Professor Timothy Leighton: Conquering the Scientific "Valley of Death"

Professor David Marshall, from Oxford University, narrates his journey through his wealth of experiences and how they've shaped his research in physical oceanography. Starting from his favorite pastime of practicing the scales, chords and cadences, he transitions into his thoughts about the current state of oceanography and his hopes about the Theory of Everything. Enjoy! 

Scientific research is hard. In the “Valley of Death” where research ideas from the brightest scientists are made or broken, we must persevere and push our research to reality.  Professor Leighton talks about his lifelong journey from an orchestra player to a pioneering scientist of acoustic physics. He touches upon the necessity of a multidisciplinary and multi-talented approach to solving problems. It’s an interesting conversation for anyone who wants to learn more about the entrepreneurial nature of science.

Prof Cather Simpson talks about how she started off as a biologist seeking to understand the intricacies of haemoglobin and her current research on photonics. With a wide variety of applications, from making smartphones to vertical farming, photonics is definitely a fundamental field in the operation of today’s world.  If you’ve ever wanted to understand how to find the best ideas for scientific research, this is your chance to get inspired.

An interview with Professor Jon Gluyas about his current research on geothermal energy, the imminent helium crisis and scientific inspiration. Prof Gluyas is the Executive Director of the Durham Energy Institute at Durham University. From now on, I will deliberately arrange for accidents in all walks of life to happen, so I can engineer my own scientific innovation. An interesting listen for anyone who stares at the ground and wonders about what happens deep below. 

Professor Dave-Reay from the University of Edinburgh talked about his current research on greenhouse gas mitigation from integrated land-use farming techniques to climate-smart food to cut greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries. He describes the wonderful scenery and the never-ending journey of farmers who continually adapt their farming practices to deal with climate change. Prof Reay is currently the Executive Director of the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation. An interesting listen for anyone  who wishes to know more about how the synergy of crop-selection can reduce carbon footprint.

An interview with Professor Akin-Ojo about his current research on how he applies theoretical physics of quantum dot solar cells and superconductivity to help solve the energy crisis in Africa. He narrates a beautiful journey from exploring the fundamental laws of the universe as a child to preparing Africa’s next generation to continue solving their humanitarian problems. An interesting listen for anyone who wishes to know more about sustainable energy to solve power outages. Prof Akin-Ojo is a professor at the East African Institute for Fundamental Research.  

An interview with Professor Tim Palmer about his hopes on governmental response to climate change, the uncertainty of clouds in today's models and his current research on inexact computing -- a novel way of increasing efficiency and reducing computational requirements numerical models. He also talks about the culture surrounding scientists and public and political engagement, which leads us to the ultimate challenge of today: inequality.  Prof Palmer is a professor at Oxford University and a Royal Society Research Professor in Climate Physics.