Hello Soft Matter People! Welcome to The Soft Matter Show. Our today's guest is Dr. LaShanda Korley (https://sites.udel.edu/korleygroup/). LaShanda is a distinguished professor of Material Science and Engineering (https://mseg.udel.edu/) and Chemical and Biological Engineering (https://cbe.udel.edu/) at the University of Delaware. In this episode, LaShanda talked about many important topics. For example, LaShanda explained how she developed an interest in teaching and research, the importance of research at the undergraduate level, the power of mentorship, and the latest innovations in sustainable material research.

On another note, improving and welcoming diversity in scientific research is the responsibility of researchers. In this episode, LaShanda introduced me to a simple practice that the Korley group follows for finding the similarities in her diverse group. I endorse this practice strongly to get to know your fellow researchers, and I hope many of us also adapt this diversity slide method. With that, let's hear from Prof. LaShanda Korley!!

Read more:
Dr. LaShanda Korley
https://sites.udel.edu/korleygroup/
E-mail: lkorley@udel.edu

Amal Narayanan
https://www.thesoftmattershow.com
E-mail: amalnarayanan@thesoftmattershow.com

Ep #12 - Dr. Bibiana Campos Seijo on Science Journalism, C&EN, and Being a Powerlifter

Hello Soft Matter People! Welcome to another episode of The Soft Matter Show. Our today's guest is Dr. Bibiana Campos Seijo (https://www.linkedin.com/in/bibianacamposseijo/). Bibi is the current editor-in-chief of Chemical and Engineering News. In this episode, Bibi shared her thoughts on the world of science journalism and science communication. Bibi talked about her journey across the world to pursue science journalism. On a side note, Bibi is a strong person, Well... Bibi is a very strong person, in 2016, Bibi broke the world record in powerlifting for her weight and age class by lifting a massive 320 lb. Please check the show notes to see the video: https://twitter.com/BibianaCampos/status/734382177459314688?s=20

Announcement on Virtual Polymer Physics Symposium

Before we start this episode, I have a small announcement. Karthika Suresh, Jelena Dinic, and I are organizing a Virtual Polymer Physics Symposium for graduate students and postdocs. This virtual symposium has research talks from students and postdocs, perspectives from academic and industry panelists, and discussions on diversity. In the panel, we have Dr. Irada Isayeva from the U.S. FDA, Dr. Kurt Koppi from Dow Chemical Company, Dr. LaShanda Korley from the University of Delaware, Dr. Amanda Marciel from the Rice University, and Dr. Vivek Prabhu from the U.S. NIST. Please check out: lu.ma/vpps21 for more details.

The abstract submission is open until July 23rd! Please register as a speaker or attendee at lu.ma/vpps21

Thank you, Now let's hear from Dr. Bibiana Campos Seijo

Read more:

Dr. Bibiana Campos Seijo

https://cen.acs.org/static/about/staff_landing/biobcs.html

E-mail: b_campos-seijo@acs.org

Amal Narayanan

https://www.thesoftmattershow.com

E-mail: amalnarayanan@thesoftmattershow.com

Ep #11 - Dr. Saad Bhamla on Slingshot Spiders, Worm Blobs, and Frugal Science

Hello Soft Matter People! Welcome to another episode of The Soft Matter Show. Our today's guest is Dr. Saad Bhamla (https://www.bhamla.com). Saad is a Professor at The School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. In this episode, Saad talked about some of the organisms that possess unique biophysical mechanisms for sustaining their life. These organisms include Slingshot spiders, Californian worms, and much more. You may even find parts of this conversation about "How insects pee". Yes! you are hearing me right!

Saad also took time to chat about how one can contribute to improve lives in countries with minimal resources using Frugal Science.

You can read more about’s Saad’s endeavors in the show note at thesoftmattershow.com

Read more:

Dr. Saad Bhamla

https://www.bhamla.com

Science comics: https://www.bhamla.gatech.edu/comic

E-mail: saadb@gatech.edu

Amal Narayanan

https://www.thesoftmattershow.com

E-mail: amalnarayanan@thesoftmattershow.com

Hello Soft Matter People! Welcome to another episode of The Soft Matter Show. Our today's guest is Dr. Darren Lipomi (https://www.lipomigroup.org/darren-lipomi). Darren is a Professor of Nanoengineering (https://ne.ucsd.edu/) at the University of California, San Diego. In this episode, Darren talked about the origin of the active learning platform he has developed using YouTube. Also, Darren shared his experience on developing his very own podcasting platform - The Molecular Podcasting (https://open.spotify.com/show/7MMkvxJIeNNfnTc3bHNgeE). Which is one of the podcast platforms that inspired me to create The Soft Matter Show. This episode also discusses the futuristic technologies Darren is developing with his team at The University of California San Diego. This episode is filled with a lot of fun segues and a video version of this conversation can be found on Darren Lipomi’s YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/djlipomi). Now let hear from Darren.

Read more:

Dr. Darren Lipomi

https://www.lipomigroup.org/

E-mail: dlipomi@eng.ucsd.edu

Amal Narayanan

https://www.thesoftmattershow.com

E-mail: amalnarayanan@thesoftmattershow.com

Hello Soft Matter Enthusiasts! Welcome to another episode of The Soft Matter Show. Our today's guest is Dr. Arthi Jayaraman (https://cbe.udel.edu/people/faculty/arthij/). Arthi is a Professor with joint appointments at the department of chemical and biomolecular engineering (https://cbe.udel.edu/) and the department of material science and engineering (https://mseg.udel.edu/) at The University of Delaware. Arthi is a skilled multi-tasker and manages to be on the editorial board of multiple prestigious journals and organizes outreach events while being a full-time professor. In this episode, Arthi shared her journey from being a student to a professor. In addition to the fabulous simulations Arthi’s team is creating at Delaware, I was stunned at the research philosophy Arthi has cultivated. Arthi also shared her responsibilities as an editorial board member and how she manages her time. This episode I believe is a fantastic combination of life and philosophy of research, I hope all of you enjoy this!

Read more:

Dr. Arthi Jayaraman

http://udel.edu/~arthij/

E-mail: arthij@udel.edu

Amal Narayanan

https://www.thesoftmattershow.com

E-mail: amalnarayanan@thesoftmattershow.com

Hello Soft Matter People! Welcome to another episode of The Soft Matter Show. Our today's guest is Dr. Stephanie Weber (https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-weber-33790995/). Steph is a professor of Biology at the McGill University, Canada. This conversation covers a wide range of topics starting from mental health to membraneless organelles. Steph shared her thoughts on the contrasts between the research systems of Canada and the United States. And how she overcome mental stress and persisted in academia. Later, Steph provided a summary of what to know about membraneless organelles also known as condensates. Towards the end, we explored Weber lab’s new research directions in the field of bacterial condensates and much more.

Read more:

Dr. Stephanie Weber

https://weberlab.ca/

E-mail: steph.weber@mcgill.ca

Amal Narayanan

https://www.thesoftmattershow.com

E-mail: amalnarayanan@thesoftmattershow.com

Welcome to another episode of The Soft Matter Show. Our today's guest is Dr. Marleen Kamperman. Marleen is a professor of polymer science at the University of Groningen, Holland. She is an award-winning scientist in her outreach activities and we cover a wide spectrum of topics in this conversation. Marleen talked about her thoughts on the importance of outreach in elevating diversity in science. We discussed her passion for bioinspired materials and What Marleen looks for while hiring Ph.D. students and Postdoc trainees. She also shares her thoughts on the similarities and differences between the creative processes across arts and science!

Read more:

Dr. Marleen Kamperman

https://kampermanlab.com

E-mail: marleen.kamperman@rug.nl

Amal Narayanan

https://www.thesoftmattershow.com

E-mail: amalnarayanan@thesoftmattershow.com

This conversation features Dr. Samanvaya Srivastava (https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanvayasrivastava/). Samanvaya is currently a professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles. In this episode, Samanvaya talks about his journey in the academic route. We talked about how he persisted and transformed himself from a student to a professor. Specifically, he shared the experiences in working with Professors Ashutosh Sharma, Lynden Archer, and Matt Tirrell. While exploring his recent research, we dive into the world of polyelectrolyte complexes and coacervates. Samanvaya also expanded his thoughts on the importance of charged polymers in daily life.

With that, Please enjoy the episode!

Read more:

Dr. Samanvaya Srivastava

https://www.srivastava-lab.net

E-mail: samsri@ucla.edu

Amal Narayanan

https://www.thesoftmattershow.com

E-mail: amalnarayanan@thesoftmattershow.com