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Saturday Morning Lab

Author: Ahmed Ibrahim

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Hey pals, my name is Ahmed Ibrahim, I’m a research professor in Los Angeles. I am endlessly curious and inspired by the career trajectories of people in science. How did their lived experience shape their current perspectives and future career choices. What do they value? What wisdom do they have to share? Each week I sit down with graduate students, postdocs, faculty, industry folks, and others to create a mosaic of stories that make scientists who they are. If you’re interested in sharing your story, reach out to me at SaturdayMorningLab@outlook.com.
47 Episodes
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Hey friends, on this special mini-episode, I celebrate International Women's Day by highlighting Arabic women who despite their historic and perhaps unparalleled heroism, service, scholarship, and preservation of culture and faith in this region are often overlooked, patronized and otherwise misrepresented by international media in general and Western media (and entertainment) in particular. I included a link here to the Arab Women's Organization to learn more about what Arab women are doing to empower one another in this truly singular part of the world. 
On this week's episode, I have the pleasure of chatting with the brilliant and effortlessly funny Dr. Gemma Alderton. Gemma is a consultant, editor and writer with nearly two decades of editorial experience in Nature and Science journals. We talk about her early passion for art and chemistry, and foray into research and scientific publishing. We also discuss at length the many challenges facing this prevailing but precarious model. 
On this week's episode, I chat with the brilliant and thoughtful Dr. Helen Collins, Assistant Professor of Cardiology at the University of Louisville. We talk about discovering her passion for research, the struggle to find a postdoc position at the height of the recession, moving to the US and establishing her research program exploring mechanisms that underlie female cardiovascular health and resilience.
This week, I revisit my episode with the fun, engaging, and thoughtful Julie Bauman, a graduate student at Stanford and a science content creator in her own right! Through her TikTok channel 60 Second Science she hopes to distill and disseminate science to the expert and lay public. We talk about her how she developed an early interest in science and medicine, pivoting away from medical school and devote her time to thesis training. 
On this first episode of season 2, I sit down with my colleague and friend, Kenneth Gouin, a brilliant and thoughtful bioinformatics scientist. We discuss his early interest in regenerative medicine, his pivot to bioinformatics, his experience in industry, and the importance of philosophical literacy in research. 
Season 2-Promo

Season 2-Promo

2026-01-2603:38

Hey Friends, Welcome to the second season of Saturday Morning Lab! We started a little later this year as I've been wrangling with a severe flu virus. But great things have also happened since season 1! I published a flagship paper from my lab (https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.adp1338), and other cool developments I'm sharing in this promo! Season 2 episodes start Friday January 30th!
On National Neonatal Nurses Week, I sit down with Amanda Williams, a neonatal clinical nurse specialist, content creator, and consultant at Amanda's NICU ED. We talk about her path to a nursing career, the unique calling of working in the neonatal intensive care unit, the challenges and the future of the nursing profession, and much more. Find Amanda's very helpful content on Instagram, Tiktok, and Youtube. 
Hey friends, in this special episode, I review the book "Labwork to Leadership: a concise guide to thriving in the science job you weren't trained for". Scientists receive sufficient training to develop lines of investigation, but little to no training on leading the very people who make this effort possible. In this easy read, Jen offers first-hand insight into self-development, leading others, and creating future leaders.   Find "Labwork to Leadership" here or at your independent book seller: 
My former research intern Jamie Lee stops by my office to record a bonus episode! We talk about her beginnings as a naturalist, a seeker, her "aha" moment for medicine and discovering her passion for research, and her path as a yogi. In our honest conversation, we discuss what resilience looks like for her. She is applying to MD/PhD programs (AMCAS ID: 15756334) this year so MSTP admissions committees take note! 
On this last installment of Campfire Confessions, I reflect on having lunch with a friend I hadn't seen in a long time and one Arabic translator's experience working in a refugee camp on an Greek Island. 
On this episode of Campfire Confessions, I talk about a time when I caused havoc on the UC Irvine campus driving a semi-truck. I also talk about a very pleasant surprise by my research team. 
On the third installment of Campfire Confessions, I recount an awkward instance when a conference speaker showed up to an empty hall save one enthusiastic audience member. I also share a recent experience taking a train for the first time in years. For pics of the beautiful Glendale station, please find us on our Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/satmorninglab/).  As always, you're welcome to reach out to me with stories or guest nominations at saturdaymorninglab@outlook.com.  
On this second installment of Campfire Confessions, we tell the tale of a recent college graduate desperately looking for a job then faced with a tough decision after a major screw up during his first couple of days. We also give updates on the X (https://x.com/SatMorningLab) and Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/satmorninglab/).  As always, you're welcome to reach out to me with stories or guest nominations at saturdaymorninglab@outlook.com.  
In this first installment of Campfire Confessions, we relate the tale of a Masters in Public Health Student who finds himself at odds with his practicum mentor when he decides to strike out on his own with his research project. 
Happy Summer, friends! I love camping and I love swapping tales around the campfire. That is why I am collecting your work stories this summer to feature them on the podcast. Whether it happened during your PhD, postdoc, or work years, tell me about it, and tell me how it turned out and what it taught you! Email me at SaturdayMorningLab@outlook.com. Please be sure to exclude real names to protect everyone's privacy. Episodes all summer long here at Saturday Morning Lab.
Hey friends, as we close out season 1, I reflect on the genesis of our little project, I have some people to thank, and discuss what's in store for season 2! Have a great summer!
This week, part 2 of my season finale episode with Dr. Denis Noble. We discuss an expanded view of biology, thinking on a systems level and the need to embrace new paradigms of biology. See Dr. Noble's influential books here for more information.
In this penultimate episode of my first season of the podcast, I speak to Professor Denis Noble, Professor Emeritus at Oxford University, biologist, philosopher, and an early champion of systems biology. He also trained Dr. Dick Tsien, who trained Dr. Eduardo Marban, who trained me. We discuss his childhood early childhood in WWII London, his foray into academics, and thesis training. This is part I of a very special two-part episode.
This week, I had the pleasure of chatting with the wise, caring, and and formidable Dr. Mamta Saxena. We discuss her early life in India, her early ambitions in medicine, her detour into home economics, moving to the US, wrangling with years of hard work as a student and mother and achieving academic success in the field of family science and sibling caretaker psychology. 
On this week's episode, I chat with Dr. Jennifer Polk of FromPhDtoLife. We discuss her thesis experience, meeting her first career coach, and how she found purpose in helping others find fulfilling careers beyond academia. Jennifer is kind, funny, honest, and reflective on this very important topic.
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