Explore every episode of the podcast The Lonely Pipette : helping scientists do better science
Dive into the complete episode list for The Lonely Pipette : helping scientists do better science. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.
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Title
Pub. Date
Duration
TLP #31 : A recipe for resilience - Alicia Rojas Araya
29 Jul 2024
01:02:02
This month Alicia Rojas tells us about her journey from Costa Rica to Israel and back, in search of pathogens and parasites
Alicia shares the personal difficulties of being far from home and how she missed family and food
She reflects on coming back to Costa Rica to explore its rich biodiversity
She recalls the challenges of returning from a luxurious postdoc at the Weizmann Institute to setting up her own lab in Costa Rica during a pandemic
She discusses the need to be resilient and creative and build collaborations
She is proud to be “doing the best we can with the limited resources we have”
As a mentor, she stresses that every student is different and she tries to keep a helicopter-view of everything that is going on
Alicia gets up really early to complete work and make time for her family in the afternoon
She recommends to finish one task before you start the next one
More about the soundtrack : Music by Amaria - Lovely Swindler https://soundcloud.com/amariamusique/
TLP #20 : Have you tried multi-plexing ? - George Church
07 Feb 2023
01:07:03
In this episode, we talk to George Church about his successful career in DNA repair and his entrepreneurial adventures translating research findings into biotech companies
George proudly describes himself as a biologist-engineer
He ponders whether his dyslexia may have helped him by making him realize he was different from others when he was growing up
He looks for projects in ‘exponential fields’ that combine pure scientific interest, technology breakthroughs and bring societal benefit.
George cautions against using the word ‘impossible’
He talks about how he has contributed to scientific and technology revolutions
He emphasizes the important of considering ethics, safety and security at the outset of ambitious science projects
George remembers how he reacted to having his genome sequenced and speculates about the future of digital genomics and NFTs
When recruiting, he looks for people that are ‘nice’ and have deep knowledge in at least two different fields
George gets up at 4:30 a.m. and his head is immediately whizzing with new ideas
He tells us how much he learns from his grandchildren (and even mends their party dresses)
He mentioned these projects, institutions, companies
More about the soundtrack : Music by Amaria - Lovely Swindler https://soundcloud.com/amariamusique/
TLP #19 : “Should I stay or should I go?” - Jenny Rohn
24 Jan 2023
01:10:47
In this episode, we talk with the multi-talented Jenny Rohn about her journey zig-zagging from academia to a biotech-startup, to science publishing and then back into academia.
She tells us about her unconventional path and how she decided to go to a start-up and then come back to academic research
She made long, agonizing lists about pros and cons of leaving or staying in academia
This period of indecision led her to start writing novels
Jenny admits that it was not easy to get back on to an academic path
She warns people against giving negative advise and she always tries to be honest, but positive feedback
Jenny says that In the ‘old days’ there used to be a myth that there was only one way to do science. She says that somewhere in the ‘90s there was a shift but it took a while for the old-guard to notice.
“Do not ever turn away from an opportunity to network. You need to get out and talk to people”
She tells us how she came up with the idea of ‘lab-lit’ and recommends some of her favourites
“If you want to be a writer… you need to write a lot and read a lot”
Jenny shares her thoughts about the place of narrative in scientific writing
She mentioned these labs, resources and lab-lit authors
More about the soundtrack : Music by Amaria - Lovely Swindler https://soundcloud.com/amariamusique/
TLP #18 : Why do we go to conferences? - Jean-Léon, Rita, Mariaceleste, Tim
10 Jan 2023
00:43:45
Get ready for 2023 ! In this special episode, we're going to change the narrative. We're going to dive into this original narrative-interview with 4 scientists who experienced an original meeting with us. Invited by Jean-Leon Maître in the south of France at the fondation Les Treilles, are you ready to ask yourself why you go to science conferences?
Our special guests are :
Jean-Léon Maître, the organizer of the meeting, CNRS research director at the Institut Curie, at Paris, France
Rita Mateus, group leader at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics and the Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life (TUD) in Dresden, Germany.
Mariaceleste Aragona, associate professor and group leader of the tissue architecture lab at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine, reNEW at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Tim Saunders, associate professor and group leader of an interdisciplinary group of the Centre for Mechanochemical Cell Biology at Warwick University in England.
Note : The constraints of this episode allowed us to focus only on small-scale conferences. It goes without saying that none of the guests, nor we, think that this format should replace the classic meeting format which has other advantages. This episode only aims to bring a new perspective on how we interact as scientists. Small-scale formats are a way to inspire other ways of connecting the scientific community.
More about the soundtrack : Music by Amaria - Lovely Swindler https://soundcloud.com/amariamusique/
TLP #17 : Brothers in arms : building a collective grant-writing community - Matthew Weitzman
06 Dec 2022
01:06:07
This week we have a surprise treat - a conversation with Jonathan’s twin brother, Matt. He discusses his energetic commitment to mentoring and grant-writing workshops. They share their genetics, but also a desire to “help scientists do better science”
Matthew comments on the usefulness of healthy competition in science
Matt compares the joy of running a lab to cooking in the kitchen
He loves the flexibility of science and constantly stimulated by interactions with colleagues and young scientists and new ideas
Matt makes a strong argument for peer-to-peer mentoring, cascade mentoring and seizing constant casual mentoring opportunities
He comments on the advantages of going to a small lab for graduate school and he advises students to look carefully at the type of scientific questions, the environment of the lab and the chemistry of the PI/mentor relationship
Matt describes his pioneering Grant Proposal Success (GPS) grant-writing program and the importance of collective, grant-writing communities. Matt dissects the grant structure and tells us what funding committees are looking for
He suggests that staggering projects and having work at different stages can help to integrate life and manage the lab
More about the soundtrack : Music by Amaria - Lovely Swindler https://soundcloud.com/amariamusique/
TLP #15 : Enjoy the journey - André Choulika
08 Nov 2022
00:52:44
In this episode, we speak with André Choulika about his exciting journey from a bench scientist to a biotech entrepreneur taking genomic engineering to the clinic
André shares his fascination about the logic of biological systems and his admiration for experimentalists
“You can always do something else if it fails” insists André
André stresses that the boss has to take responsibilities for decisions
“You don’t hire people to tell them what to do, but they should tell you what needs to be done”
“Cash is more important than your mother”(we hope Andre’s mother isn’t listening)
“Success has thousands of fathers but failure is lonely” (lonelier than a pipette!)
André is modest about success; “None of us are VIPs” and he insists that the people who wash the dishes are as important as the CEO of the company
He describes the collective contributions and the shared success that characterize the biotech industry
For André “Leadership is more important than management”
He insists that a successful meeting is one than lasts less time than allocated
He mentioned these labs, scientists, institutions and companies
More about the soundtrack : Music by Amaria - Lovely Swindler https://soundcloud.com/amariamusique/
TLP #14 : How to get good at failing - Jen Heemstra
24 Oct 2022
01:10:53
In this episode, we step beyond the life sciences to talk with Jen Heemstra, a professor of chemistry who brings much energy to thinking about mentoring and improving academic culture
Jen tells us how early failures drove her to strive for success in science
She shares how she overcame early doubts about an academic career
She talks about how different students need different mentoring styles and how important it is to adjust each time
She admits that she is so excited about all her roles that she struggles with focusing and setting priorities
Great teams are made up of people with different perspectives and different ways of seeing the world - and they are a group of equals
Jen has a lot of thoughts about how to embrace failing and taking comfort from failures
She thinks it’s important to recognize cognitive distortions to overcome imposter syndrome narratives
Jen shares personal thoughts about her approach to self care practices and to improving academic culture for others
Don’t make your decisions based on other people’s expectations
She mentioned these institutions, people and resources
More about the soundtrack : Music by Amaria - Lovely Swindler https://soundcloud.com/amariamusique/
TLP #13 : Translating knowledge towards society - Steve Jackson
10 Oct 2022
00:58:25
In this episode, we speak with Steve Jackson about his successful career in DNA repair and his entrepreneurial adventures translating research findings into biotech companies
He remembers his early passion for innovation and for dark heavy rock
He was even turned down by the University of Cambridge when he first applied
Steve reminisces about the serendipity that led him into the DNA repair field
How important it is to create a collaborative, cooperative and fun lab environment
“The highs become higher… and the lows become higher”
Steve speaks openly about the importance of honesty and trust and how he establishes his key lab values
He tells us how he chose the names for his biotech companies and what drove him to become an entrepreneur
A hot tip from Steve: “Never be afraid to ask for advice”
Steve thinks it might be good not to have TOO much money in the lab
Another hot tip “The enemy of the best is the good”
Steve’s work has led to the treatment of tens of thousands of patients
He mentioned these labs, scientists, institutions and companies
More about the soundtrack : Music by Amaria - Lovely Swindler https://soundcloud.com/amariamusique/
TLP #12 : Science without frontiers - Edith Heard
26 Sep 2022
01:05:08
In this episode, we were honoured to kick-off Season 2 talking to Edith Heard about her journey to become the first woman to lead the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL). She tells us about her early experiences of patients with diseases Edith emphasizes the importance of doubt for a scientist She says “mentoring is about caring” and mentions TLP guest Susan Gasser She stresses the importance of changing environments (like taking a sabbatical) and stepping out of your comfort zone She lays out her version for running a lab and encouraging collaboration Edith tells us why she moved to the EMBL in Heidelberg - the challenges and the self-doubts There is something magical about bringing researchers together from such different backgrounds and origins to serve European science She gives us lots of insights that she has never shared before She tells us about the importance of stepping out to disconnect and have time to think Edith tries to put herself in other people’s position to become a better leader And she shares how important her husband Vincent has been during their scientific journeys together
Last summer, we were honored to host Magdalena Skipper, Editor of Nature, to share her tips with the community. When Nature announced its new Open Access policy in November 2020, we asked her to come back for another interview in January 2021, to discuss these specific issues. This episode is in two parts: the classic interview with Magdalena sharing her stories with the community and a second part with an extended discussion on the recent announcements made by Nature. As a consequence, this episode is longer than usual, but we believe that it includes enriched content that you will appreciate.
In this episode Magdalena Skipper tell us about her role at Nature and her personal thoughts about editing, publishing and communicating science
Magdalena offers tips to authors, including thinking about why you want to share your story, what the message of the paper is and who the audience is
We discuss a metaphor for the publishing process in which the author feels like a Medieval knight throwing the manuscript over the castle wall
Magdalena sees herself more as a facilitator and reminds us that every stakeholder in the process is human
She stresses that editors and publishers need to work to make the publishing process more transparent
She makes the point that the objective of peer review is to make the paper better and we talk about new models for publishing and sharing data
We discuss how impact factors can be mis-used and what alternative metrics exist
Magdalena tells us how she feels as the first woman editor at Nature and about prizes for women scientists.
In the first episode of the new year we talk to Oded Rechavi about his unusual way of doing science and new ways of sharing science.
He tells us about his meandering path from painting in Paris to studying epigenetics in worms
Oded repeatedly highlights the importance of not over-planning one’s career or path in science
He stresses that it’s important to keep encountering new ideas, testing and failing and reacting with spontaneity. Like Maria-Elena told us, he says “sometimes you have to just go for it”
He advises young scientists not to wait until you are completely ready but to apply for new jobs as early as you can
Oded has a deep commitment to challenging established dogmas
He tells us about why he spends so much time on Twitter and his use of the #physiologicallyrelevant hashtag
Oded tells us about the origins of the unusual “Woodstock of Biology” meeting
In this episode we talk to Maria-Elena Torres-Padilla about how she followed her dreams from Mexico to the Pasteur Institute and then to direct a new institute in Munich.
She tells us about how she followed her dream to come to work in Paris
She discusses how she chooses scientific questions and which model to work on
Maria Elena was always driven by her passion and curiosity which helped her to overcome risks and doubts
She stresses the importance of attracting and recruiting people who are better than you
We discuss the benefits of moving to different countries and living in different cultures. Maria Elena also comments on diversity awareness and inclusiveness in science
She shares her thoughts about ethics, responsible research and leaving an imprint
She admits that she has two paces; one high speed at work and a slower one at home at breakfast time. And she tells us how she deals with stress, tiredness and striking the right personal life balance
Maria Elena mentioned these institutions and resources
More about the soundtrack : Music by Amaria - Lovely Swindler https://soundcloud.com/amariamusique/
TLP #5 : Striking the right balance - Robert Weinberg
16 Nov 2020
00:55:19
In this episode Bob Weinberg discusses his long career in cancer research and offers tips about recruiting and mentoring.
Bob talks about his motivation to simplify the complexity of cancer biology by distilling out a small set of rules
We discuss the virtues of being a ‘scientific gypsy’ and Bob stresses the importance of getting the right balance between a narrow focus and a broad interest in different areas of science
We talk about different mentoring styles and get useful tips about how to recruit the right people to build a culture of mutual cooperation
Bob insists on the importance of talking to people at scientific meetings and asking provocative questions
Finally, Bob describes how he achieves a balance in his life by alternating between the lab and doing handyman jobs in his log cabin or the garden
More about the soundtrack : Music by Amaria - Lovely Swindler https://soundcloud.com/amariamusique/
TLP #28 : Curing with a Community - David Fajgenbaum
29 Apr 2024
01:11:54
In this episode, we kick off our Season 3 guests with David Fajgenbaum who shares his extraordinary journey to cure himself from Castleman disease.
David shares his very personal story of searching for a cure to his own disease
He describes how having a vision for the future helped him to survive
He insists that patients can be part of the process and can be active collaborators in the search for cures
He pleads for a shift from an Investigator initiated model to a Community initiated model involving collaboration between researchers, clinicians and patients
David also insists that approved drugs could be used to treat additional diseases
He tells us about why and how he wrote a book, “Chasing My Cure” about his journey
He describes the value that good mentors bring
He advises to keep focused, surround yourself with good people, learn to delegate and to take important recruitment decisions
David recommends getting as much feedback as you can from many people
He mentioned these labs, scientists, institutions and companies
More about the soundtrack : Music by Amaria - Lovely Swindler https://soundcloud.com/amariamusique/
The Lonely Pipette Trailer
16 Sep 2020
00:00:58
Discover and enjoy the trailer of our podcast. We have put our hearts and energies to make it sound great. Special thanks to the French artist Amarià who gave us the opportunity to play his song : Lovely Swindler.
More about the soundtrack : Music by Amaria - Lovely Swindler https://soundcloud.com/amariamusique/
TLP #27 : Time to refill the tip box !
26 Mar 2024
01:06:06
In this episode Renaud and Jonathan share their excitement about the launch of Season 3 of The Lonely Pipette podcast. BUT this time, they are not the ones asking the questions.
More about the soundtrack : Music by Amaria - Lovely Swindler https://soundcloud.com/amariamusique/
TLP#26 - Season 2 wrap-up - Jonathan & Renaud
22 Aug 2023
00:39:16
Dear Lonely Pipetters, Season 2 has been an amazing journey, BUT Season 3 will be awesome. We are so proud to be still here, with you supporting us. Thank you! In this final episode, we take the chance to give you untold stories about Season 2 making-of, personal stories and what you can do to help us build Season 3. Don’t miss it out !
Subscribe to be updated when Season 3 starts : https://bit.ly/NLTLP
More about the soundtrack : Music by Amaria - Lovely Swindler https://soundcloud.com/amariamusique/
TLP #25 : Excellence at the ERC - Maria Leptin
25 Jul 2023
00:41:40
This week, we talk to Maria Leptin about her path to the head of the European Research Council
Maria claims she didn’t receive any formal mentoring advice, but rather absorbed and learnt along the way
Against the perceived wisdom, Maria warns against the advice to be continually networking. She advises to listen to what others say and then add your own thoughts.
Maria is sure that if you really enjoy the stuff you're doing, then you will do it well and you'll get something out of it.
She says that sabbatical breaks can be good to ‘put your brain to air a little bit’
She says the ERC aims to select the very best researchers across Europe, across all disciplines, and allow them to make wonderful discoveries.
To attract ERC funding, organizations or countries or regions need to create an environment where researchers are happy to work and have good conditions.
Maria makes a passionate plea for fundamental research and better access for science journalists
After a lie-in, Maria starts the day with a coffee and a cookie in the office
Maria likes our question “if you had $100 million or euros to spend in science, how would you spend it?” She uses it herself in interviews.
More about the soundtrack : Music by Amaria - Lovely Swindler https://soundcloud.com/amariamusique/
TLP #24 : The untold power of philosophy - Thomas Pradeu
14 Jun 2023
01:15:35
This week, we meet our first philosopher guest - Thomas Pradeu tells us what scientist can learn from philosophers
Thomas shares his journey navigating from philosophy to immunology and biology
He explains the difference between ‘philosophy IN biology’ compared to ‘philosophy OF biology’
He mentions ‘mutual ignorance’ - that scientists often don’t know about philosophers who would be interested in their science
Thomas argues that philosophers should be brought in at the beginning of a project rather than at the end. He describes his model for embedding philosophers within a biology research environment
He gives lots of specific examples, from immunology and beyond, where philosophers made an impact on science by intervening upstream
Thomas stresses the importance of challenging the foundations (in the lab and at home)
He also stresses the importance of reading every day
Thomas talks honestly about the difficulties of improving life-work balance and gender balance in academia
Thomas is proud of his success in creating examples of the Philosophy IN Biology networks as a model for interdisciplinary collaboration
This month we enjoyed talking to Arjun Raj about his interdisciplinary approaches to studying biological systems
Arjun shares how he almost became a truck driver and experimented with a career in an (unnamed) rock band
He tells us about his journey from mathematics to quantitative biology and he shares thoughts about comparing biology with physics and what they can learn from each other
He says we all struggle with how to teach creativity and how to evaluate the most promising ideas.
Arjun discusses how to improve mentoring and practical auto-mentoring. He gives specific examples about learning how to peer-review papers.
He recommends a narrative-based approach to science communication so that you can leave the audience with a feeling of wonder
He is inspired by Star Wars storytelling as a science communicator
He says it's important to go through a period of really paying attention to the small details
Arjun argues that scientists have become overburdened and that increasing scope creep creates a lot of pressure