Explore every episode of the podcast Sensitive Periods: A Flux Society Podcast
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| S4E3 Interview with Dr. Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, the 2025 Huttenlocher Award Winner | 10 Nov 2025 | 00:25:10 | |
We are excited for a special episode this month, as guest host Dr. Arielle Keller (@ArielleKeller) interviews Dr. Sarah-Jayne Blakemore (@sjblakemore.bsky.social), the 2024 Flux Huttenlocher Award Winner. Dr. Sarah-Jayne Blakemore is a Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge, and leader of the Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Group. Her group's research focuses on the development of social cognition and decision making in the human adolescent brain, and adolescent mental health. Dr. Blakemore is incredibly deserving of this award and graciously provided her time to discuss her career development, research, advice to trainees, and much more. Many thanks as well to Dr. Keller for hosting this episode! Full transcript can be found here: https://bit.ly/S4E3_Huttenlocher2025 | |||
| S4E2 US Funding Cuts | 21 Oct 2025 | 00:41:36 | |
In this episode, we take a closer look at the devastating impacts of federal funding cuts across the United States on developmental science and its trainees. We discuss how cuts are destabilizing training for early-career scientists and halting the vital research that they conduct. We further emphasize how scientists are organizing to fight back, and how we can take care of ourselves and each other along the way. For this crucial discussion, we are joined by Gabriel Leon, Shiba Esfand, and Dr. Scott Delaney — scientists who have each been impacted in different ways. Visit our Buzzsprout for other episodes. For a full transcript of this episode, visit: bit.ly/49aZxoU Learn more about Grant Witness: https://grant-witness.us/ Connect with our guests:
Connect with us on social media! We are always looking for ideas for episode topics, co-hosts, or guests. We're @FluxSociety on bsky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. | |||
| S2E6: Preregistrations for DCN Trainees with Dr. Russell Poldrack | 01 Apr 2024 | 00:49:40 | |
Open science is becoming increasingly important in our field, yet the nuances of it can be intimidating for trainees. To think about how trainees in developmental cognitive neuroscience can best engage in preregistrations, we're joined by a renowned expert Dr. Russell Poldrack. We discuss general purposes of preregistrations, do's and don'ts, how to address common mistakes, and more! | |||
| S2E5 - Acing Graduate School Interviews with Dr. Jennifer Silvers & Felicia Hardi | 24 Jan 2024 | 00:38:53 | |
Graduate school interviews are exciting and stressful! We're joined by Dr. Jennifer Silvers, a faculty member at UCLA and Felicia Hardi, a graduate student at the University of Michigan. We discuss how to prepare for interviews, what questions to ask, how to evaluate a program, and much more! | |||
| S2E4 - A conversation with Dr. Eveline Crone, current Flux President | 25 Nov 2023 | 00:43:58 | |
Join us for a chat with the president of Flux, Dr. Eveline Crone! In this episode, we discuss her plans for the future of Flux Society, thoughts on societal impact via science communication and public engagement, advice for trainees, and her favorite memories from past Flux conferences. | |||
| S2E3 - Applying to Graduate School with Dr. Laurel Gabard-Durnam and Ellie Taylor | 20 Oct 2023 | 01:02:39 | |
Applying to Ph.D. programs is one of the most important, exciting, and stressful periods of the scientific journey. To provide perspectives and tips for graduate school applications, we're joined by Dr. Laurel Gabard-Durnam, a faculty member at Northeastern University and Ellie Taylor, a lab manager at the University of Maryland and current graduate school applicant. We touch on numerous topics along our way, including when to apply, tips for building the best application, and the importance of self care. We hope this episode is useful for any trainee currently applying or considering applying to graduate school in cognitive neuroscience, psychology, or related fields.
Connect with us on social media! We are always looking for ideas for episode topics, co-hosts, or guests. | |||
| S2E2 - Engaging with public policy as developmental scientists | 01 Oct 2023 | 00:43:46 | |
Many of us in developmental cognitive neuroscience aim to make a positive impact on the world through our science. In this episode, we hear from Dr. Natalie Brito and Dr. Katie Insel about their experiences translating their science for different audiences to support developmental opportunities for newborns and adolescents. Along the way, we touch on topics like facing your fears, science communication, the myth of objectivity, and the importance of community and collaboration.
Follow us on social media! | |||
| S2E1 - A Flux Origin Story | 16 Aug 2023 | 00:58:41 | |
We discuss where the idea of Flux Society originate, what it took to get it off the ground, and where it may be going! | |||
| Clinical Perspectives with Drs. Dylan Gee, Christian Tamnes, and Teresa Vargas | 24 May 2023 | 00:41:50 | |
For our 9th episode of Season 1 we take a clinical perspective to developmental cognitive neuroscience! We discuss what we have learned from cognitive neuroscience that benefits clinical practice, the mutually informative backgrounds that clinical and neuroscience training each offer, collaboration, and more. We're joined by great guests Dr. Dylan Gee (Twitter @dylanggee), Dr. Christian Tamnes (cktamnes), and Teresa Vargas (tersvar), that each have extensive clinical and neuroscientific backgrounds. Apologies for some of the audio issues this episode! | |||
| Getting the most out of conferences with Drs. Maya Rosen, Julia Moser, & Niamh MacSweeney | 14 Apr 2023 | 00:49:24 | |
We discuss getting the most out of conferences (large and small) while maintaining a work-life balance with Drs. Maya Rosen (Twitter @mayalrosen), Julia Moser (@_JuliaMoser) and Niamh MacSweeney (@Niamh MacSweeney). | |||
| Perspectives and Challenges of International Training with Dr. Pheobe Thomson and Ayla Pollman | 13 Mar 2023 | 00:39:45 | |
We hear from Dr. Phoebe Thomson (Twitter @ phoebecthomson) and Ayla Pollman (@ayla_pollmann) about their experiences training in developmental cognitive neuroscience internationally. We discuss professional and personal difficulties, as well as the unique benefits international training provides. | |||
| Cultivating a positive and supportive mentor-mentee relationship with Steven Kasparek & Dr. Suzanne van de Groep | 23 Feb 2023 | 00:46:19 | |
In this episode I chat with Steven Kasparek & Dr. Suzanne van de Groep about what it takes to develop a meaningful, positive, and supportive relationship with your mentor or mentee. We discuss mentoring philosophy, power dynamics, and conflict resolution. | |||
| Fetal, Infant, and Toddler Neuroimaging with Drs. Tomoki Arichi and Courtney Filippi | 02 Sep 2025 | 00:41:31 | |
In this episode, we chat about the exciting growth of fetal, infant, and toddler neuroimaging and their active group, FIT'NG. We're joined by two leaders in the field, Dr. Tomoki Arichi and Dr. Courtney Filippi, who explain to us the unique research questions and methodologies in FIT neuroimaging. Along the way, we discuss differences between neuroimaging in other developmental stages, environment vs. genetics, the impact of FIT'NG, and much more. Reach out to our host: Matt Mattoni (matt.mattoni@temple.edu) Connect with us on social media! We are always looking for ideas for episode topics, co-hosts, or guests. @FluxSociety Key Resources:
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| Crafting an academic talk with Drs. Margaret Sheridan, Lucina Uddin, & Nim Tottenham | 09 Jan 2023 | 00:47:52 | |
What makes a seller talk? How should I practice? What's the goal of a poster presentation? In this episode we're joined by Drs. Margaret Sheridan, Lucina Uddin, & Nim Tottenham to discuss how to craft an academic talk. We talked about everything from what to include in a poster presentation, to how to practice a job talk, and the importance of preparing for the Q&A! | |||
| Two Paths to Studying Individual Differences with Drs. Caterina Gratton and Brenden Tervo-Clemmens | 13 Nov 2022 | 00:49:48 | |
How can we best use fMRI to study individual differences? Big data, precision imaging, both? We're joined by Drs. Caterina Gratton & Brenden Tervo-Clemmens to discuss different paths forward and how they compliment each other. The conversation touched on multiple different points that we as a field must consider as we move forward. | |||
| The pipeline to non-academic jobs with Dr. Virginia Salo and Dr. Shabnam Hakimi | 17 Oct 2022 | 00:55:13 | |
In this episode I chat with Dr. Virginia Salo and Dr. Shabnam Hakimi about the pipeline to industry and alternative academic jobs. We discuss the decision to leave academia, the crafting your CV into a resume, the day-to-day of alternative careers, and how to maintain a work-life balance. | |||
| At the intersection of science communication, equity, and inclusion, with Dr. Mia Smith-Bynum | 05 Sep 2022 | 00:53:34 | |
This episode features a conversation with the senior director for science, equity, diversity, and inclusion at the American psychological association, Dr. Mia Smith-Byum. We discuss how to communicate our scientific findings to a diverse audience, the value of social media and science discourse and the importance of inclusion for generalizability and much, much more. | |||
| A Conversation with Dr. Damien Fair, current Flux President | 25 Jul 2022 | 00:57:33 | |
In this inaugural Sensitive Periods episode, we have a conversation with the current Flux President, Damien Fair. We discuss his vision for Flux as a whole, his advice for trainees, and the importance and challenges of science communication. We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did! | |||
| S3E5: Harmonization and Generalization in Big Data, with Dr. Golia Shafiei and Audrey Luo | 05 May 2025 | 00:39:01 | |
In this episode, we chat about using multiple large scale neuroimaging datasets for developmental cognitive neuroscience research. We highlight two exciting recent projects, including the Reproducible Brain Charts database and a foundational study on white matter development. Along the way, we chat about harmonizing multiple datasets, testing in multiple datasets for generalizations, replicability, practical challenges, and more. Matt is joined by two wonderful guests from Dr. Ted Satterthwhaite's lab who are pioneering these momentous efforts - Dr. Golia Shafiei and Audrey Luo Reach out to our host:
Connect with our guests:
Connect with us on social media! We are always looking for ideas for episode topics, co-hosts, or guests. @FluxSociety Key Resources:
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| S3E4 Strength-based approaches in DCN with Drs. Divyangana Rakesh, Monica Ellwood-Lowe and Meriah DeJoseph | 19 Mar 2025 | 00:45:29 | |
In this episode, we chat about strength-based approaches in developmental cognitive neuroscience and the importance of identifying and building upon individuals' strength rather than solely focusing on deficits/weaknesses. We explore how strength-based perspectives highlight individuals' resilience and adaptivity in the face of structural inequities, and the ways we can incorporate strength-based approaches in our work. Gavkhar is joined by wonderful guests who have done and are continuing to do impactful work in advancing strength-based research in our field -- Drs. Divyangana Rakesh, Monica Ellwood-Lowe, and Meriah DeJoseph. For a full transcript, visit: bit.ly/S3E4-strength-based-in-dcn Connect with our guests:
Relevant resources and discussed papers:
Reach out to your host, Gavkhar Abdurokhmonova (ga2541@umd.edu | @gavkhar-a.bsky.social). Connect with us on social media! We are always looking for ideas for episode topics, co-hosts, or guests. | |||
| S3 Ep Bonus! Behind the scenes at Neurohackademy! | 24 Feb 2025 | 00:25:26 | |
This bonus episode takes a behind-the-scenes glimpse at last year's Neurohackademy, a data science and neuroimaging workshop hosted by the University of Washington's eScience Institute. Often attended by members of the Flux community, Neurohackademy is known for its fun and inclusive approach! We are joined by three graduate student participants from last year's program (Rohini Kumar, Dominique Lopiccolo, and Melissa Hansen) and Neurohackademy instructors Dr. Ariel Rokem and Dr. Noah Benson.
Connect with our guests:
Follow us on social media!
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| S3E3: Training in Science Communication with Dr. Daniela Schiller and Dr. Bradley Voytek | 15 Oct 2024 | 00:50:49 | |
Flux and cognitive neuroscience more broadly are increasingly focused on translating our science for public impact. Yet, we receive little training to know how to do this. In this episode, we hear from Dr. Daniela Schiller and Dr. Bradley Voytek about their journeys through science communication, which include creating a graduate course teaching SciComm and writing a popular neuroscience book. Along the way, we touch on benefits for your own science, starting small, pursuing passions, and more.
For a full transcript, visit: https://bit.ly/FluxSPS3E3
Follow us on social media! | |||
| S3E2: Interview with Dr. Jennifer Pfeifer, the 2024 Linda Spears Mid-Career Award Winner | 08 Sep 2024 | 00:46:58 | |
We are excited for a special episode this month, as guest host Dr. Arielle Keller (@ArielleKeller) interviews Dr. Jennifer Pfeifer (@jennDSN), the 2024 Flux Linda Spears Mid-Career Award Winner. | |||
| S3E1 - Global Majority with Drs. Sarael Alcauter, Lucia Magis-Weinberg, and Gabriel Scheidecker | 16 Aug 2024 | 00:47:32 | |
In this episode, we turn our attention to research by and with people of the global | |||
| S2E7 - Community-engaged research with Drs. Arianna Gard & Kalina Michalska | 30 Jun 2024 | 00:57:52 | |
Much of our research doesn't exist without the families that participate. Community-engaged research seeks to bring those families to the table to learn from their expertise and lived-experiences. To learn more about how developmental cognitive neuroscientists are doing this work, we are joined by Drs. Arianna Gard & Kalina Michalska. We discuss the importance of community-engaged research, how to get started, and how this might look at different career stages. | |||