Fail-Safe Science

Hello! Welcome to the Fail-Safe Science podcast. Fail-Safe Science is a video repository of successful scientists sharing stories about challenges they experienced during graduate school, how they overcame them, and advice they have for current grads. Ultimately, we created this repository to help science graduate students realize that they are not alone in the challenges they face. To accompany the repository, each week we will be dropping an audio-only podcast version of one of the videos. Check back each week to listen to the latest featured scientist!

Fail-Safe Science is a science podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 50 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts Fail-Safe Science, a science show with 50 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #50

  August 2026 Updates from the Team and Temporary Hiatus

  Aug 24, 20265 min

  Hello Fail-Safe Science listeners! We don’t have a new episode dropping this week, but we still wanted to pop on, check in with you all, and provide some updates from the Fail-Safe Science team. Listen to learn more! Transcript: Here Email address: failsafescience@gmail.com Fail-Safe Science Repository: https://risecenter.asu.edu/fail-safe Nominate a scientist for the repository: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevRFJqi8zYb1HTa_ppo2s6H962Ks_NgYSe1sQwbvE8KRU9ng/viewform?pli=1 International Postgraduate Mental Health Alliance (MHA): https://www.ispmha.com/ Mental Health Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14G5m91FLPY5gZSHUzWXAQ4Jnm4uX9AS0yhypus3gsuQ/edit?usp=sharing Land Acknowledgement Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10lLcxY7OSsuTnXyq_CSC5Wvst8MSMRurisBfX5hK7AI/edit?tab=t.0 Social Media Linktree: https://linktr.ee/fail_safe_science?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=fc54864f-2496-4afa-959d-fab901d05844&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAcGRvZgJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAaeAVedEe6qNQk5VAnCzXKMNeH7pQuSNMIBWT4lYjz2gZ3_euZt59QZThTFEZQ_aem_JWRNHqF3mwIFPyah-W81-w

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  Episode #49

  Episode 48: Dr. Upma Manral

  Aug 17, 202615 min

  In this episode, we hear from Dr. Upma Manral, a conservation ecologist working at the intersection of research, policy, and on-ground practice, largely focused on human–wildlife interactions and landscape-level conservation across different regions in India. Her dissertation research focused on the Indian Himalayan landscape on several aspects of livelihood security of forest-dependent, traditional communities, and her work now involves leading and contributing to a national-level initiative to conserve sloth bears and strengthen co-existence and interface management. Here, Upma talks about the frustrations of things in grad school, whether it be fieldwork or funding, just not going according to plan. Though this time period was challenging and stressful for Upma in many ways, it also taught her how to become more resilient and adaptable, and that sometimes even if you want to push more, that is not always the answer. With self-care and support from the people around her, Upma was able to persevere despite the inevitable uncertainties of her work. Let’s listen! Transcript: Here Scientist Info: Upma Manral Google Scholar Profile: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=bhGJ3kQAAAAJ&hl=en Fail-Safe Science Repository: https://risecenter.asu.edu/fail-safe Nominate a scientist for the repository: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevRFJqi8zYb1HTa_ppo2s6H962Ks_NgYSe1sQwbvE8KRU9ng/viewform?pli=1 International Postgraduate Mental Health Alliance (MHA): https://www.ispmha.com/ Mental Health Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14G5m91FLPY5gZSHUzWXAQ4Jnm4uX9AS0yhypus3gsuQ/edit?usp=sharing Land Acknowledgement Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10lLcxY7OSsuTnXyq_CSC5Wvst8MSMRurisBfX5hK7AI/edit?tab=t.0

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  Episode #48

  Episode 47: Dr. Eric Riggs

  Aug 10, 202620 min

  In this episode, we hear from Dr. Eric Riggs, Dean of the College of Natural Resources and Sciences at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt. His dissertation research focused on the experimental mineral physics and mechanics of deep-focus earthquakes, but his work now, and for most of his career, has focused on discipline based education research and geoscience education, most recently on workforce development and science policy. Here, Eric discusses what it was like to be at the end of his graduate school career, job offer in hand, only to get edits back from a reviewer on a paper that caused him to question everything about one of his chapters. However, after taking the time to regroup and redo experiments, Eric came out of the experience with a stronger dissertation chapter and lessons about how you can rise back from failure with hard work, determination, and community both inside and outside of your own lab. Let’s listen! Transcript: Here Scientist Info: Eric Riggs Faculty Profile: https://www.humboldt.edu/cnrs/people/eric-riggs Fail-Safe Science Repository: https://risecenter.asu.edu/fail-safe Nominate a scientist for the repository: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevRFJqi8zYb1HTa_ppo2s6H962Ks_NgYSe1sQwbvE8KRU9ng/viewform?pli=1 International Postgraduate Mental Health Alliance (MHA): https://www.ispmha.com/ Mental Health Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14G5m91FLPY5gZSHUzWXAQ4Jnm4uX9AS0yhypus3gsuQ/edit?usp=sharing Land Acknowledgement Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10lLcxY7OSsuTnXyq_CSC5Wvst8MSMRurisBfX5hK7AI/edit?tab=t.0

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  Episode #46

  Episode 45: Dr. Rianne Stowell

  Jul 27, 202615 min

  In this episode, we hear from Dr. Rianne Stowell, a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Neuroscience (SMD) at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York. Her dissertation research focused on microglial roles in the adolescent visual spectrum, specifically how Noradrenergic signaling altered both microglial dynamics as well as critical period plasticity. Her work now still focuses on microglia, but instead in the adolescent frontal cortex, looking at how microglia affect the rewiring and plasticity of dopamine circuits. Here, Rianne explains what it was like to navigate grant rejection when applying for the same one three times. Though it wasn’t always easy to sit with the feelings and the feedback, Rianne moved forward through the processes of revisions and resubmitting by allowing herself permission to feel sad and frustrated, but then still pick herself back up and take action in her personal and professional life to care for herself and move forward. Let’s listen! Transcript: Here Scientist Info: Rianne Stowell Faculty Profile: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/people/112364684-rianne-d-stowell Fail-Safe Science Repository: https://risecenter.asu.edu/fail-safe International Postgraduate Mental Health Alliance (MHA): https://www.ispmha.com/ Mental Health Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14G5m91FLPY5gZSHUzWXAQ4Jnm4uX9AS0yhypus3gsuQ/edit?usp=sharing Land Acknowledgement Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10lLcxY7OSsuTnXyq_CSC5Wvst8MSMRurisBfX5hK7AI/edit?tab=t.0

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  Episode #45

  Episode 44: Dr. Ahmed Mahmoud

  Jul 20, 202617 min

  In this episode, we hear from Dr. Ahmed Mahmoud, a postdoc in the Nai-Kong Cheung Lab at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, New York. His dissertation research focused on cancer plasticity in colorectal cancer, and his work now focuses on target radio therapy in prostate cancer. Here, Ahmed discusses what it was like for him to spend all of graduate school working towards the job he thought he wanted, only to realize when he got there that it was not the best fit for him. While he couldn’t change the tunnel vision that impacted his graduate school experience, Ahmed could still reflect on his past to decide how he wanted to move forward, which included reaching out to his support system of friends, peers and mentors. Let’s listen! Transcript: Here Scientist Info: Ahmed Mahmoud Postdoctoral Profile: https://www.mskcc.org/research/ski/labs/members/ahmed-mahmoud Fail-Safe Science Repository: https://risecenter.asu.edu/fail-safe International Postgraduate Mental Health Alliance (MHA): https://www.ispmha.com/ Mental Health Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14G5m91FLPY5gZSHUzWXAQ4Jnm4uX9AS0yhypus3gsuQ/edit?usp=sharing Land Acknowledgement Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10lLcxY7OSsuTnXyq_CSC5Wvst8MSMRurisBfX5hK7AI/edit?tab=t.0

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