Shows
Fail-Safe ScienceEpisode 15: Dr. Holly MolinaroIn this episode, we hear from Dr. Holly Molinaro. Holly is currently a consultant for General Mills and Blue Buffalo dog food company where she assists on understanding animal behavior to create better products. Her PhD research focused on animal emotions, specifically dogs, and her work now is focused on broadly helping people help their animals, whether in zoos, shelters, or industry partners. She has also been working on starting her own consulting firm, Animal Wellbeing Solutions, which focuses on animal welfare in these contexts. Here, Holly discusses what it was like to navigate receiving feedback on one of...
2025-12-2214 min
Fail-Safe ScienceEpisode 14: Dr. Kat MagnoneIn this episode, we hear from Dr. Kat Magnone, who at the time of this recording was an adjunct Chemistry instructor at Cincinnati State. Their dissertation research studied high school students learning about sodium chloride dissolution using molecular level animations. Here, Kat discusses their experience failing their qualifying exams on their first try at the second institution they went to for their PhD. They then share how going through this challenge inspired them to change not only their approach to science and research but also their approach to mental health. Let’s listen!
Transcript: Here
Scientist Inf...
2025-12-1511 min
Fail-Safe ScienceEpisode 13: Dr. Raúl Araya-DonosoIn this episode, we hear from Dr. Raúl Araya-Donoso. At the time of recording, Raúl was a Postdoctoral scholar at Arizona State University, but he has since moved on to a Postdoc position at Yale. His dissertation research focused on the genomic and ecological factors affecting speciation rates on lizards, and his ASU postdoc kept exploring that same topic. At Yale, he will be going further on that question, and try to integrate how behavior also plays a role in shaping the evolution of organisms. Here, Raúl talks about how he navigated completing a PhD in a p...
2025-12-0813 min
Fail-Safe ScienceEpisode 12: Dr. Kate WeissIn this episode, we hear from Dr. Kate Weiss, an Assistant Professor of Environmental Science at Marist University. Her PhD research focused on understanding how wild carnivores make decisions about what they eat in urban environments. Now, her work focuses on understanding how to promote more sustainable futures for people and wildlife species by incorporating social, ecological, and evolutionary approaches. Here, Kate talks about the obstacles she faced while finishing her dissertation, and how she overcame the expectations she set for herself based on what she thought grad school was going to look like for her, and what it...
2025-12-0117 min
Fail-Safe ScienceEpisode 11: Dr. Mercy SalamiIn this episode, we hear from Dr. Mercy Salami, a senior lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Farm Management at the University of Ilorin in Nigeria. Her dissertation research focused on the contribution of wild tree species to food security in northwestern Nigeria. Since then, her research has focused on the issues of development economics. Mercy specifically works on food security, poverty, and gender, specifically among rural areas and marginalized populations. Here, she talks about how she felt when she disappointed her supervisor while defending her PhD thesis, and how she was able to process and move...
2025-11-2412 min
Fail-Safe ScienceEpisode 10: Dr. Logan GinIn this episode, we hear from Dr. Logan Gin, the Assistant Director for STEM in the Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning at Brown University. His dissertation research focused on the experiences of STEM students with disabilities, and since graduating he’s been in this position working with graduate students and postdocs on professional development mostly around teaching and learning. Here, Logan discusses disappointing his advisor, and how he navigated challenges with one of his first research projects in graduate school. Let’s listen!
Transcript: Here
Scientist Info: Logan Gin
Profile: https://sheridan.brown.edu/people/logan-gin-phd
Fail-Safe Scien...
2025-11-1712 min
Fail-Safe ScienceEpisode 9: Dr. Max LiboironIn this episode, we hear from Dr. Max Liboiron, a Professor in Geography at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada, where they run the CLEAR lab, the Civic Laboratory for Environmental Action Research. Max’s dissertation research focused on the emerging state of plastic pollution as a field, and their work now focuses on creating tools and infrastructures for community-based plastic pollution research now that it is an established field. They are also the author of the book Pollution is Colonialism. Here, Max revisits the time they almost left graduate school during the first week, and what it took fo...
2025-11-1016 min
Fail-Safe ScienceEpisode 8: Dr. Patricia RankinIn this episode, we hear from Dr. Patricia Rankin, a Chair and a Professor in the Department of Physics at Arizona State University. Her PhD research focused on particle physics, specifically charm photo production, and her work now primarily focuses on science policy, especially paving the way for women in STEM. Here, Patricia shares what it was like to work on lab experiments during graduate school, and the lessons she was able to learn throughout her PhD work despite not finding the particles she may have hoped or expected. Let’s listen!
Transcript: Here
Scientist Info: Pat...
2025-11-0321 min
Fail-Safe ScienceEpisode 7: Dr. Sarah HabibiIn this episode, we hear from Dr. Sarah Habibi, the founder of Mito &Co, a children’s STEM education company based out of Toronto, Canada. Her dissertation research focused on characterizing novel drug targets in parasitic worms, and specifically looked at the parasite Haemonchus contortus, which infects livestock across North America. Now, her work focuses on science communication and STEM education, where she provides kid-friendly science experiments and activities for parents to do at home with their children. Here, Sarah talks about struggling with lab work in graduate school, and what it was like to navigate through the challenges th...
2025-10-2715 min
Fail-Safe ScienceEpisode 6: Dr. Nigel RothfelsIn this episode, we hear from Dr. Nigel Rothfels, who is now retired (huge congrats!), but at the time of this interview was a Professor of History and Acting Vice Provost for Research at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. His dissertation research focused on how animals have been thought about in different historical times, but now his scholarly work is squarely in the humanistic study of animals and culture – often called Animal Studies. Here, Nigel discusses his experiences struggling with finishing his dissertation and going on the job market at the end of graduate school. Let’s listen!
Transcript: Here...
2025-10-2012 min
Fail-Safe ScienceEpisode 5: Dr. Michele ClarkIn this episode, we hear from Dr. Michele Clark, who is an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science & Technology Policy Fellow at the Department of Energy in Washington D.C. Her PhD research focused on the drivers of invasive plant species and plant distribution within community forests in subtropical Nepal, where she lived and did research as a Fulbright scholar. Specifically, she focused on how these factors related to the lives and livelihoods of rural people around community forests. Michele is also a Critical Response Process, or CRP, facilitator, which helps people learn how to give...
2025-10-1317 min
Fail-Safe ScienceEpisode 4: Dr. Sara BrownellIn this episode, we hear from Dr. Sara Brownell, a Professor and biology education researcher at Arizona State University, where she studies how students and instructors navigate concealable stigmatized identities in academic science. Sara transitioned to studying undergraduate biology education during her postdoc. She received her Master’s from The Scripps Research Institute and her PhD from Stanford University, both focused in neuroscience. Here, she discusses the challenges she had with her comprehensive exams, both during her Master’s and PhD. Let’s listen!
Podcast Resources
Transcript: Here
Scientist Info: Sara Brownell
University Profile: https...
2025-10-0516 min
Fail-Safe ScienceEpisode 3: Dr. Fernando Salinas-QuirozDr. Fernando Salinas-Quiroz is currently an Assistant Professor in the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development at Tufts University. Their dissertation research focused on assessing the quality of Mexican daycare. In their current position, they study with and for trans youth (you can check out more of their work on their website here: https://www.transfermative.com/ ). In this video, Fer discusses their experience navigating academic bureaucracy and how it affected their dissertation project.
Podcast Resources:
Transcript: Here
Scientist Info: Fernando Salinas-Quiroz
Website: https://www.transfermative.com/
University Profile: https://as.tufts.ed...
2025-09-2918 min
Fail-Safe ScienceEpisode 2: Dr. Leah Jones- CrankDr. Leah Jones-Crank is an Assistant Professor in the School of Environment, Resources, and Sustainability at the University of Waterloo in Canada. Her PhD research focused on collaborative governance of the food-energy-water nexus in Phoenix, Arizona, and Cape Town, South Africa. Currently, she is expanding that research to focus on the environmental and ecological impacts of the food-energy-water nexus in Southern Ontario. In this video, Leah discusses her experience with a change of plans in fieldwork for her dissertation during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Podcast Resources:
Transcript: Here
Scientist Info: Leah Jones-Crank
U...
2025-09-2111 min
Fail-Safe ScienceEpisode 1: Dr. Matt WundDr. Matt Wund is a Professor in the Biology Department at The College of New Jersey, a primarily undergraduate institution, in Ewing, NJ. Matt’s PhD research focused on echolocation in bats, and during his postdoc, switched to behavior, evolution, and phenotypic plasticity in stickleback fish, which he continues now. Here, Matt discusses his experience with failing his comprehensive exams on his first attempt.
Music: Auroras by Steven Beddall (courtesy of Artlist.io)
Podcast Resources:
Transcript: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10MZ4YKmA15tCSEeiGZkXmnsd4I6_HxRw/view?usp=drive_link...
2025-09-1512 min