Once a Scientist

Nick Edwards

Unfiltered career discussions with scientists

  1. May 6

    94. Ira Hoffman, CEO of HighRes on robots, digital twins and how we will speed up science

    Ira Hoffman is the CEO of HighRes. He has a M.S. in Computer Science and a B.A. in Physics/Mathematics from the University of Vermont.  OUTLINE: [00:00] - Introduction to collaborative robots and safe human-robot coexistence [01:52] - CEO of Hi Res (formerly Hi Res BioSolutions), 20-year journey in lab automation [03:36] - Deep diving into AI strategy and product development [05:23] - From large-scale automation to accessibility for scientists [06:45] - How robots safely coexist with humans in labs [09:19] - Too many unvalidated hypotheses from AI tools [09:39] - Moving from high-throughput screening to prescriptive hypothesis testing [11:21] - Physical and digital integration challenges [15:46] - How chaos in early research differs from standardized processes [19:17] - Why fully autonomous labs are still far away [21:09] - Identifying automation opportunities vs. necessary human involvement [22:13] - Why large molecule biologics are easier to automate [23:36] - A leading example of closed-loop design-make-test-analyze [27:22] - AI-powered products enhancing automation workflows [28:47] - How to upskill teams in using AI tools effectively [31:44] - 3D visualization, AR overlays, and workflow simulation [36:36] - Why capturing contextual data is critical for consistent results [39:43] - Leadership approach under pressure and creativity [41:57] - Find your passion in science and technology  -

    43 min

  2. Feb 25

    93. Jason Kelly, CEO and co-founder of Ginkgo Bioworks, on the future of autonomous laboratories

    Episode 93. Jason Kelly is the co-founder and CEO of Ginkgo Bioworks. He has a Ph.D. in Biological Engineering and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. References: https://www.ginkgo.bio/autonomous-lab OUTLINE: 00:00 – From Jurassic Park Pilled to MIT 03:00 – Founding Ginkgo During the 2008 Crash 07:00 – Tom Knight & Thinking About Biology Like Software 11:00 – Why Biology Lacked Abstraction (Until Now) 16:00 – The Foundry Model: Centralizing Biology 20:00 – The 5 Levels of Lab Automation 23:00 – Automation vs. Autonomy (Subway vs. Waymo) 27:00 – The Technical Bottleneck: Connecting 150+ Machines 34:30 – The Zymergen Acquisition & Strategic Pivot 38:00 – Level 4 & 5 Labs: The Future of Programmable Biology

    42 min

  3. 07/23/2025

    92. Ashlee Vance, tech reporter and filmmaker, on storytelling, science funding, and interviewing billionaires

    Episode 92. Ashlee Vance is a renowned tech and science reporter, filmmaker, and founder of Core Memory, a podcast and blog that chronicles the lives and discoveries of scientists and engineers (https://www.corememory.com/). He wrote the definitive biography on Elon Musk and has been documenting the modern space race and recent developments in AI, among other things.

    1h 2m

  4. 04/23/2025

    91. Michael Koeris, Director of DARPA BTO, on autonomous science to accelerate discovery

    Episode 91. Michael Koeris is the Director of the Biotechnologies Office at DARPA. Michael completed his PhD at Boston University and did postdoctoral research in synthetic biology at MIT. He spent time early in his career at Flagship Pioneering, is a former founder and executive of multiple biotechs,  and was formerly a professor at the Keck Graduate Institute.

    55 min

  5. 12/18/2024

    90. Barry Bunin, CEO at Collaborative Drug Discovery, on tapping into the collective consciousness of science.

    Episode 90. Barry Bunin is the CEO and President at Collaborative Drug Discovery, which he founded 20 years ago. Prior to that, Barry was an Entrepreneur in Residence at Eli Lilly. He completed his PhD in Bioorganic Chemistry at UC Berkeley and his bachelor's degree in chemistry at Columbia University. To learn more about CDD:  https://www.collaborativedrug.com/ai-drug-discovery#Bioisosteric-Suggestions https://www.collaborativedrug.com/curves#Calculations https://www.collaborativedrug.com/automation

    1h 18m

  6. 10/30/2024

    89. Seemay Chou, CEO of Arcadia Science, on metascience and rethinking the structure of science

    Seemay Chou is co-founder and CEO at Arcadia Science, Board Member at Astera Institute, and Board Chairperson at The Navigation Fund. Seemay was previously an assistant professor at UCSF and completed her PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology at UC Berkeley.

    1h 5m

  7. 10/01/2024

    88. Gene Yeo, professor at UC San Diego, on team science and building a training playground

    Episode 88. Eugene Yeo is a Professor at UC San Diego and is building a scientific ecosystem in San Diego. He runs the Innovation Center at Sanford Stem Cell Institute, is Scientific Director at the Sanford Consortium, Chief Scientist at the Sanford labs for Innovative Medicines, and Director of UC San Diego’s Center for RNA Technologies and Therapeutics.

    1h 13m

  8. 08/30/2024

    87. Jesse Gray and Sud Pinglay, at SeaHub, on recording cellular activity and making big bets

    Episode 87.  Sudarshan Pinglay is a researcher at the University of Washington and faculty at the Seattle Hub for Synthetic Biology (SeaHub). He did his PhD at New York University and bachelor's degree at Johns Hopkins. Jesse Gray is a Senior Director at SeaHub. He previously worked in industry at Ascidian Therapeutics and as a professor at Harvard Medical School. Jesse completed his PhD at UCSF and his undergrad at University of Wisconsin.

    1h 4m
See All (99)

4.9
out of 5
55 Ratings

About

Unfiltered career discussions with scientists

Information

  • Creator
    Nick Edwards
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    99
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Once a Scientist
  • Show Website
    Once a Scientist

You Might Also Like