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Dementia Researcher Vodcast

Dementia Researcher

A biweekly podcast for early career researchers, bringing together fantastic guests to discuss their research, careers + much more. Dedicated to sharing the science, encouraging collaborations, attracting more people to the field of Alzheimer's and other dementias research, and supporting those already here to succeed. Brought to you by https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk at University College London, in association with Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia - everything you need, all in one place. supporting early career researchers across the world Register today to recieve weekly bulletins, with news, funding opportunities, jobs, and events.

  1. Agentic AI and the Future of Dementia Research

    6d ago ·  Video

    Agentic AI and the Future of Dementia Research

    In this episode, Professor Louise Serpell brings together Dr Niranjan Bose from the Alzheimer's Disease Data Initiative, Jonathan Hoover from the AI company Prima Mente, and Dr Kexin Huang from Stanford University and Biomni AD. They discuss the Alzheimer’s Insights AI Prize and what agentic AI could mean for the future of dementia research. We hear about the Alzheimer’s Disease Data Initiative and AD Workbench, and their role in making research data more accessible, usable and secure. The conversation also looks at how the Alzheimer’s Insights AI Prize could help researchers make better use of that data, turning complex resources into practical tools for discovery. Kexin introduces Biomni AD, an AI research assistant designed to help scientists develop questions, bring data together and move from ideas to results more efficiently. Jonathan introduces Parthenon and Athena, a virtual wet lab system that helps researchers model cell states, test perturbations and plan experiments. Together, the guests consider how AI can support researchers without replacing human judgement, and why confidence in using these tools is likely to become an important skill for dementia researchers. Essential Links: Sign up for AD WorkbenchLearn more about the AD Data InitiativeLearn more about the Alzheimer's Insights AI Prize Prima MenteBiomni-AD In this episode: AI can support researchers by helping with data, workflows and experimental planning, but it still needs human judgement, review and validation.AD Workbench from Alzheimer's Disease Data Initiative is helping make dementia research data more accessible, usable and secure, giving researchers better ways to work across complex datasets.Agentic AI could help researchers move more quickly from a research question to an analysis plan, useful evidence or a possible experiment.Biomni AD, Parthenon and Athena show how AI tools are becoming more specialised, from research assistants to virtual wet lab systems.AI literacy is likely to become an important skill for dementia researchers, including those without coding or data science backgrounds. A transcript of this show, links and show notes and profile on all our guests are available on our website at https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk. If you prefer to watch rather than listen, you will find a video version of this podcast on YouTube, on our website, and in selected podcast platforms. Leave us a tip: https://dementia-researcher.captivate.fm/support Follow us on social media: https://www.instagram.com/dementia_researcher/ https://www.facebook.com/Dementia.Researcher/https://www.twitter.com/demrescommunityhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/dementia-researcher https://bsky.app/profile/dementiaresearcher.bsky.social Download and Register with our Community App: https://www.onelink.to/dementiaresearcher We gratefully acknowledge the support of our funders: Alzheimer’s Association, Race Against Dementia, Alzheimer’s Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society, and the National Institute for Health and Care Research. The views and opinions expressed by guests in this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the producers, funders, or sponsors. Subscribe to our sister show 'Dementia Researcher The Blogs': https://podfollow.com/dementia-researcher-blogs

    57 min
  2. The B-Sides - Jonathan Hoover

    6d ago • Subscribers Only

    The B-Sides - Jonathan Hoover

    Same researchers, different track. The B Sides is the bonus series from Dementia Researcher, available exclusively for our YouTube and Apple Podcasts subscribers. Recorded alongside our main episodes, these shows provide a more personal conversation about the twists, motivations, habits, and moments that shape a life in research. In this episode, Louise Serpell is joined by Jonathan Hoover from Prima Mente, fresh from recording our main discussion on agentic AI and the future of dementia research. Jonathan reflects on the winding route that took him from biology and neuroscience, through immunology labs, statistics, single cell research, and into the world of AI driven discovery. The conversation explores what happens when you love science but realise the wet lab may not be the place you want to stay, how statistics opened up a new way of thinking, and why tools like Parthenon and Athena are being built to help researchers ask better questions, test ideas more efficiently, and make smarter use of complex biological data. Along the way, there is talk of career pivots, learning new skills, finding your place between disciplines, and the small decisions that slowly add up to a research life. A warm, curious and very relatable conversation about the routes into science that rarely look straight on paper. -- Follow us on social media: https://www.instagram.com/dementia_researcher/ https://www.facebook.com/Dementia.Researcher/ https://www.twitter.com/demrescommunity https://www.linkedin.com/company/dementia-researcher https://bsky.app/profile/dementiaresearcher.bsky.social -- Download and Register with our Community App: https://www.onelink.to/dementiaresearcher Leave us a tip: https://dementia-researcher.captivate.fm/support

    9 min
  3. The B-Sides - Dr Ellice Parkinson

    May 22 • Subscribers Only

    The B-Sides - Dr Ellice Parkinson

    Same researchers, different track. The B Sides is the new bonus series from Dementia Researcher, available exclusively for Apple Podcasts subscribers. Recorded alongside our main episodes, these shows provide a more personal conversation about the twists, motivations, habits, and moments that shape a life in research. In this first episode, Adam Smith is joined by Dr Ellice Parkinson from Health Innovation East and the University of East Anglia, fresh from recording our main discussion on careers beyond academia. Ellice reflects on the moment she realised research, not clinical psychology, was the path for her, why working in dementia and neurodegenerative research quickly felt like home, and the career she might still pursue one day. The conversation also explores balancing ambition with real life, including raising children while completing a PhD, working through perfectionism, managing big projects in small chunks, and how supporting a child with ADHD helped Ellice better understand her own ways of working. Along the way, there is talk of forensic psychology, teaching, law, lifelong learning, and the moment that still makes Ellice feel most proud. A warm, funny, and very human conversation about the bits of academic life that never make it onto a CV. -- Follow us on social media: https://www.instagram.com/dementia_researcher/ https://www.facebook.com/Dementia.Researcher/ https://www.twitter.com/demrescommunity https://www.linkedin.com/company/dementia-researcher https://bsky.app/profile/dementiaresearcher.bsky.social -- Download and Register with our Community App: https://www.onelink.to/dementiaresearcher Leave us a tip: https://dementia-researcher.captivate.fm/support

    26 min
  4. Leaving Academia, Staying in Research

    May 22 ·  Video

    Leaving Academia, Staying in Research

    What happens when academia no longer feels like the right fit, but research still does? In this episode, Adam Smith is joined by Dr Ellice Parkinson from Health Innovation East, Elizabeth 'Lizzie' English from the British Heart Foundation, and Dr Alice Carstairs from Alzheimer’s Society to talk about leaving academia while staying connected to research. Together, they explore the career turns that took them from PhDs and lab work into roles in health innovation, charity, policy, evaluation, public engagement and research communications. They discuss what helped them make the move, what felt difficult, and how skills built in academia can be used in many different settings. The conversation covers identity, confidence, networking, mentoring, transferable skills, and the quiet pressure many researchers feel to stay on a traditional academic path. It also challenges the idea that leaving academia means leaving research behind. For PhD students, early career researchers, and anyone wondering what else might be possible, this episode offers practical advice, reassurance, and examples of careers where research still sits at the centre of meaningful work. In this episode: Explore how researchers transition from academia to impactful roles in health innovation, research impact analysis, and science communication.Discover the metaphor of "doors" in academic careers and how choosing different paths can sustain meaningful research.Hear personal stories from former PhD students who found success and fulfillment outside traditional university settings.Learn about the transferable skills that ease the transition into non-academic roles and how to leverage them.Gain insights into the importance of networking, mentorship, and aligning career choices with personal passions and societal needs. A transcript of this show, links and show notes and profile on all our guests are available on our website at https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk. If you prefer to watch rather than listen, you will find a video version of this podcast on YouTube, on our website, and in selected podcast platforms. Leave us a tip: https://dementia-researcher.captivate.fm/support Follow us on social media: https://www.instagram.com/dementia_researcher/ https://www.facebook.com/Dementia.Researcher/https://www.twitter.com/demrescommunityhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/dementia-researcher https://bsky.app/profile/dementiaresearcher.bsky.social Download and Register with our Community App: https://www.onelink.to/dementiaresearcher We gratefully acknowledge the support of our funders: Alzheimer’s Association, Race Against Dementia, Alzheimer’s Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society, and the National Institute for Health and Care Research. The views and opinions expressed by guests in this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the producers, funders, or sponsors. Subscribe to our sister show 'Dementia Researcher The Blogs': https://podfollow.com/dementia-researcher-blogs

    1h 5m
  5. XXplored - Women, Hormones & Mental Health: Rethinking Psychiatric Disorders

    May 8 ·  Video

    XXplored - Women, Hormones & Mental Health: Rethinking Psychiatric Disorders

    Globally, women are twice as likely as men to experience depression and anxiety, and the risk peaks at moments of hormonal change: postpartum, the luteal phase, perimenopause. Why? In this episode of XXplored, host Dr Laura Stankeviciute, University of Gothenburg is joined by Professor Vibe Gedsø Frøkjær, a leading researcher on serotonin and sex hormones at the University of Copenhagen, and Franziska Weinmar, a psychoneuroendocrinology PhD researcher at the University of Tübingen and host of the Let's Talk About Women podcast. They get into the biology behind hormone shift sensitivity, what oestrogen actually does to the serotonin system, and why the gut-brain axis might matter more for women's mental health than most clinicians appreciate. They also tackle hormonal contraception and depression risk, why suicide statistics look so different by gender, and where the field still has big gaps to close. Key takeaways Women are twice as likely as men to experience depression and anxiety, with risk clustering around hormonal transitions.The serotonin system is built to respond to sex hormones, which makes it a likely route by which hormonal shifts affect mood.Women differ in how sensitive their brains are to hormone shifts, and that sensitivity helps explain why some experience mood symptoms and others don't.The gut-brain axis is a real frontier for women's mental health, and may open up new treatment options through drug repurposing.Hormonal contraception works well for most women but carries a small heightened risk of depression that clinicians should counsel on more openly.Emotion regulation is a trainable skill and a useful clinical target across hormonal transitions.Gender differences in suicide reflect both how distress is expressed and how the care system recognises and responds to it. A transcript of this show, links and show notes and profile on all our guests are available on our website at https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk. If you prefer to watch rather than listen, you will find a video version of this podcast on YouTube, on our website, and in selected podcast platforms. Leave us a tip: https://dementia-researcher.captivate.fm/support Follow us on social media: https://www.instagram.com/dementia_researcher/ https://www.facebook.com/Dementia.Researcher/https://www.twitter.com/demrescommunityhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/dementia-researcher https://bsky.app/profile/dementiaresearcher.bsky.social Download and Register with our Community App: https://www.onelink.to/dementiaresearcher We gratefully acknowledge the support of our funders: Alzheimer’s Association, Race Against Dementia, Alzheimer’s Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society, and the National Institute for Health and Care Research. The views and opinions expressed by guests in this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the producers, funders, or sponsors. Subscribe to our sister show 'Dementia Researcher The Blogs': https://podfollow.com/dementia-researcher-blogs

    45 min
  6. Reimagining Dementia with XR and Digital Therapeutics

    Apr 25

    Reimagining Dementia with XR and Digital Therapeutics

    Extended reality is starting to find a real place in dementia research and care. In this episode, host Dr Byron Creese is joined by David de Jong-Bambagioni, Dr Emilie Brotherhood, and Alice Rowe to explore how virtual, augmented, and mixed reality tools are being used in practice. Together, they discuss how XR is helping to standardise cognitive assessments, simulate clinical environments, and support earlier and more accurate diagnosis. The conversation also looks at how immersive tools are being used to build empathy, giving clinicians and carers a better sense of what it might feel like to live with dementia. The panel share examples from their own work, including virtual simulations to distinguish delirium from dementia, and digital environments designed to capture subtle behavioural changes in conditions like frontotemporal dementia. These approaches are opening up new ways to study cognition, behaviour, and patient experience in more realistic and scalable settings. This episode offers a practical look at where XR is already making a difference, and where it might go next. In this episode: How XR is being used in dementia research and careUsing immersive environments for assessment and empathyWhy co design and lived experience matterVirtual, augmented, and mixed reality explained simplyEthical risks and safeguards in vulnerable groupsHow researchers are moving into digital healthGetting started with XR and finding collaboratorsInclusion, global perspectives, and reducing bias A transcript of this show, links and show notes and profile on all our guests are available on our website at https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk. If you prefer to watch rather than listen, you will find a video version of this podcast on YouTube, on our website, and in selected podcast platforms. Leave us a tip: https://dementia-researcher.captivate.fm/support Follow us on social media: https://www.instagram.com/dementia_researcher/ https://www.facebook.com/Dementia.Researcher/https://www.twitter.com/demrescommunityhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/dementia-researcher https://bsky.app/profile/dementiaresearcher.bsky.social Download and Register with our Community App: https://www.onelink.to/dementiaresearcher We gratefully acknowledge the support of our funders: Alzheimer’s Association, Race Against Dementia, Alzheimer’s Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society, and the National Institute for Health and Care Research. The views and opinions expressed by guests in this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the producers, funders, or sponsors. Subscribe to our sister show 'Dementia Researcher The Blogs': https://podfollow.com/dementia-researcher-blogs

    39 min
  7. Rethinking Wandering in Care Homes

    Apr 10 ·  Video

    Rethinking Wandering in Care Homes

    In this episode of the Dementia Researcher Podcast Dr Anna Volkmer hosts a discussion exploring the complexities of wandering in dementia care. Dr Bryony Waters-Harvey & Dr Emma Hock from The University of Sheffield and Conny McGowan from The Orders of St John Care Trust discuss their research and outcomes of the NIHR funded "FREEDEM study" - Reframing 'wandering' as a meaningful activity using realist synthesis and qualitative exploration Takeaways Wandering is often a meaningful activity for residents.Individualised care plans are crucial for supporting residents.Language matters in how we perceive wandering.Positive risk-taking can enhance residents' quality of life.Hydration and nutrition are important for wandering residents.Research should focus on the positive aspects of wandering.Care staff need training to support safe wandering.Environmental factors significantly impact wandering behavior.Residents should have access to outdoor spaces.Future research should involve residents and their families Access the toolkit and resources: https://sites.google.com/sheffield.ac.uk/freedem/home Strategies to support safe wandering in care homes for older adults – what works, for whom, and in which circumstances? A realist synthesis: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020748926000192 A transcript of this show, links and show notes and profile on all our guests are available on our website at https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk. If you prefer to watch rather than listen, you will find a video version of this podcast on YouTube, on our website, and in selected podcast platforms. Leave us a tip: https://dementia-researcher.captivate.fm/support Follow us on social media: https://www.instagram.com/dementia_researcher/ https://www.facebook.com/Dementia.Researcher/https://www.twitter.com/demrescommunityhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/dementia-researcher https://bsky.app/profile/dementiaresearcher.bsky.social Download and Register with our Community App: https://www.onelink.to/dementiaresearcher We gratefully acknowledge the support of our funders: Alzheimer’s Association, Race Against Dementia, Alzheimer’s Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society, and the National Institute for Health and Care Research. The views and opinions expressed by guests in this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the producers, funders, or sponsors. Subscribe to our sister show 'Dementia Researcher The Blogs': https://podfollow.com/dementia-researcher-blogs

    54 min
  8. ADPD 2026 Conference Highlights - Part Two

    Mar 29 ·  Video

    ADPD 2026 Conference Highlights - Part Two

    This episode of the Dementia Researcher Podcast continues our coverage from the AD PD Conference 2026 in Copenhagen, one of the largest international meetings focused on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Hosted by Professor Louise Serpell, the conversation brings together Athina Grigoriou, Dr Lauren O’Neill, and Dr Sofie Let Frandsen, each sharing highlights from across the conference. The discussion spans a wide range of topics, from the biological role of alpha synuclein and mitochondrial dysfunction, through to emerging therapeutic targets and the growing importance of biomarkers. There is a strong focus on how diseases are more complex and varied than once thought, with increasing attention on stratification, personalised medicine, and early detection. Alongside the science, the episode also reflects on the importance of patient voices, collaboration across disciplines, and the value of sharing both positive and negative research findings. This is Part Two of our AD PD 2026 reflections, offering a thoughtful look at where the field is heading next. ADPD Conference Website - adpd.kenes.com/ Top Takeaways: Alpha synuclein may have a normal physiological role, not just a pathological oneMitochondrial dysfunction remains central in Parkinson’s mechanismsBiomarkers are key for both early detection and patient stratificationDiseases like Parkinson’s and dementia are highly heterogeneousPersonalised medicine is becoming a realistic goal, not just an ideaNew therapeutic targets beyond dopamine are emergingEarly stage and presymptomatic intervention is a major focusPatient and carer perspectives remain underrepresented but essentialCollaboration and openness, including sharing negative results, are vitalMore diverse populations are needed to validate biomarkers globally A transcript of this show, links and show notes and profile on all our guests are available on our website at https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk. If you prefer to watch rather than listen, you will find a video version of this podcast on YouTube, on our website, and in selected podcast platforms. Leave us a tip: https://dementia-researcher.captivate.fm/support Follow us on social media: https://www.instagram.com/dementia_researcher/ https://www.facebook.com/Dementia.Researcher/https://www.twitter.com/demrescommunityhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/dementia-researcher https://bsky.app/profile/dementiaresearcher.bsky.social Download and Register with our Community App: https://www.onelink.to/dementiaresearcher We gratefully acknowledge the support of our funders: Alzheimer’s Association, Race Against Dementia, Alzheimer’s Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society, and the National Institute for Health and Care Research. The views and opinions expressed by guests in this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the producers, funders, or sponsors. Subscribe to our sister show 'Dementia Researcher The Blogs': https://podfollow.com/dementia-researcher-blogs

    48 min
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5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

A biweekly podcast for early career researchers, bringing together fantastic guests to discuss their research, careers + much more. Dedicated to sharing the science, encouraging collaborations, attracting more people to the field of Alzheimer's and other dementias research, and supporting those already here to succeed. Brought to you by https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk at University College London, in association with Alzheimer's Association, Alzheimer's Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and Race Against Dementia - everything you need, all in one place. supporting early career researchers across the world Register today to recieve weekly bulletins, with news, funding opportunities, jobs, and events.

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