The Women in Ecology and Evolution Podcast

In this episode I'm talking to Professor Nokwanda (Nox) Makunga about her fascinating research on medicinal plants and indigenous knowledge in the Cape region of South Africa. Today's paper in focus comes from Elisa Fernández Fueyo - an insightful comparative study looking at behaviour after infant loss in primates (content warning: if infant loss is a topic you'd rather skip, after my conversation with Nox, skip to ...

Happy midsummer! Bringing you a cheerful episode - honest! - even though we broach a tough topic that we're all familiar with: rejection with a capital R. It seems like an unavoidable part of the academic and scientific life (and beyond), so I brought together a great group to talk through how we deal with it when it inevitably comes. My main guest today is Dr Elizabeth Carlen - as well as rejection, we talked about her work o...

Welcome back folks! My guest today is Dr Kate Laskowski, a behavioural ecologist and Amazon molly enthusiast - you will be the same once you've listened to our conversation about her research on individual differences in behaviour, and their consequences in ecology and evolution! We're joined by Dr Rebekah Oomen and Dr Hollie Marshall, who you'll recognise from S1 (always a pleasure!), to talk about open science - wh...

This month we are celebrating the 10th annual March Mammal Madness tournament! This fantastic and super fun initiative is a model for great science communication - and it was great to talk with founder Dr Katie Hinde and longtime participant Dr Alyson Brokaw about the history of the tournament and what makes it so special. Katie and I also talked about her other research projects - and we also have a great Paper in Focus this episo...

The Women in Ecology and Evolution Podcast is back for season 2! Kicking off 2022 (belatedly) with a super fun episode, so strap in for more great guests and conversations about science and academia, and beyond. My guest today is Sneha Dharwadkar, a wildlife biologist and herpetologist from India, and currently a PhD candidate - we talk about her journey into research, parachute science, and starting a PhD in your thirties, and dur...

A whole year and 15 episodes later... what a ride for the first season of the Women in Ecology and Evolution Podcast. Thanks for listening! More great stuff for you today. Dr Kristal Cain from the University of Auckland talks to me about her research and why it's important to test things we assume to be true! We're joined by Dr Dareen Almojil, a molecular ecology postdoc based at NYU Abu Dhabi, and Tara-Lyn Camilleri Cart...

It's a treat to be joined today by Sarah Fowler OBE to talk about her work with Sharks Trust UK and the Save our Seas Foundation, as well as her new book, a beautiful illustrated guide to Sharks of the World, out now from Princeton University Press! Link below. Next, Dr Annette Fayet talks me through the Paper in Focus - what's driving foraging and breeding success of Atlantic Puffins? Listen and find out! Lastly, it&apos...

We're taking your questions this month! Dr Hannah Rowland, Sam Helle, Anjana Parandhaman and I tackle all your  burning issues, from finding funding, to advocating for credit on publications, to dating in science. There's plenty of research here too - Hannah and I talk about her past and current research, and this episode's Paper in Focus takes us to the deep sea to explore the effects of sediment disturbance, by Dan...

In today's episode my guests and I explore the close links between art and science in our professional and personal lives! Amy Cheu is my main guest today - she is a scientific illustrator and PhD student researching reptile biomechanics. We are joined by Dr Beth Reinke and Dr Emily Doolittle to discuss our interdisciplinary work, and the creative process in art and science. Enjoy!

Paper in Focus: Regional Comparison ...

Today's guest is Dr Jessica Cusick, who talks to me about her fascinating research studying individual variation in social behaviour. Then, we're joined by Dr Emma Bush and Laura Kojima to discuss imposter phenomenon - our experiences, and how we deal with it in our lives and careers! This episode's Paper in Focus is from Savannah Rogers, on the spatial distribution of grizzly bears.

Hosted, as always, by me...

It's our TENTH episode! To celebrate double digits, strap yourself in for a special episode shining a spotlight on some of the incredible women in STEM research in and from the Southern African region. Today's guest is Dr Zoe Nhleko, a South African researcher currently a postdoc at Mississippi State University - she tells me about her Masters and PhD work on black and white rhino ecology. Then, I talk to Drs Evodia Setat...

This episode is all about work outside the traditional academic box, in one way or another! First up, I talk to Priya Nanjappa about the fantastic work she's done in applied ecology throughout her career (and yes, we talked about her love of toads 🐸❤️). Next, Holly English joins to tell me about her paper using info from public databases to assess the distribution of wallabies (!) in Britain. Lastly, Priya and I are joined by...

We made it through January! Yes there's still a pandemic (scream) but Spring and vaccines are coming, and there's lots to look forward to. Like this fantastic episode! I had a great time catching up with my friend Dr Sara Hermann: we chatted about her path into academia, and the research on trophic interactions and predator prey dynamics going on in her lab. This episode's Paper in Focus is from Dr Bako Rasolofoniain...

To kick off the New Year, Dr Carly Anne York tells me about her "wiggly path" into ecology! And her current work on cephalopods and other critters. This episode's Paper in Focus is from Hollie Marshall, on genomic imprinting in bumblebees (paper link below). Carly and I are joined by Kari Soennichsen and Tatyana Soto to discuss our experiences of mentorship.

Hosted, as always, by me, Kirsty MacLeod.
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Today, Martha Muñoz is here! One of my #HERper heroes, Martha talks to me about her fantastic work on thermal ecology, biomechanics and diversity in reptiles and amphibians. This episode's Paper in Focus is from Yusan Yang, on the territorial behaviour of poison frogs in Panamá (paper link below). Ever been told to stay out of politics and to "stick to science?" Martha and I are joined by Kirsty Graham and Sharmi Sen...

In this episode, Hannah Mumby joins me to talk about her research on elephants and wild boar, as well as her experiences of being #DisabledInSTEM, and her new book: "The Secret Lives of Elephants"! This episode's Paper in Focus is from Andrea Quattrini: dive into the wonderful world of anthozoa, and learn what the paleoclimate can tell us about changes in coral diversity through deep time (paper link below). Lastly, ...

Today, Jordan Rutter is here to talk with me about how her lifelong love of birds led her to research, professional science communication in a PR role, and activism within the bird community (check out Bird Names For Birds)! This episode's Paper in Focus is from Monique Pipkin and Amelia Juliette Demery. We talk about their paper on safe fieldwork strategies for at-risk individuals - trust me, you and everyone working in resea...

Sara Lil Middleton joins me to discuss her research in plant ecology, as well as a few of her outreach projects, including the Black British Biology Project. This episode's Paper in Focus is from Rebekah Oomen! We talk about her theory-driven study on genomic architecture and evolution... as well as an intriguing art project! Then, Sara and I are joined by Ellen Brandell and Amani Webber-Schultz to discuss work-life balance - ...

Dani Rabaiotti joins me from London to discuss her research on climate change impacts in African wild dogs, as well as her interests in science policy, and writing popular science books. This episode's Paper in Focus is from Erin Kane, getting into her research on oral processing in Diana monkeys. Then, Dani and I are joined by Sam Helle and Ashwini Mohan to share our experiences of starting a PhD - in Sam's case, during ...