From Childhood Curiosity to Bioinformatics Breakthroughs with Dr. Mary Jo Ondrechen

from Science Wise · host Rori Rohlfs

Hosts Rory Rohlfs and Emilia Huerta-Sanchez chat with Dr. Mary Jo Ondrechen, a leading computational chemist known for her work on predicting protein functions and designing machine learning software. They talk about her contributions to helping Indigenous scientists, her love for science from an early age, and the mentors who made a difference in her career. Dr. Ondrechen also shares what it’s like being an openly gay, two-spirit scientist and reflects on her career journey, the importance of mentorship, and her work to make science more inclusive for future generations.EPISODE CHAPTERS:00:29 Meet Dr. Mary Jo Ondrechen03:26 High School Chemistry Adventures05:33 College and Career Beginnings07:55 Graduate School and Beyond15:50 Faculty Life and Sabbaticals20:13 Transition to Biological Research22:58 COVID-19 Research Efforts26:28 Gender and Sexuality in Science32:37 Revise and Resubmit: Career ReflectionsCREDITS: This episode is produced and edited by Maribel Quezada Smith. Sound Engineering by Keagan Stromberg. Production Coordinator, Marissa Alcantar. A Diferente Creative Production. Special thanks to Dr. Mary Jo Ondrechen. 

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This episode was published on March 25, 2025.

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