I’m a huge fan of podcasts. I listen to them constantly while I’m imaging in the lab or doing a bunch of data processing. It keeps my mind stimulated, passively taking in new information (school related or not). I still listen to a lot of music, but whenever I’m walking, running, doing some less mind-intensive work, I’m make it a point to listen to podcasts. There’s a lot to be had from a good podcast. From news and politics, to sports and money, you can find a podcast for pretty much anything. Plus with the recent boom in the podcast industry, there’s more options now than ever before.
I thought it might be helpful to post some of the podcasts I actively listen to, in hopes that it might offer some helpful insight for you. I’m listing these in no particular order.
- People Behind the Science w/ Dr. Marie McNeely
This one is great. Dr. McNeely sits down with top researchers all over the world to discuss their scientific careers, the roads they took to get there (highs and serious lows) as well as some perspective on different career avenues that you can take with a Ph.D. These are great podcasts, especially for those interested in pursuing an academic career. Episodes published weekly. - Disruptive
This podcast is put out by the Wyss institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University. They interview Wyss faculty to discuss cutting edge research and what the future has in store for the discoveries being made today. It’s an awesome podcast, but very infrequent, which is upsetting. Nonetheless, it’s a great one to check out. - Nature Podcast
The folks at Nature Publishing Group have a podcast where they discuss some of the big publications and world science news. It’s a decent podcast. They do have a pretty noticable political leaning, but it you don’t mind / see past that, it’s a pretty good show. They have several episodes a week. - Science Magazine Podcast
Similar to the Nature Podcast. Less political than Nature, but certainly one worth checking out. Published weekly - Hello Ph.D
A couple of early-career scientists sit and discuss the hurdles and roller-coasters involved in conducting academic research to earn a graduate degree. They have a pretty good outlook on the whole process and offer some great insight and useful tips on surviving graduate school. Definitely worth listening to. New episodes weekly. - Ph.D. Trekkers
This is a newer podcast put on by a couple of graduate students, one from Cornell and the other at MIT. They’re trying to give a window into the life of a graduate student, offer some tips on surviving grad school and ways that they manage their time, stress, and perserverence. They also try to talk about some sociopolitical discourse as it relates to science in modern politics. Overall, I’m a fan of this newly emerging podcast. I recommend giving it a shot. - NPR Hidden Brain
Shankar Vedante dives into some deeper psychological and sociological topics in an attempt to provide insight into how the human brain functions in lay terms. He does a great job, and is an awesome story teller. I highly recommend the listen. - Brain Science with Ginger Campbell, Ph.D.
Not going to lie, still new to this one. Do not have a ton to say about it yet. But I will have an update once I’ve gotten into it some more.
That’s all I have so far. I’ll keep updating as I listen and find more stuff worth sharing.
Do you have any good science/academic podcasts that didn’t make this list? Let me know in the comments or with a tweet.
