In this episode, co-hosts Drs. Nicole Quinn and Arun Sharma chat with Tamara Poles, Founder and CEO of Universal SciCom. Tamara discusses her career path into science communication and how she helps scientists become effective communicators. She also talks about the importance of authenticity and storytelling when engaging with the public, and how early-career scientists can cultivate their communication skills.

In this episode, co-hosts Drs. Nicole Quinn and Daylon James chat with Drs. Lisa Corwin and Sandhya Krishnan from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Dr. Corwin is an Associate Professor and Principal Investigator of the REACH Lab, which studies how early-career scientists engage with and persevere through challenges in their research. Dr. Krishnan is a NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Postdoc Associate with FLAMEnet, and Project Lead at the Science of Failure. They talk about how students cope with research failures and how mentors can normalize and allow for failure on a smaller scale. They also talk about how researchers can be transparent with their experimental results.

In this episode, co-hosts Drs. Nicole Quinn and Brenda Raud chat with Dr. Judy Mielke and Kate Gardner, Co-Founders of scientifyRESEARCH, a database that helps connect researchers with funding opportunities. They discuss trends in scientific funding, how to be strategic when applying, and opportunities for researchers in lower- and middle-income countries.

In this episode, co-hosts Drs. Nicole Quinn and Arun Sharma chat with Dr. Karen Kelsky, the founder of The Professor Is In, an online resource, book and consultancy for navigating academic careers. Dr. Kelsky shares how she has helped over 15,000 PhDs find fulfilling paths inside and outside academia, reflects on her own career journey, and gives practical advice for thriving in the academic job market.

In this episode, Drs. Nicole Quinn and Jason Goldsmith chat with Lynn Csontos, VP of Regulatory Affairs at STEMCELL Technologies. Lynn discusses the process of developing reagents for the manufacture of cell and gene therapies, how standards vary from country to country, and the need for diversity in clinical trials. She also talks about her career transition from research and development to regulatory affairs and the creativity involved in her role.

In this episode, Drs. Nicole Quinn and Brenda Raud chat with Dr. Nokuthula Mchunu, Deputy Director of the African Open Science Platform. Dr. Mchunu discusses challenges faced by scientists in Africa, including infrastructure limitations, language barriers, and inequities in research funding and publishing. She shares insights on fostering equitable partnerships, strengthening research systems, and rethinking scientific publishing to ensure broader access to knowledge and collaboration across the global scientific community.

In this episode, Drs. Nicole Quinn and Daylon James chat with Dr. Brandon Stell, Research Scientist at the National Center for Scientific Research in Paris and Founder of PubPeer.com, a website that provides scientists with a forum to discuss published research literature.

Dr. Stell talks about his and his co-founders' motivations for launching, and the platform's impacts since then. He discusses PubPeer as a place for not only scrutinizing data, but also for facilitating discussions between researchers. He also talks about receiving an Einstein Foundation Award, the role of anonymity on the site, and future plans for the platform.

In this episode, Drs. Nicole Quinn and Jason Goldsmith chat with Dr. Alex Shalek, the J. W. Kieckhefer Professor in the Institute for Medical Engineering & Science and the Department of Chemistry at MIT. He and members of his lab strive to engineer and create technologies and methods achievable by any lab, anywhere in the world through open source experimental protocols and computational packages. He talks about ownership, reproducibility, and privacy considerations when sharing data.

In this episode, Drs. Nicole Quinn and Brenda Raud chat with Dr. Sara Yeo, an Associate Professor of Communications at the University of Utah. Specializing in science and risk communication, Dr. Yeo’s research explores the intersection of science, media, and politics. She talks about building trust and engagement in science communication and how humor can help. She also discusses unconventional career paths and how social media can help scientists be more open.

In this episode, Drs. Nicole Quinn and Arun Sharma chat with Dr. Caroline Hookway, a Scientist at the Allen Institute for Cell Science, who specializes in live-cell imaging. She talks about how to choose the right technology to answer scientific questions, strategies to ensure quality and reproducibility, and overcoming barriers to adopting new technologies.

In this episode, Drs. Nicole Quinn and Daylon James chat with Dr. Richard Sever, Assistant Director of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York and Co-founder of the preprint servers bioRxiv and medRxiv. He discusses how preprints can help advance science, the role of funding, and the future of peer review.

In this episode, Drs. Nicole Quinn and Arun Sharma chat with Dr. Raeka Aiyar, Vice President of Scientific Outreach & Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging at the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF). Raeka is an experienced geneticist turned science communicator, whose research has focused on applying genomics to the study of disease, with the goal of enabling precision medicine. She and the hosts talk about the importance of inclusive science and how NYSCF and other organizations are working to promote equity.

In this episode, Drs. Nicole Quinn and Daylon James chat with Dr. Nika Shakiba, Allen Distinguished Investigator and Assistant Professor at the School for Biomedical Engineering at the University of British Columbia. Nika has a passion for outreach and mentorship and is co-founder of the Advice to a Scientist initiative. Nika and the hosts talk about how the landscape of mentorship is changing, the importance of teaching scientific storytelling, and ways to build resilience.

In this episode, Drs. Nicole Quinn and Jason Goldsmith chat with Dr. Nima Najand, Director of the Life Sciences Innovation Hub at the University of Calgary. They discuss the ways in which scientists can transition their research into the clinic with a focus on transferring early-stage technologies from academic labs to industry, starting spin-off companies, and strategies for commercialization.

In this episode, Drs. Nicole Quinn and Brenda Raud chat with Dr. Jennifer Polk, a career coach, educator, and recognized expert in careers for graduate students and PhDs. They discuss the big question facing many academics, “to postdoc or not to postdoc?”, and key questions to consider when making the decision. Dr. Polk, who runs the website From PhD to Life, talks about how to find your niche, the nature of postdoctoral positions, and alternatives to traditional academic career paths.

In February of 2024, the Lab Coats & Life™ Podcast will launch, providing listeners with reflective conversations with guests from all corners of science who are passionate about passing on their knowledge and experience to others.

Although this podcast is for scientists, it is not your typical science podcast. Instead, each episode aims to keep you informed about useful soft skills, relevant trends, and important efforts from within the scientific community to help you thrive as a scientist.

Stay tuned for episodes with influential guests, including career coach Jen Polk, bioRxiv co-founder Richard Sever, SciComm specialist Sara Yeo, and more. 

The Lab Coats & Life™ Podcast is brought to you by STEMCELL Technologies, a global biotechnology company supporting life science research and fostering communication and collaboration in science. The podcast forms part of our Lab Coats & Life™ Mentorship Resources, where you can find helpful articles, free downloadable toolkits, and more. STEMCELL supports life sciences research with more than 2,500 specialized cell culture media, cell separation tools, instruments, accessory products, and educational services that are used by scientists performing immunology, stem cell, cancer, regenerative medicine, and cellular therapy research globally. STEMCELL provides the podcast under their Science Communication Program, alongside several other services to keep scientists current and connected with their fields.