BioPOD is the official podcast of the School of Biological Sciences, produced and presented by enthusiastic student volunteers. Image Latest Episodes Primate Evolution with Dr Katerina Guschanski In this first episode of a two-parter with Dr Katerina Guschanski, Neelakshi Varma finds out about the intricacies and quirks of primate evolution, specifically around guenon monkeys. We also learn about how Katerina accidentally found her way to working with primates, the difficulties and exciting aspects of field work in Madagascar and why you can’t really define a species. Katerine Guschanski on Research Explorer Listen now Science communication and education with Andrea Paterlini In this episode Anna and Andrea Paterlini talks about the approach to education of genetics and his experience developing a course for 2nd year bachelor students. They discuss diversity and inclusion in science and what remains to be done to be scientifically accurate when it comes to these sensitive topics in education as well as everyday life. Andrea also mentions what he and other scientists did to address the statements of the secretary of state for science. Open Letter to the Government about EDI in Science We've also linked the website for the author that Andrea mentioned, Adam Rutherford, below. Adam Rutherford's website Listen now Let’s chat, meet Prof. Thorunn Helgason, new head of Biology School at the University of Edinburgh November 6th, 2023 In this episode, Haomiao chats with Professor Thorunn Helgason, the head of the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. It’s been a year since Thorunn started her post here in August 2022, let’s meet her and hear how she sees the past academic year in the School, and how she expects the future to happen. And, have you also wondered what was Edinburgh Uni like years ago? Well, Thorunn doesn’t just see the University thriving today, she also witnessed the changes happening since she first stepped into the University as a student. We also asked her advice for students and young professionals. So why not grab a tea and sit down with us to talk about the past, present and future, about our School and yourself? Listen now Dr. Sandy Hetherington: Plant fossils and the story they tell October 4th, 2023 In this episode Neelakshi talks to Dr. Sandy Hetherington about the work in plant paleobotany and evolution. They discuss what plant fossils are, how and where they are formed and what they can tell us about plant history today. Sandy focuses on plant root evolution as part of his research and introduces one of the best-preserved plant fossil deposits here in Scotland, called Rhynie chert. Listen now Circadian Rhythms of Algae with Dr Gerben van Ooijen May 30th, 2023 Why do you think you are awake right now? You might be aware that your circadian rhythm determines your sleep cycle. But how does your body keep time? Can a cell have a clock? And how can this system survive perturbations? Gerben van Ooijen and his lab work on finding out some of the cellular mechanisms that are behind the ability of an organism to keep time. They study modified algae that give off light during some phases of the circadian clock, to shine some light on the particularities of time-regulated genes. Listen now Green Bioactives: A biomanufacturing spin-out company with Professor Gary Loake May 6th, 2023 In this episode, Apple Chew chats to Gary Loake, a Professor at the Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. His group researches the immune responses of plants. Gary is also the founder and chief scientific officer of the biotech startup Green Bioactives. Since plants can produce immune-related products with sometimes useful properties and up to 25% of pharmaceuticals trace back to plant natural products, his company develops a biomanufacturing platform to efficiently churn out valuable products. Green Bioactives Listen now Campus Conservation with Dr Sophie Haupt April 1st, 2023 Where do plant scientists get their plant materials from? How do you best grow a new species? In this episode, Haomiao sits down with Dr Sophie Haupt, the manager of the plant growth facility at the University of Edinburgh. As part of the facility team, she supports research and teaching projects by growing all kind of plants in grow domes, glass houses, and of course outside. Sophie is also working on a conservation project on campus, to provide a safe and biodiverse habitat for native wildlife such as hedgehogs to return to campus. As part of this project, they have even planted some berry bushes and have started a little vegetable garden. Listen now PhD Advice from the New Director of Grad School March 4th, 2023 In this episode, Liz Gaberdiel chats to Gerben van Ooijen, postgraduate advisor and Director of the Graduate School at the University of Edinburgh. They discuss the role of postgraduate advisors and how they can help during PhD studies. We hear what situations postgraduate advisors can help with and Gerben gives us some vital advice on how to maintain a productive, healthy and enjoyable PhD journey. They also discuss his work as the Director of the Graduate Schoo and illustrate the key role he plays in maintaining the high standards of Edinburgh's PhD programmes. Listen now PhD Advice from Postgrad administrators Karen Woodcock and Mairead Rae January 31st, 2023 In this episode Liz Gaberdiel interviews Karen Woodcock and Mairead Rae, the Postgraduate Programme Administrators of ICB, IQB3 and IEB, IIIR, IMPS, respectively, in the School of Biological Science at the University of Edinburgh. They share their experiences working with postgraduate students, what insights they accumulated from that work and share top tips on a successful PhD. They also introduce a wide range of support they can provide and share useful resources for a successful PhD. Institue of Academic Development Get in touch with Karen or Mairead by email: karen.woodcock@ed.ac.uk mairead.rae@ed.ac.uk You can also drop by their office at Mary Brück Building: from Monday-Thursday and alternate Fridays (at the time of the recording, restrictions on in person meetings were in place). Listen now Older Episodes Trash to Treasure with Dr Stephen Wallace December, 2022 Fossil fuels are used everywhere, in our clothing, our medicine, and even our cooking. Wouldn’t it be great if we could use another source to synthesise these necessary molecules. Maybe something that’s very abundant and unwanted, such as waste streams from other processes? In this episode, we’re diving into how microorganisms could be useful in synthesising biomaterials. Even better, they can be used to clean up waste products and turn them into something useful. Severina Pociunaite sits down with Dr Stephen Wallace to discuss his work and his goals for a sustainable future. Research mentioned by Stephen in the episode And keep an eye out for his TED Talk from this year’s TEDxVienna. Listen now The Origins of Antimicrobial Resistance with Dr Brian Wee November 30th, 2022 Right on the heels of the 2022 World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, this episode covers a broad overview of the key topics associated with antimicrobial resistance. Rose Doyle from BioPOD teamed up with Carys Redman-White from the new Edinburgh antimicrobial resistance podcast EdiAMR to chat to Dr Brian Wee about his work. We hear his thoughts on the best tools and tactics to combat the rise of antibiotic resistance as well as a deep dive into one decade-long research project about the spread of antibiotic resistance in Kenya. Rose Doyle Carys Redman-White Dr Brian Wee If you want to learn more about Brian’s work on whole genome sequencing across Nairobi, check out his paper: Population genomics of Escherichia coli in livestock-keeping households across a rapidly developing urban landscape This episode is a collaboration between BioPOD and the University of Edinburgh's new antimicrobial resistance podcast, EdiAMR. If you’re interested to find out more about AMR, follow @EdiAMR on twitter for updates! Listen now iGEM2022 Petalution - How to clean our water using synthetic biology October 11th, 2022 In this very special episode, we hear from Dev, Charity, and Diana, who are part of a team competing in this years’ iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) competition. Students from the University of Edinburgh and from the University of Health and Allied Services in Ghana joined forces to develop synthetic biology projects to solve local problems. The local problem they want to tackle? Heavy metal and plastic pollution in water bodies. Detecting pollution in rural areas can be difficult, so the team was working on a cell-free biosensor that can detect a variety of dangerous metals. To then remediate the problem, they designed a cellulose hydrogel to “mop-up” contaminants in water. Additionally, they address plastic pollution by investigating an enzyme cocktail for biodegradation of PET plastic. We also hear about what they learned during the competition and how they enjoyed being part of an international collaboration. iGEM wiki IDEC Listen now Beetlejuices – How beetles take care of their offspring September 27th, 2022 In this episode, Chris Donohoe (@dono_heptane) chats with PhD students Casey Patmore (@paseycatmore) and Georgia Lambert (@GALambert3) about the fascinating world of the behavioural ecology of burying beetles. They discuss how to "keep calm and carrion" when researching beetles, who need carrion to raise their progeny. What factors affect their parenting behaviour and what can it teach us about the complex responses of insects to effectively care for their offspring? Listen now Academia through time August 30th, 2022 In this unique episode, Hend (@Hypatia_EG) and Julie (@grossesommer) chat with scientists at different career stages and backgrounds about changes that have been happening in Academia over the years. We hear from Prof. Jim Kaufman and Dr Nisha Philip of the Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, and Prof. Loeske Kruuk (@LoeskeKruuk), and Dr Helen Alexander (@HelenKAlexander) of the Institute of Ecology and Evolution. How was Academia when these scientists began their careers and how have their lived experiences shaped who they are now as academics? What are their thoughts on the “two-body problem” in Academia? What advice can they give to academics who are also trying to carve their own scientific careers? We hear about their answers to these questions and more. Although the qualities of being a scientist are still the same, the world of Academia has changed. Things like collaboration has become more prominent. Working with colleagues across the world has become easier with technology. Awareness for mental health and work environments has also been given considerable focus. On the negative side, the biggest challenges for current academics are job and financial security. Diversity in available careers should be highlighted: not everyone wishes to be a Principal Investigator so training for these alternate career paths should be highlighted. Listen now Loeske Kruuk Spore Wars - Microbial biotechnology in space July 27th, 2022 In this episode, Rose Doyle (@RoseDoyle_) talks to Dr Rosa Santomartino (@RosaBiorosa) of the UK Centre for Astrobiology (@UKAstrobiology) about her research that’s “out of this world”. Rosa talks about her journey to become an astrobiologist, specifically Astromicrobiology: the study of microorganisms and their behaviour in an extra-terrestrial environment. We hear about her work on sending microbes to space to mine precious metals from asteroids. She then discusses the potential—and current limitations—of sending microbes to space. Listen now Biology Without the Wells with Dr Nadanai Laohakunakorn June 28th, 2022 In this episode, Louis and Liz chat to Dr Nadanai Laohakunakorn about his journey from a background in physics to now leading a group in synthetic biology. He describes how he adapted his thinking when he changed disciplines, interdisciplinary culture shocks, and how different sciences are taught. We then hear about his current research on building cell-free systems – building a functional cell from the ground up – and how this can be used to synthesise proteins. How are these systems built, how can they be optimised and how can they be used in manufacturing? Can we eventually make individualised drugs on a bench? Tune in to hear more! Dr Nadanai Laohakunakorn Louis Liz Art by Louis, intro and editing by Hend and Severina. Hend Severina Listen now Cell differentiation: When DNA met Sall4 with Raphael Pantier and Kashyap Chhatbar June 12th, 2022 Have you ever wondered what neglected regions of the genome do? In this episode we hear about the search for AT rich region binding proteins. Jack Suitor talks to Raphael Pantier and Kashyap Chhatbar from the Bird lab at the University of Edinburgh about their work on the DNA binding protein Sall4. They discover that Sall4 binds to AT rich regions which affects large scale gene expressions and enables differentiation. Jack Suitor Raphael Pantier Kashyap Chhatbar Sall4 could help time cellular differentiation as part of embryonic development and is therefore implicated in developmental disease. By getting more insight into proteins that bind AT rich regions we could learn more about the cause of some diseases. Art by Chris Donohoe, intro and editing by Apple Chew. Chris Donohoe Apple Chew Listen now Psychoacoustic explorers: turning proteins into sounds with Edward Martin May 31st, 2022 In this episode, Rose Doyle (@RoseDoyle_) talks to BioPOD alumnus and PhD student Eddie Martin (@Sonifyed). They discuss different ways of visualising protein structures and how sound can help us get more information from protein sequences. In his research, he turns a protein sequence into a short melody. From this melody, it is then possible to “hear out” some distinct features of the protein. Eddie also explains the intricacies of sound design and how to best convey the variations between different amino acids. Link to the paper Listen now PhD Advice from recent PhD grad Dr Lizzie Wadsworth April 26th, 2022 In the second episode of our PhD advice series, Liz (@LizGaberdiel) talks to Dr Lizzie Wadsworth (@LizzieWadz), who recently finished her PhD at the University of Edinburgh. Looking back on her experience she gives very valuable advice to new and current PhD students about how to address common struggles with a graduate degree. She shares with us how she got started with her PhD, tips on how to have a good relationship with your supervisor, and strategies to deal with mental health issues. We also get to hear about her current work as a teaching fellow and discuss some less well-known career paths in academia. Listen now COP26 Debrief: Food Security with Dr Annis Richardson March 29th, 2022 In the second episode of our COP26, Chris (@donohoho) chats to Dr Annis Richardson (@Dr_AnnisR) about her research on food security. With climate change causing extreme weather, crop growth is getting increasingly difficult, so of course food security is a major topic of research. Annis Richardson works closely with the agricultural department on understanding how plants grow and how much food the plant then produces, so that we can more effectively feed the world. Listen now Looking Back on COP26: Sustainable Biotechnology with Professor Louise Horsfall March 15th, 2022 In this episode of our COP26 series, Chris (@donohohoho) talks to Prof. Louise Horsfall (@lehorsfall), Chair of Sustainable Biotechnology at the University of Edinburgh, about her experience attending COP26 in Glasgow. We get to hear about her experience as a scientist hearing the sometimes conflicting ideas of politicians and companies. Prof. Horsfall also talks about how her lab uses engineered microbes to recycle metals from battery waste. Listen now PhD Advice from Dr Harriet Harris, the University Chaplain February 25th, 2022 In the first episode of our PhD Advice series, Liz (@lizgaberdiel) talks to Rev. Dr. Harriet Harris, the University of Edinburgh Chaplain, about how PhD students can look after themselves through practicing mindfulness with everyday tasks, and overall building healthy habits. We get to learn about services being offered by the Chaplaincy to help support PhD students who may be struggling with mental health, as well as those who wish to find a community. Resources mentioned: Taming your inner critic and Imposter Syndrome ‘The Joy and Vitality of Not Knowing’, episode of the Chapliancy's podcast series. The Chaplaincy of Joyful Abandon Podcast Series Listen now Living the PhD life February 2nd, 2022 In this extra special episode, 5 different PhD students at different stages of their career discuss their own unique PhD journey. We hear from the recent graduate Miguel Cueva about how his career plans changed during the highs and lows of his experience. Rist Van de Weyer discusses how he dealt with getting scooped – and how he experienced fatherhood at the same time. Joan Cortada García moved with his supervisor from Glasgow to Edinburgh in the midst of his second year and talks about the impact this had on his research. We hear from Lindsay Williams what it was like to have children during her PhD and how working part-time has helped her with that. Finally, Liz Gaberdiel discusses the benefits and difficulties of moving to a new discipline when starting her PhD. Miguel Cueva Rist Van de Weyer Joan Cortada García Lindsay Williams Liz Gaberdiel Listen now Find BioPOD across different platforms You can find BioPOD wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify Podcasts BioPOD Contact details Social media: Twitter Social media: Facebook Email: biopod@ed.ac.uk Meet the team Find out more about the BioPOD team. Download archive Missed a show? You can download past episodes from the archive. This article was published on 2024-06-17
