From Stargazing to World Record Breaking | Career Trajectories with Rupert Dodkins, Ph.D.

Our guest for this episode is ViQi Inc. AI Engineer and Data Scientist Rupert Dodkins, Ph.D., who shares his story on how a visit to the Jodrell Bank Observatory as a child inspired him to pursue a career in astrophysics before transitioning into the life sciences field. Also, Dodkins explains what it was like to achieve the Guinness world record for the most consecutive heelflips while he was still a Ph.D. student!Key Learning Points:The criteria for selecting the best-fit institution for grad schoolThe importance of setting a destination for your goalsWhat goes into preparing for setting a new world recordAbout Rupert Dodkins, Ph.D.:While Dodkins was completing his Ph.D. at the University of Oxford, and his postdoc at the University of California, Dodkins applied machine learning to exoplanet imaging with single-photon cryogenic-detectors. At ViQi, Inc, he develops machine learning algorithms for high-content virology assays. A unique accomplishment of Dodkins' is that he jointly owns the Guinness World Record for Most Skateboard Heelflips in One Minute.Stay connected with SLAS:Online at www.slas.orgFacebookTwitter @SLAS_OrgLinkedInInstagram @slas_orgYouTubeAbout SLAS:SLAS (Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening) is an international professional society of academic, industry and government life sciences researchers and the developers and providers of laboratory automation technology. The SLAS mission is to bring together researchers in academia, industry and government to advance life sciences discovery and technology via education, knowledge exchange and global community building.  For more information about SLAS, visit www.slas.org.SLAS publishes two peer-reviewed and MEDLINE-indexed scientific journals, SLAS Discovery and SLAS Technology. For more information about SLAS and its journals, visit www.slas.org/publications.For Students:Visit the SLAS Student Resources to find information on student-focused SLAS awards, grants, scholarships, digital educational content, podcasts and more.Upcoming Events:SLAS Meet-UpsLeiden, Netherlands (10 September 2026)Tübingen, Germany (20 October 2026)SLAS 2026 Sample Management Symposium (October 21-22, 2026 | South San Francisco, California)SLAS2027 International Conference & Exhibition (January 30 - February 3, 2027 | San Diego, California)View the full events calendar