Myeashea Alexander, Anthropologist and Science Communicator

In this episode, I speak with Rachel Kline, Program Associate for the Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Rachel entered college at MIT thinking she would be an astrophysicist, but when her physics classes didn’t resonate with her, she changed her major to neuroscience. After earning her bachelor’s, she went to graduate school in pharmacology at Boston University. After passing her Ph.D. qualifying exams, she realized that she didn’t want to pursue a career in pharmacology, so she got her master’s and left graduate school. She then worked a series of jobs in project management, and eventually realized that these positions became less fulfilling the further they were removed from science. As a result, she joined the American Association for the Advancement of Science, where in her current role she is excited to help facilitate communication between scientific and religious communities. We’ll talk about her educational and career journey, and of course find out about what her job is like.

In this episode, I speak with Vay Cao, Senior Marketing Manager for Natera, a molecular diagnostics company. Interested in science at an early age, Vay studied microbiology as an undergraduate at Penn State University, and then neuroscience as a graduate student at Brown University, where she earned her PhD. But her deeper interests lay more at the intersection of art and human behavior, and so although her first job was as a field application scientist, she soon transitioned into customer support, marketing, and sales. During this time she also earned an MBA from Quantic School of Business and Technology. Outside of work, Vay founded Free the PhD, which provides a variety of resources to graduate students, PhDs, and postdocs to help them find careers outside of academia. We’ll talk about all these experiences and of course find out about what her job is like.Resources:Free the PhD

In this episode, I speak with Melanie Peffer, the best-selling author of Biology Everywhere. Melanie earned both a BS and a PhD in molecular biology from the University of Pittsburgh, and was poised for a career doing academic research. While in graduate school, she began volunteering at a local zoo and became intrigued in how students learn scientific concepts, and this prompted her to switch fields for her postdoc to study educational psychology. She then landed a tenure-track research faculty position, but soon discovered that the job was not a good fit for her, and so she pivoted and became a teaching professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. Although she still holds a part time position at UC Boulder, her main focus now is using the Biology Everywhere philosophy to communicate science and scientific concepts to a variety of different audiences.

In this episode, I speak with Joseph Mocanu, Founder and Managing Director of Verge HealthTech Fund, a venture capital fund investing exclusively, and globally, in impactful healthcare technologies at the earliest stages. Joseph attended the University of Toronto both as an undergraduate and graduate student, earning a BSc in molecular genetics and molecular biology and a PhD in medical biophysics. During graduate school, he also served as Director of Research and Development for a medical device company he founded, and based on this experience he decided to attend business school. After earning his MBA, he served in various business-related roles in China, Canada, and Singapore, where he saw that start-up companies working to make healthcare more affordable and accessible were having difficulty securing funding. He founded Verge to address this need. We’ll talk about all these experiences and of course find out about what his job is like.

In this episode, I speak with Thomas Lentz, Scientific Instructional Designer at Promega Corporation, a supplier of reagents and instrumentation for life science research. Growing up, Thomas had a strong interest the natural world, and, while an undergraduate at Texas A&M, discovered that he really enjoyed molecular biology and virology. He continued following these interests while a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and assumed he would eventually do research as a university professor. However, as he learned more about the academic research path while a postdoctoral fellow, his focus shifted to teaching, which ultimately led to his current position in industry. We’ll talk about how his career journey unfolded and of course find out about what his job is like.

In this episode, I speak with Alexis Katsis, an infectious disease expert working freelance as a Relationship Manager. From an early age, Alexis wanted to be a scientist, and in college studied biology, earning a BS in biotechnology from Rutgers University. After working for two years, she decided to get a MS in public health microbiology to access jobs having a greater impact. Afterwards, she worked at the Centers for Disease Control, but again returned to school, this time to earn a PhD in microbiology and immunology so she could take on positions with greater responsibility. This led to jobs at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, where, among other things, she led teams investing in projects to improve child health, and to ensure the quality of laboratory data from clinical trials for HIV/AIDS and COVID19. She has recently begun working freelance to have more time to pursue creative endeavors, such as hosting a podcast called LuxeSci, which explores the science of luxury. We’ll hear about all these experiences and of course find out about what her job is like.

In this episode, I speak with Lauren Shields, Head of Solutions Delivery at Benchling, an R&D cloud software company headquartered in San Francisco. Growing up, Lauren always wanted to become a scientist and a professor. She majored in biology as an undergraduate at MIT, and went to graduate school at the University of California, San Francisco, where she earned a PhD in biomedical sciences. However, along the way she discovered that although she enjoyed the intellectual aspects of science, working in the lab did not resonate with her. Consequently, she began exploring career options outside of academia. We’ll talk about her experience making the transition to industry, and of course find out about what her job is like.

In this episode, I speak with Myeashea Alexander, The Rockstar Anthropologist. Anthropology and science communication and outreach have been long-term interests for Myeashea. In her role as The Rockstar Anthropologist, she writes a blog about science, culture, and anthropology; runs a mobile bone lab for schools and youth groups which provides a hands-on learning experience that includes forensic anthropology, archaeology, history, math, art, and culture; and produces a video series on YouTube called “Science and…” where she talks with scientists about their lives and hobbies. Myeashea holds an AA degree in anthropology, a BA in Culture and Media Studies from The New School in New York City, and a MA in biological anthropology from Hunter College, also in New York.Resources:The Rockstar Anthropologist"Science and..."Sneedle CreativeComSciCon

In this episode, I speak with Yamilée Toussaint Beach, Dance Technologist and Founder and CEO of STEM From Dance. Based in New York City, STEM From Dance gives underrepresented minority girls the awareness and preparation for a STEM education through the creative and confidence-building aspects of dance. Yamilée grew up on Long Island, and although she considered becoming a professional dancer after high school, she instead enrolled at MIT, where she earned a BS in mechanical engineering. Wanting to apply her knowledge in an educational setting, she joined the Teach For America program, and spent two years teaching high school algebra in an underserved community in Brooklyn. STEM From Dance was then born from her desire to combine her passions for STEM, education, and dance into a program that educates and excites girls of color about STEM. Learn more about STEM From DanceSTEM From Dance Summer Program (including virtual option) in New York, Atlanta, Houston, and other citiesSTEM From Dance is on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook@yamileebeach

In this episode, I speak with Ro’ee Gilron, Lead Scientist at Rune Labs in San Francisco. Growing up in Israel, Ro’ee was an avid reader of science fiction and popular science literature. After graduating high school and completing his compulsory military service, he attended Brandeis University, attractive due to its focus on liberal arts, and earned a BS in neuroscience. He then returned to Israel, where he received a PhD in cognitive neuroscience from Tel Aviv University, afterwards returning to the U.S. for a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco. After getting job offers from both academia and industry, Ro’ee opted for industry, and is now a Lead Scientist at Rune. We’ll talk about the value of internships and having a good mentor, what he learned in graduate school, why he chose a career in industry, and of course find out about what his job is like.