Dear Lonely Pipetters,Season 2 has been an amazing journey, BUT Season 3 will be awesome. We are so proud to be still here, with you supporting us. Thank you! In this final episode, we take the chance to give you untold stories about Season 2 making-of, personal stories and what you can do to help us build Season 3. Don’t miss it out !Subscribe to be updated when Season 3 starts : https://bit.ly/NLTLPYou want to support our work ? Buy us a coffee !&nbsp; ==&gt; https://www.buymeacoffee.com/lonelypipetteTo find out more about Renaud and Jonathan : Twitter : https://twitter.com/LePourpre LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/renaudpourpre/ Twitter : https://twitter.com/Epigenetique LinkedIn : <a href='htt

This week, we talk to Maria Leptin about her path to the head of the European Research Council Maria claims she didn’t receive any formal mentoring advice, but rather absorbed and learnt along the wayAgainst the perceived wisdom, Maria warns against the advice to be continually networking. She advises to listen to what others say and then add your own thoughts.Maria is sure that if you really enjoy the stuff you&apos;re doing, then you will do it well and you&apos;ll get something out of it.She says that sabbatical breaks can be good to ‘put your brain to air a little bit’She says the ERC aims to  select the very best researchers across Europe, across all disciplines, and allow them to make wonderful discoveries. To attract ERC funding, organizations or countries or regions need to create an environment where researchers are happy to work and have good conditions.Maria makes a passionate plea for fundamental re

This week, we meet our first philosopher guest - Thomas Pradeu tells us what scientist can learn from philosophers Thomas shares his journey navigating from philosophy to immunology and biologyHe explains the difference between ‘philosophy IN biology’ compared to ‘philosophy OF biology’He mentions ‘mutual ignorance’ - that scientists often don’t know about philosophers who would be interested in their scienceThomas argues that philosophers should be brought in at the beginning of a project rather than at the end. He describes his model for embedding philosophers within a biology research environmentHe gives lots of specific examples, from immunology and beyond, where philosophers made an impact on science by intervening upstreamThomas stresses the importance of challenging the foundations (in the lab and at home)He also stresses the importance of reading every dayThomas talks honestly about the difficu

This week, Elphege Nora shares personal thoughts on his journey from Paris to CaliforniaElphege discovered at an early age that the best way to explain who we are is to look back at where we come from and our evolutionary trajectoriesFrom his earliest research experiences, Elphege was intrigued about the sociology of the lab and it’s unusual social etiquetteHe shares his memories of working with Edith Heard and what she taught him about mentoringHe claims that personality tests can be useful for understanding how to interact with colleagues and team membersElphege recommends that it is good to present your work early at conferences in order to gain visibility and attract recruitsHe shares thoughts about the different scientific approaches he has encountered in Europe and the United StatesElphege shares how his interaction with his (famous) father pushed his to think about the abstract and conceptual impacts of

This week, Christophe Lavelle shares his double passion for science and for cookingChristophe left engineering studies for the freedom of research science. And then he jumped from physics to biology for his PhD studiesHe thinks science makes him a better cook and cites lots of specific examplesHe describes his very free mentoring style and questions what makes a good mentorHe describes his chaotic ‘schizophrenic’’ interdisciplinary interestsWhat has to be done has to be well done - else don’t bother doing itHe tells us that the ‘wow’ in the lab is when you finally understand something, but the ’wow’ in the kitchen is when you don’t understand something.He mentioned these institutions, researchers and resourcesNational Museum of Natural History : https://www.mnhn.fr/enHandbook of Molecular Gastronomy : <a href='https://www.routledge.com/Handboo

This week, Ana-Maria Lennon-Dumenil tells us about her passion for science interfacing with physics and her journey from Santiago to ParisAna-Maria was inspired from a very young age by her namesake Ana-Maria LenonShe quickly left genetics because ‘DNA doesn&apos;t move enough’She stresses that every Principal Investigator needs to find their own way and warns against trying to imitate othersAna-Maria feels that the biggest mistake is to think that everyone in the lab is like you (instead of appreciating how different they might be)She stresses the need for optimized communication in the lab and the need to clearly articulate expectationsShe learnt the hard way that ‘management is not natural’Ana-Maria laughs about the fact that she was too short to be a chemistShe describes the challenges of finding a common language in interdisciplinary research collaborationsShe also insists on the role of

In this episode, we talk to George Church about his successful career in DNA repair and his entrepreneurial adventures translating research findings into biotech companiesGeorge proudly describes himself as a biologist-engineerHe ponders whether his dyslexia may have helped him by making him realize he was different from others when he was growing upHe looks for projects in ‘exponential fields’ that combine pure scientific interest, technology breakthroughs and bring societal benefit.George cautions against using the word ‘impossible’He talks about how he has contributed to scientific and technology revolutionsHe emphasizes the important of considering ethics, safety and security at the outset of ambitious science projectsGeorge remembers how he reacted to having his genome sequenced and speculates about the future of digital genomics and NFTsWhen recruiting, he looks for people that are ‘nice’ and hav

In this episode, we talk with the multi-talented Jenny Rohn about her journey zig-zagging from academia to a biotech-startup, to science publishing and then back into academia.She tells us about her unconventional path and how she decided to go to a start-up and then come back to academic researchShe made long, agonizing lists about pros and cons of leaving or staying in academiaThis period of indecision led her to start writing novelsJenny admits that it was not easy to get back on to an academic pathShe warns people against giving negative advise and she always tries to be honest, but positive feedbackJenny says that In the ‘old days’ there used to be a myth that there was only one way to do science. She says that somewhere in the ‘90s there was a shift but it took a while for the old-guard to notice.“Do not ever turn away from an opportunity to network. You need to get out and talk to people”She tel

Get ready for 2023 ! In this special episode, we&apos;re going to change the narrative. We&apos;re going to dive into this original narrative-interview with 4 scientists who experienced an original meeting with us. Invited by Jean-Leon Maître in the south of France, are you ready to ask yourself why you go to science conferences?Our special guests are : Jean-Léon Maître, the organizer of the meeting, CNRS research director at the Institut Curie, at Paris, FranceRita Mateus, group leader at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics and the Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life (TUD) in Dresden, Germany. Mariaceleste Aragona, associate professor and group leader of the tissue architecture lab at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine, reNEW at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.Tim Saunders, associate professor and group leader of an interdisciplinary group of t

This week we have a surprise treat - a conversation with Jonathan’s twin brother, Matt. He discusses his energetic commitment to mentoring and grant-writing workshops. They share their genetics, but also a desire to “help scientists do better science”Matthew comments on the usefulness of healthy competition in scienceMatt compares the joy of running a lab to cooking in the kitchenHe loves the flexibility of science and constantly stimulated by interactions with colleagues and young scientists and new ideasMatt makes a strong argument for peer-to-peer mentoring, cascade mentoring and seizing constant casual mentoring opportunitiesHe comments on the advantages of going to a small lab for graduate school and he advises students to look carefully at the type of scientific questions, the environment of the lab and the chemistry of the PI/mentor relationshipMatt describes his pioneering Grant Proposal

This week, we talk with Ashani Weeraratna about her inspiring path from apartheid South Africa to director, professor and activist. Ashi cites good advice that she remembers “ read voraciously … and be engaged with the literature”She insists that mentoring is all about the trainees and hearing their individual needsAshi believes that diversity of thought needs diversity of population and stresses the importance of welcoming different groups into the labFor her, representation matters and it is key to achieving full equityShe also comments on the importance of the microenvironment (for cancer cells and for researchers)She shares her thoughts about juggling a life in two citiesAnd she encourages us to remember that “the most important trait is kindness”And Ashi concludes by telling us to enjoy the journeyShe mentioned these institutions, people and resourcesSt. Mary&apos;s

In this episode, we speak with André Choulika about his exciting journey from a bench scientist to a biotech entrepreneur taking genomic engineering to the clinicAndré shares his fascination about the logic of biological systems and his admiration for experimentalists“You can always do something else if it fails” insists AndréAndré stresses that the boss has to take responsibilities for decisions“You don’t hire people to tell them what to do, but they should tell you what needs to be done”“Cash is more important than your mother”(we hope Andre’s mother isn’t listening)“Success has thousands of fathers but failure is lonely” (lonelier than a pipette!)André is modest about success; “None of us are VIPs” and he insists that the people who wash the dishes are as important as the CEO of the companyHe describes the collective contributions and the shared success that characterize the biotech indust

In this episode, we step beyond the life sciences to talk with Jen Heemstra, a professor of chemistry who brings much energy to thinking about mentoring and improving academic cultureJen tells us how early failures drove her to strive for success in scienceShe shares how she overcame early doubts about an academic careerShe talks about how different students need different mentoring styles and how important it is to adjust each timeShe admits that she is so excited about all her roles that she struggles with focusing and setting prioritiesGreat teams are made up of people with different perspectives and different ways of seeing the world - and they are a group of equalsJen has a lot of thoughts about how to embrace failing and taking comfort from failuresShe thinks it’s important to recognize cognitive distortions to overcome imposter syndrome narrativesJen shares personal thoughts about her approach t

In this episode, we speak with Steve Jackson about his successful career in DNA repair and his entrepreneurial adventures translating research findings into biotech companiesHe remembers his early passion for innovation and for dark heavy rockHe was even turned down by the University of Cambridge when he first appliedSteve reminisces about the serendipity that led him into the DNA repair field How important it is to create a collaborative, cooperative and fun lab environment“The highs become higher… and the lows become higher”Steve speaks openly about the importance of honesty and trust and how he establishes his key lab valuesHe tells us how he chose the names for his biotech companies and what drove him to become an entrepreneurA hot tip from Steve: “Never be afraid to ask for advice”Steve thinks it might be good not to have TOO much money in the labAnother hot tip “The enemy of the

In this episode, we were honoured to kick-off Season 2 talking to Edith Heard about her journey to become the first woman to lead the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL).She tells us about her early experiences of patients with diseasesEdith emphasizes the importance of doubt for a scientistShe says “mentoring is about caring” and mentions TLP guest Susan GasserShe stresses the importance of changing environments (like taking a sabbatical) and stepping out of your comfort zoneShe lays out her version for running a lab and encouraging collaborationEdith tells us why she moved to the EMBL in Heidelberg - the challenges and the self-doubtsThere is something magical about bringing researchers together from such different backgrounds and origins to serve European scienceShe gives us lots of insights that she has never shared beforeShe tells us about the importance of stepping out to disconnect and have time to thinkEdith t

In this episode Renaud and Jonathan share their excitement about the launch of Season 2 of The Lonely Pipette podcastThey look back at Season 1 and what they learned from the tips of the TLP guestsRenaud and Jonathan share their thoughts about science communicationThey update The Lonely Pipette community about what we have been up to over the last yearRenaud describes his Cell Worlds immersive cell biology showRenaud explains how important it is to be persistent in science communicationJonathan talks about the challenges of mentoring and student supervisionRenaud and Jonathan share some teasers and hopes for Season 2We mentioned these projectsSeason 2 Trailer : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTjPXEhnfOoCell Worlds website : https://www.cell-worlds.c