854: Studying How Disruptions in Circadian Control of Cell Division May Cause Cancer - Dr. Carla Finkielstein
Release Date: 03/02/2026
862: Understanding How the Brain Battles Infection - Dr. Tajie Harris
People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers
Dr. Tajie Harris is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neuroscience in the School of Medicine at the University of Virginia. Tajie’s research is at the intersection of immunology, microbiology, and neuroscience. She’s interested in understanding how the immune system functions in the brain, particularly when someone is infected with a single-celled parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. When she’s not working, Tajie enjoys going for walks and spending time with her two rescue dogs. She is also a fan of traveling, cooking, and putting together jigsaw puzzles. She received her B.S....
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861: Engineering Novel Solutions for Data Storage and Energy Management in Electronics - Dr. Eric Pop
People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers
Dr. Eric Pop is an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering as well as Materials Science & Engineering at Stanford University. Research in Eric’s laboratory spans electronics, electrical engineering, physics, nanomaterials, and energy. They are interested in applying materials with nanoscale properties to engineer better electronics such as transistors, circuits, and data storage mechanisms. Eric is also investigating ways to better manage the heat that electronics generate. When he’s not working, Eric enjoys snowboarding up in the mountains of California. He also enjoys...
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860: Making a Mechatronic Tremor Suppression Glove for People with Parkinson’s Disease - Dr. Ana Luisa Trejos
People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers
Dr. Ana Luisa Trejos is an Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering as well as Biomedical Engineering at Western University in Canada. She is also an Associate Scientist at the Lawson Health Research Institute. Ana Luisa’s research combines mechanical, electrical, computer, and software engineering to develop smart machines that can perceive what is happening in the environment and react intelligently. In particular, she is designing wearable mechatronic technologies that can help people recover from mobility problems due to a musculoskeletal injury or a movement disorder...
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859: Modeling How Ecological and Evolutionary Processes Drive Adaptation in a Changing World - Dr. Lawrence Uricchio
People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers
Dr. Lawrence Uricchio is Assistant Professor and the Youniss Family Professor of Innovation in the Department of Biology at Tufts University. Research in Lawrence’s lab focuses on modeling how evolutionary and ecological processes work. They use a combination of experimental and observational approaches to generate data, and then they develop mathematical models to explain the observations they make in nature. Outside of work, Lawrence is a devoted family man who loves spending time with his nine-year-old son, often shuttling him between soccer practices and games. He also enjoys being...
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858: Studying New Cellular Mechanisms of Memory Involving Myelin - Dr. Douglas Fields
People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers
Dr. R. Douglas Fields is Chief of the Nervous System Development and Plasticity Section at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Adjunct Professor in the Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program at the University of Maryland, College Park. In addition, Doug is the author of numerous books and magazine articles about the brain, including the recently released book Electric Brain: How the New Science of Brainwaves Reads Minds, Tells Us How We Learn, and Helps Us Change for the Better. Doug studies how the brain develops and the mechanisms involved in changes to the brain’s structure...
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857: Mathematician and Communicator with an Eye for Modeling Cataract Development in Populations Over Time - Dr. Talithia Williams
People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers
Dr. Talithia Williams is an Associate Professor of Mathematics and Associate Dean for Research and Experiential Learning at Harvey Mudd College. In addition, Talithia is Host of the PBS Series NOVA Wonders and author of the book Power in Numbers: The Rebel Women of Mathematics. Talithia is a mathematician who does disease modeling. She has been working with the World Health Organization to create models of the rates at which groups of people develop cataracts over time. Left untreated, cataracts can cause partial or complete blindness. In the U.S., cataract surgery is quick and accessible, but...
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856: Engineering Innovative Shoes to Help Feet Move Forward - Dr. Tyler Susko
People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers
Dr. Tyler Susko is Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Cadense, Inc., a company that creates groundbreaking adaptive solutions. He is also a Teaching Professor and Undergraduate Vice Chair in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara. And he is Principal Engineer and Owner of Susko Engineering, LLC. Tyler is dedicated to creating useful things that solve real-world problems for people. He and his team have designed an innovative shoe where portions of the bottom surface alternate between providing high-friction grip to low-friction slide to...
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855: Working to Purify and Preserve Our World's Water Supply - Dr. David Sedlak
People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers
Dr. David Sedlak is the Plato Malozemoff Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Co-Director of the Berkeley Water Center, Deputy Director of the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Reinventing the Nation's Urban Water Infrastructure, and Director of the Institute for Environmental Science and Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. In addition, he is author of the book Water 4.0: The Past, Present, and Future of the World's Most Vital Resource. David is working to create technologies that will allow future generations to have...
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854: Studying How Disruptions in Circadian Control of Cell Division May Cause Cancer - Dr. Carla Finkielstein
People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers
Dr. Carla Finkielstein is an Associate Professor of Biological Sciences within the Biocomplexity Institute of Virginia Tech. She is also Director of the Integrated Cellular Response Laboratory at Virginia Tech, a Member of the Executive Committee of the Susan G. Komen Blue Ridge Board, and past member of the Board of Directors of the Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation. Carla is interested in understanding the mechanisms cells use to measure time to regulate cell division. She hypothesizes that cancer may occur when the clocks within cells signal to the cell to divide too frequently. Carla’s...
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853: Getting to the Root of How Microbes Help Plants Thrive Under Stress - Dr. Donald Smith
People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers
Dr. Donald L. Smith is the Distinguished James McGill Professor in the Department of Plant Science at McGill University. He is also CEO of BioFuelNet Canada, Head of Biomass Canada, and Head of the McGill Network for Innovation on Biofuels and Bioproduct. Don’s research examines relationships between plants and the microbes that live in association with them, particularly in the roots. He and his collaborators have discovered evidence of signaling between plants and microbes, including microbial signaling that causes plants to grow better. They also uncovered that plants respond much more...
info_outlineDr. Carla Finkielstein is an Associate Professor of Biological Sciences within the Biocomplexity Institute of Virginia Tech. She is also Director of the Integrated Cellular Response Laboratory at Virginia Tech, a Member of the Executive Committee of the Susan G. Komen Blue Ridge Board, and past member of the Board of Directors of the Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation. Carla is interested in understanding the mechanisms cells use to measure time to regulate cell division. She hypothesizes that cancer may occur when the clocks within cells signal to the cell to divide too frequently. Carla’s goal is to understand how this process occurs so that we can fix the issue, detect the problem early to provide treatment, or prevent it from happening. Outside of science, Carla’s favorite hobby is cooking. She loves making new and creative dishes that bring together different colors, flavors, and taste profiles. Cooking is relaxing for her, and it’s fun to share dishes she creates with her friends and family. In addition, Carla enjoys reading a wide variety of books about history. Carla received her B.S. and Ph.D. both in Molecular Biology from the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina. Afterwards, she worked as a Research Associate at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Carla then conducted further postdoctoral research at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center before joining the faculty at Virginia Tech. Carla has been recognized for her research accomplishments with the L. Chely Award for Best PhD Thesis, a Howard Hughes Institute Fellowship for Research, an American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellowship, the Karin Noss Scholarship for Research Advocacy in Breast Cancer, the Susan G. Komen Award for Junior Investigators, and a National Science Foundation CAREER Award. In our interview Carla shared more about her life and science.