Science on Trial [and Error] – Details, episodes & analysis

What does a data scientist do? How does the work environment in a start-up contrast with that in academia? What challenges await those who switch scientific disciplines? How to stay involved with the scientific community beyond academia?

The typical academic path involves numerous transitions—changing projects, labs, and institutes. Mobility is not only encouraged but often rewarded, as seen in grant criteria. While such changes can broaden your scientific perspective and expose you to different work cultures, they also come with various difficulties and challenges.

Our guest, Ryan Cubero, is no stranger to significant changes. He moved from the Philippines to Italy to further his education, shifted his scientific focus from Physics to Biology and then to Neuroscience, and most recently transitioned from academia to a start-up company as a data scientist.

In our conversation, Ryan reflects on his journey, beginning with his seemingly fate-driven decision to study Physics. This was followed by his venture into the complex world of Biology, prompted by an autoimmune disorder diagnosis. Throughout, he identifies an underlying pattern behind his decisions. Ryan candidly discusses the challenges he faced during his many transitions: feelings of isolation, hesitancy to ask for help, and the struggle to learn new scientific languages and concepts.

Later, Kasia and Ryan delve into the questions they pondered when considering leaving academia. Ryan shares his methods for staying connected with science, explains how his passion for home microscopy began, and offers advice to others seeking to change their lives or careers. The conversation is rich with book recommendations, laughter, and important insights into research culture.

It will feel like you’ve joined us with a cup of your favorite drink—so sit back, grab your tea, coffee, or matcha latte, and enjoy. Welcome, Ryan Cubero!

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If you would like to support the Podcast, you can buy me a coffee ⁠here⁠ - Thanks :)

Find Ryan on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Ryan Cubero comes from the Philippines, where he earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Physics. He then moved to Trieste, Italy, to obtain a Diploma in Condensed Matter Physics at the Abdus Salam International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP). His growing interest in Biology led him to pursue a PhD in Statistical Physics, focusing on mRNA interaction, through a joint project between ICTP and the Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience in Trondheim, Norway. Subsequently, he joined the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) as a postdoctoral fellow, a position he held until July 2023.

Currently, Ryan is a Data Scientist and Bioinformatician at QUANTRO Therapeutics, a start-up dedicated to discovering and developing novel therapeutics that target disease-causing transcriptional programs in cancer and other diseases.

In his free time, Ryan is a passionate microscopist and actively participates in Citizen Science initiatives. During our conversation, he discusses Crowd Preprint Reviewing, an initiative spearheaded by ASAPBio review (check it out!)

Ryan’s book recommendations:

- When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut

- When Einstein Walked with Gödel by Jim Holt

- The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee

- The Spike by Mark Humphries

- Birth of a Theorem: A Mathematical Adventure by Cedric Villani -----------

Follow Science on Trial [and Error] on ⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠

If you would like to support the Podcast, you can buy me a coffee ⁠here⁠ - Thanks :)

Look for Kasia's BookTube channel Reading In-Between ⁠⁠here⁠⁠

Music and Sound Engineering: Lukasz Kowalski

contact: scienceontrialanderror@gmail.com

What does a CSO of a biotech company do on a day-to-day basis? How much truth lies behind the common stereotypes about working in the biotech industry? What can make you stand out as a candidate for a biotech industry job?

Step into the dynamic world of biotech with our latest episode as we debunk common myths and uncover the realities of working in this vibrant industry. Our guest is Peggy Sotiropoulou, an accomplished cancer immunology researcher from Greece. Currently, she holds the position of Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) at T-Knife Therapeutics. Few years ago, Peggy decided to leave her tenured academic position of Research Associate Professor and make the leap to the industry.

In our conversation, she explained what was most relevant in her informed decision process and how she explored the different options. Peggy shares her insights on what it truly means to be a CSO, revealing the intricacies of developing scientific strategies and navigating the hiring process. She candidly provides her invaluable insights and advice presenting the unique benefits and opportunities that the biotech industry offers, both for scientific research and professional growth.

In this engaging conversation, Peggy and Kasia explore the nuances of transitioning from academic research to the industry world, shedding light on the lessons academia can learn from biotech. From Peggy's unexpected beginnings as a travel magazine writer to her current role as a leader in biotech, her story is a testament to ambition, resilience, and foresight. But our discussion doesn't stop there. Stay tuned as we explore Peggy's insights on women in leadership roles, the future of the therapeutic industry, and even touch upon our favourite Greek filmmaker. Join us as we journey through Peggy's remarkable career and gain a deeper understanding of the biotech landscape. Get ready for an episode packed with insights and inspiration you'll be glad you didn't miss. Enjoy and welcome Peggy Sotiropoulou!

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If you would like to support the Podcast, you can buy me a coffee ⁠here⁠ - Thanks :)

Find Peggy on LinkedIn⁠.

Peggy Sotiropoulou obtained her PhD degree at Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Center in Athens, Greece. She then progressed through 2 postdoctoral positions moving from Athens to Brussels spanning short 4 years. After that she secured a tenured position of Research Associate Professor at FNRS (Funds for Scientific Research) in Brussels leading a team investigating Cancer initiation, growth and resistance to therapy. However, she decided to leave her academic position and transitioned to industry. Spending 3 years at Celyad Oncology, she swiftly ascended from R&D Manager to the role of Head of R&D. Today she is the Chief Scientific Officer CSO at T-Knife Therapeutics, a biotech company dedicated to pioneering novel cancer therapeutics, particularly supercharged TCR-Ts T-cell receptor therapies.

Peggy’s movie recommendation: movies of Yorgos Lanthymos

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Follow Science on Trial [and Error] on ⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠

If you would like to support the Podcast, you can buy me a coffee ⁠here⁠ - Thanks :)

Look for Kasia's BookTube channel Reading In-Between ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.

Music and Sound Engineering: Lukasz Kowalski

Episode 010: Case Study: Starting a PhD in times of pandemic. In this special episode my guests are Christine Fiedler, Ishita Gupta, Rebecca June Morse Mora and Valentin Hübner. They all started their PhD studies at IST Austria in September 2020, but their experiences differ in many ways. We discuss how they dealt with application process, working during lockdowns and having courses online. They acknowledge the challenges and struggles of the last year, but we also recognize achievements and successes. We try to figure out what could be improved for the new students who will start their PhDs this year.

Episode 009: Mojtaba Tavakoli is a biologist and a PhD student in the group of Prof. Johann Danzl at IST Austria. His research is focused on developing methods to study biological samples with more precision using expansion microscopy. We discuss the power of collaborative science and how we all go through difficult times during our PhDs. Mojtaba shares his positive and negative experiences as a refugee in Austria. We agree that scientists could use more training in scientific communication. Find Mojtaba on Twitter: @RTMojtaba IGASUS organization website: igasus.org Please consider supporting the organizations providing humanitarian aid for people in Afghanistan.

Episode 008: Rose Waugh is a PhD student in Astrophysics in the group of Prof. Moira Jardine at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Her research is focused on the formation of prominences in the magnetic fields of low mass stars. We talk about stellar clouds and winds, communicating science with cartoons and the joys of teaching. Rose shares how she juggles work and personal life being a mum to a toddler. We discuss the inaccessibility of academia and physics still remaining a Boys' Club. Rose reveals that she would love to have coffee with Jim Al-Khalili to thank him for inspiring her career in science. Enjoy listening! Check out Rose's Instagram @astrophysicist_rose and find her on Twitter: @astrophys_rose

Episode 007: Mariia Zhuldybina (PhD) is a physicist and an entrepreneur from Russia, currently living in Canada. She completed her PhD in the group of Prof. François Blanchard at École de Technologie Supérieure in Montréal. Mariia is also a CEO and co-founder of a start-up company TRAQC which provides a new method for quality control of printed electronics using terahertz radiation. We discuss the challenges of creating a new business and transferring technology from the lab to the industry. Mariia opens up about her love of teaching and her hopes of becoming a group leader in the future. We both share how we dealt with the unavoidable rejections. We also cover the beautiful art of sewing and living abroad without knowing the language. Enjoy listening!

Episode 006: Nicole Amberg (PhD) is a neuroscientist and a postdoc in the group of Prof. Simon Hippenmeyer at IST Austria. She is investigating the role of epigenetics regulation in neural stem cells lineage progression in the developing cortex. We discuss which activities are important when you pursue a leadership position in academia. Nicole talks about her altruistic drive and how her initiatives aim to create a better place for others. She also reveals her reasons for not becoming a vet and for continuing her career in Vienna. We also cover mentorship, challenges of becoming accepted as knowledgeable scientist when switching fields and gender stereotypes within the society‘s mindset. Enjoy!

Episode 005: Mateusz Sikora (PhD) is a postdoc affiliated with Max Planck Institute for Biophysics in Frankfurt (Germany) and University of Vienna (Austria). In his current research Matt is using computational simulations to tackle the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 virus. We discuss how SARS-CoV-2 is playing hide-and-seek in our body and how we can use predictions to outsmart the virus. Matt shares how he went from being interested in dialects to studying biophysics (switching back and forth between theoretical and experimental work). We also talk about the collaborative science in times of pandemic and the ‘tripod model‘ of work-life balance. Matt also reveals what an ideal model organism would be... Have fun listening!

Episode 004: Laura Burnett is a PhD student in the group of Prof. Maximilian Joesch at IST Austria. She‘s investigating how visual information is processed in the brain to control instinctive behaviors. Laura is also an amazing artist and she contributes her creative skills to science communication projects. We chat about the ‘slightly overlooked‘ superior colliculus, popular science books and the imposter syndrome. Laura reveals how she intended to become either a BBC Nature reporter or a Disney animator. We also discuss the ups and downs of changing your PhD project and we get idealistic about the alternative reality of scientific publishing. Enjoy! See Laura‘s IG: @whenimnotdoingscience

Episode 003: Maciej Kerlin is a PhD student in the group of Prof. Antoine Coulon at the Institut Curie in France. His project is focused on enhancer-mediated gene co-regulation within the 3D genome. We talk about the mysterious TADs, conducting research in Europe and in the U.S. and navigating the academia to find your own niche. Maciek shares a story of how he would have become a geographer if it wasn’t for a plastic microscope and the astounding PCR technique. We also discuss the challenges of applying for funding in basic science and the importance of explaining our work to the public. Have fun listening!