The Graduate Decline | Science Communication & PhD Life

This episode we discuss the manosphere, dream guest on our podcast and finally the infamous subredit discussing taste of a range or cell culture medias.P.S. We do not condone trying this at home or in the lab, we certainly will not be trying!

In this episode, we share some of our listeners best (and worst) lab horror stories, from chaotic teaching labs to questionable PI moments.We talk about the things that go wrong, the stuff no one warns you about, and the kind of experiences every PhD student somehow ends up with.A mix of chaos, questionable decisions, and a reminder that academia isn’t always as put-together as it looks.

Tune in to hear Mel and Ava discuss womb transplants and how understudied MRKH syndrome is (a woman's reproductive disorder). For context erectile dysfunction if 36 times more studied than MRKH syndrome!!We also discuss a horror story sent in from our followers involving radioactive spillages. Finally, we debate what we would use in the lab to defend ourselves from intruders.Another chaotic episode, please enjoy!

Mel and Ava discuss all things demonstrating, imposter syndrome, publish or perish and even the differences between rich and poor labs!Stay tuned for in depth discussion on all unwritten rules of academia.

Welcome back to episode 3!! N=3, a supposedly statistically sound number now!Here Ava gives a run down on what inspires her in science, her undergraduate and MRes at the University of Leeds, a bit about her PhD application process and project!We know we've just chatted history and background the last few episodes but stay tuned, we will dive into more topics as each week progresses!

In this episode, Mel shares her path from undergraduate study through her Master’s degree and into starting a PhD. We talk about what influenced her decisions, how her interests evolved, and what the transition into doctoral research really looked like.From early academic uncertainty to finding her place in the lab, this is an honest conversation about progression, growth, and what it actually takes to commit to a PhD.

In our very first episode, we introduce the podcast, share a bit about our PhD backgrounds in neuroscience and immunology, and explain why we decided to start The Graduate Decline.We talk about what it’s actually like starting (and surviving) a doctorate, the conferences, the chaos, the learning curves, and the parts of academia that don’t always make it into publications.This episode is an informal introduction to who we are, what we research, and what you can expect from future episodes!