at the University of California at Berkeley and also a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Colorado. Mike worked as a Staff Scientist Anglo-Australian Observatory before coming to University College London. Mike is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Ingrid Parker is a Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and the Jean H. Langenheim Endowed Chair in Plant Ecology and Evolution at the University of California Santa Cruz. She is also a Research Fellow at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. After working as an environmental educator, Ingrid completed her PhD in Botany from the University of Washington. She served as a Miller postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley before joining the faculty at UC Santa Cruz. She has received many awards and honors during her career, including being named a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences. Ingrid is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Jennifer White is an Associate Professor in the Department of Entomology at the University of Kentucky. She received her PhD in Ecology evolution and behavior from the University of Minnesota. Afterwards, Jen completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Arizona. Jen is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Jacob Israelachvili is a Professor in Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He received his PhD in Experimental Physics from the University of Cambridge. Afterwards he completed postdoctoral training and conducted research at Cambridge, the University of Stockholm, and Australian National University. After spending over a decade in Australia, Jacob joined the faculty at UCSB where he remains today. In addition to his academic appointments, Jacob has served as a consultant for chemical and pharmaceutical companies and is President of a company called SurForce LLC that manufactures and sells the Surface Force Apparatus that he pioneered in his graduate days. Jacob has received a number of honors during his career, including election as a Fellow of the Royal Society of London, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, a Fellow of the American Physical Society, a Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Engineering, a member of the US National Academy of Science, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has also received many awards, including Alpha Chi Sigma Award for Chemical Engineering Research, the Adhesion Society Award for Excellence in Adhesion Science, the Materials Research Society Medal (in the area of adhesion and friction), the ACS National Award in Colloid and Surface Chemistry, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Walker Award (for Excellence in Chemical Engineering Literature), and the Tribology Gold Medal. In 2008 he was named by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers as one of the “One Hundred Chemical Engineers of the Modern Era”. Jacob is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Donna Nelson is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Oklahoma. She received her PhD from the University of Texas, Austin and completed her postdoctoral training at Purdue University before joining the faculty at the University of Oklahoma. Donna has received many awards and accolades during her career, including the Oklahoma Chemist Award, the American Chemical Society Stan Israel Award for Diversifying the Chemical Sciences, the American Chemical Society Ann Nalley Volunteerism Award, the NSF ADVANCE Leadership Award, the National Organization of Women Woman of Courage Award, and she was inducted to the Minority Health Professions Foundation Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Higher Education hall of Fame. She was also been awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship as well as the Ford Fellowship, and has been named a Fellow of the American Chemical Society and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Donna also served as the science advisor for the recent TV Show Breaking Bad. Donna is with us today to tell us about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Kurt Thoroughman is an Associate Professor and Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Biomedical Engineering as well as Director of Undergraduate Studies of the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Washington University in St. Louis. He is also the creator of an innovative online learning environment called Engineering Virtual Studio. Kurt received his PhD from Johns Hopkins University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Brandeis University before joining the faculty at Washington University. Kurt is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Cary Savage is the Director of the Center for Health Behavior Neuroscience as well as the John H. Wineinger Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Kansas Medical Center. He received his PhD in clinical psychology from Oklahoma State University. He completed an internship in clinical psychology and postdoctoral fellowships in neuropsychology and functional neuroimaging at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)/Harvard Medical School. He remained on the faculty of MGH and served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and as the Director of Cognitive Neuroscience in the Department of Psychiatry at MGH. Dr. Savage moved to Kansas City in 2003 to serve as Director of Functional MRI in the Hoglund Brain Imaging Center and as a Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at KUMC. He was recently named Director of the Center for Health Behavior Neuroscience at KUMC and the John H. Wineinger Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Cary is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Denise Montell is the Duggan Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She received her PhD in Neuroscience from Stanford University, and afterwards completed an American Cancer Society postdoctoral fellowship at the Carnegie Institute of Science. She served as a faculty member at the Carnegie Institute and Johns Hopkins University before joining the faculty at UC Santa Barbara. Denise is with us today to tell us about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Yu-Shang Lee is an Assistant Staff Scientist in the Department of Neurosciences at the Lerner Research Institute of the Cleveland Clinic. He received his PhD from UC Irvine and did a postdoc at UC Irvine before accepting a position at the Cleveland Clinic. Yu-Shang is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Allison Miller is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at Saint Louis University as well as a Research Associate at the Missouri Botanical Garden. She received her Masters Degree in Botany from Colorado State University and her PhD in Evolution, Ecology, and Population Biology from Washington University in St. Louis. She then accepted a position as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Colorado Museum. Allison is with us today to tell us about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Philip Motta is a Professor of Biology at the University of South Florida. He received his PhD from the University of Hawaii in Zoology. He served as an instructor at the University British Columbia and faculty of the University of Montana and the University of the Virgin Islands before coming to USF. Professor Motta's research has been featured in National Geographic, The Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, and The Daily Planet in Canada. Professor Motta is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Donald Price is a Professor in Biology and the Director of the Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science (TCBES) Graduate Program at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. He completed his B.S. in Biology at the University of Minisota, received his M.S. from Illinois State University in Biology, and was awarded his PhD in Ecology, Ethology, and Evolution from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. After graduation he was a National Institutes of Health post-doctoral research trainee at the University of Tennessee and a National Science Foundation post-doctoral research associate at the University of Oregon in genetic mechanisms of evolution before joining the faculty at the University of Hawaii. Donald is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Keivan Stassun is a Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Vanderbilt University. He is also director of the Vanderbilt Initiative in Data-Intensive Astrophysics and Adjunct Professor of Physics at Fisk University in Nashville. Keivan received his PhD in Astronomy from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He then served as assistant Director of the NSF-funded GK-12 program at UW-Madison, connecting STEM graduate students with public K-12 schools both to enhance K-12 science teaching and to provide leadership development for STEM graduate students. Next, Keivan served for two years as a NASA Hubble Space Telescope postdoctoral research fellow before joining the Vanderbilt faculty in 2003. Keivan has received many awards and honors during his career. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, was awarded the American Physical Society Nicholson Medal for Human Outreach, was named a Fletcher Foundation Fellow for his work advancing race relations, and received an NSF Career award and a Cottrell Scholar Award from the Research Corporation. Keivan is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Ann Stowe is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology & Neurotherapeutics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. She received her PhD in Molecular & Integrative Physiology from the University of Kansas, School of Medicine, following her Bachelor of Fine Arts in the History of Art, also from KU (Go Jayhawks!). She then went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship at the Landon Center on Aging at Kansas University and was a Posdoctoral Scholar at  Washington University in St. Louis prior to moving to Dallas. Ann is with us today to tell us about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Birgit Kaufmann is an Associate Professor with a joint appointment in the Department of Mathematics and Physics at Purdue University. Her visiting appointments include the Physics Department of Princeton University. She received her Masters and PhD from Bonn University in Germany and completed postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Southern California and at Bonn University. She also has served as a visiting faculty member at Oklahoma State University and the University of Connecticut before joining the faculty at Purdue. Birgit has been honored with awards for excellence in both research and teaching, including a National Science Foundation Career Award, she is a recipient of the Simons Fellowship in Theoretical Physics as well as the Teaching for Tomorrow Award and the Ruth and Joel Spira Teaching Award both from Purdue University. Birgit is with us today to tell us about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Julian Meeks is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He received his PhD in Neuroscience at Washington University in St. Louis and completed a postdoctoral fellowship afterwards at Washington University as well before accepting a faculty position at UT Southwestern. Julian is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. John Harte holds a joint pro­fes­sor­ship in the Energy and Resources Group and the Ecosys­tem Sci­ences Divi­sion of the Col­lege of Nat­ural Resources at the University of California at Berkeley. He received his PhD in Theoretical Physics at the University of Wisconsin. He completed a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship at CERN in Geneva and a Post­doc­toral Fel­lowship at the Uni­ver­sity of Cal­i­for­nia. He served on the faculty at Yale University before accepting a position at UC Berkeley. John has received many awards and honors during his career, including elected fellowship to the Amer­i­can Phys­i­cal Soci­ety and the California Academy of Sciences, a Pew Schol­ars Prize in Con­ser­va­tion and the Envi­ron­ment, a Guggen­heim Fel­low­ship, Phi Beta Kappa and University of Colorado Dis­tin­guished Lec­tureships, the Leo Szi­lard prize from the Amer­i­can Phys­i­cal Soci­ety, the UC Berke­ley Grad­u­ate Men­tor­ship Award, a Miller Pro­fes­sor­ship, and a George Polk award in investigative journalism. John is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Gautam Dantas is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology & Immunology, the Department of Biomedical Engineering, and the Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology, at Washington University School of Medicine. at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine. He received his PhD from the University of Washington and afterwards completed a research fellowship in Genetics at Harvard Medical School before joining the faculty at Washington University. Gautam is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Shirley Sahrmann is a retired Physical Therapist and Professor emeritis of Physical Therapy, Cell Biology and Physiology, and also of Neurology at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine. She received her Bachelors degree in Physical therapy and her Masters and PhD in Neurobiology from Washington University in St. Louis. Shirley is the author of Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes, which is a great resource for clinicians. Shirley has also received many awards and honors during her career. She was named the Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association and received the Association's John H.P. Maley Lecture and Mary McMillan Award, the highest honor of the association, Marion Williams Research Award, the Lucy Blair Service Award, the Kendall Practice award, and the Bowling-Erhard Orthopedic Clinical Practice Award from the Orthopaedic Section of the APTA. Dr. Sahrmann has also been honored with the Washington University's Distinguished Faculty Award, the School of Medicine’s Excellence in Clinical Practice Award, as well as an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Indianapolis. Shirley is with us today to tell us about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Brian Allan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Entomology and School of Integrative Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He received his PhD in Evolution, Ecology, and Population Biology from Washington University in St. Louis and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Tyson Research Center at Washington University before joining the faculty at the University of Illinois. Brian is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Louis Muglia is a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati, as well as the Director for the Center for Prevention of Preterm Birth and the Co-Director of the Perinatal Institute Cincinnati childrens hospital. He received his PhD in Molecular Genetics from the University of Chicago and his MD from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. Lou completed his Residency in Pediatrics and a Fellowship in Pediatric Endocrinology at Children’s Hospital in Boston. He served as an instructor at the Children’s Hospital in Boston and at Harvard Medical School, before accepting a faculty position at Washington University in St. Louis where he worked for over 10 years. Lou spent a few years as a Professor at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center before joining the faculty at the University of Cincinnati. Lou has received many awards and honors during his career, including the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Development Award in the Biomedical Sciences, the Society of Pediatric Research Young Investigator Award, and election to the American Society for Clinical Investigation and Association of American Physicians. Lou has also been elected as a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member in the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. Lou is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Clifford Beall is a Research Assistant Professor at the Ohio State University. He received his Bachelor's in Biology from the California Institute of Technology and his PhD in Biological Chemistry from Harvard University. Cliff later received a Masters in Intelligent Systems from the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom. Cliff is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Stephen Blake is the coordinator of The Galapagos Tortoise Movement Ecology Programme (www.gianttortoise.org). He currently works for the St. Louis Zoo and is an adjunct scientist with the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, the University of St. Louis in Missouri, and the State University of New York, and is also a visiting scientist with Washington University in St. Louis. He earned his MSc PhD from the University of Edinburgh. Before starting his work in the Galapagos, Stephen worked on forest elephant conservation for the Wildlife Conservation Society in the Congo Basin for about 15 years, primarily on forest elephant ecology and conservation. Stephen is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Julie Kauer is a Professor of Medical Science and Professor of Neuroscience at Brown University. She received her PhD from Yale University completed a postdoctoral fellowships at the University of California San Francisco and at Stanford University. Prior to coming to Brown University, Julie served on the faculty at Duke University School of Medicine. Julie has received many honors during her career, including being named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Julie is with us today to tell us about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Steve Mennerick is a Professor of Psychiatry and Anatomy and Neurobiology at Washington University in St. Louis. He received his PhD in Neurosciences from Washington University in St. Louis and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the State University of New York Stony Brook. Steve has received many awards and honors during his career, including the Klingenstein Award in the Neurosciences, a NARSAD Young Investigator Award, and a Graduate Student Mentorship Award. Steve is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Amro Zayed is an Associate Professor in Biology at York University. He received his PhD in Biology from York University and then held a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Illinois’ Department of Entomology. Afterwards, Amro served as a Fellow for the Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois before accepting a faculty position at York University. Amro has received the Governor General’s prestigious Gold Medal for his research on bee conservation genetics as well as the Ontario Government of Research and Innovation’s Early Researcher Award in 2010. Amro is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Kyra Krakos is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Maryville University and Research Associate at Missouri Botanical Garden. She received her Masters Degree in Integrative Biology and Evolution from Brigham Young University and her PhD in Evolution, Ecology, and Population Biology from Washington University in St. Louis. Kyra has also worked as a visiting researcher at Harvard University. Kyra is with us today to tell us about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Tim Caro is a Professor of Wildlife Biology at the University of California-Davis where he has worked for 25 years. He received his PhD in Psychology from the University of St. Andrews in the United Kingdom and spent his postdoctoral training working on Serengeti cheetahs. Tim is a British citizen and primary conducts research in Africa.

Dr. Henry “Roddy” Roediger is the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Psychology at Washington University in St. Louis as well as the Dean of Academic Planning in Arts and Sciences. He received his PhD in Psychology from Yale University. Roddy has served as a faculty member at Purdue University and Rice University as well as a visiting faculty member at the University of Toronto before joining Washington University in St. Louis. He has received many awards and distinctions, including the William James Fellow Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Psychological Science in 2012, the Howard Crosby Warren Medal from the Society of Experimental Psychologists in 2008, and the Arthur Holly Compton Faculty Achievement Award from Washington University in St. Louis in 2008, Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Science. He was also previously elected to serve as the President of the Association for Psychological Science, the Midwestern Psychological Association, and the Experimental Division of the American Psychological Association. Roddy is joining us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Hans Klompen is an Professor in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology and Director of the Acarology Collection at The Ohio State University. He studied Animal Ecology at the Catholic University in The Netherlands and received his PhD in Biology from the University of Michigan. Hans then worked as a Postdoctoral Associate at Georgia Southern University and Colorado State University in Fort Collins before coming to Ohio State. Hans is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. John Morris is the Harvey A. and Dorismae Hacker Friedman Distinguished Professor of Neurology, Professor of Pathology and Immunology, Professor of Physical Therapy, and Professor of Occupational Therapy at Washington University in St. Louis. He also is the Director and Principal Investigator of the Charles F. and Joanne Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, as well as the Memory and Aging Project. Dr. Morris received his MD from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and completed his Residency in Internal Medicine at Akron General Medical Center and his Chief Residency in Neurology and Residency in Neuropathology at the Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital. He then spent some time in private practice and later as an emergency room physician. Dr. Morris first came to Washington University for a postdoctoral fellowship and joined the faculty soon after. Dr. Morris has received many awards and honors during his career, including the Distinguished Achievement Citation from Ohio Wesleyan University where he completed his undergraduate education, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Alzheimer’s Association, the Potamkin Prize for Research in Pick’s Alzheimer’s, and Related Disease from the American Academy of Neurology, the Carl and Gerti Cori Faculty Achievement Award from Washington University, the Peter Raven Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Science St. Louis, and the Washington University School of Medicine Second Century award. Dr. Morris is with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Jalees Rehman is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago. He is also a science writer for magazines including Aeon and Science Blogger with his own blog in the SciLogs called The Next Regeneration. He received his MD from the Medical School of the University of Munich and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Medicine at the University of California San Diego. Jalees is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Peggy Mason is a Professor of Neurobiology at the University of Chicago. She received her PhD in Neuroscience from Harvard University and completed her postdoctoral training at the University of California San Francisco. Her amazing research has been featured in The New York Times, Scientific American, NPR, PBS’s NOVA ScienceNOW, and many other media venues. Peggy is also teaching a Coursera Course on Understanding the Brain: The Neuorbiology of Everyday Life, and she also has a Blog at thebrainissocool.com. Peggy is with us today to tell us about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Rosemary Gillespie is the Schlinger Chair in Systematics and a Professor in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at the University of California at Berkeley, as well as the Director of the Essig Museum of Entomology. She received her PhD in Behavioral Ecology from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. She then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Hawaii. Rosemary has received numerous awards and accolades in her career, and she has been named a Fellow in Royal Entomological Society and Trustee and Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences, and also received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, mathematics and engineering mentoring, the Notable Woman Award from the University of Tennessee. She also currently serves as the President of the International Biogeographical Society and was previously the President of the American Arachnological Society. Rosemary is with us today to tell us about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Robert Paul is a Professor in the Department of Psychology and Director of Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Missouri, St. Louis. Rob received his Masters Degree and PhD in Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. He then went on to complete a Clinical Psychology internship and postdoctoral fellowship at Brown University Medical School in the Clinical Psychology Internship Training Consortium. Rob served as a faculty member at Brown Medical School and as adjunct faculty at Bryant University before coming to St. Louis. Rob is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Mark McDaniel is a Professor of Psychology and the founding Co-Director of the Center for Integrative Research on Cognition, Learning, and Education at Washington University in St. Louis. He Is a past President of the third division of the American Psychological Association. Mark received a Masters Degree and PhD in Experimental Psychology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Before coming to Washington University, Mark served as a faculty member at the University of Notre Dame, Purdue University, and the University of New Mexico. Mark is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Jason Rohr is an Associate Professor in Integrative Biology at the University of South Florida. He received his Masters Degree in Teaching Biology from Binghamton University and his PhD in Ecology and Behavior from Binghamton University as well. Jason completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Ecology and Toxicology at the University of Kentucky, and he served as an Instructor and Research Associate at Pennsylvania State University before joining the faculty at the University of South Florida. Jason is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Amy Toth is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology as well as the Department of Entomology at Iowa State University. She received her PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Illinois. Amy completed postdoctoral fellowships in the Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois and also at Pennsylvania State University. Amy is with us today to tell us about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Michael Sears is an Assistant Professor in Biological Sciences at Clemson University. He received his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and completed postdoctoral fellowships in the Department of Biology at University of Nevada in Reno and the Department of Life Science at Indiana State University. Mike has held faculty positions at Southern Illinois University and Bryn Mawr College before joining the team at Clemson. Mike is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Brad Joliff is the Scott Rudolph Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. He received a Masters Degree and PhD in Geology from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology after serving on active duty in the US Army in Germany with the 54th Engineer Battalion and in Virginia at the Countermine Lab at Ft. Belvoir. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis before joining the faculty there. Brad is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Nicholas C. Spitzer is Distinguished Professor and Vice Chair of Neurobiology and Director of the Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind at the University of California San Diego. Nick attended Harvard Medical School as a Medical Student and received his PhD in Neurobiology from Harvard University. Afterwards, he completed postdoctoral fellowships at Harvard University and University College London before joining the faculty at UCSD. Nick has received many awards and honors throughout his career. Among these, he is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a member of the National Academy of Science. Nick is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Jane Kenney-Hunt is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Westminster College in Missouri. She received her Ph.D. in Evolution, Ecology, and Population Biology from Washington University in Saint Louis.  She performed postdoctoral research at the University of South Carolina and at Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis. Jane is with us today to tell us about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Jon Godbout is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center as well as a faculty member of the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research and the Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Repair. He received his PhD in Population Biochemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana and completed a postdoctoral fellowship there afterwards before joining the faculty ranks at OSU. Jon is joining us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Joan Luby is a Professor of Child Psychiatry and Director and Founder of the Early Emotional Development Program at Washington University in St. Louis. She received her Medical Degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine in Michigan and completed her Residency in Psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine. Afterwards, Joan went on to do a Fellowship in Child Psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine before coming to St. Louis. Joan has received many awards and honors throughout her career, including the Academic Women’s Network Mentor of the Year Award, the CHADS Coalition for Mental Health Research Award, and the NARSAD Gerald Klerman Award for Outstanding Clinical Research in Depression. Joan is with us today to tell us about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Josh Sanes is a Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology and the founding Director for the Center for Brain Science at Harvard University. He received his PhD from the Program in Neurobiology at Harvard University. After graduating he worked for the Office of Technology Assessment of the U.S. Congress. Josh returned to research, taking a postdoctoral fellowship at University of California, San Francisco. Afterwards, he was a faculty member at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine for over 20 years before accepting a faculty position at Harvard. Josh has received numerous honors and awards during his career. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a fellow of American Academy of Arts and Sciences, as well as a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He was also awarded the prestigious Alden Spencer Award of Columbia University which recognizes outstanding research contributions. Josh is joining us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Yehuda Ben-Shahar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Washington University in St. Louis. He received his Masters and PhD in Entomology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He then served as a Howard Houghes Medical Institute Postdoctoral Research Associate in Neuroscience at the University at Iowa College of Medicine. Yehuda is with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Niklas Elmqvist is an Assistant Professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University and Director of the Pivot Laboratory. He received his Masters and PhD from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. Niklas then accepted a position as a Posdoctoral Researcher at the INRIA Saclay in Pairis. Niklas has received numerous honors and awards during his career, including the NSF Career Award in 2013, Google Research Awards in 2009 and 2010, the Ruth and Joel Spira Outstanding Teacher Award in 2012, and the Purdue Student Government Best Graduate Mentor award in 2014, the Purdue ECE Chicago Alumni New Faculty in 2010, and two best paper awards in premier venues in his field. Niklas is joining us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Brad Bushman is a Professor of Communication and Psychology at The Ohio State University, where he holds the Margaret Hall and Robert Randal Rinehart Chair of Mass Communication. He is also a professor of Communications Science at the VU University Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Brad received a Masters degree in Secondary Education from Utah State University as well as Masters Degrees in Statistics and Psychology from the University of Missouri in Columbia. He completed his PhD in Psychology from the University of Missouri in Columbia as well. Brad has held faculty positions at Iowa State University and the University of Michigan as well as served as a Visiting Professor at the Warsaw School of Social Psychology in Poland. Brad has also received numerous awards and accolades throughout his career, including in 2013 the Ig Nobel Psychology Prize for research that makes people laugh, then think. He was also awarded the Weber State University Outstanding Psychology Alumni Award in 2013 and recently received the Distinguished Lifetime Contribution to Media Psychology and Technology Award in 2014.

Dr. Lisa Monteggia is the Ginny and John Eulich Professor in Autism Spectrum Disorders within the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. She received her Masters Degree in Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Afterwards, she spent several years working in the industry world for a pharmaceutical company. She received her PhD in Neuroscience from the Chicago Medical School and went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship at Yale University before joining the faculty at UT Southwestern. Lisa has received a number of awards for her excellence in research, including recently in 2011 the Rising Star Award from the International Mental Health Research Organization and the Daniel H. Efron Award for outstanding basic or translational research by the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. Lisa is with us today to tell us about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Mike Angiletta is a Professor in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University as well as the Assistant Director of Undergraduate Programs there. He is also a Senior Sustainability Scientist at the Global Institute of Sustainability. Mike received his PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Pennsylvania. He served as a faculty member at Indiana State University before accepting a position at ASU. Mike has received a number of awards and honors throughout his career, including the Marsh Book-of-the-Year Award from the British Ecological Society in 2010 and the Theodore Dreiser Distinguished Research Award from Indiana State University. Mike is with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Ken Olsen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at Washington University in St. Louis as well as a Research Associate at the Missouri Botanical Garden. He received his Masters Degree in Botany from the University of Texas at Austin and his PhD in Population and Evolutionary Biology from Washington University in St. Louis. He then went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Genetics at North Carolina State University. Ken is joining us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Mike Bevis is a Professor of Geodynamics in the School of Earth Sciences at The Ohio State University. He received his PhD in Geophysics from Cornell University. He has also been awarded the prestigious distinction of being an Ohio Eminent Scholar in Geodynamics and is also a Fellow of the International Association of Geodesy. Mike is joining us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Lucas Pozzo-Miller is a Professor in the Department of Neurobiology the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He received his Masters and his PhD in Biology from Córdoba National University in Argentina, and completed post-doctoral fellowships at Case Western Reserve University with Dennis Landis and the Roche Institute of Molecular Biology with John Connor. He also performed research at the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Holewith Rodolfo Llinás. Lucas then held a Senior Staff Fellow position at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, within the National Institutes of Health before accepting a position at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Lucas is joining us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Joshua Swamidass is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Immunology and Pathology and the Division of Laboratory and Genomic Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis. He received his Masters and PhD in Information and Computer Sciences from the University of California, Irvine and also went on to get his MD from the University of California, Irvine. Joshua had previously served as a Visiting Scientist at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT in the Chemical Biology Program and at Pfizer while he was a professor at Washington University.

Dr. Rebecca Safran is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She received her Masters Degree in Ecology from Humboldt State University and her PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Cornell University. She then went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship at Princeton University. Becca is with us today to tell us about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Michael Gaffrey is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis. He received his Masters from San Diego State University in Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience and his PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. He then went on to do a Postdoctoral fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis. Mike is with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Benedict Kolber is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and the Research and Education Coordinator for the Chronic Pain Research Consortium at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh PA. He received his PhD in Neuroscience from Washington University in St. Louis and also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis. Ben is with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Jeremy Pritchard is a Senior Lecturer in Biology at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom and Head of Education in the School of Biosciences. He received his PhD from University College of North Wales. Jeremy is joining us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. John Blitch has had an impressive career. He received his Masters Degree in Math and Computer Science from the Colorado School of Mines before being assigned as an Operations Research Analyst at the U.S. Special Operations command (SOCOM) and then a Program Manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). John was the founding director for CRASAR the Center for Robot Assisted Search and Rescue. He served as President of Blitz Solutions Inc. for 6 years and worked as a Director of a nonprofit search and rescue organization called ARACAR before going back to graduate school. John recently received his PhD in Cognitive Psychology from the Department of Psychology at Colorado State University.

Dr. Ege Kavalali is a Professor in the Departments of Physiology and Neuroscience at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He is also the Effie Marie Cain Scholar in Medical Research and the Rosewood Corporation Chair in Biomedical Science. He received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Rutgers University and then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University in the department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology. Ege is with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Meghan Campbell is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at Washington University in St. Louis. She received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Indiana University and completed her clinical neuropsychology internship at the Southwestern Clinical Psychology Internship program in New Mexico. She then went on to do her postdoctoral work at Washington University in St. Louis. Meghan was an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Marquette before coming back to Washington University in St. Louis for her current position. Meghan is with us today to tell us about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Christine Mac Donald is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Washington. She received her Masters in Biomedical Engineering and also her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis. Christine stayed on to do a postdoctoral fellowship at Washington University before moving out west to the University of Washington. Christine is with us today to tell us about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Doug Wiens is a Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. He received his Masters and his PhD in Geological Sciences from Northwestern University. Doug is visiting Professor Australia National University and University of Tokyo. He is a fellow of the American geophysical union. Doug is joining us today from Tokyo Japan to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Adam Dubis is the Co-Investigator of the High-Resolution Imaging Group within the Department of Molecular Genetics at University College London Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS. He received his PhD from the Medical College of Wisconsin in Cell Biology, Neurobiology, and Anatomy. He went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship at Duke University Medical Center’s in the Department of Ophthalmology. Adam is with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Rebecca Chaplin-Kramer is a Research Associate at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and the Lead Scientist on the Natural Capital Project. She received her PhD in Environmental Science, Policy & Management from University of California - Berkeley. She then stayed on to do a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California - Berkeley. Becky is with us today to tell us about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Eric Leuthardt is a neurosurgeon at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and the Siteman Cancer Center in St. Louis and also the Director for the Center for Innovation in Neuroscience and Technology at Washington University in St. Louis. In addition, he is a Senior Inventor with Intellectual Ventures and a Technical and Medical Consultant for Ascension Health Ventures. Eric received his Medical Degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and completed his Chief Residency and Residency at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and the Washington University School of Medicine. He also did a Fellowship in Spinal Surgery and Epilepsy in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Washington School of Medicine and Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Eric is a surgeon, researcher, and innovator. He has received many honors and awards for his work including recently the Google Research Award for Neurosurgery in 2013 and was a winner in the XPrize Visioneering competition in 2013. He has also been presented with the Annual Award of the American Academy of Neurological Surgery in Berlin, one of the highest acknowledgments in his field and been listed among the MIT Technology Review’s top 100 innovators. Eric is with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Andrew Fry is a Professor in the Department of Health, Sport, and Exercise Sciences at the University of Kansas. He received his Masters in Exercise Science from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln and his PhD in Exercise Physiology from Pennsylvania State University. He then went on to do a postdoctoral fellowship in the College of Osteopathic Medicine and Department of Biological Sciences at Ohio University. Andy is with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Deanna Barch is the Gregory B. Couch Professor of Psychology, Psychiatry and Radiology at Washington University in Saint Louis. Dr. Barch is the Editor of Cognitive, Affective and Behavioral Neuroscience, and is on the Editorial Boards of Schizophrenia Bulletin, Current Directions in Psychological Science, Journal of Abnormal Psychology, and Clinical Psychological Science. She received her Masters and PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. Deanna then went on to do an NIMH sponsored postdoctoral fellowship at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School. Deanna is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Julie Peterson is an Assistant Professor of Entomology and Extension Specialist at the University of Nebraska. She received her PhD in Entomology from the University of Kentucky and went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Minnesota. Julie is with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Aina Puce is the Eleanor Cox Riggs Professor of the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University in Bloomington. She received her Masters of Applied Science in Physics from Swinburne Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Australia and her PhD in Medicine from the University of Melbourne. She then went on to do a postdoctoral fellowship in Neurosurgery at Yale University and has held faculty positions at Swinburne University of Technology, West Virginia University, and currently Indiana University. Aina is with us today to tell us about her journey through life and science.

Dr. Larry Reiter is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Neurology and the department of pediatrics, and the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the University of Tennessee. He received his PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from Baylor College of Medicine. He then went on to do a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California San Diego. Larry is with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.

Dr. Caleb Hickman is a Supervisory Fish and Wildlife Biologist at the Eastern Band of the Cherokee and Chair Elect of the Wildlife Society's Invasive Species Working Group. Caleb is also an Adjunct Professor in the Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries Department at the University of Tennessee. He received his Masters in Biology from Missouri State University and his PhD in zoology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Caleb is with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.