This week we loved chatting with Dr Kira Hughes, an aerobiologist and award-winning science communicator who is passionate about helping other researchers learn how to effectively communicate their science and advocating for underrepresented groups in STEM.
Kira has over five years of experience in science communication. She's presented at several public events, ranging from international conferences to comedy shows, and has been interviewed as a scientific expert for news articles, radio shows, magazines, & podcasts. She has applied her science communication skillset through outreach ventures encouraging students to pursue careers in STEM, as well as coordinating research-focused content for marketing campaigns. Kira has received numerous awards in science communication, including the 2023 Deakin University Three Minute Thesis Runner-Up & People's Choice Winner. Due to her outstanding work in science communication, she was recently named a Superstar of STEM by Science & Technology Australia. Currently, Kira works as a Research Grants Officer at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, where she helps scientists effectively communicate their work to secure funding for important cancer research.
Kira is an expert in aerobiology: the study of airborne allergens like pollen & fungal spores. While completing her PhD with the NeuroAllergy Research Laboratory (NARL) at Deakin University, her research focused on understanding the underlying factors of thunderstorm asthma and developing better ways to monitor allergens. Kira also worked on developing an innovative real-time sensor that could detect airborne allergens in less than one hour, which is not only significantly quicker than current technology, but may serve as an effective real-time warning system for thunderstorm asthma to help save lives. Her research will help scientists learn more about how these events unfold and create better methods for predicting future asthma epidemics.
You’ll love hearing about Kira’s passion for science communication and all the things she’s learned along the way over the past five years.
You can follow Kira and learn more about her work here:
https://scienceandtechnologyaustralia.org.au/profile/kira-hughes/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5R4jctjTGnI&list=PLeEQNZMTnnINcTA_lWJBqiTkla2qJnv5H&index=9
Transcript: https://go.unimelb.edu.au/yd3p
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Cardiac Cowboys
The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.