In this episode of The Struggling Scientists, we delve deep into the pervasive issue of burnout. Join hosts Suzanne and Jayron as they sit down with guest Cevdet Acarsoy, a psychologist and PhD student, to discuss the impact of burnout on productivity, motivation, and mental health in the academic world. Uncover the vicious circle of exhaustion, procrastination, and anxiety, and learn how to detect the early signs of burnout before it reaches a breaking point. Discover the unique challenges...

In this episode of The Struggling Scientists, we dive deep into the world of air pollution, uncovering its lesser-known effects and surprising sources. Join us as we explore the intricate relationship between air pollution and human health, shedding light on the toxic vs. non-toxic substances that fill our atmosphere. Our special guest, David Gonzalez, a postdoctoral scholar at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, shares his expertise in atmospheric chemistry and air pollution...

Are you a struggling PhD student looking for ways to enhance your research skills and boost your career prospects? Well, you're in luck! In this episode of "The Struggling Scientists," our hosts Suzanne and Jayron, along with special guest dr Kristina Ulicna, dive deep into the world of PhD internships. They discuss the importance of internships for PhD students, the benefits of stepping out of your comfort zone, and how internships can provide a valuable break from the intense workload of a...

Are you tired of constantly striving for perfection? In today's episode of "The Struggling Scientists," hosts Suzanne and Jayron tackle the topic of perfectionism and its detrimental effects on one's scientific journey. They are joined by an insightful guest, Kate Ahl, a renowned psychotherapist specializing in working with academics, scientists, and knowledge workers. Together, they delve into the dark side of perfectionism, from its contribution to procrastination and impostor syndrome to...

In this episode of The Struggling Scientists Podcast, Jayron shares his experience defending his PhD in the Netherlands. Topics include preparation strategies, unexpected questions, and overcoming self-doubt. We hope our listeners can gain some insights that help them with their own PhDs! If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or papers we really need to read, you can reach out to us via our website: https://thestrugglingscientists.com/ Would you like to know more about becoming...

In this episode, we interview Liza Cornet, an expert in making PhD theses more approachable for a broad audience. We discuss her fun and innovative magazine, which translates theses into engaging stories, and offer tips for PhD students looking to communicate their research. We also talk about the challenges of striking a balance between simplifying research and keeping its message intact. Overall, the episode provides valuable insights for anyone interested in science communication. If you...

Another episode about all the Science that has made the news recently! We get you completely up to-date (kind off) with everything you need to know. We talk about: Your native language impacts the wiring of your brainYellow Crazy Ants create chimeras to reproduceElephant peels bananas faster than humanBeetle drinks water using it’s butEarth wobble might mean your zodiac sign is not what you think it isWavy wounds heal faster than straight onesDr. Deep Sea sets a new record for living...

Choosing the right PhD supervisor can make or break your experience in graduate school. In this episode, hosts Suzanne and Jayron discuss the important qualities to look for in a PhD supervisor, such as mentoring skills, communication skills, and expertise in the field. They also provide advice on how to figure out what you need in a supervisor and how to find out more information about potential supervisors. Tune in to learn how to find your perfect match! If you have any questions,...

Are you a PhD student or scientist looking to boost your productivity? In this episode, the Struggling Scientists share their ultimate list of Chrome extensions for academics and scientists. From reference management to writing assistance, these tools will revolutionize the way you work. Tune in to learn how to upgrade your productivity and streamline your research process. If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or papers we really need to read, you can reach out to us via our...

Science communication has many benefits both for society and yourself.  But it isn't always easy. In this episode, we talk with Dr Vikki Burns from the PhD Life Coach Podcast about the struggles of doing science communication and anything new in general. If you are interested in her work or amazing podcast check out Vikki's website: https://www.thephdlifecoach.com/ If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or papers we really need to read, you can reach out to us via our website:...

Today we have another amazing episode for you! We are talking with Twitter-validated Ai expert Mushtaq Bilal about AI tools for academic writing. We get to know him first and then we discuss how to use AI tools to make academic writing more efficient, how to stay up to date with new AI tools, and the best ways to use them. Tune in to this episode to learn more about the exciting ways AI is changing academic writing. If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to leave a like on your podcast...

Today we have another Science News episode again! Filled with amazing Science that reached the news recently. We will discuss it all with a lot of laughs and fun! The topics we discuss in this episode: Robot can print 3D cell structures directly on your organsOur heartbeats can cause 'wrinkles in time'Bugs use a butt-flicker to launch pee at 40G'sDodo's next inline for de-extinctionNaked Molrat's age-defying fertilityHansel and Gretel inspire Rover's planet explorationMoondust problem on...

Our 50th Episode! Can you believe it? In this episode, we reflect on our science communication journey and answer questions from our fans. We discuss why and how we started the podcast, growing on social media, and our plans for the future, including adding courses on science communication. We also answer questions from our fans about our most rewarding experience as science communicators, changing the PhD funding model, dealing with mean reviewer comments, and tips for starting a thesis....

Open Access Publishing has been a significant development for the Scientific world. Today we talk with open access expert Chirag Jay Patel from R Discovery about this topic. We discuss: What led to the open access movement?What have been the biggest benefits of open access publishing?What aspects could still be improved?What developments are occurring with open access?How is R discovery using open access to help researchers? If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or papers we...

In this episode, we talk with assistant Professor Francesca Grisoni about AI in drug discovery! Her research group focuses on deep learning and we ask her about how AI is used in the lab, how it outperforms (or not) traditional methods and the challenges of AI research. If you have any questions, comments suggestions, or papers we really need to read, you can reach out to us via our website: https://thestrugglingscientists.com/ If you would like to know more about becoming a guest on our...

Today we introduce a new series to our podcast: PhD Productivity, and discuss the why, how, and what of the series. We are going to discuss tools and resources to help PhD students and other Scientists become more organized and productive. And more importantly, feel in control again! We also introduce the first tool, Notion, and discuss how it can be used to capture ideas, manage projects, and more. Check out notion now with the link: https://thestrugglingscientists.com/notion If you have...

We have for you another fun Science News episode, so much amazing Science has reached the News recently that it was difficult to choose! But we made a selection and will bring you up to speed with the actual science behind the news! Bats channeling their inner death metal singerThe first vaccine for Bees approved in USMale and Female stem cells created from a single personCuring Cancer with CRISPRPapers and Patents are becoming less disruptive2.6-billion-year-old CRISPR enzymes can still edit...

On this second Christmas day, we have a very special gift for you! A Christmas episode about standing up for your Science and Climate Change! Ernst-Jan Kuiper, a former scientist, and current climate change activist, joined us for this episode to discuss his experience with climate change research, activism, and advocacy. He discussed what it is like to join protests as a scientist, the main findings of climate research, misconceptions about climate change, and what people can do to help. He...

Yesterday we had the first real frost here in the Netherlands, and now that we have the first real evidence that winter is finally here we knew we needed to do a special winter-themed episode. So today we are going to talk about the winter dip, more officially called seasonal affective disorder (SAD). We are ready with a warm cup of chocolate or thee on this cold cold day to talk some science! We have gathered an enormous amount of information from many papers and are going to try to shape...

Today we discuss the Ig Nobel Prize winners from 2022. Ten interesting pieces of research that were awarded this prize for Science, that first make you laugh and then think. Some highlights include: A Moose Dummy master thesisAncient ritualistic Maya enemasIcecream as a treatmentConstipated scorpions Get in contact with us via: thestrugglingscientists.com

In this episode we interviewed dr. Elisabeth Bik about detecting fraud in scientific publications. She is an expert in detecting image tampering and has already found problems resulting in the retraction of over 900 articles. We talk with her about: The percentage of publications that have fraudulent imagesWhat steps to take if you find a fraudulent paperWhy do serial offenders keep committing fraudHow serious journals and institutions take this problemThe drawbacks of exposing fraudHow you...

Today we are talking about things we learned from the PhD besides our scientific knowledge. We picked 10 of our biggest learning moments and are sharing them with you. If you have questions/comments/suggestions or topics we really should discuss you can reach out to us via our website: thestrugglingscientists.com Also, check out our science-inspired merch!

We talked with the very interesting Bryan Quoc Le about how he switched to consulting after his PhD. Or more precisely already during his PhD! He has a lot of tips for people considering consultancy as their next step. If you want to learn more about him check out his website: www.bryanquocle.com If you have any questions, comments, or tips you can reach out to us via our website or social media: thestrugglingscientists.com

Today we talk with dr. Marc Reid, a Pi from Glasgow who wrote a book about imposter syndrome or as he would prefer to call it the imposter experience. We have a lot of questions for him about his own experience and his tips for dealing with feeling like an imposter. If you want to know more about Marc Reid, or get his book about the imposter experience, check out his website: dr-marc-reid.com If you have any questions, comments, or tips you can reach out to us via our website or social media....

We are back with another Science news episode! Not only will we bring you up to date on the most interesting (and funny) Science that has reached the news since our last episode and give you all the facts you need to astonish people at your next social event. We will also fact-check the actual research papers to make sure it actually shows what the journalist wrote about them. Which does not always seem to be the case! We will talk about Sharing DNA with your doppelgangerSharks that walk on...