The Lonely Pipette : helping scientists do better science

You have built your boat, assembled your crew, and navigated the storms. But where exactly are you sailing?  In this final episode of this ALBA-IBRO Diversity Podcast limited series, we arrive at the ultimate destination : Success.  But what does success really mean in academia ? Is it the number of papers you publish, the size of your lab, or the awards you collect?  Jonathan and Renaud bring tog...

Even the best captain cannot control the weather. But they can control how they navigate the storm. In Episode 4 of the ALBA-IBRO Diversity Podcast, we sail into the darker waters of academia: power dynamics, bullying, and toxic environments. We often talk about the "dream lab," but what happens when that dream becomes a nightmare? When the hierarchy is used to silence rather than suppor...

What is the most valuable "invisible skill" of a group leader ?  In Episode 3, we tackle the difficult question : how to build a research culture where people don't just survive, but thrive. Science is not a solo trip. It is a group expedition. Yet, most group leaders are never trained to manage humans, resolve conflicts, or foster inclusivity.  Renaud and Jonathan sit down with fou...

What if constraints could fuel your lab instead of limiting it ? Episode 2 dives into the realities and opportunities of building a lab in resource-constrained settings. Renaud and Jonathan talk to Daniela Di Bella (Harvard, USA), Vatsala Thirumalai (National Centre for Biological Sciences, India), and Sahba Besharati (University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa) about how determination and crea...

Making the leap from postdoc to group leader is both exciting and terrifying. Episode 1 offers the postdoc perspective on this journey. Renaud and Jonathan from the Lonely Pipette talk with Florencia Fernandez-Chiappe (Boston University, US), Mayank Chugh (William & Mary, US), and Ashley Bourke (MPI for Brain Research, DE) about the fears, anxieties, and uncertainties that come with this trans...

We had the great honour of producing a podcast for the ALBA-IBRO Diversity Podcast. This podcast series is a unique resource, a guide that will help you to adress the difficult issue of transitioning from postdoc to team leader . We hope it will inspire you as much as it has transformed our vision of academia ! The ALBA-IBRO Diversity Podcast 'From Postdoc to PI' is organized with the su...

This month we talk with Ana Boskovic about her experience of setting up her own lab and hiring a new team Ana began studying languages and literature… but found it too easy, so she switched She questions whether you are ever ‘ready’ to set up your own lab It’s important that you find the right ‘fit’ for the place you want to work and this should be a supportive environment She learnt early that it...

This month Ivan Oransky joins us to talk about his work as a journalist and advocate for monitoring scientific misconduct. Ivan confesses about his beginnings as a young playwright of the immune system He discusses how and why he left medicine to become a journalist Ivan’s mentors encouraged him to develop by getting experience as a journalist and editor Ivan reflects on how his training as a phys...

This month we enjoyed talking to Arjun Raj about his interdisciplinary approaches to studying biological systems Arjun shares how he almost became a truck driver and experimented with a career in an (unnamed) rock band He tells us about his journey from mathematics to quantitative biology and he shares thoughts about comparing biology with physics and what they can learn from each other He says we...

This month Alicia Rojas tells us about her journey from Costa Rica to Israel and back, in search of pathogens and parasites Alicia shares the personal difficulties of being far from home and how she missed family and food She reflects on coming back to Costa Rica to explore its rich biodiversity She recalls the challenges of returning from a luxurious postdoc at the Weizmann Institute to setting u...

This month Hans Clevers talks to us about his productive career and his pioneering work on organoid technologies. Hans admits that he initially found biology frustrating and disappointing But then he learnt to enjoy the rare spark of excitement from discoveries He managed to get his PhD in just one year! You need to trust yourself and learn to share with others Hans warns new group leaders not to...

Today we chat with postdoc Nour El Houda Mimouni about her passionate commitment to improving womens’ health. Nour urges young scientists to get themselves a support group from the beginning She also insists on the importance of developing interests outside of the lab Addressing womens’ health issues is ‘not just a job’ for Nour She recommends students to not alway blindly follow other people&apos...

In this episode, we kick off our Season 3 guests with David Fajgenbaum who shares his extraordinary journey to cure himself from Castleman disease. David shares his very personal story of searching for a cure to his own disease He describes how having a vision for the future helped him to survive He insists that patients can be part of the process and can be active collaborators in the search for...

In this episode Renaud and Jonathan share their excitement about the launch of Season 3 of The Lonely Pipette podcast. BUT this time, they are not the ones asking the questions. 💌 Subscribe and receive the next season in you mailbox Support the show 💌 Subcribe to our newsletter and receive the episodes and news directly in your mailbox : https://tinyurl.com/TLPNL To find out more about Renaud an...

Dear Lonely Pipetters, Season 2 has been an amazing journey, BUT Season 3 will be awesome. We are so proud to be still here, with you supporting us. Thank you! In this final episode, we take the chance to give you untold stories about Season 2 making-of, personal stories and what you can do to help us build Season 3. Don’t miss it out ! Subscribe to be updated when Season 3 starts : https://bit.ly...

This week, we talk to Maria Leptin about her path to the head of the European Research Council  Maria claims she didn’t receive any formal mentoring advice, but rather absorbed and learnt along the way Against the perceived wisdom, Maria warns against the advice to be continually networking. She advises to listen to what others say and then add your own thoughts. Maria is sure that if you really e...

This week, we meet our first philosopher guest - Thomas Pradeu tells us what scientist can learn from philosophers  Thomas shares his journey navigating from philosophy to immunology and biology He explains the difference between ‘philosophy IN biology’ compared to ‘philosophy OF biology’ He mentions ‘mutual ignorance’ - that scientists often don’t know about philosophers who would be interested i...

This week, Elphege Nora shares personal thoughts on his journey from Paris to California Elphege discovered at an early age that the best way to explain who we are is to look back at where we come from and our evolutionary trajectories From his earliest research experiences, Elphege was intrigued about the sociology of the lab and it’s unusual social etiquette He shares his memories of working wit...

This week, Christophe Lavelle shares his double passion for science and for cooking Christophe left engineering studies for the freedom of research science. And then he jumped from physics to biology for his PhD studies He thinks science makes him a better cook and cites lots of specific examples He describes his very free mentoring style and questions what makes a good mentor He describes his cha...

This week, Ana-Maria Lennon-Dumenil tells us about her passion for science interfacing with physics and her journey from Santiago to Paris Ana-Maria was inspired from a very young age by her namesake Ana-Maria Lenon She quickly left genetics because ‘DNA doesn't move enough’ She stresses that every Principal Investigator needs to find their own way and warns against trying to imitate others A...

In this episode, we talk to George Church about his successful career in DNA repair and his entrepreneurial adventures translating research findings into biotech companies George proudly describes himself as a biologist-engineer He ponders whether his dyslexia may have helped him by making him realize he was different from others when he was growing up He looks for projects in ‘exponential fields’...

In this episode, we talk with the multi-talented Jenny Rohn about her journey zig-zagging from academia to a biotech-startup, to science publishing and then back into academia. She tells us about her unconventional path and how she decided to go to a start-up and then come back to academic research She made long, agonizing lists about pros and cons of leaving or staying in academia This period of...

Get ready for 2023 ! In this special episode, we're going to change the narrative. We're going to dive into this original narrative-interview with 4 scientists who experienced an original meeting with us. Invited by Jean-Leon Maître in the south of France  at the fondation Les Treilles, are you ready to ask yourself why you go to science conferences? Our special guests are :  Jean-Léon M...

This week we have a surprise treat - a conversation with Jonathan’s twin brother, Matt. He discusses his energetic commitment to mentoring and grant-writing workshops. They share their genetics, but also a desire to “help scientists do better science” Matthew comments on the usefulness of healthy competition in science Matt compares the joy of running a lab to cooking in the kitchen He loves the f...

This week, we talk with Ashani Weeraratna about her inspiring path from apartheid South Africa to director, professor and activist. Ashi cites good advice that she remembers “ read voraciously … and be engaged with the literature” She insists that mentoring is all about the trainees and hearing their individual needs Ashi believes that diversity of thought needs diversity of population and stresse...