The Vulnerable Scientist

30 | Vulnerable Dr. Fredrick Mobegi | Part 1

In this episode, I had a chat with an Australian based Bioinformatician, who has a unique Twitter username - mobeginomics , who shared his story about where he is at the moment.The Vulnerable Scientist is a Kenyan-based podcast that focuses on scientists' stories about their daily lives, work, and how they got to where they are. I am your host Sarah Nyakeri, a scientist, informal science communicator and a hiker. I am a multidisciplinary individual that does digital marketing and website design during my free time.The main questions asked that scientists are expected to answer vulnerable are: How are you, Introduce yourself, how did you become a scientist, What are the highs and lows you have experienced in your science career, tell the listeners about your hobbies, what question would you like to answer that has not been asked and how do you feel after having this conversation.Why did I start this podcast? You might ask. When doing my MSc project, my experiments started to fail at a certain period and it was very frustrating. I thought, If I finally get a new vaccine target for CBPP in cows, it would be all smiles but no one will ever know what I went through. I also wondered how many scientists were going through the same rough patch but did not openly talk about it?One day when I had just had a rough day, I talked into a mic about my day and I felt better. That was the first episode. At first, I thought it would just be journalling but after some fellow scientists heard it, they wanted to be Vulnerable too. Since then I have brought scientists from different fields to tell their stories of the highs and lows they have experienced with honesty and authenticity being the lead of our informal and long conversations.I enjoy asking questions since I am a naturally curious person. Feedback from the audience including scientists and non-scientists is the main motivation why I message scientists or accept their request to be on the podcast, schedule an interview, edit audio, design the artwork and post it and share it on social media platforms. It is a full-time job that requires me to spend from my pocket with no monetary returns so far but I enjoy it.If you want to be Vulnerable on the show, send me an audio message either on speak pipe (https://www.speakpipe.com/VulnerableScientistVoicemail ) or anchor (https://anchor.fm/thevulnerablescientist/message). Feel free to reach out too if you want to talk about a certain topic in the science career space or anything as a scientist that might have nothing to with science but affects scientists. The podcast is on social media @TVscientistPod and Website; TheVulnerablescientist.com. You can support the show (https://www.patreon.com/thevulnerablescientist) on Patreon or Paypal sarahnyanchera(at)gmail or Mpesa at (254)0718896962 under Sarah Nyakeri. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

29 | The Story of Dr. Harrison Ndungu | The Scientist’s Path Series

Dr. Harrison Ndungu is a Kenyan-based scientist who did his Phd in Germany but still looking for opportunities in Kenya. This shows the unappreciation of research in Kenya that causes limited opportunities in Science.This is repurposed interview from the science media Africa interviews done in collaboration with Planet wizard Africa Interview Questions:BackgroundPrescience Student experienceScience Interest: How it began and who has influenced your path into science.University experience: Bsc to PhDHow did you get your first job and subsequent jobsMentorship: Did you have a mentor, Is it important to others, Do you mentorWhat kind of opportunities are there in science or for science graduatesHighs and Lows in your careerMistakes and what you learnt from it, advise to younger selfTell us about your research….How you got into it, and how it helps the society: Past Present and Future if any.Future prospectsExperience as a woman in science: The changes over the years…Advantages and disadvantages of being a woman in science.Let’s talk about mental health: Any personal experience or things you would like to share about it.Advice to a young scientist.Anything you would like to add: Questions you wish I asked and wish to answer.The Vulnerable Scientist is a Kenyan-based podcast that focuses on scientists' stories about their daily lives, work, and how they got to where they are. I am your host Sarah Nyakeri, a scientist, informal science communicator and a hiker. I am a multidisciplinary individual that does digital marketing and website design during my free time.The main questions asked that scientists are expected to answer vulnerable are: How are you, Introduce yourself, how did you become a scientist, What are the highs and lows you have experienced in your science career, tell the listeners about your hobbies, what question would you like to answer that has not been asked and how do you feel after having this conversation.If you want to be Vulnerable on the show, send me an audio message either on speak pipe (https://www.speakpipe.com/VulnerableScientistVoicemail ) or anchor (https://anchor.fm/thevulnerablescientist/message). Feel free to reach out too if you want to talk about a certain topic in the science career space or anything as a scientist that might have nothing to with science but affects scientists. The podcast is on social media @TVscientistPod and Website; TheVulnerablescientist.com. You can support the show (https://www.patreon.com/thevulnerablescientist) on Patreon or Paypal sarahnyanchera(at)gmail or Mpesa at (254)0718896962 under Sarah Nyakeri. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

28 | The story of Dr. James Nyabuga Nyariki | The Scientist’s Path Series

This is a repurposed interview from the science media Africa interviews done in collaboration with Planet wizard Africa Interview Questions:BackgroundPrescience Student experienceScience Interest: How it began and who has influenced your path into science.University experience: Bsc to PhDHow did you get your first job and subsequent jobsMentorship: Did you have a mentor, Is it important to others, Do you mentorWhat kind of opportunities are there in science or for science graduatesHighs and Lows in your careerMistakes and what you learnt from it, advise to younger selfTell us about your research….How you got into it, and how it helps the society: Past Present and Future if any.Future prospectsExperience as a woman in science: The changes over the years…Advantages and disadvantages of being a woman in science.Let’s talk about mental health: Any personal experience or things you would like to share about it.Advice to a young scientist.Anything you would like to add: Questions you wish I asked and wish to answer.The Vulnerable Scientist is a Kenyan-based podcast that focuses on scientists' stories about their daily lives, work, and how they got to where they are. I am your host Sarah Nyakeri, a scientist, informal science communicator and a hiker. I am a multidisciplinary individual that does digital marketing and website design during my free time.If you want to be Vulnerable on the show, send me an audio message either on speak pipe (https://www.speakpipe.com/VulnerableScientistVoicemail ) or anchor (https://anchor.fm/thevulnerablescientist/message). Feel free to reach out too if you want to talk about a certain topic in the science career space or anything as a scientist that might have nothing to with science but affects scientists. The podcast is on social media @TVscientistPod and Website; TheVulnerablescientist.com. You can support the show (https://www.patreon.com/thevulnerablescientist) on Patreon or Paypal sarahnyanchera(at)gmail or Mpesa at (254)0718896962 under Sarah Nyakeri. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

27 | The story of Dr. Benta Abuya | The Scientist’s Path Series

Dr Benta Abuya moves from being a high school teacher to educational research at APHRCThis is repurposed interview from the science media Africa interviews done in collaboration with Planet wizard Africa Interview Questions:BackgroundPrescience Student experienceScience Interest: How it began and who has influenced your path into science.University experience: Bsc to PhDHow did you get your first job and subsequent jobsMentorship: Did you have a mentor, Is it important to others, Do you mentorWhat kind of opportunities are there in science or for science graduatesHighs and Lows in your careerMistakes and what you learnt from it, advise to younger selfTell us about your research….How you got into it, and how it helps the society: Past Present and Future if any.Future prospectsExperience as a woman in science: The changes over the years…Advantages and disadvantages of being a woman in science.Let’s talk about mental health: Any personal experience or things you would like to share about it.Advice to a young scientist.Anything you would like to add: Questions you wish I asked and wish to answer.The Vulnerable Scientist is a Kenyan-based podcast that focuses on scientists' stories about their daily lives, work, and how they got to where they are. I am your host Sarah Nyakeri, a scientist, informal science communicator and a hiker. I am a multidisciplinary individual that does digital marketing and website design during my free time.The main questions asked that scientists are expected to answer vulnerable are: How are you, Introduce yourself, how did you become a scientist, What are the highs and lows you have experienced in your science career, tell the listeners about your hobbies, what question would you like to answer that has not been asked and how do you feel after having this conversation.Why did I start this podcast? You might ask. When doing my MSc project, my experiments started to fail at a certain period and it was very frustrating. I thought, If I finally get a new vaccine target for CBPP in cows, it would be all smiles but no one will ever know what I went through. I also wondered how many scientists were going through the same rough patch but did not openly talk about it?If you want to be Vulnerable on the show, send me an audio message either on speak pipe (https://www.speakpipe.com/VulnerableScientistVoicemail ) or anchor (https://anchor.fm/thevulnerablescientist/message). Feel free to reach out too if you want to talk about a certain topic in the science career space or anything as a scientist that might have nothing to with science but affects scientists. The podcast is on social media @TVscientistPod and Website; TheVulnerablescientist.com. You can support the show (https://www.patreon.com/thevulnerablescientist) on Patreon or Paypal sarahnyanchera(at)gmail or Mpesa at (254)0718896962 under Sarah Nyakeri. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

26 | The Story of Hudson Alakonya | From Kakamega to Oxford | The scientist’s Path Series

Hudson Alakonya is currently a PhD Rhodes scholar and the Founder and CEO of Integrated Cancer Research Foundation of KenyaThis is repurposed interview from the science media Africa interviews done in collaboration with Planet wizard Africa Interview Questions:BackgroundPrescience Student experienceScience Interest: How it began and who has influenced your path into science.University experience: Bsc to PhDHow did you get your first job and subsequent jobsMentorship: Did you have a mentor, Is it important to others, Do you mentorWhat kind of opportunities are there in science or for science graduatesHighs and Lows in your careerMistakes and what you learnt from it, advise to younger selfTell us about your research….How you got into it, and how it helps the society: Past Present and Future if any.Future prospectsExperience as a woman in science: The changes over the years…Advantages and disadvantages of being a woman in science.Let’s talk about mental health: Any personal experience or things you would like to share about it.Advice to a young scientist.Anything you would like to add: Questions you wish I asked and wish to answer.The Vulnerable Scientist is a Kenyan-based podcast that focuses on scientists' stories about their daily lives, work, and how they got to where they are. I am your host Sarah Nyakeri, a scientist, informal science communicator and a hiker. I am a multidisciplinary individual that does digital marketing and website design during my free time.The main questions asked that scientists are expected to answer vulnerable are: How are you, Introduce yourself, how did you become a scientist, What are the highs and lows you have experienced in your science career, tell the listeners about your hobbies, what question would you like to answer that has not been asked and how do you feel after having this conversation.If you want to be Vulnerable on the show, send me an audio message either on speak pipe (https://www.speakpipe.com/VulnerableScientistVoicemail ) or anchor (https://anchor.fm/thevulnerablescientist/message). Feel free to reach out too if you want to talk about a certain topic in the science career space or anything as a scientist that might have nothing to with science but affects scientists. The podcast is on social media @TVscientistPod and Website; TheVulnerablescientist.com. You can support the show (https://www.patreon.com/thevulnerablescientist) on Patreon or Paypal sarahnyanchera(at)gmail or Mpesa at (254)0718896962 under Sarah Nyakeri. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

25 | Vulnerable Florence Parsimei | Part 1

Everyone scientist either young or established ones have a story to tell and Parsimei is one of those people.The Vulnerable Scientist is a Kenyan-based podcast that focuses on scientists' stories about their daily lives, work, and how they got to where they are. I am your host Sarah Nyakeri, a scientist, informal science communicator and a hiker. I am a multidisciplinary individual that does digital marketing and website design during my free time.The main questions asked that scientists are expected to answer vulnerable are: How are you, Introduce yourself, how did you become a scientist, What are the highs and lows you have experienced in your science career, tell the listeners about your hobbies, what question would you like to answer that has not been asked and how do you feel after having this conversation.Why did I start this podcast? You might ask. When doing my MSc project, my experiments started to fail at a certain period and it was very frustrating. I thought, If I finally get a new vaccine target for CBPP in cows, it would be all smiles but no one will ever know what I went through. I also wondered how many scientists were going through the same rough patch but did not openly talk about it?One day when I had just had a rough day, I talked into a mic about my day and I felt better. That was the first episode. At first, I thought it would just be journalling but after some fellow scientists heard it, they wanted to be Vulnerable too. Since then I have brought scientists from different fields to tell their stories of the highs and lows they have experienced with honesty and authenticity being the lead of our informal and long conversations.I enjoy asking questions since I am a naturally curious person. Feedback from the audience, including scientists and non-scientists, is the main motivation I message scientists or accept their request to be on the podcast, schedule an interview, edit audio, design the artwork, post it, and share it on social media platforms. It is a full-time job that requires me to spend from my pocket with no monetary returns, but I enjoy it.If you want to be Vulnerable on the show, send me an audio message either on speak pipe (https://www.speakpipe.com/VulnerableScientistVoicemail ) or anchor (https://anchor.fm/thevulnerablescientist/message). Feel free to reach out too if you want to talk about a certain topic in the science career space or anything as a scientist that might have nothing to with science but affects scientists. The podcast is on social media @TVscientistPod and Website; TheVulnerablescientist.com. You can support the show (https://www.patreon.com/thevulnerablescientist) on Patreon or Paypal sarahnyanchera(at)gmail or Mpesa at (254)0718896962 under Sarah Nyakeri. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

24 | Vulnerable Samwel Mwamburi | Part 2

Samuel who recently moved from Kenya to Japan to pursue his PhD studies in Marine related work tells his story and how his passion for biology made him persevere through the challenges that come with pursuing a Science career in Kenya.The Vulnerable Scientist is a Kenyan-based podcast that focuses on scientists' stories about their daily lives, work, and how they got to where they are. I am your host Sarah Nyakeri, a scientist, informal science communicator and a hiker. I am a multidisciplinary individual that does digital marketing and website design during my free time.The main questions asked that scientists are expected to answer vulnerable are: How are you, Introduce yourself, how did you become a scientist, What are the highs and lows you have experienced in your science career, tell the listeners about your hobbies, what question would you like to answer that has not been asked and how do you feel after having this conversation.Why did I start this podcast? You might ask. When doing my MSc project, my experiments started to fail at a certain period and it was very frustrating. I thought, If I finally get a new vaccine target for CBPP in cows, it would be all smiles but no one will ever know what I went through. I also wondered how many scientists were going through the same rough patch but did not openly talk about it?One day when I had just had a rough day, I talked into a mic about my day and I felt better. That was the first episode. At first, I thought it would just be journalling but after some fellow scientists heard it, they wanted to be Vulnerable too. Since then I have brought scientists from different fields to tell their stories of the highs and lows they have experienced with honesty and authenticity being the lead of our informal and long conversations.I enjoy asking questions since I am a naturally curious person. Feedback from the audience, including scientists and non-scientists, is the main motivation I message scientists or accept their request to be on the podcast, schedule an interview, edit audio, design the artwork, post it, and share it on social media platforms. It is a full-time job that requires me to spend from my pocket with no monetary returns, but I enjoy it.If you want to be Vulnerable on the show, send me an audio message either on speak pipe (https://www.speakpipe.com/VulnerableScientistVoicemail ) or anchor (https://anchor.fm/thevulnerablescientist/message). Feel free to reach out too if you want to talk about a certain topic in the science career space or anything as a scientist that might have nothing to with science but affects scientists. The podcast is on social media @TVscientistPod and Website; TheVulnerablescientist.com. You can support the show (https://www.patreon.com/thevulnerablescientist) on Patreon or Paypal sarahnyanchera(at)gmail or Mpesa at (254)0718896962 under Sarah Nyakeri. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

23 | Vulnerable Samuel Mwamburi | Part 1

Samuel who recently moved from Kenya to Japan to pursue his PhD studies in Marine related work tells his story and how his passion for biology made him persevere through the challenges that come with pursuing a Science career in Kenya.The Vulnerable Scientist is a Kenyan-based podcast that focuses on scientists' stories about their daily lives, work, and how they got to where they are. I am your host Sarah Nyakeri, a scientist, informal science communicator and a hiker. I am a multidisciplinary individual that does digital marketing and website design during my free time.The main questions asked that scientists are expected to answer vulnerable are: How are you, Introduce yourself, how did you become a scientist, What are the highs and lows you have experienced in your science career, tell the listeners about your hobbies, what question would you like to answer that has not been asked and how do you feel after having this conversation.Why did I start this podcast? You might ask. When doing my MSc project, my experiments started to fail at a certain period and it was very frustrating. I thought, If I finally get a new vaccine target for CBPP in cows, it would be all smiles but no one will ever know what I went through. I also wondered how many scientists were going through the same rough patch but did not openly talk about it?One day when I had just had a rough day, I talked into a mic about my day and I felt better. That was the first episode. At first, I thought it would just be journalling but after some fellow scientists heard it, they wanted to be Vulnerable too. Since then I have brought scientists from different fields to tell their stories of the highs and lows they have experienced with honesty and authenticity being the lead of our informal and long conversations.I enjoy asking questions since I am a naturally curious person. Feedback from the audience, including scientists and non-scientists, is the main motivation I message scientists or accept their request to be on the podcast, schedule an interview, edit audio, design the artwork, post it, and share it on social media platforms. It is a full-time job that requires me to spend from my pocket with no monetary returns, but I enjoy it.If you want to be Vulnerable on the show, send me an audio message either on speak pipe (https://www.speakpipe.com/VulnerableScientistVoicemail ) or anchor (https://anchor.fm/thevulnerablescientist/message). Feel free to reach out too if you want to talk about a certain topic in the science career space or anything as a scientist that might have nothing to with science but affects scientists. The podcast is on social media @TVscientistPod and Website; TheVulnerablescientist.com. You can support the show (https://www.patreon.com/thevulnerablescientist) on Patreon or Paypal sarahnyanchera(at)gmail or Mpesa at (254)0718896962 under Sarah Nyakeri. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

22 | Vulnerable Dr. Sandeep Kumar Dhanda | From India to US

Sandeep Kumar Dhanda, PhD is a highly-skilled Bioinformatics Scientist who tells his career journey from a low-income background in India to a top institution in the US.To be trained on the use of bioinformatics in vaccine design, Register with Dollar education.The Vulnerable Scientist is a Kenyan-based podcast that focuses on scientists' stories about their daily lives, work, and how they got to where they are. I am your host Sarah Nyakeri, a scientist, informal science communicator and a hiker. I am a multidisciplinary individual that does digital marketing and website design during my free time.The main questions asked that scientists are expected to answer vulnerable are: How are you, Introduce yourself, how did you become a scientist, What are the highs and lows you have experienced in your science career, tell the listeners about your hobbies, what question would you like to answer that has not been asked and how do you feel after having this conversation.Why did I start this podcast? You might ask. When doing my MSc project, my experiments started to fail at a certain period and it was very frustrating. I thought, If I finally get a new vaccine target for CBPP in cows, it would be all smiles but no one will ever know what I went through. I also wondered how many scientists were going through the same rough patch but did not openly talk about it?One day when I had just had a rough day, I talked into a mic about my day and I felt better. That was the first episode. At first, I thought it would just be journalling but after some fellow scientists heard it, they wanted to be Vulnerable too. Since then I have brought scientists from different fields to tell their stories of the highs and lows they have experienced with honesty and authenticity being the lead of our informal and long conversations.I enjoy asking questions since I am a naturally curious person. Feedback from the audience, including scientists and non-scientists, is the main motivation I message scientists or accept their request to be on the podcast, schedule an interview, edit audio, design the artwork, post it, and share it on social media platforms. It is a full-time job that requires me to spend from my pocket with no monetary returns, but I enjoy it.If you want to be Vulnerable on the show, send me an audio message either on speak pipe (https://www.speakpipe.com/VulnerableScientistVoicemail ) or anchor (https://anchor.fm/thevulnerablescientist/message). Feel free to reach out too if you want to talk about a certain topic in the science career space or anything as a scientist that might have nothing to with science but affects scientists. The podcast is on social media @TVscientistPod and Website; TheVulnerablescientist.com. You can support the show (https://www.patreon.com/thevulnerablescientist) on Patreon or Paypal sarahnyanchera(at)gmail or Mpesa at (254)0718896962 under Sarah Nyakeri. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

21 | Vulnerable Faith Mokobi Zablon | 9 Years of a Lecturer’s stuggle finally pay off

In this episode, Faith talks about her 9 years of looking for opportunities in science in Kenya while having a masters degree finally paying off. The Vulnerable Scientist is a Kenyan-based podcast that focuses on scientists' stories about their daily lives, work, and how they got to where they are. I am your host Sarah Nyakeri, a scientist, informal science communicator and a hiker. I am a multidisciplinary individual that does digital marketing and website design during my free time.The main questions asked that scientists are expected to answer vulnerable are: How are you, Introduce yourself, how did you become a scientist, What are the highs and lows you have experienced in your science career, tell the listeners about your hobbies, what question would you like to answer that has not been asked and how do you feel after having this conversation.Why did I start this podcast? You might ask. When doing my MSc project, my experiments started to fail at a certain period and it was very frustrating. I thought, If I finally get a new vaccine target for CBPP in cows, it would be all smiles but no one will ever know what I went through. I also wondered how many scientists were going through the same rough patch but did not openly talk about it?One day when I had just had a rough day, I talked into a mic about my day and I felt better. That was the first episode. At first, I thought it would just be journalling but after some fellow scientists heard it, they wanted to be Vulnerable too. Since then I have brought scientists from different fields to tell their stories of the highs and lows they have experienced with honesty and authenticity being the lead of our informal and long conversations.I enjoy asking questions since I am a naturally curious person. Feedback from the audience including scientists and non-scientists is the main motivation why I message scientists or accept their request to be on the podcast, schedule an interview, edit audio, design the artwork and post it and share it on social media platforms. It is a full-time job that requires me to spend from my pocket with no monetary returns, but I enjoy it.If you want to be Vulnerable on the show, send me an audio message either on speak pipe (https://www.speakpipe.com/VulnerableScientistVoicemail ) or anchor (https://anchor.fm/thevulnerablescientist/message). Feel free to reach out too if you want to talk about a certain topic in the science career space or anything as a scientist that might have nothing to with science but affects scientists. The podcast is on social media @TVscientistPod and Website; TheVulnerablescientist.com. You can support the show (https://www.patreon.com/thevulnerablescientist) on Patreon or Paypal sarahnyanchera(at)gmail or Mpesa at (254)0718896962 under Sarah Nyakeri. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.