The Baker Lab Podcast

David Baker•rss.com

Your front-row seat to the human side of science. Hosted by Nobel laureate David Baker, we invite you to hear from real people at the forefront of AI, biology, chemistry, and physics. From moments of doubt to breakthroughs that change everything, these stories prove that great science isn’t just about what you find — it’s about who you become along the way.

Protein design pioneer David Baker has trained hundreds of scientists, published over 650 research papers, and launched more than 20 biotech companies. The Baker Lab at the University of Washington has become a hub for groundbreaking ideas and world-changing discoveries. Now, through this podcast, David is turning the spotlight onto the people who make it all happen. If you’ve ever wondered what it really takes to expand the frontier of knowledge, The Baker Lab Podcast is for you.

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Episodes

8: Composing Complexity - Arvind Pillai

What happens when a kid who sketches dinosaurs grows up to reimagine biology? In this episode, postdoctoral scholar Arvind Pillai traces his unexpected path from paleoart to designing proteins that change shape on command. Along the way, he reflects on the sting of academic rejection, the joy of discovery, and how online debates with creationists sharpened his view of evolution. Arvind’s story explores how complexity emerges — not just in molecules, but in the making of a scientist. // This podc...

Jun 05, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 8

7: Winning iGEM, Building Companies - Ingrid Swanson Pultz

Launching UW’s first iGEM team changed the course of Ingrid’s career. Her team built an enzyme to digest gluten that took first place in the biotech competition — and fueled a new company. Hear Ingrid explain what it takes to translate scientific breakthroughs into real products and companies. // This podcast was produced at the Institute for Protein Design at the University of Washington School of Medicine by Ian Haydon, Roni Weissman, Enisha Sehgal, Nora McNamara-Bordewick, Riti Biswas, Joe Mi...

May 07, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 7

6: Reprogramming Life - Yuliya Politanska

Yuliya Politanska’s path to science began with onion cells and a microscope in her hometown of Chernivtsi, Ukraine. As a teen, she moved to the U.S. and grew comfortable speaking English only after propping a dictionary right next to her textbooks. Now a third-year PhD student in the lab, Yuliya is designing custom proteins that bind to DNA to control how cells behave—work that could one day help repair diseased or damaged tissue. In this episode, Yuliya shares her story of resilience, curiosity...

Apr 05, 2025•47 min•Ep. 6

5: Exploring Molecular Frontiers - Alexis Courbet

Centuries ago, explorers set sail across vast oceans. Today, scientists like Alexis Courbet are navigating uncharted waters at the nanoscale. As a researcher at the Institute for Protein Design, Alexis is building molecular machines unlike any seen before—creating nanoscale sensors and protein-based rotors that move with atomic precision. Whether designing molecules or mapping out his next mountaineering adventure with David Baker, he approaches every frontier with the same curiosity and drive t...

Mar 12, 2025•47 min•Ep. 5

4: Inside the Nobel Prize - Ian Haydon

Winning a Nobel Prize is a rare and extraordinary achievement—but what happens behind the scenes? In this episode, David Baker takes us inside his journey to Stockholm, from preparing his Nobel lecture to delivering it on science’s biggest stage. Hear clips from practice talks, reflections from trainees who were there, and David’s thoughts on what the prize really means. But that’s only half the story. The second half of this episode follows a different kind of journey—one from the lab bench to ...

Feb 06, 2025•34 min•Ep. 4

3: Cures and Community - Jeremiah Sims

Jeremiah Sims is trying to stop the next pandemic. As an MD/PhD trainee with a deep passion for public health, his research with David Baker focuses on outsmarting viruses. But there's more to Jeremy than lab work. When he's not creating new antivirals, he's making music and building up Black communities. In this episode, hear how Jeremy faced down racism in school, found his path into medical research, and enriched his life—and the lives of others—both inside and outside the lab. // Produced by...

Dec 07, 2024•37 min•Ep. 3

2: The Courage to Create - Susana Vazquez Torres

Susana Vazquez Torres embodies courage. Born in Mexico, she moved to a big city to study science — and then crossed continents twice to advance her studies. Unfamiliar cultures, language barriers, and imposter syndrome were all part of her journey. But with support from labmates and others, Susana found her footing and joined the Baker Lab for her PhD studies. Here, she’s used AI to create antitoxins for snakebites. These pioneering treatments could one day save the lives and limbs of farmers ju...

Oct 30, 2024•27 min•Ep. 2

1: From Refugee to Scientist - Mohamad Abedi

Born a Palestinian refugee, Mohamad Abedi didn’t have the luxury of exploring science as a kid. But at 17, when he unexpectedly immigrated to the United States, he discovered that learning could be a creative and transformative process. This led him to pursue degrees in biomedical engineering and eventually to his current research on cellular communication and drug development as a postdoctoral scholar in the lab. In this episode, Mohamad shares his perspective on what it means to be a good scie...

Sep 25, 2024•38 min•Ep. 1

0: Welcome to The Baker Lab Podcast

Your front-row seat to the human side of science. Music by Kevin MacLeod ( incompetech.com ). Licensed under CC BY 3.0 .

Sep 25, 2024•1 min

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