Steve Altschuler and Lani Wu are Professors in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of California, San Francisco.

In this episode of The Microscopists, Peter O’Toole talks to Steve Altschuler and Lani Wu—two mathematicians who leapt from Princeton and Microsoft into systems biology, high-dimensional data, and cell imaging.

They share the (brutal) grad-school mailroom origin story of their partnership, how video compression work at Microsoft shaped their thinking, and the risky jump into biology from Rosetta to Harvard, during the early days of systems biology.

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In this episode of The Microscopists, Uri Manor, Assistant Professor of UCSD, opens up about growing up with profound hearing loss and how, despite wanting nothing to do with becoming a scientist, a winding path through baseball, music, and restaurant work eventually led him back to physics and then biology.

He reflects on how those early challenges shaped his confidence, communication, and resilience as he navigated graduate school, personal hardship, and the unpredictable reality of academic funding.

Now at UCSD, he's expanding access to science by teaching immersive, hands-on microscopy workshops to community college students.

Watch or listen to all episodes of The Microscopists: http://themicroscopists.bitesizebio.com

In this episode of The Microscopists, Peter O’Toole sits down with Leonel Malacrida of Universidad de la República & Institut Pasteur Montevideo, Uruguay.

Leonel reflects on his early ambition of becoming a veterinarian, the twists and turns that led him into the world of microscopy, and the unique challenges and opportunities of doing science in Latin America. He also shares how biking and staying active helps him remain balanced and connected beyond the lab.

This conversation offers a candid look at Leonel’s career journey, his scientific passions, and the personal habits that keep him grounded.

Watch or listen to all episodes of The Microscopists: http://themicroscopists.bitesizebio.com

In this episode of The Microscopists, Peter O’Toole sits down with Dr. Elisa May, Chief Enabling Technology Officer at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), one of the largest and most influential research hubs in the world.

Hear her fascinating journey from her early days as a facility leader to pioneering the establishment of German BioImaging and now overseeing a cutting-edge network of 13 core technology facilities!

Watch or listen to all episodes of The Microscopists: http://themicroscopists.bitesizebio.com/

In this episode of The Microscopists, Peter O’Toole sits down with Kelly Rogers, Head of the Division of Advanced Technology and Biology at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) in Melbourne.

Kelly reflects on her childhood ambition of becoming a forester, the surprising twist that steered her toward science, and her first encounter with confocal microscopy during her PhD in Hong Kong; a moment that sparked her passion for imaging. She shares stories from her time in Paris with Spencer Shorte’s lab, before returning to Australia to establish a central microscopy facility at WEHI.

Along the way, Kelly discusses the challenges of balancing research, facility management, and staff development, while ensuring her team has opportunities to grow and contribute at the leading edge of microscopy.

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We're thrilled to bring you this episode of The Microscopists with an absolute force in accessible science and microscopy innovation—Manu Prakash of Stanford University.

Manu shares the origin of the now-legendary $1 paper microscope, the Foldscope.

He also discusses the importance of making science hands-on and accessible, his passion for fieldwork, and explains why he has barnacles growing in his bathroom!

Watch or listen to all episodes of The Microscopists: http://themicroscopists.bitesizebio.com/

In this special episode of The Microscopists, we're joined by three passionate voices who share their personal experiences with perimenopause and menopause.

They share personal stories of navigating the significant—yet often invisible—changes to their bodies and mental wellbeing, and discuss how these impacted their careers and daily lives.

By opening up about the symptoms, and how long it took to recognize what was happening, they hope to help others spot the signs of perimenopause and feel empowered to seek the support they need.

With:

• Georgina Fletcher, Project Officer, BioImagingUK, and Euro-BioImaging Node Manager, the Royal Microscopical Society
• Maxine Holder, Principal Laboratory Research Scientist, The Francis Crick Institute
• Celine Bouchoux, Principal Laboratory Research Scientist, The Francis Crick Institute

Watch or listen to all episodes of The Microscopists: themicroscopists.bitesizebio.com

#Menopause #Perimenopause #Podcast

This time on The Microscopists, we're joined by Christophe Leterrier, team leader at NeuroCyto in Marseille and director of a Nikon Center of Excellence for super-resolution microscopy.

Christophe reflects on the make-or-break moment at the end of his postdoc, when he came close to leaving academia before securing his CNRS position, and how that experience now shapes the way he mentors others.

He also shares his thoughts on how preprints and bioRxiv have transformed the pace and openness of publishing, and what challenges remain as the system continues to evolve.

Watch or listen to all episodes of The Microscopists: http://themicroscopists.bitesizebio.com/