Under the Surface Podcast

Check out the next episode of our podcast, Under the Surface. In episode 16, When Proteins Move: Woody Sherman on Computational Chemistry, Molecular Simulation, and the Future of AI in Drug Discovery, we chat with  Woody Sherman , Founder and Chief Innovation Officer at PsiThera , and a longtime leader in computational chemistry, about how he went from studying quantum polymers to shaping modern t...

Check out the next episode of our podcast, Under the Surface! In episode 15 , Fells' Elements of Success: A Periodic Journey , we immerse ourselves in the world of chemistry and career alchemy with James Fells. From his early days as a curious freshman to his role as an Associate Director, In Silico Discovery at Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine, James recounts his journey through the ups and...

Welcome to the last episode of 2025 for our podcast, Under the Surface! In this episode, SVL: Santavy vs Labute - The HoliDAVE Edition , get cozy with this special holiday edition of "Under the Surface"! Chris Williams and Dave Thompson are here to share laughs, swap stories, and spread some cheer as they chat with CCG's always-jolly Principal Scientist, Martin Santavy. From the wild beginnings of...

In episode 13, Unfiltered Leadership , we dive into the fascinating journey of Erin Davis, who proves that the path to becoming a CTO at X-Chem is paved with caffeine, coding, and a touch of chaos.  Erin's story is a masterclass in creativity and resilience. Tune in for tales of tech debt, DNA-encoded libraries (DELs), questioning authority, and why she believes humans are just 'meat sacks' trying...

In episode 12, Never Mind the Woman Behind the Curtain, we welcome Dr. Sarah Witzke, Senior Application Scientist at CCG, who spills the beans on the not-so-secret life of support scientists in drug discovery. Think of it as a behind-the-scenes tour as to why you shouldn't ignore the people behind the curtain.  Sarah shares her multifaceted journey, hopping from academia to the industry, kind of l...

In our next episode, we're joined by Jason Cole, a Senior Research Fellow at the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Center (CCDC). He shares his fascinating journey, starting from his childhood in Italy, where his love for science blossomed, all the way to his impressive career in computational chemistry and crystallography. We chat about what CCDC does in terms of gathering and sharing crystallograp...

I n our first episode of 2025, our hosts, Chris Williams and Dave Thompson, have the pleasure of speaking to Fernando Garces, CEO and co-founder of BioGlyph. Leading us from the sunny climes of Portugal through the tropical paradise that is London, on route to the West Coast of the US and A, Fernando shares his evolving love of science through the heights of academia, into industry, and now as CEO...

In our final episode of 2024, host Chris Williams and guest co-host, Under the Surface Executive Producer and CCG Vice President, Alain Deschênes have a long overdue chat with computational drug discovery rock star Rebecca Swett. Rebecca shares her journey from her academic beginnings to her current role at X-Chem, via roles at Novartis, Vertex, and Relay. Rebecca's wide-ranging experience shines...

On episode 8 of Under the Surface, we're joined by  The Molecular Assassin , Arijit Basu. Arijit describes his journey from India to the US via a transformative sabbatical in Israel. Landing in the Langer lab at MIT and then finding his industrial legs, Arijit turns to computational toxicology as a way to ensure that drug hunters enable the concept of Safety by Design as a core tenant for how they...

This next episode of Under the Surface has us speaking to crystallographer Eric Larson. In episode 7, as you'll hear, Eric's a little nervous about having his thoughts committed to 'perpetuity.' But, as you'll also hear, he does a great job. As our  first  second structural biologist on the show, he tells us about how he got into the field, the very real logistical challenges of working in industr...

Check out the next episode of our podcast, Under the Surface! In episode 6, Revolutionizing Nanoscale Visualization, we talk to Nanome CEO and co-founder Steve McCloskey. In a virtual rollercoaster of a conversation, he shares Nanome's scrappy beginnings, the challenge and excitement of bringing new ways of interacting with models to the science community, and paints a vivid picture of an exciting...

In episode 5, Farm to Pharma , we talk to Dr. Dan McKay about his career in the pharmaceutical industry (he grew up on a Farm! See what we did there … ?). As a pioneer in the applied use of quantum mechanics, Dan describes his break into the industry from academia, his realization of the critical importance of water in understanding 'what's going on', and offers some pointed observations on the ap...

Welcome to the last episode of the year for our podcast, Under the Surface ! In this episode, A CHRIStmas Carol , we conjure up some jovial spirits of the past as our Super Senior co-host Dave grills his colleagues on the founding, early years, and development of the Chemical Computing Group. As you'll hear, Dave manages to make Research Group Leader, Anna Lin, and his regular co-host, Chris Willi...

In episode 3, Instructions for a Life in Science , we talk to Dr. Vanita Sood about her experiences as a drug hunter. Vanita candidly shares her career journey, reflecting back on the choices she made, the opportunities and challenges she navigated, and the transformational science she drove.  She describes her recent transition from a large pharma company to a startup environment and the critical...

Check out the next episode of our podcast, Under the Surface! In episode 2, Fun with Pharmacophores , we talk to Dr. Scott Rowland about pharmacophore-based techniques and their role in understanding receptor–ligand interactions, and ultimately, how they contribute to the design of new drugs. Recently retired, following decades in the pharmaceutical industry, Scott tells us about his journey throu...

In episode 1 of our yet-to-win award podcast, we talk to Dr. Sandeep Kumar, Distinguished Research Fellow in Biotherapeutics at Boehringer Ingelheim about how he uses computers to help develop and deliver biopharmaceuticals and his thoughts on the increasing importance of computational methods in drug discovery.  It gets controversial at times, so, you know, just a warning on that. See more: Compu...

What's this all about, you ask? In today's inaugural episode of our sure-to-be award-winning podcast, we'll cover the who, what, and why we decided to create this podcast.  As well as preview industry topics we'll be covering in future episodes. This is not your average science podcast - Welcome to Under the Surface . For more information on Chemical Computing Group, head to: https://www.chemcomp....