We're diving into an important topic: the representation of women in STEM careers. Despite making up about 50% of the population, women hold only around 34% of STEM positions, with even fewer—approximately 25%—in the chemicals industry. Why is this the case, and what can be done to change it?

Kylie Wittle (Co-Founder & Operations Director of Women in Chemicals) and Amelia Greene (Co-Founder and Executive Director of Women in Chemicals), join us to explore this issue. Kylie and Amelia founded Women in Chemicals (WIC) to create opportunities and empower women in the chemicals industry. Initially driven by their personal experiences, over time, WIC has grown into a global resource supporting women and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within industry companies.

Join us as we explore the history of the chemicals industry, the current state of women's representation, and the ongoing efforts to ensure unbiased opportunities for women. Don't miss this insightful conversation!

Related episodes:

• S4E4 – Women in chemistry: learnings from of the greatest
• S3E9 – Energy harvesting and self-sustainable greenhouses
• S2E10 – Bioorthogonal chemistry, tuberculosis, and making the best of opportunities
• S2E9 – Materials of tomorrow to recycle materials of today
• S4E9 Cate – C.R.E.A.M. – Chemistry rules everything around me

Bonus content!

• Access bonus content curated by this episode’s guest by visiting www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast for links to recent publications, podcasts, books, videos and more.
• View the video of this episode on www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast.

A free thank you gift for our listeners!

• Request your free Bringing Chemistry to Life t-shirt on our episode website.
• Use Podcast Code: LabRatsRul3 in July or S4_BCTL in August

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Strap in for this charged up conversation. Battery chemistry is a topic we’ve touched on before and is one we’ve committed to exploring further in this season. This conversation with Dr. Heather Platt, Co-Founder and Chief Battery Scientist at Platt Engineering Solutions, takes us on an expert-guided tour of battery chemistry.

This conversation quickly moves us through battery chemistries like lead/acid and metal sulfides and into more modern mixed metal oxides with reversible chemistry. Our discussion of the pros and cons of various chemistries, including lithium-ion, touches on complex considerations including power density, voltage, global material sourcing, safety, and more. Manufacturing methods and the micro and nanostructures of battery materials are also discussed.

If you’re excited about the future of the battery field you’ll be sure to enjoy Heather’s views on up-and-coming battery technologies, including solid state and sodium-ion chemistries.

Related episodes:

• Season 5, Ep. 1: Batteries unplugged: past, present and the electrifying future

Bonus content:

• Access bonus content curated by this episode’s guest by visiting www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast for links to recent publications, podcasts, books, videos and more.
• View the video of this episode on www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast.

A free thank you gift for our listeners!

• Request your free Bringing Chemistry to Life t-shirt on our episode website.
• Use Podcast Code: laBcheM in June orLabRatsRul3 in July

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• Email helloBCTL@thermofisher.com

Join our host, Dr. Paolo Braiuca, as he chats with some of the most fascinating scientists around the globe doing trailblazing work in a variety of fields and industries. Learn about their personal stories, notable contributions, and the enthusiasm for discovery that unites them all. This is a podcast for anyone who wants to learn more about science and the brilliant minds advancing it.

Now in the fifth season of our podcast, in store are more inspiring conversations about trending topics with influential guest that chemists, students and science enthusiasts will undoubtedly find captivating. In the mid-season checkpoint, Paolo reflects on the evolution of the series and gives a glimpse of what’s to come. Diversity remains a priority but, there will be deeper looks at topics like battery technology, PFAS chemistry, chemical biology, and sustainability in organic chemistry.

If you’re new to the podcast, now is the time to catch up and get ready for what’s to come. If you’re a loyal listener, Paolo has a special message for you and a humble request Regardless, we’re happy you found us and we’re looking forward to sharing more with you soon!

Bonus content!

• Access bonus content curated by each episode’s guest by visiting www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast for links to recent publications, podcasts, books, videos and more.
• View the video of each episode on www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast.

A free thank you gift for our listeners!

• Visit the episode website and request your free Bringing Chemistry to Life t-shirt.
• Use Podcast Code: Bi0catalys1sin June or LabRatsRul3 in July

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Anyone that’s followed this podcast will know that Paolo’s final question to each guest is, “What advice would you like to share with younger scientists just starting their career?” Here, our guest, Dr. Monte Helm, professor of chemistry at Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City, shares advice that he clearly lives by, which is, “… be flexible ii your career and follow what you think you’ll be passionate about.”

While Monte’s academic training is in inorganic chemistry, he’ll tell you he’s always cared about teaching as much as the subject itself. Join us to meet this lifelong learner and teacher, that’s parlayed his passion for phosphine chemistry and teaching into roles as a postdoctoral researcher, a professor at an undergraduate research institution, a deputy director at a national laboratory, and now a teaching-focused role at a community college. A set of roles that definitely demonstrates flexibility!

In addition to learning about the fundamental research Dr. Helm has done in crown-phosphine and phosphine ligand synthesis, we learn about his unconventional career path and the key role that mentors and sabbatical opportunities played in its development. He talks openly about the joys and challenges of each role, about his motivations for each career change, and his current love of teaching at a community college where he’s able to focus solely on teaching to students that may not have had positive primary educational experiences in science.

Related episodes:

• Season 2, Ep. 3: Rethinking Catalysis
• Season 2, Ep. 6: The charm of the forgotten elements
• Season 3, Ep. 3: Imagination and the chemistry of the things around us
• Season 5, Ep. 4: Shining a photochemical light on undergraduate research

Bonus content!

• Access bonus content curated by this episode’s guest by visiting www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast for links to recent publications, podcasts, books, videos and more.
• View the video of this episode on www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast.

A free thank you gift for our listeners!

• Visit the episode website and request your free Bringing Chemistry to Life t-shirt.
• Use Podcast Code: laBcheM in March or sc13nc3 in April

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• Email helloBCTL@thermofisher.com

Most of us don’t grow up across the street from a chemistry building or know from an early age that we want to be a scientist, but Alan Dyke, VP of Business Development for ProChem, Inc. (CTO of Boulder Scientific Company at the time of the interview) did and became a chemist. Dr. Alan Dyke, former colleague, and friend of Paolo’s, shares his career path and discusses the history and current state of the field of catalysis.

With a father that taught university-level chemistry, and a brother in the field, it may not be surprising that Alan Dyke became a chemist, but it is surprising is that he’s considered to be the outcast of the family for choosing a commercial career instead of taking an academic route. But, as he’ll passionately reveal, there are upsides to choosing a non-academic career.

Join us for a wonderful conversation where Paolo and Alan recount their shared history and the evolution of the catalysis field over recent decades. They discuss the evolution of homogeneous cross-coupling, biocatalysis, metathesis, and metallocene chemistry. Application of catalysis to fields as varied as pharmaceuticals and polymers is discussed, along with sustainability and other trends and dynamics in the field. Overcome your activation energy and join us!

Related episodes: 

• Season 1, Ep.2: Reinventing plastics, one reaction at a time
• Season 2, Ep.1: Chemistry: a modern American dream
• Season 2, Ep.6: The charm of the forgotten elements

Bonus content!

• Access bonus content curated by this episode’s guest by visiting www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast for links to recent publications, podcasts, books, videos and more.
• View the video of this episode on www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast.

A free thank you gift for our listeners! 

• Visit the episode website and request your free Bringing Chemistry to Life t-shirt.
• Use Podcast Code:  laBcheM in March or sc13nc3 in April

We read every email so please share your questions and feedback with us!

• Email helloBCTL@thermofisher.com

Bringing Chemistry to Life is as much about the people behind the science as it is about the science itself. We’ve been remiss in sharing a bit more about the creator and host! In this unique episode we flip the script and move Paolo from the host chair to the guest chair to hear his story.

From Paolo’s childhood memories watching his father fix electronics and his dreams of being in the NBA, he chats about developing into a skilled bioorganic chemist, working in biocatalysis and his contributions to international study programs. He describes the “God-like” powers that organic chemistry gave him, manipulating matter and creating things that didn’t exist before and how this led to becoming an R&D leader in a startup.

Our protagonist’s story takes a turn when he discovers and becomes enamored with the “dark side” of science finding success in sales, product management, and product marketing roles, where we find him today. The origin story of Bringing Chemistry to Life is uncovered, fulfilling his aspiration of being a podcast host while keeping him connected to great science and market trends. Join us to meet Paolo, your host, learn what he gets from hosting the podcast, and what he hopes listeners get from it!

Related episodes:

• Season 1, Ep.1: Human milk — its a matter of chemistry (aka The Start of it All)
• Season 4, Ep.2: Paul Anastas — The father of green chemistry (aka A Dream Come True)
  

Bonus content!

• Access bonus content curated by this episode’s guest by visiting www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast for links to recent publications, podcasts, books, videos and more.
• View the video of this episode on www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast.

A free thank you gift for our listeners!

• Visit the episode website and request your free Bringing Chemistry to Life t shirt.
• Use Podcast Code: liV4chem in February or laBcheM in March

We read every email so please share your questions and feedback with us!

• Email helloBCTL@thermofisher.com

With four seasons under our belt, we’ve heard some amazing stories about how our guests have found, or often “stumbled” into, their careers in science. We’ve also had many conversations where past guests have passionately discussed the importance of their early career teachers as well as what teaching does for them in their current careers. This conversation is squarely centered on these two topics, with a good dose of photochemistry mixed in too.

We meet Dr. Izzy Lamb, Assistant Professor at Fort Lewis College, which is a small liberal arts school in Colorado with a primarily undergraduate student population. Izzy is entertainingly forthright in admitting that he’s often a bit surprised by his success in chemistry given that he was failing the topic in high school and was later accepted to only one of the six graduate programs he applied to. However, our conversation quickly uncovers why Izzy has been successful in what matters most to him—exploring photochemistry and training the next generation of chemists.

Join us for this engaging look at how Izzy has built a thriving career in chemistry through perseverance, passion, and knowing what matters most to him. We learn about his career in photocatalysis and how he’s now adapting his research to better fit the resources and undergraduate students where he’s now working. A passion for teaching students in a way that gets them thinking and equipped to solve real-world problems is his priority, and we learn how he’s using a passion for understanding quantum yields of photochemical reactions to help inform more sustainable ways of doing chemistry.

Related episodes:

• Season 1, Ep.2: Reinventing plastics, one reaction at a time
• Season 3, Ep.1: Fuel the world with light - the wonders of nano-magnesium
• Season 3, Ep.9: Energy harvesting and self-sustainable greenhouses

Bonus content!

• Access bonus content curated by this episode’s guest by visiting www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast for links to recent publications, podcasts, books, videos and more.
• View the video of this episode on www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast.

A free thank you gift for our listeners!

• Visit the episode website and request your free Bringing Chemistry to Life t shirt.
• Use Podcast Code: Ba++ery in January 2024 or liV4chem in February

We read every email so please share your questions and feedback with us!

• Email helloBCTL@thermofisher.com

After realizing at a young age that rock and roll might be a better hobby than a career, our guest chose chemistry and chromatography as his path, and he’s rocked that career choice!

In this fun and engaging conversation, you’ll meet Frank Steiner, PhD, Senior Manager of Product Applications, and Scientific Advisor at Thermo Fisher Scientific, who has earned much respect for his contributions to the field of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). He and his team are customer number one for new HPLC products and generate much of the data used to support product launches. Steeped in the theory and fundamentals of HPLC, they provide us with a very approachable summary of the technique and considerations that must be balanced across diverse applications.

Follow Frank and Paolo as they uncover insights on the evolutionary arc of HPLC, what challenges still exist, and why Frank believes it to be the technique that is most widespread and effective in affecting our lives. As always, we promise to let you get to know Frank, his personal story, and some bits of sage advice from a man that’s been there and done that.

Related episodes:

• Season 1, Ep.3: There’s chemistry is in the air!
• Season 1, Ep.7: Stronger magnets, stronger science
• Season 4, Ep.7: From an F in chemistry to 40 years in chemicals

Bonus content!

• Access bonus content curated by this episode’s guest by visiting www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast for links to recent publications, podcasts, books, videos and more.
• View the video version of this episode on www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast.

A free thank you gift for our listeners!

• Visit the episode website and request your free Bringing Chemistry to Life t shirt
• Use Podcast Code: 2023wrap in December 2023 or Ba++ery in January 2024

We read every email so please share your questions and feedback with us!

• Email helloBCTL@thermofisher.com