Discovering Academia

Brent Valentine & Keller Kramer

English Education Science Society & Culture

Apple Podcasts Website RSS

Episodes 90

Avg. Duration 1h 6m

Activity Highly Active

Apple Rating ★ 5.0 (15)

Since Mar 2023

Latest Episode Jun 2026

Outreach Signals

Features Guests

Publishing Details

Schedule

Weekly

Format

Episodic

Hosting

feed.podbean.com

About This Podcast

We are two college students, who travel the world recording podcasts with academics about their research, passions, and current events. We hope our casual conversations covering a range of topics can help promote curiosity and make academia more accessible. We have recorded episodes in America, United Kingdom, Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Indonesia, Singapore & China, with plans to travel to more countries soon. See our www.discoveringacademia.com for more information and educational resources.

Podcasting 2.0 Features

chapters

Explore Statistics

English Podcasts Report Education Report Science Report Society & Culture Report English Education Report

Recent Episodes

#088 - Marion Nestle: Food Politics, Industry Influence, and the Fight for Public Health

Jun 04, 2026 46m

Marion Nestle is Professor Emerita of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University and one of the most cited food policy researchers in the country. Her decades of work on…

#087 - Robert Langer: Inventing the Future of Medicine

Apr 29, 2026 37m

Robert Langer is an Institute Professor at MIT, one of only 14 to hold this title, and a pioneering figure in biotechnology. His work in bioengineering has led to revolutionary new platforms for drug…

#086 - Richard Miller: There Is No "Mechanism" of Aging

Nov 25, 2025 1h 15m

Professor Richard Miller of the University of Michigan, a leading expert in the biology of aging, joins us to redefine what aging is and how we can slow it down. Discover the groundbreaking work of…

#085 - Steven Austad: Riding Lions and Unlocking the Secrets of Aging

Nov 06, 2025 1h 9m

Steven Austad is a Distinguished Professor and the Protective Life Endowed Chair in Healthy Aging Research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, as well as the Scientific Director of the…

#084 - Ying Lu: How Cells Recycle Protein and Prevent Alzheimer's

Oct 28, 2025 57m

Ying Lu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School. His work combines physics, biochemistry, and quantitative methods to understand the fundamental…

#083 - Homa Bahrami: Super-Flexibility, Agile Organizations, & The Evolution of Silicon Valley

May 30, 2025 1h 6m

#083 - Homa Bahrami: Super-Flexibility, Agile Organizations, & The Evolution of Silicon Valley In this episode, we talk with Homa Bahrami, Senior Lecturer at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of…

#082 - Amber Boydstun: Media Storms, Social Media, and the Battle for Your Attention

May 23, 2025 1h 8m

Feeling overwhelmed by the news? UC Davis Prof. Amber Boydstun explains "media storms" – why some stories dominate while others fade – and breaks down the challenges of getting reliable info from…

#081 - Manvir Singh: Shamanism, Psychedelics, and Our Shared Humanity

May 15, 2025 1h 18m

Why do humans everywhere tell stories, make music, and believe in the unseen? Professor Manvir Singh, an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at UC Davis, dedicates his research to understanding why…

#080 - Grant Cornwell: The Need for Liberal Arts Education and Freedom of Inquiry in American Universities

May 07, 2025 1h 16m

Is free speech truly alive on college campuses? Rollins College President, and nationally recognized advocate for liberal arts education, Grant Cornwell tackles tough questions about academic…

#079 – Paul Griffin: Climate Risk, Business Resilience, and Innovation in a Changing World

Apr 28, 2025 55m

How do businesses price the risks of climate change, from wildfires to hurricanes? UC Davis Professor Paul Griffin breaks down climate risk, corporate responsibility, and how tech like AI is changing…

#078 - Erin Kinnally: What Monkeys Teach Us About Stress and Resilience

Apr 17, 2025 56m

Erin Kinnally is a biological psychologist and core scientist at the California National Primate Research Center. Her work explores how early life experiences—like maternal care or social stress—can…

#077 - Marissa Baskett: How Math Can Help Save Our Oceans

Apr 10, 2025 1h 1m

What do sea urchins, disappearing kelp forests, and coral gene editing have in common? In this episode, we sit down with UC Davis professor Marissa Baskett to explore how science can help restore and…

#076 - Lauren Young: From WhatsApp to the Streets—How Protest Movements Grow

Apr 03, 2025 1h 16m

Today we talk with political scientist Lauren Young from UC Davis. She studies how people decide to dissent in the face of fear, repression, and uncertainty. Drawing from fieldwork in Zimbabwe,…

#075 - Amanda Crump: Small Farms, Big Impact—Lessons from Global Development Fieldwork

Mar 13, 2025 1h 4m

Why do some development projects succeed while others fall short? UC Davis professor Amanda Crump shares insights from her work in over 37 countries, revealing how misguided innovations, flawed…

#074 - Clare Cannon: Environmental Justice, Community Science, and Public Health Disparities

Mar 08, 2025 1h 2m

In this episode, Professor Clare Cannon explores the complex intersections of environmental justice, climate change, and public health. From her work with marginalized communities in Kettleman City…

#073 - Olaf Groth: AI, Globalization 2.0, and Strategic Leadership

Feb 28, 2025 1h 12m

Olaf Groth is a Professor of Global Strategy, Innovation, and Economics at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and the founder of Cambrian Futures. In this episode, we dive into the evolving…

#072 - Rebecca Senf: The Art of Photography – From Ansel Adams to the Overuse of Nudes

Feb 20, 2025 1h 51m

What makes a photograph truly timeless? How do curators decide which images define an era? In this episode, Rebecca Senf, Chief Curator at the Center for Creative Photography (CCP), takes us behind…

#071 - Anastassia Fedyk: AI, Ukraine, and Risks of Hype-Driven Investing

Feb 16, 2025 1h 6m

In this episode, Anastassia Fedyk, Assistant Professor of Finance at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, breaks down the psychology of financial markets, revealing how investors overreact to…

#070 - Darren Zook: From India to North Korea - The Academic Traveler's Guide to Trust, Identity and Dialogue Across Cultures

Feb 04, 2025 1h 10m

In this episode, Professor Darren Zook takes us on a journey from his early days as a math student to becoming a global studies expert at UC Berkeley. He shares his unique approach to travel,…

#069 - David Riemer: Transforming Business, Brands, and Creativity Through Storytelling

Jan 31, 2025 1h 42m

Today we talk with David Riemer, a noteworthy author, seasoned marketing executive, and expert in storytelling, who brings decades of experience at the intersection of creativity, business, and…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Discovering Academia have?

Discovering Academia has published 90 episodes since March 2023, covering topics in Education, Science.

Is Discovering Academia still active?

Discovering Academia is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 1h 6m.