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 together four brilliant scientists to challenge the traditional academic compass : Ra...

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 four inspiring scientist Dori Grijseels (Max Planck Institute, Germany), Angeline Dukes (University of Mi...

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 transition. They share their personal experiences, discuss common challenges, and offer insights on ho...

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 switchedShe questions whether you are ever ‘ready’ to set up your own labIt’s important that you find the right ‘fit’ for the place you want to work and this should be a supportive environmentShe learnt early that it is important to hire people with diverse personalities who each fill a gap in the skills the lab ne...

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 bandHe 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 otherHe says we all struggle with how to teach creativity and how to evaluate the most promising ideas.Arjun disc...

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 discoveriesHe managed to get his PhD in just one year!You need to trust yourself and learn to share with othersHans warns new group leaders not to expect too much from younger colleaguesIt’s important to give your students their own spaceHe paint...

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 diseaseHe describes how having a vision for the future helped him to surviveHe insists that patients can be part of the process and can be active collaborators in the search for curesHe pleads for a shift from an Investigator initiated model to a Community initiated model invo...

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/NLTLP Support the show 💌 Subcribe to our newsletter and receive the episodes and news directly ...

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 biologyHe 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 in their scienceThomas argues that philosophers should be brought in at the beginning of a proj...

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 studiesHe thinks science makes him a better cook and cites lots of specific examplesHe describes his very free mentoring style and questions what makes a good mentorHe describes his chaotic ‘schizophrenic’’ interdisciplinary interestsWhat has to be done has to be well done - else don’...

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-engineerHe ponders whether his dyslexia may have helped him by making him realize he was different from others when he was growing upHe looks for projects in ‘exponential fields’ that combine pure scientific interest, technology breakthroughs and bring societal benefit.George ...

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 Maître, the organizer of the meeting, CNRS research director at the Institut Curie, at Paris, Fran...

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 needsAshi believes that diversity of thought needs diversity of population and stresses the importance of welcoming different groups into the labFor her, representation matters and it ...