Working Scientist Podcast
1) Women in science are not a ‘problem to be fixed’
In the first episode of a podcast series focused on six books about the scientific workplace, Cordelia Fine tells Holly Newson why she wrote Patriarchy, Inc: What we Get Wrong About Gender Equality an...Show More
2) Why an industry career move is a taboo topic in academia
In his role as research director at NielsenIQ, a consumer intelligence company based in London, Josh Balsters helps global brands drive product innovation.Balsters ...Show More
3) Academia’s parent trap: the struggles faced by researcher mothers
Alison Behie was approaching 40 when she underwent multiple rounds of IVF, enduring the mental and physical turmoil of miscarriage and uncertainty along the way. How good is the ac...Show More
4) When a colleague dies: exploring academia's "death-denying culture"
In the sixth episode of Off Limits, a podcast series exploring topics that are often perceived as taboo in the academic workplace, three researchers describe their personal experiences of loss and how...Show More
5) ‘We need to dismantle the stigma of alcohol dependence in academia’
Wendy Dossett tells Adam Levy why the stigma of having an alcohol dependence in academia can be a huge barrier to seeking help. “We’re supposed to be the brightest and th...Show More
6) Can academia handle my religious faith?
Elaine Howard Ecklund, a sociologist who studies attitudes towards religion in academic workplaces, says that scientists often feel they cannot be open about their faith at work. In the fourth e...Show More
7) ‘Bodies like ours aren’t considered in academia’
Theo Newbold featured in a 2022 careers article about sizeism in science which discussed some accommodations that could make a difference in the workplace. Some follow-up comments on the dis...Show More
8) Campus protests and civil disobedience: does academia have a problem with activism?
In May 2024, Uli Beisel signed what she thought was a fairly innocuous petition. But it led to her face being printed in a national tabloid. This was after student demonstrators at the Free University...Show More
9) 'Coming out as a transgender scientist made me the best teacher I’ve ever been'
In 1997 Shannon Bros came out as a transgender woman to students and colleagues. “When I transitioned, everything stopped,” says Bros of her research career. “I had a huge friend b...Show More
10) The problem with career planning in science
In June this year developmental biologist Ottoline Leyser stepped down as chief executive of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the country’s national research funding agency. In the final episode of ...Show More