Bringing Chemistry to Life - podcast cover

Bringing Chemistry to Life

Thermo Fisher Scientificwww.thermofisher.com
Conversations with the brightest chemical minds — Join us in educational chats with some of the most fascinating and influential scientists in the world. Learn about their personal stories, notable contributions, and an enthusiasm for discovery that unites them all. Covering various fields and industries, this is a podcast for anyone who wants to learn more about science and the brilliant minds advancing it.
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Episodes

The last element – signing off with gratitude

According to the second law of thermodynamics, the entropy of a system will always increase. For a layperson, this means that all things must come to pass and nothing lasts forever. Since no person or thing can evade the laws of physics, this also applies to Bringing Chemistry to Life. In this final message from Paolo, the series’ creator and host, we hear about how the series started and how it’s been fueled by the passion of guests, host, and listeners, alike. It is with gratitude that we refl...

Oct 23, 20243 minSeason 5Ep. 14

Plastic electronics, digitized materials, and other sustainable solutions

Join us for this look into materials chemistry, developed under the guiding principles of sustainability and a systems approach. Dr. Zlatka Stoeva, Co-founder and Managing Director of DZP Technologies, discovered her love of chemistry out of boredom as a child. She then traveled to unknown lands to master her science and discover the value of mentors while doing amazing work on lithium-ion battery chemistry. A stint in the technology transfer office at Cambridge showed her how fundamental resear...

Oct 02, 202433 minSeason 5Ep. 13

The rise and adoption of biocatalysis

Some debate that synthetic organic chemistry strategies have become stale, but Dr. Todd Hyster of Princeton University's Hyster Lab disagrees. Todd fell in love with organic chemistry early in his education, but it wasn’t until he got turned on to enzyme catalysis that he found his true calling. He’s built a career using engineered enzymes to facilitate chemical transformations that would otherwise not be possible. Specifically, he and his team focus on photo-enzymatic catalysis where they use a...

Sep 11, 202434 minSeason 5Ep. 12

The metrology aspects of PFAS

Early in her career, Dr. Jessica Reiner realized that she cared more about ensuring the accuracy of the measurements she was making than making the measurements themselves. This realization, combined with experience in working with PFAS, led to her current role as Research Chemist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Join us to hear an insider’s perspective on the PFAS topic, with a deep dive into the analytical methods used to detect, quantify, and identify PFAS species...

Aug 21, 202434 minSeason 5Ep. 11

The most interesting man in chemistry

Bioconjugation of antibodies to drugs via chemical linkers is how antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) are made. We’re joined by Matt Giese, Senior Scientist at Vector Laboratories, who talks us through the complex chemistry options and biodesign considerations that have to be considered and balanced when making a successful ADC. How does one build the skillset to work in biodesign of ADCs you might ask? Well, Matt’s career path might not provide a clearcut roadmap like you might hope. That’s because...

Jul 31, 202433 minSeason 5Ep. 10

Empowering women in the chemical industry

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...

Jul 12, 202433 minSeason 5Ep. 9

An expert-guided tour of battery chemistry

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 dis...

Jun 19, 202434 minSeason 5Ep. 8

Mid-season reveal: new episodes on battery tech, PFAS, and sustainability coming soon

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 i...

May 15, 20246 min

The life-altering impact of one chemist’s sabbatical

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’...

Apr 03, 202432 minSeason 5Ep. 7

Cross-coupling, catalysis and one chemist’s move to tech

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 t...

Mar 13, 202435 minSeason 5Ep. 6

Flip the script. Meet your host, Paolo.

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 contributio...

Feb 21, 202433 minSeason 5Ep. 5

Shining a photochemical light on undergraduate research

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 Fo...

Jan 31, 202433 minSeason 5Ep. 4

A high-performance career in liquid chromatography

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 f...

Jan 12, 202434 minSeason 5Ep. 3

AI and the man catalyzing a bio-revolution

Protein biology has always been grounded in the relationship between structure and function but how we determine structure has changed dramatically. While it’s still common to crystallize a protein for X-ray diffraction and then back calculate its structure, supercomputing-powered, AI-driven tools have revolutionized approaches to getting a protein structure and engineer proteins for uses such as biocatalysis. Amazing right, but how? By using wet lab data to train and then compute, protein struc...

Dec 20, 202335 minSeason 5Ep. 2

Batteries unplugged: past, present and the electrifying future

Electricity undeniably changed the world and enabled countless other technologies. Now, via storage and mobile access to electrical energy, batteries are positioned to further enable us as a species. So, it is the perfect time to get to know battery technology innovator and entrepreneur, Dr. Simon Engelke, Founder and Chair of Battery Associates, as he shares his passion for sustainable battery innovation. Any battery enthusiast will feel recharged by this electrifying conversation about the pas...

Nov 29, 202335 minSeason 5Ep. 1

The most famous unknown — the periodic table

Visit https://www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast/ to access the extended video version of this episode and the episode summary sheet, which contains links to recent publications and additional content recommendations for our guest. You can also access the extended video version of this episode via our YouTube channel to hear, and see, more of the conversation! Visit https://thermofisher.com/bctl and use the code S4_BCTL in August, StyTun3d in September, BrgChem2Lif in October, or AlwysL3rnin...

Aug 09, 202336 minSeason 4Ep. 10

C.R.E.A.M. – Chemistry rules everything around me

Visit https://www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast/ to access the extended video version of this episode and the episode summary sheet, which contains links to recent publications and additional content recommendations for our guest. You can also access the extended video version of this episode via our YouTube channel to hear, and see, more of the conversation! Visit https://thermofisher.com/bctl and use the code PaoloRKS in July, or S4_BCTL in August, to register for your free Bringing Chemi...

Jul 19, 202333 minSeason 4Ep. 9

The electrifying chemistry of the nitrogen cycle

Visit https://www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast/ to access the extended video version of this episode and the episode summary sheet, which contains links to recent publications and additional content recommendations for our guest. You can also access the extended video version of this episode via our YouTube channel to hear, and see, more of the conversation! Visit https://thermofisher.com/bctl and use the code PaoloRKS in July to register for your free Bringing Chemistry to Life T-shirt. M...

Jun 28, 202335 minSeason 4Ep. 8

From an F in chemistry to 40 years in chemicals

Visit https://www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast/ to access the extended video version of this episode and the episode summary sheet, which contains links to recent publications and additional content recommendations for our guest. You can also access the extended video version of this episode via our YouTube channel to hear, and see, more of the conversation! Visit https://thermofisher.com/bctl and use the code CoolCh3mShirt in June to register for your free Bringing Chemistry to Life T-shi...

Jun 07, 202334 minSeason 4Ep. 7

Electronics for the human body

Visit https://www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast/ to access the extended video version of this episode and the episode summary sheet, which contains links to recent publications and additional content recommendations for our guest. You can also access the extended video version of this episode via our YouTube channel to hear, and see, more of the conversation! Visit https://thermofisher.com/bctl and use the code Scienc3Fwd in May to register for your free Bringing Chemistry to Life T-shirt. ...

May 17, 202332 minSeason 4Ep. 6

The Extra-Terrestrial Chemist

Visit https://www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast/ to access the extended video version of this episode and the guest content sheet, which contains links to recent publications and additional content recommendations for our guest. You can also access the extended video version of this episode via our YouTube channel to hear, and see, more of the conversation! Visit https://thermofisher.com/bctl and use the codes below to register for your free Bringing Chemistry to Life T-shirt (April = BCTLs...

Apr 26, 202332 minSeason 4Ep. 5

Women in chemistry: learnings from one of the greatest

Visit https://www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast/ to access the extended video version of this episode and the episode summary sheet, which contains links to recent publications and additional content recommendations for our guest. You can also access the extended video version of this episode via our YouTube channel to hear, and see, more of the conversation! Visit https://thermofisher.com/bctl and use the code BCTLshirt to register for your free Bringing Chemistry to Life T-shirt during Ma...

Apr 05, 202332 minSeason 4Ep. 4

Chemistry, Computers, and Humans

Visit https://www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast/ to access the extended video version of this episode and the guest content sheet, which contains links to recent publications and additional content recommendations for our guest. You can also access the extended video version of this episode via our YouTube channel to hear, and see, more of the conversation! Visit https://thermofisher.com/bctl and use the code Chem2Life to register for your free Bringing Chemistry to Life T-shirt during Marc...

Mar 15, 202333 minSeason 4Ep. 3

The Father of Green Chemistry

Visit https://www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast/ to access the extended video version of this episode and the episode summary sheet, which contains links to recent publications and additional content recommendations for our guest. You can also access the extended video version of this episode via our YouTube channel to hear, and see, more of the conversation! Visit https://thermofisher.com/bctl to register for your free Bringing Chemistry to Life T-shirt. This is a big one. When one of the ...

Feb 22, 202334 minSeason 4Ep. 2

The Chemists' Charisma

Visit https://www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast/ to access the extended video version of this episode and guest content and resources, which includes links to recent publications and additional content recommendations for our guest. You can also access the extended video version of this episode via our YouTube channel to hear, and see, more of the conversation! Visit https://thermofisher.com/bctl to register for your free Bringing Chemistry to Life T-shirt. We open Season 4 with a unique do...

Feb 01, 202336 minSeason 4Ep. 1

On solid state materials, electrochemistry and the importance of roots

Visit https://thermofisher.com/bctl to register for your free Bringing Chemistry to Life T-shirt and https://www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast/ to access the extended video version of this episode and the episode summary sheet, which contains links to recent publications and additional content recommendations for our guest. You can access the extended video version of this episode via our YouTube channel to hear, and see, more of the conversation! Some people have an aura, which is somethin...

Jul 20, 202238 minSeason 3Ep. 10

Energy harvesting and self-sustainable greenhouses

Visit https://thermofisher.com/bctl to register for your free Bringing Chemistry to Life T-shirt and https://www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast/ to access the extended video version of this episode and the episode summary sheet, which contains links to recent publications and additional content recommendations for our guest. You can access the extended video version of this episode via our YouTube channel to hear, and see, more of the conversation! While most love adventure, it still takes c...

Jul 06, 202234 minSeason 3Ep. 9

Drugging the undruggable

Visit https://thermofisher.com/bctl to register for your free Bringing Chemistry to Life T-shirt and https://www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast/ to access the extended video version of this episode and the episode summary sheet, which contains links to recent publications and additional content recommendations for our guest. You can access the extended video version of this episode via our YouTube channel to hear, and see, more of the conversation! Chemical biology is a relatively recent dis...

Jun 22, 202234 minSeason 3Ep. 8

Shining a new light on chemistry

Visit https://thermofisher.com/bctl to register for your free Bringing Chemistry to Life T-shirt and https://www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast/ to access the extended video version of this episode and the episode summary sheet, which contains links to recent publications and additional content recommendations for our guest. You can access the extended video version of this episode via our YouTube channel to hear, and see, more of the conversation! Entrepreneurship in the blood, a fine mind,...

Jun 08, 202232 minSeason 3Ep. 7

A fresh perspective on the development of new drugs

Visit https://thermofisher.com/bctl to register for your free Bringing Chemistry to Life T-shirt and https://www.thermofisher.com/chemistry-podcast/ to access the extended video version of this episode and the episode summary sheet, which contains links to recent publications and additional content recommendations for our guest. You can access the extended video version of this episode via our YouTube channel to hear, and see, more of the conversation! Antibiotics are an incredibly important cla...

May 25, 202232 minSeason 3Ep. 6
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