#97 – How much money do PhD students make? Lifetime earnings vs. pursuing a passion

It's "pub week" for my book, Science Nonfiction: Behind the Scenes in University Research. I don't have a paywall, so if you've enjoyed my work or found it useful, I think you'll enjoy the book. Here, I talk a bit about it, and then read a few pages describing my PhD defense in George Whi…

In this episode I sat down (though at our standing desks) with the great Jen Heemstra. Jen is the Charles Allen Thomas Professor of Chemistry and Department Chair at Washington University in St. Louis. I learned, among other things, that Jen never planned to be a chemist. She was headed toward bioe…

There's a ton of controversy around the use of A.I. in the classroom. The New York Times just published an article effectively saying that indiscriminate dumping of A.I. resources into the California State University system was no good, while at the same time (now Dr.) Robert Ramji and I were teach…

I've launched my book! Science Nonfiction: Behind the Scenes in University Research. Available in print and eBook (release date 6/1/26) and audiobook (available immediately) from all major distributors. Here it is on Amazon and Spotify (free with paid Spotify).