Pulse by AlphaWire

It has never been easier to start a podcast. So, why do so many podcasts disappear after just a handful of episodes?  In this episode of Pulse, Aldo speaks with Carlie Bonavia, radio journalist and longtime host of ‘The Expat Focus Podcast’, about how podcasting has evolved over the past decade.  We explore the rise of video podcasts. The challenge of finding and keeping an audience and how Artifi...

What do 50 conversations with people shaping the future of science, education, and innovation teach you about our world?  For this special milestone episode of Pulse, Aldo is joined by our very own producer Natalie Pyles, as we take you behind the scenes.  Aldo and Natalie reflect on five years of working together, how podcasting has evolved, and what they have learned from bringing remarkable voi...

What happens when something as natural as menstruation becomes a barrier to education and equality for millions of girls and women? In this episode, Aldo speaks with Michelle Tjeenk Willink, CEO of AfriPads, about her journey from the Netherlands to Uganda and the organisation’s mission to transform menstrual health across Africa. They explore the stigma surrounding menstruation, the challenges of...

Why does education receive so little media attention when it literally shapes the future of millions? In this episode of Pulse, Aldo speaks with Elvis Boniface, founder of EduGist, a pan-African newsroom determined to change the way we think about education.  They discuss Elvis` entrepreneurial journey, the importance of independent education journalism, and the challenges of building a sustainabl...

Can failure be the greatest teacher in entrepreneurship? In this episode of Pulse , Aldo speaks with Dr. Kimberley Mackenzie about her journey from molecular biology into biotech entrepreneurship. They discuss the challenges of building startups and what it takes to start over. They also speak about Kimberley’s current venture for equine health and how AI can make a true difference in the health o...

Can data and AI make education more human rather than less?  In this episode Aldo speaks with Jelte de Jongh, the founder of Leeruniek and the Mirror Foundation about his mission to help teachers see every child as an individual rather than an average. They talk about Jelte's journey from MIT-inspired ideas to building and scaling an EdTech company in his country, the Netherlands. They discus...

Why are sexually transmitted infections still so difficult to talk about and could better technology make testing easier?  In this episode, Aldo speaks with Dr Ali T, co-founder of Lotus DX, about the stigma surrounding STIs and his mission to develop a rapid test that people can use entirely at home. They also talk about Ali's journey from Iran and Dubai to Scotland. The realities of buildin...

How do we make mathematics more accessible to every child, regardless of where they grow up? In this episode Aldo speak's with Green Shoots co-founders Jo Besford and Mark Swartz about their 15-year journey from supporting just 16 schools to reaching now more than 439,000 learners across South Africa. We discuss how technology and data helps teachers spot learning gaps. Why tech should suppor...

What happens to science when AI can accelerate discovery faster than ever before?  In this episode, Aldo speaks with Dr Mark Hahnel, Vice President for Open Research at Digital Science, about how AI is reshaping scientific discovery.  We explore the promise of open research and the growing role of AI and synthetic data, and ask some of the difficult questions that need to be answered sooner rather...

In this episode of Pulse, Aldo speaks with Bouchra Danwra, CEO of DHOW Marcom Agency and the founder of You Are What’s Next. We explore why human connection in an increasingly digital world is more relevant than ever and why Bouchra is bringing young students and CEOs together to share their experiences, to help young people find greater clarity about their futures. Bouchra also reflects on mother...

In this 'Pulse' Episode, Aldo and Dr. Michael Vlerick explore the power of writing, why it sharpens thinking, and how it can create real value for readers and for the writer.  They also dig into anxiety, social media, AI, and why new technologies should be judged by how well they help people rather than by hype or fear. Along the way, Michael shares how he structures books, what flow fee...

In this episode of Pulse, Aldo sits down with Carol Rafferty, co-founder and CEO of Dentherapy, to explore how dentistry and dental hygiene is shifting from “drill and fill” towards prevention and personalised oral care. They discuss the fascinating connection between oral and whole-body health, the science of remineralisation, and Carol’s entrepreneurial story behind Tooth Boost. A fascinating co...

In this episode of Pulse, we're talking with Dr. Monika Gostic, geneticist, nutrition consultant, entrepreneur, and teaching fellow at the University of Aberdeen. We explore why one-size-fits-all approaches to health often fall short, and how genetics, gut health, hormones, nutrition, and exercise can all shape our wellbeing. Monika also shares her personal experience with endometriosis, her...

In this episode of Pulse , Aldo sits down with Cees Koole, educator and creator of Empty Chairs in the Classroom , a project that explores how history can come alive in ways that profoundly impact both students and communities. They discuss how a simple discovery in a school archive grew into a powerful initiative that reconnects young people with the lives of students who disappeared during the S...

In this episode of Pulse , Aldo sits down with Dr. Yassen Abbas, Biology Group Leader at CN Bio, to explore how organ-on-a-chip technology is transforming the future of biotechnology, drug discovery, and personalised medicine. They discuss how these sophisticated human tissue models are helping researchers predict drug safety and effectiveness more accurately than traditional laboratory methods, w...

What if the next great discovery about life doesn't happen on Earth? In this episode of Pulse, I sit down with Dr. Chris Rose and Dr. Alex Baker, co-founders of Sent Into Space and Diatom Watches to explore how space exploration is changing the way we think about science, innovation, and the possibility of life beyond Earth. We discuss their incredible work launching experiments into the stra...

In this episode of Pulse , I have the great pleasure of sitting down with Jennifer Craw and Jen Scott from Opportunity North East (ONE) to explore how Aberdeen and the North East of Scotland are reinventing themselves for the future.  We discuss the region's transformation beyond its oil and gas heritage, the rise of life sciences, entrepreneurship, and AI, and how initiatives like ONE BioHub...

Revolutionizing Rare Disease Awareness and Community Engagement with Rebecca Stewart of Rare Revolution Explore the inspiring journey of Rebecca Stewart, founder and CEO of Rare Revolution, as she shares how personal experiences with rare diseases sparked a movement to improve awareness, advocacy, and community connectivity. Discover innovative approaches including publishing, storytelling, AI tec...

In this episode of Pulse , Aldo sits down with Dr. Vinh Tran, Lead Bioinformatician at NIOME & Researcher at the Goethe University in Frankfurt.  Together we explore how AI and synthetic data are reshaping the future of genomics and life sciences. They discuss why data quality remains one of the biggest challenges in bioinformatics, how synthetic genomic data can accelerate research while prot...

In this episode of Pulse , Aldo sites down with Diana Al-Dajani, founder and CEO of Edutechnoz. We explore how AI is transforming language learning and more particularly learning Arabic.  We discuss why Arabic requires a different approach from traditional language learning apps, how AI can personalize learning while supporting teachers, and how Edutechnoz is building a scalable platform for learn...

In this episode, Aldo sits down with Janhvi Maheshwari-Kanoria, Executive Director of Innovation Development at Education Above All, to explore what it really takes to expand access to quality education at a global scale. The conversation moves beyond technology to the deeper questions: How do we create solutions that governments can adopt? What does meaningful innovation look like in education? A...

In this episode of Pulse, Aldo sits down with Houtan Froushan, the driving force behind UCL EdTech Labs, to explore what happens when research, entrepreneurship, and education meet. We discuss why founders need evidence just as much as conviction, how educational impact can coexist with commercial sustainability, and why understanding your competition starts with understanding where people spend t...

In this conversation, Aldo sits down with Dr. Johann Malawana—former physician, founder of Medics Academy and the Healthcare Leadership Academy (HLA), and Associate Dean for Innovation at the University of Lancashire—to explore the intersection of healthcare, leadership, technology, and AI. Together they discuss why innovation often happens outside traditional systems, how AI is accelerating chang...

What happens when mental healthcare becomes proactive instead of reactive? If you're looking for a politically correct summary of AI and healthcare you won't find it here.  In this thoughtful conversation, psychologist and Reinhart Group founder Emmanuel Stiels joins Aldo de Pape to explore the future of mental health, AI, and preventative care. From NHS backlogs to wearable health data,...

In this episode of Pulse, host Aldo de Pape sits down with Conrad Wolfram, Mathematician, Technologist and Author of 'The Math(s) Fix: An Education Blueprint for the AI Age'.  Aldo and Conrad explore how AI is transforming education, computation, and society itself. From the failures of traditional maths curricula to the urgent need for “computational literacy,” Conrad explains why schoo...