Nobel Prize Conversations

Oct 14 2024 117 ep. 26 mins 1.5k

Nobel Prize Conversations Podcast artwork

Through their lives and work, failures and successes – get to know the individuals who have been awarded the Nobel Prize. The host for this podcast is Adam Smith, who has the happy task of interviewing our Nobel Prize laureates.

Sit in on our conversations as we delve into how these personalities found their fields of interest — often by coincidence — how they view collaboration, curiosity and failure, and what keeps them going. The laureates share what they have learned from their career and what they like to do outside of their work – from music to fly-fishing. We let the discussions flow freely, resulting in richly varied stories on topics ranging from poverty prevention to the science of black holes and the importance of being a role model.

Our latest season running in Spring/Summer 2024, features the new crop of 2023 laureates, and is produced in cooperation with Fundación Ramón Areces.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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First Reactions | James Robinson, prize in economic sciences 2024 | Telephone interview

Oct 14 2024 4 mins

“Get up, you need to get up! You’ve won the Nobel Prize.” That’s how James Robinson discovered he was a 2024 economic sciences laureate, as his wife, Maria Angélica Bautista, woke him up. In this brief call with the Nobel Prize’s Adam Smith he talks about the root causes of poverty and how to build the types of political structures that enhance prosperity: “Inclusive i

First Reactions | Daron Acemoglu, prize in economic sciences 2024 | Telephone interview

Oct 14 2024 9 mins

“There’s nothing natural about 30-, 40-, 50- fold differences in income per capita in a globalised, connected world.” Daron Acemoglu, economic sciences laureate 2024, speaks about the root causes of persistent poverty among the poorest nations and how to build the types of inclusive institution that can support prosperity. In this conversation with the Nobel Prize’s Adam Sm

First Reactions | Simon Johnson, prize in economic sciences 2024 | Telephone interview

Oct 14 2024 3 mins

“True, genuine, inclusive democracy matters, very clearly.” Simon Johnson, economic sciences laureate 2024, learnt of the award from the congratulatory text messages piling-up on his phone. In this short conversation with the Nobel Prize’s Adam Smith, recorded just moments after he had heard the news, he highlights the importance of participatory decision-making in making the

First Reactions | Nihon Hidankyo, Nobel Peace Prize 2024 | Telephone interview

Oct 11 2024 3 mins

“The dream came true!” The prize came as a big surprise, says Masako Wada, a representative from the Japanese organisation Nihon Hidankyo, which works to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons. In this interview shortly after learning about the Nobel Peace Prize 2024, she shares her deep concerns on the world’s backlash on nuclear disarmament, not least after Russia’s full

First Reactions | Han Kang, Nobel Prize in Literature 2024 | Telephone interview

Oct 10 2024 7 mins

”I’m so surprised and honoured.” 2024 literature laureate Han Kang had just finished dinner with her son at her home in Seoul when she received the news. In this interview with the Nobel Prize, she reflects on being the first South Korean literature laureate and talks about how writers as a collective have influenced her. “All their efforts and strengths have been my inspir

First Reactions | David Baker, Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2024 | Telephone interview

Oct 09 2024 6 mins

“I got the phone call and my wife promptly started screaming.” News of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry gave David Baker’s household a very early wake up call. Here, just after the prize announcement, Baker speaks to the Nobel Prize’s Adam Smith about the exciting potential of building brand new proteins, the inspirational effect his fellow laureates have had on his field

First Reactions | John Jumper, Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2024 | Telephone interview

Oct 09 2024 3 mins

“It’s absolutely extraordinary.” John Jumper had just heard the news of his 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry when he spoke to the Nobel Prize’s Adam Smith. “I thought I had a 10 % chance,” he reveals. To save his nerves, his plan had been to sleep in until after the announcement, which didn’t quite work out. In the interview, he talks about being the youngest chemistry l

First Reactions | Demis Hassabis, Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2024 | Telephone interview

Oct 09 2024 5 mins

“The best scientists paired with these kinds of tools will be able to do incredible things.” Demis Hassabis, 2024 Nobel Prize laureate in Chemistry, reflects on building the right research environment and the interplay between AI and individual scientists. This short conversation with Nobel Prize’s Adam Smith was recorded just after he had received the call from Stockholm. Ho

First Reactions | John Hopfield, Nobel Prize in Physics 2024 | Telephone interview

Oct 08 2024 10 mins

“You have to build up from the bottom.” In this interview shortly after the announcement, 2024 physics laureate John Hopfield talks about how he found out about the prize when he was going through his e-mails. ”It didn't sink it until I got to the fourth e-mail!” Hopfield reflects on how to tackle big questions, such as how the mind works, in this conversation. He

First Reactions | Geoffrey Hinton, Nobel Prize in Physics 2024 | Telephone interview

Oct 08 2024 6 mins

“How could I be sure it wasn’t a spoof call?” 2024 physics laureate Geoffrey Hinton received the phone call from Stockholm at around 2am in a hotel room in California, and multiple Swedish accents helped reassure him that his Nobel Prize in Physics was real. Greatly surprised, he talks to the Nobel Prize’s Adam Smith about the state of machine learning, the pressing need fo