So You Got A Lifesci Degree

Here is the FINAL episode of So You Got A Lifesci Degree!! Farida and Lisa reflect on their podcasting experiences and play a second round of "How Well Do You Know Your Co-host."

This week, we talk to Dr. Anna Clemens about the field of SCIENCE WRITING!! Anna is a scientific writing coach who has herself been published in popular science magazines like Scientific American, and has helped researchers get published in high-profile journals like Nature Communications. Anna tells us about the different forms of science writing, the realities of being a freelance science writer, and things to remember in your own writing!

Today's episode is about MIDWIFERY!!! We chat with Dr. Elizabeth Darling, a registered midwife and the Assistant Dean of Midwifery at McMaster University, about the details of this growing profession. What is a midwife? Is that different from a doula? What is it like being on call? We have answers!

This week's guest is Dr. Sebastian Kvist, an Associate Curator at the Royal Ontario Museum AND an Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Toronto! Sebastian has been working as a curator at the ROM for over six years, and is in charge of the invertebrate collection. During this time, he has developed quite the collection of knowledge about, well, collection and knowledge!

Our episode this week is with Dr. Gioia Massa, a Project Scientist at NASA Kennedy Space Centre! Gioia has worked at NASA for the past 10 years, improving the cultivation of crops in space for future missions. She talks to us about the branches of space life science research, the challenges of growing plants in space, and how she landed a sweet job at NASA!

This week's episode is with Dianne Saxe, an internationally recognized environmental lawyer and Deputy Leader of the Green Party of Ontario. Dianne has over 40 years of experience in environmental law, working for both the Government of Ontario and her own law boutique. She tells us about what it really means to be an environmental lawyer, and offers an honest opinion about job availability in the field.  

Join us this week for a lovely chat with Tashfina Rabbani, a Senior Product Manager of the Rare Diseases Portfolio at Ipsen! Tashfina tells us about her experience in devising marketing strategies for pharmaceutical products. What even is product management? Why is there a photo of a woman in a sunflower field on the back of my toilet stall? We have the answers!

This week's episode is with Eric Meliton. Eric was the program manager at the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) for seven years, and has recently transitioned to being the Manager of Sustainability at Laurier University. He talks to us about working with businesses to implement sustainable policies and his experience in wastewater management (yummy)!

Join us this week as we chat with the one and only Alastair Tracey! Alastair is the Level II Undergraduate Coordinator in the Department of Biology at McMaster University. Listen to discover the method behind the madness of undergraduate course coordination!

A special episode this week! In honor of the podcast's half birthday, Lisa and Farida play a game of "How Well Do You Know Your Co-host". Who is most likely to laugh at the wrong moment? Lock themselves out of the house? Become ruler of the world? Lisa and Farida have the answers!  

This week we chat with Rishika Sharma, a Specialty Pharmacist at Bayshore Healthcare. Rishika edumacates us on how specialty pharmacists focus on medications for certain groups of illnesses, such as cancer. Unlike your local neighborhood pharmacist, Rishika spends little time interacting with patients behind the counter, and more time fulfilling complex prescriptions!

This episode we chat with Ben Moy, an Economist at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). Ben performs economic analysis of policies implemented by the ECCC. He's currently working on policies involved in a post-pandemic "green recovery" plan!

This week we chat with Dr. Jonathan Stone (a.k.a. Doc Roc), an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at McMaster University. Doc Roc tells us stories of his adventures in Sweden, a misrepresentative tardigrade species, and peeing on sea urchin wounds!

This episode, we chat with Jared Kunar from McMaster University's Science Career and Cooperative Education Office (SCCE). Jared tells us about how he helps students develop job search techniques, create targeted resumes and cover letters, and figure out where the heck their life is going!

This episode, we chat with Nisha Almeida about her role as a Research Scientist at McGill University's Health Technology Assessment Unit. Nisha  tells us about how she helps hospital administration evaluate the value of new health technologies and interventions using the best available scientific evidence. We also talk about conflicting goals between physicians and the importance of end-of-life care.

This week, we chat with Gayathri Vijayakumar about her work at Scribe Therapeutics, a San Francisco-based biotechnology company. Gayathri explains how she is exploiting viral mechanisms to create targeted CRISPR therapeutics. We also talk about startup culture and the biotech industry as a whole!  

This episode, we chat with Jackie about her role as a genetic counsellor at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia! Some of what she says may surprise you - such as how just how much "counselling" can go into the job sometimes. Plus, we talk about her work involving intersex genetic etiologies and differences in sex development.  

Join us this week as we talk to Talia Asa, a math teacher at Abbey Park High School. Talia edumacates us on the different kinds of teachers in Ontario, and how to become one yourself! Plus, philosophical ramblings about the life-long impacts a teacher can have on you.

A SPECIAL episode this week, in which Farida presents the case AGAINST a PhD (for certain situations). Come learn about opportunity costs, the availability of academic positions, and the desirability of PhD holders! 

This week we speak to Rizwana Islam, a Director at Takeda, an multinational pharmaceutical company. Rizwana tells us about the types of positions available in the pharmaceutical industry and how to get your foot in the door!

This episode, we talk to Sibat Anam, a Research Proposals Facilitator at Ryerson University. This is a great example of a job for lifesci undergrads that neither of us knew existed! Sibat helps faculty members obtain grants, write research proposals, and commercialize their research. We also chat about how he got hired over a crowd of PhD-holders!

This week’s guest is Jessica Zhang, a freelance medical illustrator and front-end web developer based in Toronto. Jessica currently works at Klick Health, a marketing agency and commercialization partner for life science brands. We talk about what working as a medical illustrator is like, the kinds of positions available in the field, and how she transitioned to web development!

This episode is with Janna Marvyn, a clinic manager and physiotherapist at Pillars of Wellness in Burlington, Ontario. Janna describes what it means to be a clinic manager, and tells us about her work with adults and children undergoing physical rehabilitation for neurological injuries. We also chat about cool new technologies in the field of physio!

Our first episode is with Kara Griffiths! Kara is a Senior Manager of Market Access at Gilead Sciences, where she works to get pharmaceuticals covered under insurance policies. We chat about what her role entails, the morality of pharmaceutical companies, and the Master of Biotechnology program at the University of Toronto!

Welcome to So You Got A Lifesci Degree, a podcast about the careers you can pursue with an undergrad degree in lifesci! This show is co-hosted by Lisa Shen, a Molecular Biology and Genetic student at McMaster University, and Farida Rahman, a Biology student at McGill University. Each episode, we’ll be interviewing a different guest about their job - interspersed with life shenanigans and squirrel stories! We’re so glad you found us, and hope that you have a wonderful listening journey.