Spotlight on GSAS Students and Alumni

Brandeis University GSAS

The Spotlight Podcast is a great way to keep up to date with the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Brandeis University. We will post interviews with our amazing students and alumni, who will showcase their research and scholarship.

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Episodes

PhD Candidate Explores Lebanese Politics

Kelly Stedem, a PhD candidate in the politics department, discusses the current protests in Lebanon and her dissertation, which explores clientelism in the country. Stedem recently coauthored an article for the Washinton Post's Monkey Cage blog about the protests.

Jan 03, 2020•24 min

Russian Punk Rock from the 1970s to Pussy Riot

In this episode of the Highlights Podcast, Alexander Herbert, a PhD candidate in the history department, discusses his book, "What About Tomorrow?: An Oral History of Russian Punk from the Soviet Era to Pussy Riot."

Dec 17, 2019•25 min

Musicologist Investigates Shostakovich's Musical Language

PhD candidate Matthew Heck first fell in love with Shostakovich as a young violinist. He has spent his time at Brandeis investigating the nuts and bolts of Shostakovich's musical language—an area that he feels has been somewhat neglected by anglophone theorists.

Jun 17, 2019•10 min

Can Machine Learning Solve the Challenges of Cloud Computing?

Ryan Marcus, PhD'19, discusses the challenges associated with cloud computing and the ways that machine learning may be able to address them.

Jun 11, 2019•8 min

PhD Student in Chemistry Investigates Turing Patterns

Chris Konow researches the impact of growth on Turing patterns in the Epstein Lab. Turing patterns are named after the British mathematician Alan Turing, who proposed a mechanism for how differentiation can occur within a homogeneous system. The Epstein and Fraden labs at Brandeis have provided experimental support for Turing's predictions and are currently performing research to improve our understanding of the Turing mechanism.

Mar 21, 2019•8 min

Jack E. Davis, PhD'94, Discusses His Pulitzer Prize Winning Book, "The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea"

Jack E. Davis, PhD'94, returned to campus on March 19, 2019 to give a talk about his Pulitzer Prize winning book, "The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea." He sat down with us for half an hour to discuss the book, his next project on the history of the bald eagle and to provide some words of advice on how students of history can improve their own writing.

Mar 20, 2019•26 min

Veronica Flores, PhD'19, Lands Tenure Track Faculty Position

Veronica Flores, PhD'19, discusses her work across the disciplines of psychology and neuroscience in the Katz lab. Flores studies the effect of incidental experience on taste using a rodent model. Recently, she was selected for a faculty vacancy by Furman University in South Carolina. She will begin working in this role in August.

Mar 18, 2019•14 min

Studying Biotechnology at Brandeis

Master's candidate Victor Suarez discusses his experience pursuing a dual degree in Biotechnology and Business Administration at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the Heller School for Social Policy and Management.

Jan 30, 2019•5 min

Unraveling the Mysteries of DNA Self-assembly

Janna Lowensohn, a PhD candidate in Physics, discusses the process of experimentation involved with DNA self-assembly. As a member of the Rogers Lab, she works with DNA molecules to unravel and then reprogram the self-assembly process.

Jan 30, 2019•11 min

Megan Finch Analyzes the Trope of the "Mad Black Woman" in Literature

Megan Finch discusses her dissertation, "Unreasonable Blackness: Black Women Writing Madness, 1967 – 2015," with Alyssa Stalsberg Canelli, PhD, the Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Jan 24, 2019•15 min

What Can Chimpanzees Teach Us about Care?

PhD candidate Amy Hanes investigates the topic of care. Her field research involves working with Chimpanzees at a sanctuary in Cameroon. She analyzes care from the standpoints of touch, power dynamics between chimps and the humans that look after them.

Jan 24, 2019•18 min

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