Explore every episode of the podcast The Microscopists

Steve Altschuler and Lani Wu are Professors in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of California, San Francisco.

In this episode of The Microscopists, Peter O’Toole talks to Steve Altschuler and Lani Wu—two mathematicians who leapt from Princeton and Microsoft into systems biology, high-dimensional data, and cell imaging.

They share the (brutal) grad-school mailroom origin story of their partnership, how video compression work at Microsoft shaped their thinking, and the risky jump into biology from Rosetta to Harvard, during the early days of systems biology.

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In this episode of The Microscopists, Uri Manor, Assistant Professor of UCSD, opens up about growing up with profound hearing loss and how, despite wanting nothing to do with becoming a scientist, a winding path through baseball, music, and restaurant work eventually led him back to physics and then biology.

He reflects on how those early challenges shaped his confidence, communication, and resilience as he navigated graduate school, personal hardship, and the unpredictable reality of academic funding.

Now at UCSD, he's expanding access to science by teaching immersive, hands-on microscopy workshops to community college students.

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In this episode of The Microscopists, Peter O’Toole sits down with Leonel Malacrida of Universidad de la República & Institut Pasteur Montevideo, Uruguay.

Leonel reflects on his early ambition of becoming a veterinarian, the twists and turns that led him into the world of microscopy, and the unique challenges and opportunities of doing science in Latin America. He also shares how biking and staying active helps him remain balanced and connected beyond the lab.

This conversation offers a candid look at Leonel’s career journey, his scientific passions, and the personal habits that keep him grounded.

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In this episode of The Microscopists, Peter O’Toole sits down with Dr. Elisa May, Chief Enabling Technology Officer at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), one of the largest and most influential research hubs in the world.

Hear her fascinating journey from her early days as a facility leader to pioneering the establishment of German BioImaging and now overseeing a cutting-edge network of 13 core technology facilities!

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In this episode of The Microscopists, Peter O’Toole sits down with Kelly Rogers, Head of the Division of Advanced Technology and Biology at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) in Melbourne.

Kelly reflects on her childhood ambition of becoming a forester, the surprising twist that steered her toward science, and her first encounter with confocal microscopy during her PhD in Hong Kong; a moment that sparked her passion for imaging. She shares stories from her time in Paris with Spencer Shorte’s lab, before returning to Australia to establish a central microscopy facility at WEHI.

Along the way, Kelly discusses the challenges of balancing research, facility management, and staff development, while ensuring her team has opportunities to grow and contribute at the leading edge of microscopy.

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We're thrilled to bring you this episode of The Microscopists with an absolute force in accessible science and microscopy innovation—Manu Prakash of Stanford University.

Manu shares the origin of the now-legendary $1 paper microscope, the Foldscope.

He also discusses the importance of making science hands-on and accessible, his passion for fieldwork, and explains why he has barnacles growing in his bathroom!

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In this special episode of The Microscopists, we're joined by three passionate voices who share their personal experiences with perimenopause and menopause.

They share personal stories of navigating the significant—yet often invisible—changes to their bodies and mental wellbeing, and discuss how these impacted their careers and daily lives.

By opening up about the symptoms, and how long it took to recognize what was happening, they hope to help others spot the signs of perimenopause and feel empowered to seek the support they need.

With:

• Georgina Fletcher, Project Officer, BioImagingUK, and Euro-BioImaging Node Manager, the Royal Microscopical Society
• Maxine Holder, Principal Laboratory Research Scientist, The Francis Crick Institute
• Celine Bouchoux, Principal Laboratory Research Scientist, The Francis Crick Institute

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#Menopause #Perimenopause #Podcast

This time on The Microscopists, we're joined by Christophe Leterrier, team leader at NeuroCyto in Marseille and director of a Nikon Center of Excellence for super-resolution microscopy.

Christophe reflects on the make-or-break moment at the end of his postdoc, when he came close to leaving academia before securing his CNRS position, and how that experience now shapes the way he mentors others.

He also shares his thoughts on how preprints and bioRxiv have transformed the pace and openness of publishing, and what challenges remain as the system continues to evolve.

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We're thrilled to bring you the latest episode of The Microscopists, this time featuring Robert Haase, Lecturer and Training Coordinator at Leipzig University.

In this episode, Robert chats about the challenges of creating AI-relevant courses for bioimage analysis—a field that evolves at lightning speed.

He also gives his insights into the impact AI is having on bioimaging, something he has a unique perspective on as a programmer-turned-biologist.

Plus,he shares how many hours (or should that be days) he has spent playing Grand Theft Auto.

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This time on The Microscopists, we're thrilled to have Maddy Parsons, Professor of Cell Biology and Director of the Nikon Imaging Centre at King's College London, as our special guest.

Maddy reflects on the dynamic nature of bioimaging in the UK and the importance of creating supportive imaging communities, which she believes generates impact.

She also chats about her passions outside of work, including big mountain adventures, her love of animals, and architecture.

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#84 — Louise Cole is MIF Director and Associate Professor of the Australian Institute for Microbiology and Infection at the University of Technology Sydney. In this episode of The Microscopists, Louise joins Peter O’Toole to discuss trashy TV, travel, and microscopy-themed bake-offs. She also shares her experience of hitting the glass ceiling, how it affected her, and what she did about it.

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#83 — Anna Schueth is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences at Maastricht University.

In this episode of The Microscopists, Anna joins Peter O'Toole to discuss starting her academic group despite personal and financial setbacks.

They chat about championing women in STEM, how she expresses herself with cool tattoos, and finding a path through serious mental health challenges by taking up running.

Plus, Anna opens up about some of the stigma women can experience surrounding marriage and pregnancy and shares how she turns it into a positive by channeling them into her academic research and outreach initiatives.

To learn more about Anna and her mental health advocacy, check out her blog.

If you're struggling with your own mental health, visit Dragonfly Mental Health for helpful information and advice.

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#82 — In this special episode, our host, Peter O'Toole, and a panel of guests discuss mental health and its impact by sharing their struggles and victories.

Beth Cimini opens up about her struggle with guilt and making peace with seeking help, even turning to medication to be the best version of herself

Kedar Narayan shares his battle with depression stemming from childhood pressures and academic competition.

And Jason Rodgers talks about the importance of seeking help, finding motivation, and overcoming the societal stigma of mental health.

With:

• Beth Cimini, Senior Group Leader at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
• Kedar Narayan, Group Leader at the Center for Molecular Microscopy
• Jason Rodgers, Producer and Audio Production Specialist at Bitesize Bio

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#81 — Ilaria Testa is an Associate Professor in the Science for Life Laboratory at Karolinska Institutet Science Park. In this episode of The Microscopists, Ilaria joins Peter O'Toole for a candid chat about the challenges and triumphs of grant writing and balancing family life with groundbreaking science.

She also talks about her love for Magritte's paintings because they challenge our perceptions and her lab's award-winning cake shaped like a neuron.

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#80 — Ammasi Periasamy is a Professor and Director of Keck Center for Cellular Imaging at the University of Virginia.

In this episode of The Microscopists, Ammasi joins Peter O’Toole to discuss pioneering metabolic imaging techniques and growing up in a small farming village. They also chat about Ammasi's transition from India to the US, the foundations of the Keck Center, cooking, and cheering on the Lakers.

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#79 — Michael Dustin is a Kennedy Trust Professor of Molecular Immunology and Director of Research at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology at the University of Oxford. In this episode of The Microscopists, Michael joins Peter O’Toole to discuss how changing the way you pitch grant applications influences how well they are received and how antibodies got their naming convention. They also chat about patent funding and networking through social media.

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#78 — Erin Tranfield is Head of the VIB Bioimaging Core, Ghent. In this episode of The Microscopists, Erin joins Peter O’Toole to discuss her inspirational contribution to microscopy despite enormous personal challenges. She also chats about her time at NASA, her mum's career advice, the exotic countries she has worked in, and lunar dust.

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#77 — Kelly Vere is the University Director of Technical Strategy at the University of Nottingham. In this episode of The Microscopists, Kelly joins Peter O’Toole to discuss funding her degree by working as a Junior Medical Technician with no science A Levels. They also chat about the amazing work Kelly has done to champion the work of technicians in education and get their contributions internationally recognized.

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#75 — In this episode, Peter O'Toole hosts an entertaining panel discussion with former members of his lab group who have gone on to pursue non-academic science careers. His guests are:

• Lotta Katriina Räty, Senior Marketing Manager at Miltenyi Biotec.
• Rakesh Suman, Innovation Development Officer at the University of Leeds.
• Richard Kasprowicz, Investigator and GSK Associate Fellow at GlaxoSmithKline Pharma GmbH.

The panel shares their motivations for choosing their respective career paths and highlights of their respective jobs.

Richard explains how working in pharmaceuticals can bring you closer to the translational impact of research and lets you see positive outcomes for patients.

Rakesh describes some of the weird and wacky ideas that can come out of Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, such as creating an entire artificial egg!

And Lotta dispels some of the stereotypes and myths that exist about scientists without PhDs and shows you can have a successful and influential science career without one.

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#Careers #Science #Podcast

#75 — Graham Wright is the Director of the Research Support Centre at A*STAR Agency for Science, Technology and Research. In this episode of The Microscopists, Graham joins Peter O’Toole to discuss his motives for switching from research to running a core facility. They also chat about his exciting move from the UK to Singapore and how he manages his hobbies and family between the two countries.

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#74 — Julia Fernandez-Rodriguez is the Head of the Centre for Cellular Imaging Core Facility, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and President of the Core Technologies for Life Sciences (CTLS) Association. In this episode of The Microscopists, Julia joins Peter O’Toole to discuss the role of the CTLS. They also chat about why you shouldn't let the doubters get in the way of how you want to work, wild science parties, and seafood.

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#73 — John Eriksson is the Director General of Euro-BioImaging. In this episode of The Microscopists, John joins Peter O’Toole to discuss how he fell in love with microscopy and shares some beautiful images from his early career. They also chat about his favorite cities, his liter of tea in the mornings, and Finnish hamburgers.

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#72 — Paul Verkade is a Professor of Bioimaging in the School of Biochemistry at the University of Bristol. In this episode of The Microscopists, Paul joins Peter O’Toole to discuss his inspirations and involvement in developing correlative light and electron micropy (CLEM). He also chats about co-establishing the Wolfson Bioimaging Facility and his favorite Christmas movies.

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#71 — Timo Zimmermann is Team Leader in Light and Microscopy Service and Development at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Imaging Centre. In this episode of The Microscopists, Timo joins Peter O’Toole to discuss how the microscopy courses they have attended changed their career paths. They also chat about Timo's stunning recent 3D renderings using data he collected in 1996 and how Star Trek helped him learn a second language.

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#70 — In this special panel discussion, Peter O'Toole is joined by members of the Network of European Bioimage Analysts (NEUBIAS), including:

• Elnaz Fazeli, Imaging Specialist in the Department of Anatomy at the University of Helsinki.
• Kota Miura, freelance image analyst and Vice Chair of NEUBIAS.
• Robert Haase, Group Leader in Bio-image Analysis Technology Development in the DFG Cluster of Excellence "Physics of Life" at TU Dresden.

In this episode of The Microscopists, the panel discusses how hard it is to establish a funding model for bioimage analysis core facilities—and why you need to be a bit weird (and very optimistic) to do it as a freelancer! They also chat about how much work can go into writing 20 lines of imaging code, hushpuppies, and beers named after dogs.

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#69 — In this special technology focus episode, Peter O'Toole is joined by experts in Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS), including:

• Thorsten Wohland, Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the National University of Singapore.
• Annette Bergter, Marketing Manager, Business Sector Life Sciences at ZEISS Research Microscopy Solutions.
• Chris MacDonald, Researcher and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Biology at the University of York.

In this episode of The Microscopists, the panel discusses why FCS data is so rich and illustrates how challenges of developing technology and instruments to make FCS more accessible are being overcome. They also compete for the best analogy—featuring car noises, living room furniture, and much more!

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#68 — Beth Cimini is a Senior Group Leader at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. In this episode of The Microscopists, Beth joins Peter O’Toole to discuss the challenges of developing popular software tools like CellProfiler in academia and why harsh peer review leads to user-friendly software.

They also chat about why someone on Twitter got mad when Beth shared a picture of pasta.

Discover the research carried out by the Cimini Group: https://www.broadinstitute.org/bios/beth-cimini

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#67 — In this special episode, Peter O'Toole is joined by Executive Board Members of BioImaging North America (BINA), including:

• Alison North, Research Associate Professor and Senior Director at The Rockefeller University.
• Claire Brown, Associate Professor & Director, Advanced BioImaging Facility at McGill University.
• Nikki Bialy, BINA Program Coordinator at the Morgridge Institute for Research.

In this episode of The Microscopists, the panel discusses the origins of BINA, why it's beneficial to have inclusive and diverse technique-based communities and the challenges, ideas, and future prospects for BINA.

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#66 — In this special episode, Peter O'Toole is joined by researchers from the Latin American community, including:

• Andres Kamaid, Researcher at the Institut Pasteur de Montevideo.
• Leonel Malacrida, Associate Professor and Head of the Advanced Bioimaging Unit at the Universidad de la República & Institut Pasteur de Montevideo.
• Mariana De Niz, Research Assistant Professor and Manager of the Nikon Imaging Center at Northwestern University.

In this episode of The Microscopists, the panel discusses aspects of international cooperation to grow scientific initiatives and opportunities and nurture talent across Latin America.

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#65 — Ronald Germain, M.D. is a Distinguished Investigator and Lab Chief of the Lymphocyte Biology Section at the National Institutes of Health. In this episode of The Microscopists, Ron joins Peter O’Toole to discuss why you need to think like a surfer in science. They also chat about what he does to entertain himself when he gets bored in meetings and why he let go of being a control freak.

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#64 — Jean-Yves Tinevez is a Research Engineer at Institut Pasteur. In this episode of The Microscopists, Jean-Yves joins Peter O’Toole to discuss why he finds supporting other researchers at a core imaging facility so rewarding. They also chat about storing his extensive collection of comic books in his Parisian apartment and some favorite countries to work in.

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#63 — Kedar Narayan (Frederick National Laboratory and National Cancer Institute) joins Peter O’Toole to discuss how he originally wanted to be a designer and never took high school biology because he thought it was icky. They also dive into why developing technologies is demanding and the potential downsides to AI in science.

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#62 — Lucy Collinson (The Francis Crick Institute) and Kirk Czymmek (The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center) join Peter O’Toole to discuss volume EM. Together they highlight what volume EM is, how it has been a quiet revolution, and share resources to help those wanting to get started using this powerful new technology.

They discuss how amazingly friendly and engaged the volume EM community is, how you can get involved, and the dangers of saying web addresses too quickly.

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#61 — Joachim Frank is a Professor of Biological Sciences at Columbia University and winner of the 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his involvement in the development of CryoEM. In this episode of The Microscopists, Joachim joins Peter O’Toole to discuss how his early interactions with an electron microscope shaped his career and how he considered moving into environmental research. They also chat about Joachim's passion for writing literary fiction.

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#60 — In this episode of The Microscopists, Peter O'Toole is joined by three representatives of bioimaging networks in Africa: Caron Jacobs of the African BioImaging Consortium (ABIC), Ben Loos of the South African BioImaging Community (SABI) and Mahmoud Maina of the Biomedical Science Research and Training Centre (BioRTC) at Yobe State University. They discuss how their communities operate, and what the challenges are for researchers using microscopy in Africa. We learn about equipment shortages and lack of local training, and we hear about researchers who keep the communities running on a volunteer basis.

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#59 — Aydogan Ozcan is Chancellor’s Professor and HHMI Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UCLA Samueli School of Engineering. Aydogan joins Peter to talk about how advances in imaging technology could make security screening less invasive, the importance of communicating science to the public, and why you need to take ownership of your research.

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#58 — Laura Waller is Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at UC Berkeley. In this episode of The Microscopists, Laura joins Peter O'Toole to talk about how she got interested in optics and engineering and what it's like to run a lab. She also talks about her unusual extreme reading hobby, which has seen her read scientific papers atop mountains, on an elephant, and in zero gravity!

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#57 — Michael Albiez is CEO of Carl Zeiss Research Microscopy Solutions. He chats to Peter O'Toole about how Zeiss Microscopy recently won the German Future Prize live on national TV, and he shares what it's like to connect with many different researchers who all use microscopy in their work. We also hear about his aspirations to become a teacher, and his musical experience playing in a jazz trio.

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#56 — Stefan Hell is Director at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences in Göttingen and at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg. In this episode of The Microscopists, Stefan tells Peter O'Toole about his quest to overcome the diffraction barrier, why he doesn't think of himself as a microscopist, and staying motivated after winning a Nobel Prize. They also chat about food, hiking in the hills, and spending time with family.

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#55 — Emma Lundberg is Associate Professor of Bioengineering at Stanford, Professor in Cell Biology Proteomics at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, and Head of the Subcellular Section of the Human Protein Atlas. Emma joins Peter O’Toole to talk about crowdsourcing image analysis for the Human Protein Atlas program within the EVE Online virtual game. We also hear how she manages research groups in two time zones and her love of skiing.

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#54 — Florian Jug is Research Group Leader and Head of the Image Analysis Facility at Human Technopole, Milan. Florian joins Peter O'Toole to discuss his research using AI and machine learning to better analyze and quantify biological data. They chat about his early ambitions in computer science, and he tells us why he enjoys teaching various courses across the globe. We also hear about his hobbies of running (sometimes over 24 hours!) and pottery.

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#53 — Christian Eggeling is Head of the Department of Biophysical Imaging at the Institute of Photonic Technologies (IPHT, Jena). In this episode of The Microscopists, Christian joins Peter O'Toole to discuss his varied career to date, starting with a degree in physics, a short stint in a biotech company, followed by faculty positions in Oxford and then Jena. They discuss the importance of scientific freedom and failures—and the impact that both Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic have had on science. We also hear about the challenges of balancing research with teaching—and his favorite movies—Pulp Fiction and the Big Lebowski!

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#52 — Wah Chiu is Wallenberg Bienenstock Professor, and Professor of Bioengineering, and Microbiology and Immunology at Stanford University. In this episode of the Microscopists, Wah chats with Peter O' Toole about his pioneering cryoEM work and his research goals of understanding the structural biology of organelles.

They also discuss careers in academia versus industry, the role of AI and alpha fold in structural biology, and speculate on the future of microscopy. On a lighter note, they chat about the importance of keeping fit, seeing family, and taking a break on holiday—and touch on being productive on plane journeys and city hopping across Europe.

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#51 — Antje Keppler is the Director of Euro-BioImaging Bio-Hub. In this episode of The Microscopists, Antje joins Peter O'Toole to discuss the recent explosion and expansion of techniques in microscopy and how Euro-BioImaging is helping researchers access these. They also chat about fishing in Scandinavia and her reaction after being told girls shouldn't learn chemistry!

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#50 — Michael Sheetz is the Robert A. Welch Distinguished University Chair in Chemistry at the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston. In this episode of the Microscopists, Michael joins Peter O'Toole to tell us about his new exciting work on cell senescence, and his time living in Singapore—and he gives us some great scientific advice.

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#49 — In this episode, we talk to Elisabeth Bik, former microbiome researcher turned scientific integrity consultant. Elisabeth spends her time searching biomedical literature for inappropriately manipulated photographic images and plagiarized text, and often discusses these on Twitter at @MicrobiomDigest.

Following her successful scientific career in the lab, a stolen sentence she authored led her to become a scientific sleuth—combing the literature for cases of misconduct from plagiarism to image manipulations. We also chat about how these cases of misconduct might be detected in future through the help of software—but that the human eye is still our best tool for doing this.

We chat about the cultural differences between the USA, where she is currently based, and The Netherlands where she is from originally—and how this may help her in her current work! We also hear about Elisabeth's love of gardening, and the issues of gardening in California.

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#48 — In this episode, we talk to David Piston, Professor and Head of Cell Biology and Physiology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis.

David's first love was physics—until he was made to take a quantum mechanics class in graduate school! He now has a super successful career in biology, using innovative imaging and biochemical methods to identify new therapeutic targets for diabetes. And he puts this partially down to being in the right place at the right time!

We hear about how he has successfully combined his love for travel and science by working at A*STAR in Singapore and teaching at the famous Woods Hole labs in Maine. We also discuss his hobbies of signing and sports—he's a big fan of the St Louis Cardinals!

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#47 — From an early start in the lab at just 14 years old, to running one of the largest neuroscience groups in the world, Ed Boyden is a Professor and group leader in the Departments of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT, and an HHMI investigator.
 
In this episode, we hear all about how despite his recent awards and huge success, he initially struggled to get a permanent role in academia, and how he believes you can help create your own luck in science.

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#46 — Stefan Terjung is operational manager at the Advanced Light Microscopy Facility in Heidelberg, one of the first microscopy core facilities established at the EMBL. We discuss new microscopy techniques, his favourite school subjects and guilty TV pleasures.

We also chat about the excellent networking opportunities conferences can provide, fun nights out and dreams of retiring by the sea.

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#45 — Eija Jokitalo is the Director of the Electron Microscopy Unit at the University of Helsinki, whose work focuses on understanding organelle structure during cell division. We chat about why she believes imaging is key to solving biological problems, alternative career pathways inside a core facility and her outreach work in schools.

We also hear about how she juggled a career in science with parenthood, the joy of model organisms and why she thinks bigger may not always be better in science!

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