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3000 downloads anniversary edition: our podcast edition how to use AI tools for next level science!
Attention natural scientists: Our recent podcast series explores the integration of AI in scientific research. We discuss the utilization of tools like Perplexity, Elicit and ChatGPT for various stages of research and literature review. Moreover, we discuss their use to influence of social media to increase visibility of your research. This episode is another valuable listen for any natural scientist interested in improving research efficiency and understanding the growing role of AI in research.
Content includes:
Immerse yourself in our latest podcast episode exploring the transformative role of artificial intelligence in scientific research. We uncover how AI is reshaping tasks from enhancing text structure to designing experiments and brainstorming ideas with tools like Perplexity, Elicit and ChatGPT. As AI becomes increasingly accessible, discover how it simplifies complex tasks with a single prompt-line approach. We also highlight crucial AI safety measures. This episode is helpful for scientists eager to leverage AI in their work for innovative breakthroughs. Tune in to see the future of scientific work today!
Content
In this podcast we discuss the impact of artificial intelligence on our work as scientists. We talk about how artificial intelligence has been used for things such as automatically segmenting figure panels in research papers, improving text and making it more formal or structured, designing and controlling experiments, brainstorming for projects, summarizing texts, identifying new ideas, making decisions, strategizing, and for aiding in leadership. We also discuss how this technology has become more accessible and that it can assist science in ways that have previously been limited.
1. AI can be used for literature search, summarization, identifying links and gaps, and predicting reviewer comments.
2. AI can assist with scientific research with tools like Perplexity, Elicit and ChatGPT.
3. ChatGPT should not be used for facts as it produces hallucinated output and is not a useful tool for identifying knowledge.
4. Perplexity is a good entry point for becoming knowledgeable about a topic, as it gives citable sources, and allows for highly specific questions to be asked.
5. Elicit is a search engine for scientific literature which provides a table of titles, authors, citations and a single sentence summary for papers.
6. Users can upload their own PDFs and have them read and summarized.
7. AI can help generate arguments and experiments, brainstorm, and generate images.
8. AI gives the user the benefit of bypassing oftentimes tedious sub menus or knobs to enable a single prompt-line approach.
9. AI safety measures like guiding it towards what is desired should be employed.
10. Enjoy! ;-)
Heyyy, folks, we are back!
This is season 2 of our imperfect podcast – thank you for all the positive feedback and your support to boost this journey.
In this podcast season, we, Eva and Daniel, come back to share our experiences as imperfect scientists with a mission: to empower our listeners. We highlight the importance of embracing imperfection, underlining its ubiquity within the our scientific community. And acknowledging that this approach can help reduce anxiety and create a more supportive environment.
Our imperfect scientist podcast serves as a learning platform: for us to learn from our guests but heck, to learn also from each other! How can we own our own personal growth and experiences? Also in Season Two, we will share with you useful tools for coping with challenges faced by scientists. We hope you will find this podcast a valuable resource on our joint journey towards personal and professional growth!
Content contains (but is not limited to 😉):
1. Personal values awareness
2. values re-evaluation experiences
3. Eva's diverse scientific career
4. Values guiding decision-making
5. Self-reflection and personal growth
6. Flexibility, adaptability significance
7. Risk-taking in science
8. Transferable scientific skills
9. Non-traditional career openness
10. Beginner's mindset embrace
Have you ever thought about the term "diversity"? What does it really mean? What implications does it have?
Chances are you have a notion of what diversity means to *you* and maybe in your scientific working environment. In this episode, we talk with diversity coach and trainer Jule Handschuh and explore the depths of the term diversity.
In our chat, Jule, Daniel and I talk about:
As you can see, we again have a fascinating topic with many nuances. Join us for this week's discussion with Jule!
It´s a journey. Similar to any journey, the beginning is important. And the ending. And it´s also important to use effective transportation. Your journey can be a smooth ride.
It´s scientific writing we are talking about.
In this episode of our podcast, we address a topic that is very close to our hearts: how to make scientific writing an effective and smooth journey.
We discuss on how to start. For many colleagues it´s starting that is hard, starting to write a paper, a grant, a thesis. Simon Sinek suggests to start with asking “why”: Why do I want to get this message across? Why should they fund my research? Why should they listen to this lecture?
The next step in writing is planning and preparing. And believe it or not, the tool for this is the outline. But not just a brief and quick outline. No, sfedit suggests to produce an outline that is 70% of the final product! The outline not only helps you in planning your writing. It will also structure your thoughts (at least it does for me). And it will give you a chance to get feedback early – when it is still easy to fix issues even when they´re fundamental. To make it easier to follow for your audience.
Because your audience is key. If it is hard for them to follow your information, they will not like the science. Unfortunately, this not only applies to your talks or your thesis, but also to your manuscripts and to your grant applications. Therefore it is key to have simple and easy to follow text.
Fortunately, there are effective rules on how to improve text. To improve text, it´s all about connection: connecting subject with verb, previous sentence to subsequent sentence, paragraph to paragraph.
We would even argue that if you work on getting your science across, this will improve your interpretation, your hypotheses, it will improve your science!
Because your science is interesting and relevant. But if you don’t get it across, it will not be visible to your colleagues, to the public.
Would you like to try? To make application of these writing tools easier, we will in addition give away 100 free-access vouchers to our learning platform “How to Write Your Thesis” – how cool is that! (https://www.udemy.com/course/how-to-write-your-thesis/?couponCode=75B4799145500648FC4F). If this link takes you to the for-pay access, this means that 100 writing aficionados were faster than you 😉).
If you're anything like us, you've probably wondered at least a few times how you could become more efficient. In this episode, we discuss hacks and tricks to become more efficient with Carsten Rohr. It was a super fun conversation, very enlighting and full of little takeaways. Some of the topics we discuss in this episode include:
And much more! So listen in and let us know: what is YOUR trick to be more efficient? ;-)
In this episode we talk about the concept of marketing your research. A concept that is quite often viewed with negative connotations in the scientific community. We present you with our perspective of why we believe that marketing your research can in fact be truly empowering and how to view it so that you don't feel uncomfortable doing it. After all, even if you do produce the best research in the world, you still have to be noticed for it, you still have to advertise it and you still have to make it visible, digestible and attractive to your fellow researchers.
So join us for this fun episode, in which we talk about how to come out of the "marketing/selling is bad" mindset and to apply it to make the most out of your results!
In this episode we talk about a topic that is very widespread among the scientific community - at least the ones we have been exposed to. We talk about “risk and change” and why they are usually perceived with a negative connotation, when in reality they could be perceived as opportunities. As you might imagine, the “word” of the day is “risk aversion” and we try to dissect why as humans we are so risk averse and why we as scientists generally could be in a better position to deal with risk and change and not find it so aversive.
Some of the topics we touch upon in this episode include:
- Why risk and change are generally perceived as something negative
- What kinds of fears hide behind risk aversion
- How to become unbeatable by facing your fears
- Tools you can use to become less risk-averse
- The “who moved my cheese” story and how it applies to choices relating to risk and change
- Why Daniel become almost depressed after getting a tenure position (after being happy for a little while)
- Examples of how Eva got a positive boost out of several experiences that she was scared of or initially put off by
- Some of the benefits of risk and change
- How to work on your mindset to become more resilient
Another episode filled with anecdotes, stories and our best ideas on how to deal with risk and change, what we have learnt along the process in our careers and personal life.
Hope you enjoy it!
After a very timely break...we're back! You'll see why I say timely in a moment, let me just tell you how this episode is packed with super interesting discussions. And that's the case because we had a very special guest for the restart, Dr. Uta Schmidt. Uta has a super interesting personal and professional story, but most importantly, she has the deepest insight into how to handle change and remain resilient in the process. Some of the topics we discuss with Uta in this episode include:
As you can see, it's a long list of fascinating topics that we chatted about, and we hope you can find some inspiration for your newly developed resilience! 🙂
Oh, and before I forget...the topic of this episode came very timely because I (Eva) recently became a mother ❤️ If giving birth and adjusting to life with a new family member does not require resilience, then what does... ;-) - Enjoy listening and let us know what you think!
How would you feel about this statement?
“Science is not about finding out the truth”
Provocative, isn’t it? ;-) - So is our topic today and our guest Andrew Westhoff, but bear with us because this episode is full of useful and down-to-earth advice on how to approach your research life and how to communicate your science in a non-conventional yet super effective way!
I have to admit that at first my mind rejected this statement for being bold and untrue. But here’s a bit more context:
“Science is not about finding out the truth, but about building useful models”
That made a bit more sense. At the end of the day, we do build hypotheses and models based on our observations and then challenge our own and others’ models agains new evidence. Then we build new models, challenge old ones and this is a never-ending circule that is at the core of scientific advancement.
Today’s episode is all about breaking dogmas in how to think about your research, an in particular about how to think about it and how to communicate it. Our guest is Andrew Westhoff and it is totally worth it to listen to how he thinks of these topics.
Some of the topics we discuss today include:
So you see, once more a rather unconventional chat full of surprises and usable skills and tools you can test in your every lab life!
Looking forward to your feedback :-)
You know how it is in science, we do often work in interdisciplinary teams with people from all nationalities and cultures. And wow do we at least find this enriching and rewarding!
Yet it does come with some challenges attached, doesn't it? Today's topic with Dr. Julia Quante is intercultural communication, a topic that is not so often heard of in courses you might take during your graduate or postgraduate studies. Yet it is a very deep topic and one that we are sure you can learn about and profit from! We definitely have done both during our conversation with Julia.
Julia is a scientist by training who did her PhD (attention!) on the differences and similarities between German and British cartoon humor styles and rules. If that's not cool, then we don't know what is (LOL).
Believe us, you're in for a treat in this episode. Among other topics, we talk about:
And much more!
And here are some of the resources that we discuss during this episode:
If you’re anything like us, you probably believe(d) that a scientific career is a pretty straightforward thing. That you can think of it as a pretty straight “line” starting with your studies, going into your masters, PhD, postdoc, junior professorship, tenure track, etc. The thing is - like most things in life - this does not always work like that. Sure, that’s kind of the standard path, but there’s a lot of opportunities for side-entering and side-leaving.
In today’s episode, we talk to Iris Beirith, who has a completely different story to tell about how she ended up doing her PhD in pancreatic cancer research. Iris is a super energetic person with a positive mindset and a question in mind that she asks herself again and again, and that is: “why not?”
And you know, with this question as a tool, Iris has gone from being a semi-professional dancer to founding her own dance school, participating in a weightlessness experiment, doing 2 masters at the same time and finally doing her PhD in pancreatic cancer.
As you can see, the range of topics we cover with Iris is pretty wild, but there’s a unifying theme and that’s how we chose the word of the episode “positive pro-activity”
So come along and listen in for this episode of “the imPerfect Scientist”, we believe that this one can be really inspiring if you’re the kind of person who tends to doubt yourself and think you might not make it. Because, you know, “why not?”
What do you think of when you think of the word “uncertainty”? What kinds of feelings does that trigger in you? Maybe you are thinking of the uncertainty of scientific contracts, maybe about the uncertainty and the unpredictability of research per se.
Uncertainty is a big topic in research and during your scientific career. As scientists, most of us feel comfortable handling some level of experimental uncertainty which goes along with the very idea of testing a hypothesis and figuring out how things work. But we are also - understandably - quite anxious about uncertainty in the professional environment. And we come to decisions points quite often, where uncertainty certainly (see what I did there? -wink!) plays a big role.
In this week’s episode, Daniel and talk about our experiences with uncertainty and how we have learned to embrace it and even welcome it under certain circumstances. As always, we discuss tools that have helped us move on despite uncertainty and give you examples of our dealings with uncertainty in our scientific career.
Some of the topics we discuss in this episode include:
As you can see, this is again an episode loaded with interesting information that we believe you will be able to relate to from your daily life. Now tell us about your own uncertainties!
Are you considering a transition from academia to industry? If you are, do you feel like:
If you do, you are not alone! Today in the podcast, we talk to Dr. Ute Pokorny, currently the Director of Global Business Excellence at Leica and about how she went through the process of transitioning from academia to industry.
Our word of the day is “playground”, and if you feel like this is not a word you’d typically associate with industry, bear with us and listen in to Ute’s insider view on how things work in industry.
Today’s episode is full of interesting and valuable messages, including:
As you can see, we talk about a lot of very hot and interesting topics in this episode, so listen in and let us know what you learned. And if you want to know more about Ute’s transition or about our view and advice on how to do it, contact us!
Having trouble making decisions?
In this episode, we talk about a topic that you can all probably relate to: decision-making. Have you ever felt that like the decision you were making was going to “change your life”? Well, believe us, been there done that :-)
What we share with you in this episode, is all of our experiences making decisions and the tools we’ve learned along the way. Some of the things we cover include:
- The Samurai technique for making decisions
- Why most decisions are made emotionally but are then rationalised afterwards
- Why you might be better off with “only” 80% of the information
- Techniques you can use to reconnect with your “inner wisdom” or initial intuition
- How focusing on the positive aspects of a choice can help you be happier about it
- How Daniel faced his divorce and the time after and what he learned in terms of decision-making
- How Eva decided to move from Germany to Span and back to Germany and what she learned from this
- Why we are so risk averse and how to overcome your biggest fears when it comes to decision-making
And much more!
We also talk about a few resources that you could find useful and inspiring:
- Simon Sinek’s TED talk “The why”
- Mel Robbins’ TED talk “The 5 second rule”
- Thinking fast and slow
We hope that you enjoy this very personal episode! We would love to hear your stories about decision making!xn
In this episode of the podcast, we talk about scientific collaboration. We discuss the kind of mindset you can pursue when starting a collaboration, about being open to new collaborations, and about being brave. Because collaborating can be a lot of fun, and in our experience it also takes courage to engage with someone you don't know upfront and suggest to do something together. So that's why we say "Sharing is caring, but it is also daring"
For this episode, we have a special guest, Dr. Florian Kuchenbauer, an established group leader with a lot of collaborators all over the globe. Florian has been all over the place, as we like to say "there and back again" ;-) and he has made very useful experiences finding and setting up new collaborations in his career.
So bear with us, because in the episode of the podcast, we talk about exciting topics, such as:
As you can see, this is an episode full of very interesting aspects of scientific collaboration. Florian is great fun to talk to and super energetic, so we are sure that you will find this episode of the podcast not only informative but also very entertaining!
Leave us a comment if you have any questions or feedback!
Do you know the concept? It says "build the plane while flying it" and while it may sound scary, we have found that it is indeed a very valuable way of going through your projects in life. Not to say that you shouldn't plan and leave all to improvisation, but it doesn't hurt to remind yourself that it is always possible to adapt and adjust as you go!
In this episode of the podcast, we have a guest who is a strong advocate for the "build the plan while flying it" motto: Dr. Alexander Schiller.
Alexander is a chemist by training and now a professional coach and facilitator. He believes in immersive training and in the concept of "touching people's lives" and he shares with us his background, how he learned about immersive training, his background in improvisation theatre and about one of the masters of interactive training: Thiagi.
Our word of the day is "liminality" - and if you don't know what that means, don't worry because we also did not before recording this episode! :-)
Amongst others, we leave you Alexander's tips for your career, which include:
- Learn how to present
- Look for a mentor
- Learn transferrable skills
- Read books, listen to podcasts, use the resources around you to build transferrable skills
- Learn to use the "yes, AND" technique
So sit back, relax, and enjoy this episode full of useful advice for your career and for letting go of constraints and excessive planning.
So, have you ever looked around at your colleagues and ask yourself: "why do they all seem to be so much smarter than me?" or "so much better qualified than me" or "so much more confident than me"?
If you have and that has left you feeling like an impostor then, all we can say is "welcome into the club" 😉 - Because, yes, both Daniel and I have felt like impostor several times and even with all the tools we have at hand today, I still do very much feel like an impostor every now and again.
In this episode, we have a very special guest to talk about impostor syndrome. Someone who cares for and about words, because how you say things also has an impact on what comes across. Muna Wagner is a communicator, an educator and an enthusiast for change.
Here's what you'll find in today's episode:
Oh, and we should not forget the word of the day: this time it's "discernment". You can guess who picked that - yes, it was Muna, and it's an excellent word to remember. If you didn't know it already, it could come in handy 😉
Finally, here are some book and impostor test recommendations from Muna:
To your empowerment and impostor-free career!
If you have interviewed for a PhD or postdoc position, or for an industry position you really really liked, then you know how nervous you can get going into it. Sometimes you are so nervous you might not even "be yourself". And that exactly, being yourself, is one of the keys to nailing your next interview. Well, that and the not-so-secret but often forgotten fact that you should always consider in any one interview process: "what is in it for you, what is in it for them"?
In this week's episode, we talk about interviewing, about our experiences on both sides of the hiring wheel, about tools you can use to prepare for the interview and to be authentic during the interview. Because it's all about you and we know that you can nail that interview!
Topics we discuss in this episode:
