Phase Space Invaders (ψ)

May 14 2024 26 mins 1
Phase Space Invaders (ψ) Podcast artwork

With the convergence of data, computing power, and new methods, computational biology is at its most exciting moment. At PSI, we're asking the leading researchers in the field to discover where we're headed for, and which exciting pathways will take us there. Whether you're just thinking of starting your research career or have been computing stuff for decades, come and join the conversation!

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Episode 9 - Michele Vendruscolo: Preventing protein misfolding, fostering public engagement of scientists, and AI tools in drug design

May 14 2024 31 mins  
In the ninth episode, Michele Vendruscolo and I discuss the current state of research on misfolding diseases, typically associated with excessive protein aggregation and formation of insoluble amyloids. Michele presents an optimistic perspective in which the convergence of recent clinical and software developments opens up new avenues for efficient treatment of such debilitating co

Episode 8½ - My commentary: Wrapping up the first season

Apr 16 2024 20 mins  
In this episode, I'm attempting to string together the most common threads brought up by my guests in the first eight interviews on the podcast. Reflecting on these conversations, I'm suggesting some grand challenges for the field in the years to come.

Episode 8 - Rossen Apostolov: Managing scientific collaboration, the biggest project of European biophysics, and seeding schools of thought

Apr 09 2024 27 mins  
In the eight episode, Rossen Apostolov and I depart from the standard format to talk about the core concepts behind BioExcel, the European Center of Excellence for computational biology. We discuss their main objectives and challenges, from working with code to organizing schools and webinars, talk about the challenges of sustaining funding through maintaining excellence in researc

Episode 7 - Aleksei Aksimentiev: Nanobiotechnology, the importance of mentoring, and engineering serendipity

Apr 01 2024 37 mins  
In the seventh episode, Aleksei Aksimentiev and I delve into the intersection of physics, biology, and nanotechnology, exploring the innovative world of nanopores and biomolecular sequencing. Aleksei shares his journey from particle physics in Ukraine to leading-edge research in the US, and underscores how on the unpredictable path of scientific discovery, openness to new ideas can

Episode 6 - Giulia Palermo: Reimagining scientific creativity, the RNA revolution, and truly multiscale systems

Mar 26 2024 24 mins  
In the sixth episode, Giulia Palermo and I discuss the challenges of studying truly multiscale biomolecular systems, such as the CRISPR/Cas9 complex she famously got involved with. While such problems can take us way out of our comfort zones, they also provide us with clear pathways to innovative and transformative science, something very much needed in the new revolutionary era of

Episode 5 - Paul Robustelli: The dissolving barrier between industry and academia, embracing our artistic side, and new models of funding

Mar 19 2024 30 mins  
In the fifth episode, Paul Robustelli and I discuss how the once very sharp boundary between academia and industry has been becoming increasingly porous, and what implications it will have for future careers in science. Paul shares his experiences and observations about the competing models of funding scientific research, and makes a point that they can eventually synergize rather

Episode 4 - Modesto Orozco: Computations driving experiments, opening simulation data, and integrating knowledge across sources and scales

Mar 12 2024 24 mins  
In the fourth episode, Modesto Orozco and I talk about the rough path to the predictive power modern computational science has achieved in biology, and the immense possibilities it opens to today's computational biologists working across the scales of space and time. Modesto also reflects on why sharing simulation data is crucial to make sure that our results are trustworthy, and h

Episode 3 - Wojtek Kopeć: Science as a social endeavor, learning from industry, and the experience of starting a new lab

Mar 04 2024 35 mins  
In the third episode, Wojtek Kopeć and I discuss the overlooked yet exciting social aspect of scientific collaboration, and what the world of academia could learn from the industry and statisticians to avoid falling behind. Wojtek also shares his personal experience of starting a lab as a new PI, and we reflect on the role of honesty on social media in addressing the hardships of

Episode 2 - Max Bonomi: Interoperability, AI-generated ensembles, and recognizing all contributions to science

Feb 27 2024 24 mins  
In the second episode, Max Bonomi and I discuss efforts to achieve interoperability and portability in the computational community, and how the AI structural revolution will unfold to bring us realistic molecular ensembles. We then move on to ask how the entire range of contributions to science can be recognized, particularly at the early career stage.

Episode 1 - Pilar Cossio: Modeling experimental setups, overpublishing, and maintaining code

Feb 20 2024 27 mins  
In the first episode, Pilar Cossio and I discuss the radical progress in integrating simulations with experiments, and the excitement about recent progress in modeling cryo-EM tomography data. We share thoughts on the sustainability of our publishing practices, and comment on the challenges of funding the maintenance of scientific code libraries.