Best Stuart Higgins Podcasts (2025)

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Ep73: Communicating New Ideas - Michael Levin 38:23

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2y ago38:23

38:23

Recorded in February 2020. We talk about Michael's journey into science, from creating a fake school so that he could order chemicals online to conduct experiments as a kid, to inspiring the next and current generation of scientists. Full show notes: https://scinotsci.comBy Stuart Higgins

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Ep72: Update on Scientists not the Science 1:49

2y ago1:49

1:49

An update on Scientists not the Science.By Stuart Higgins

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Ep71: Happy (Belated) Birthday (Part 2) 26:05

5y ago26:05

26:05

Continuing conversation with Professor Chris Jackson, talking about what I might change in academia, given the power. Full show notes: https://scinotsci.comBy Stuart Higgins

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Ep70: Happy (Belated) Birthday (Part 1) 22:33

5y ago22:33

22:33

February 3rd 2020 marked the fifth anniversary of Scientists not the Science. So for fun, Professor Chris Jackson interviews me and we get discuss a little of my background and our views and thoughts about academia. Full show notes: https://scinotsci.comBy Stuart Higgins

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Ep69: Understanding Scientists is Key for Science 8:41

5y ago8:41

8:41

Reflecting on what I’ve learnt from five years of interviews for Scientists not the Science. Find a link to the original published article in the show notes. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep68: Aspiring to be a Scientist 26:44

5+ y ago26:44

26:44

By Stuart Higgins

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Ep67: Highlights from Season Four 23:08

6y ago23:08

23:08

By Stuart Higgins

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Ep66: Notes from a Mental Health Workshop (Bonus Episode) 19:13

6+ y ago19:13

19:13

Notes from a recent workshop on academic mental health, organized by the UK Chapter of the Marie Curie Alumni Association. Full show notes: https://scinotsci.comBy Stuart Higgins

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Ep65: Entrepreneur – David Walt 27:40

7y ago27:40

27:40

David Walt is Professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University and Harvard Medical School. We talk about his background and how he founded a multi-billion dollar company. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep64: Selling to Scientists – Hamid Ghanadan 23:41

7y ago23:41

23:41

Hamid Ghanadan is the Founder of The Linus Group, a health and life sciences marketing and creative agency. We talk about his experiences talking to scientists, and how to target products to a scientific audience. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep20: [Rerun] Mind Your Language! 19:43

7y ago19:43

19:43

English is the language of science, but for most people it’s not their native tongue. What’s it like working in science and academia, in a foreign language? Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep63: Being a Positive Role Model – Chris Jackson 28:11

7y ago28:11

28:11

Chris Jackson is Professor of Basin Analysis at Imperial College London, and advocate for improving research and professional standards in academia. We talk about his journey through academia. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep62: Making New Things - Alex Lathbridge 23:25

7y ago23:25

23:25

Alex Lathbridge is a PhD student at the University of Bath, founder of the network Minorities in STEM and creator of the podcast Why Aren't You a Doctor Yet? We talk about Alex's background and creating content. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep61: From Software Engineer to Scientist – Matt Faria 23:30

7y ago23:30

23:30

Matt Faria is a Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne. We talk about improving research standards and his move into science from software engineering. Full show notes: http://scinotsci.comBy Stuart Higgins

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Ep60: Live at the Imperial Festival – Alexandros Kouris (Bonus Episode) 35:04

7y ago35:04

35:04

Alexandros Kouris is a PhD student at Imperial College London. We talk about his research and career. Recorded live at the Imperial Festival 2018. Full show notes: http://scinotsci.comBy Stuart Higgins

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Ep59: Live at the Imperial Festival – Ben Britton (Bonus Episode) 29:29

7y ago29:29

29:29

Ben Britton is a Senior Lecturer at Imperial College London. We talk about his research and career. Recorded live at the Imperial Festival 2018. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep58: Live at the Imperial Festival – Sandrine Heutz (Bonus Episode) 28:56

7y ago28:56

28:56

Sandrine Heutz is Professor of Functional Materials at Imperial College London. We talk about her research and career. Recorded live at the Imperial Festival 2018. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep57: Live at the Imperial Festival – Emma Chapman (Bonus Episode) 30:28

7y ago30:28

30:28

Emma Chapman is a Royal Astronomical Society Research Fellow at Imperial College London. We talk about her research and career. Recorded live at the Imperial Festival 2018. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep56: Teaching and Researching – Kirsty Shaw 23:50

7y ago23:50

23:50

Kirsty Shaw is a senior lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University. We talk about teaching students and balancing different roles within academia. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep55: Structural Engineer – Roma Agrawal 24:55

7+ y ago24:55

24:55

Roma Agrawal is a structural engineer, responsible for hundreds of structures around the UK, most notably the Shard in London. We talk about moving from physics to engineering. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep54: Social Media Scientist – Meriame Berboucha 22:38

7+ y ago22:38

22:38

Meriame Berboucha is a physicist at Imperial College London. We talk about how Meriame uses social media to communicate science and reach young people. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep53: Climate Physicist – Joanna Haigh 20:38

7+ y ago20:38

20:38

Joanna Haigh is Professor of Atmospheric Physics at Imperial College London. We talk about her experience of academia, and what is means to be a head of department. Full show notes: http://scinotsci.comBy Stuart Higgins

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Ep52: Medical Doctor, PhD Doctor – Jennifer Gelinas 22:28

7+ y ago22:28

22:28

Jennifer Gelinas is an Associate Professor of Neurology at Columbia University. We talk about being both a medical and a PhD doctor. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep51: Highlights from Season Three 31:09

7+ y ago31:09

31:09

Compilation episode featuring some of the best bits from season three of Scientists not the Science, ahead of the beginning of season four. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep50: Experimental Words (Part 2) 24:59

8y ago24:59

24:59

Listen to the performances of poets and scientists, working together to combine their two disciplines. This is part two, to hear more about the project and how it came to be, listen to part one first. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep49: Experimental Words (Part 1) 16:18

8y ago16:18

16:18

Experimental Words is an engagement project that pairs poets and scientists to produce unique performance pieces. This episode I document taking part in the event and talk to the scientists and poets involved. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep48: Inferior – Angela Saini 25:24

8y ago25:24

25:24

Angela Saini is a science journalist and author. We talk about her latest book ‘Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong – and the New Research That’s Rewriting the Story’. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep47: Chief Scientist of the Nudge Unit – Michael Sanders 17:37

8y ago17:37

17:37

Michael Sanders is the Chief Scientist at the Behavioural Insights Team, commonly known as the ‘nudge unit’. We talk academia and policy, how he uses the scientific method in his work, and the label of scientist. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep46: Technicians Make It Happen 23:35

8y ago23:35

23:35

This episode I talk to Stephen Franey and Thomas Pitcher from Kings College London, and Michelle Rea from the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, about the role of technicians in science. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep45: The Recovering Physicist – Martin Zaltz Austwick 20:08

8y ago20:08

20:08

Dr Martin Zaltz Austwick has been a solid-state physicist, a medical physicist, and a senior lecturer. He now describes himself as a recovering physicist. We talk about his PhD experience and work-life balance. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep34: [Rerun] Feeling Like an Imposter at Work? 20:25

8y ago20:25

20:25

This is a rerun of an episode from season 2. You can listen to me on The Cinemile podcast here: http://www.thecinemile.com/ - we reviewed the new sci-fi movie, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. Here’s the original blurb for this episode: What is the imposter syndrome and how does it affect academics? In this final episode I explore the p…

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Ep08: [Rerun] Professorship – Chris Hunter 30:07

8y ago30:07

30:07

This is a rerun of an episode from season 1. You can my other podcast series ‘Down to Earth’ which is all about space tech spinoffs here: http://www.scinotsci.com/down-to-earth Here’s the original blurb for this episode: Professor Chris Hunter is the Herschel Smith Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Cambridge. I ask him what being …

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Ep44: It’s All in the Edit – Miriam Frankel and Stephen Harris 24:20

8y ago24:20

24:20

Miriam Frankel and Stephen Harris are science editors at The Conversation – an online news website where all the articles are written by academics. We talk about how they edit scientists’ writing for a wider audience.By Stuart Higgins

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Ep43: Death of the One-Sided Scientist – Roberto Trotta 27:26

8y ago27:26

27:26

Roberto Trotta is an astrophysicist, a lecturer, an author, and the director of the Centre for Languages, Culture and Communication at Imperial College London. We talk about being a multi-faceted scientist. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep42: Your Child is a Scientist – Carole Kenrick 25:39

8+ y ago25:39

25:39

Carole Kenrick is Scientist & Inventor-in-Residence at a primary school in North London. We talk about the importance of teaching children about what it means to be a scientist. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep41: Managing a Lab and TheScienceShed – Steven Lee and Nick Evans 26:21

8+ y ago26:21

26:21

Steven Lee and Nick Evans are academics – together they present TheScienceShed podcast, a ramble through academic life. We talk about their experience of managing a research group and more. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep40: Senior Editor – Luigi Martiradonna (Part 2) 15:51

8+ y ago15:51

15:51

Before becoming a journal editor at Nature Materials, Luigi Martiradonna was a researcher. In part 2 we talk about his experience as a scientist and on the transition to academic publishing. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep39: Senior Editor – Luigi Martiradonna (Part 1) 18:06

8+ y ago18:06

18:06

Luigi Martiradonna is a senior editor at the journal Nature Materials. In part 1 we talk about the publishing process, how he makes the decision to accept or reject papers, and how scientists respond to his decision. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep38: Culture and Science – Robin Ince 24:31

8+ y ago24:31

24:31

Robin Ince is a comedian, writer and performer, best known for presenting The Infinite Monkey Cage on BBC Radio 4. We talk about public understanding of science, and the interplay between science and culture. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep37: Hybrid Scientist and Engineer – Alon Gorodetsky 17:19

8+ y ago17:19

17:19

Alon Gorodetsky is an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Irvine. We talk about working in an interdisciplinary research field and his experience of academia. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep36: Highlights from Season Two 18:29

8+ y ago18:29

18:29

Compilation episode featuring some of the best bits from season two of Scientists not the Science, ahead of the beginning of season three. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep35: All Change Please! (Bonus Episode) 18:25

9y ago18:25

18:25

Being a scientist means being comfortable with change. I talk to Christian Clear and Jean-Philippe St-Pierre to explore their personal experiences of change in academia. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep34: Feeling Like an Imposter at Work? 19:36

9y ago19:36

19:36

What is the imposter syndrome and how does it affect academics? In this final episode I explore the phenomenon, how it manifests in academics, some of the reasons why it might occur, and strategies to deal with it. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep33: Are Scientists Like Comedians? – Stuart Goldsmith 34:16

9y ago34:16

34:16

Stuart Goldsmith is a stand-up comedian and host of The Comedian’s Comedian Podcast. We compare the industries of science and comedy to see if there are any parallels. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep32: A Matrix for Life – Kristi Anseth (Bonus Episode) 3:10

9y ago3:10

3:10

Bonus episode: part of a series of short interviews recorded with Cavendish Inspiring Women, a group promoting the visibility of women working in science. For more profiles visit:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep31: How to Be a Strategic Academic – Shelda Debowski 16:17

9y ago16:17

16:17

Dr Shelda Debowski is a Senior Consultant in Higher Education Development, working with academics to help them to achieve their goals. We talk about the challenges facing the modern academic. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep30: What’s a Postdoc? – Joy Warde 17:25

9+ y ago17:25

17:25

Dr Joy Warde is the Postdoc Staff Coordinator at the University of Cambridge. We talk about what a postdoc is and the challenges researchers face in developing their careers. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep29: Having a Family in Science – Emma Chapman 20:16

9+ y ago20:16

20:16

Dr Emma Chapman is an astrophysicist and a mum. We talk about what it’s like to juggle doing a PhD and a postdoc with having a child, and the barriers faced by academic parents. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep28: Women in Science – Athene Donald 26:28

9+ y ago26:28

26:28

Professor Dame Athene Donald is a physicist at the University of Cambridge and advocate for women in science. We talk about the challenges women face, the impact of social media, and experiences from her career. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins

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Ep27: Science Jokes – Helen Arney 17:07

9+ y ago17:07

17:07

Helen Arney is a songwriter, comedian, and one third of the science-comedy trio Festival of the Spoken Nerd. We talk about how despite running away from science, it came back to find her. Full show notes:By Stuart Higgins