Episode 32: Dr Katriona O'Sullivan: Education, Women in STEM and Imposter Syndrome

I am extremely honored to introduce Provost Linda Doyle, the 45th Provost and first female Provost of Trinity College Dublin as my guest on the podcast this week. Linda chats to me about her experiences as professor of engineering and the arts at Trinity, her wide range of expertise in the fields of wireless communications and dynamic use of resources her current role as Provost of Trinity College Dublin. She chats about growing up in Cork, how her experiences in industry cemented her love for academia and why she is so passionate about marrying creative arts with engineering. We also chat about what led her to run for the election of Provost of Trinity College Dublin, what that historical moment felt like when she won and what she hopes to achieve in her ten-year term. What an utter privilege to have had her time, as you will see we could have chatted for another 40 minutes. This episode marks the end of Season 4 of Unravelling Science, I hope you have all enjoyed listening in this season, will catch you all for Season 5.

Dr Barry Moran core facility manager of the Flow Cytometry Facility, at the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute is my guest this week. He chats to me about his 'unconventional' journey through academia, deciding to do a part time PhD while running the Cytometry core facility and why the 'journey-man' in him may be relatable. Barry also discusses how flow cytometry can advance our scientific knowledge and its benefits particularly in the context of immunology. He describes his own research examining immune dysfunction in the skin disease hidradenitis suppurativa and why this is research that adds value to patients lives. Follow Barry: tcdflow Follow me: MeganHanlon4 This season is kindly sponsored by Bio-Sciences Ltd, now part of Thermo-Fisher Scientific.

Prof Ellen Roche, Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Institute of Medical Engineering and Science at MIT joins me this week. She directs the Therapeutic Technology Design and Development Lab at MIT and her research focuses on applying innovative technologies to the development of cardiac devices. She chats to me about growing up in Galway, her experiences in California working in medical device engineering and why she decided to leave industry to do a PhD in Harvard as a Fulbright Scholar. She describes her work using soft robotic approaches to augment heart function and her collaborations with Boston's Children's Hospital. She also discusses juggling family life & academia and how most of her work 'gets done when the kids are gone to bed'. Follow Ellen: ellentroche Follow me: MeganHanlon4 This season is kindly sponsored by Bio-Sciences Ltd, now part of Thermo-Fisher Scientific.

The incredible Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell joins me this week!! Jocelyn is an astrophysicist from Northern Ireland who, as a postgraduate student, discovered the first radio pulsars, the discovery of which eventually earned the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1974. She chats to me about making that crucial discovery, the media attention surrounding it, her research group focused on binary stars and her role as first female president of the Institute of physics. We also chat about the sexism she had faced throughout her academic career and the imposter syndrome she felt before attending Cambridge to do her PhD. She also chats about growing up in Armagh and the controversy surrounding the Nobel or 'No-Bell' Prize. Such a fascinating episode with great insights into how she navigated her path in a male-dominated field. Follow me: MeganHanlon4 This season is kindly sponsored by Bio-Sciences Ltd, now part of Thermo-Fisher Scientific.

Dr Garret FitzGerald, professor of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania joins me on the podcast today. Hailing from Wicklow, Garret is an international leader in cardiovascular disease research and leading world figure in pharmacology. He discusses his work into the development of low-dose aspirin for cardioprotection and his investigations into harmful effects and cardiovascular risks of NSAIDs. He also discusses the importance of the presence of molecular clocks in the cardiovascular system. We chat about his 'unusual' upbringing in the 'Grand Hotel' in Greystones, being an only child and the 'series of accidents' that have led to him becoming a physician scientist. We also discuss his move to London and subsequently the US and his hopes for the future of Irish science. Garret is also extremely passionate about bridging the gap between basic science and clinical impact and the importance of creating structures for career progression for younger researchers.