People of Science with Jon Choy

In this episode, we chat with Sarah Vandal, a fourth-year Ph. D. student in Dartmouth’s Molecular and Cell Biology program. She shares her journey as a grad student, giving a behind-the-scenes look at her daily life, balancing experiments, lab meetings, and leadership in Dartmouth’s SACNAS chapter. Sarah reflects on the highs and lows of research, highlighting the power of resilience and community...

In today’s episode, we chat with Nathalie Alomar, a fourth-year PhD student in Yale’s Ecology and Evolutionary Biology program. She shares how her undergraduate research and the mentorship she received through the MARC program ignited her passion for ecological research and steered her towards pursuing a PhD. We also dive into her fascinating thesis work studying the environmental factors affectin...

In this episode, we speak with Jeremy, a 6th year PhD student in Harvard’s Molecular, Cells and Organisms (MCO) PhD program. He discusses his non-traditional educational background as an undergraduate student to pioneering a new bioimaging method as a PhD student. Jeremy also details how interdisciplinary research and teaching have been integral parts of his research experience. As he nears the en...

In this episode, we chat with Ya’el, a 5th-year PhD student in Harvard’s Program in Neurosceince Program. She shares how her childhood curiosity, from repairing broken VCRs to questioning the brain's mysteries, led her to a career in neuroscience. We explore her research on how class one drug affect cerebral spinal fluid signaling in the womb, her unexpected pivot to studying psychedelics, an...

In this episode, we speak with Davy Deng, a third-year MD PhD student in the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology program. Deng shares his unique background, growing up as a nomad in the Gobi Desert and his path from studying chemistry at UC Berkeley to researching whole brain emulation for small model organisms. He offers insights into balancing hobbies, dealing with imposter syndrome, and...

In this episode, we hear from Naa Asheley Afua Adowaa Ashitey who is an incoming MD-PhD student at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her parents immigrated from Ghana and worked 9-5s to support Naa throughout her academic and professional career. She is a first-generation college graduate and will begin her journey to becoming a double doctor after the completion of her post-baccalaureate program a...

In this episode, we speak with Sarah Cai who is a 5th year biomedical engineering PhD student at Columbia university. With her graduation around the corner, Sarah reflects on her research and living experiences thus far while providing some valuable lessons along the way. Tune in as she speaks about the fruits of New York, how she drew inspiration from covid vaccines to complete her research thesi...

In this episode, we speak with Kensi Hartman who is applied to graduate school (PhD) this past application cycle. This fall she will be a first year at Berkeley's Cell Biology, Developmental Physiology (CDP) program. Tune in as she walks us through her journey to science, provides advice for PhD applications and interviews, and why she chose to stay in the west coast instead of moving to the...

In this installment, we chat with Lucas who is a 4th year neuroscience PhD student at Stanford university. Join us as we discuss his hobbies outside of science, journey to science, research projects, struggles/successes, mentors, the neuroscience program, and future career outlook. 

Caroline is a first year PhD student in Stanford's BioSci program. In this episode, we learn some of the unique aspects of the program, how her valuable research experience at the University of Michigan led her pursuing a PhD, and how to optimize the timing of your PhD application process to mitigate burnout. 

In this podcast episode, Spencer shares his journey as a PhD student in neuroscience at Georgetown University and the NIH, discussing the interdisciplinary nature of the field and the benefits of secure funding and access to resources at the NIH. He also reflects on his experiences with failure and offers advice for undergraduate students exploring research and PhD programs.

In this podcast episode, Linh discusses their journey from undergraduate studies to medical school and the MD-PhD program, their experience as a medical student, and their future goals as a physician scientist. Linh emphasizes the importance of reflecting on one’s personal values and goals before committing to a long program like the MD-PhD.

Get ready to be inspired by Maryonne’s journey from high school overachiever to PhD, student years after her undergraduate career. Find out what motivated her to pursue a career in science and hear her long-term goals of becoming a clinical laboratory director and continuing her research in infectious diseases.

In this episode, we hear from Yasemin, an MD-PhD student at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. Yasemin shares her personal journey to becoming an MD-PhD student, her experiences in the Oxford-Cambridge program, and her future goals as a physician-scientist. 

In this episode, Marya discusses her experience with translational research and the unique NIH Oxford Cambridge program, which allows for independent dissertation projects with mentors from both institutions. She also shares her goals for running gene therapy trials and her personal journey as a first generation college student and future MD/PhD.