Best Berkeley Engineering Podcasts (2025)

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Exploring Engineering Ep. 10: Nuclear Engineering 11:05

2d ago11:05

11:05

In this episode of Exploring Engineering at UC Berkeley, we dive into the powerful and often misunderstood world of Nuclear Engineering. Undergraduate students Conrad Buck and Isaac Duarte Valdez share how curiosity—and a little serendipity—led them into a field full of untapped potential. Then, hear from Professor Ellie Tubman, a fusion researcher…

1
Exploring Engineering Ep. 09: Mechanical Engineering 13:29

2d ago13:29

13:29

What does a robot-fetching chicken, baking, and diagnosing breast cancer have in common? Mechanical engineering! In this episode of Exploring Engineering at UC Berkeley, host Laura Vogt talks with Aashray Manchanda, a recent graduate of the M.E.T. program, Michael McNabb, an alum with a passion for invention, and Professor Lydia Sohn, who bridges p…

1
Exploring Engineering Ep. 08: Materials Science and Engineering 17:22

2d ago17:22

17:22

In this episode of Exploring Engineering, we dive into the dynamic and often overlooked world of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE). Faculty member Mary Scott reveals the wide range of career paths in the field—from biomaterials to aerospace and electronics—while undergraduate Ava Daniels shares how a high school summer camp led her to discove…

1
Exploring Engineering Ep. 07: Industrial Engineering and Operations Research 14:44

2d ago14:44

14:44

Welcome to Exploring Engineering at UC Berkeley! In this episode, we dive into the fascinating world of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research — better known as IEOR. Join host Laura Vogt as she talks with UC Berkeley faculty member Rhonda Righter, current student Kenny Wongchamcharoen, and alum Nanavati Low. Discover how IEOR blends math, …

1
Exploring Engineering Ep. 06: Engineering science program 8:28

2d ago8:28

8:28

What do contact lenses, Newton rings, and computer science all have in common? For Jacqueline Thibault, a fourth-year Engineering Mathematics and Statistics major at UC Berkeley, they all came together in her first internship. In this episode of Exploring Engineering, host Laura Vogt sits down with Jackie to talk about what it means to be part of t…

1
Exploring Engineering Ep. 05: Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences 20:14

2d ago20:14

20:14

What do robotics, video game mods, and chip design have in common? They’re all part of the incredibly broad and exciting world of EECS at UC Berkeley. In this episode, you’ll hear from faculty member Claire Tomlin, a MacArthur “Genius” and former chair of the EECS department, as well as undergraduates Robert Nochez, Julian Rickenbach, and Evan Sand…

1
Exploring Engineering Ep. 04: Civil and Environmental Engineering 21:10

2d ago21:10

21:10

In this episode of Exploring Engineering, host Laura Vogt guides us through the many layers of civil engineering. You’ll hear from faculty, recent grads, and alumni who’ve carved out careers in transportation, public service, and cutting-edge construction. Parson Galicia (City of Oakland), Kimberly Leung (San Francisco MTA), and Nelson Jurado (stud…

1
Exploring Engineering Ep. 03: Bioengineering 15:10

2d ago15:10

15:10

What does it mean to merge engineering with biology? In this episode of Exploring Engineering at UC Berkeley, we dive into the world of bioengineering—a field that’s as interdisciplinary as it is impactful. You'll hear from Na’im Pierce, a recent graduate with a passion for genetic engineering and neurosurgery; Professor Kevin Healy, who shares his…

1
Exploring Engineering Ep. 02: Aerospace Engineering 16:26

2d ago16:26

16:26

Ever wonder what it’s really like to study rocket science? In this episode, we dive into UC Berkeley’s newest engineering major: Aerospace Engineering. Hear from current students Evan Smart and Maxwell Stolarz, who share what inspired them to pursue aerospace and how broad and exciting the field really is. You'll also get insights from Professor Pa…

1
Exploring Engineering Ep. 01: What’s Engineering? 10:34

2d ago10:34

10:34

Welcome to Exploring Engineering at UC Berkeley—a new podcast series where we uncover what it means to be an engineer and dive into the paths that lead there. Hosted by Laura Vogt, director of student communications for Berkeley Engineering, this first episode features an inspiring conversation with Tsu-Jae King Liu, former dean of Berkeley Enginee…

1
Episode 19: Defaults, Decisions, and Dynamic Systems: Behavioral Science Meets AI 54:08

7d ago54:08

54:08

Lis Costa, Chief of Innovation and Partnerships at the Behavioural Insights Team, joins High Signal to explore how behavioral science is reshaping public policy, digital platforms, and machine learning. She explains how defaults influence behavior at scale, why personalization and chatbots are unlocking new kinds of interventions, and what happens …

1
Exploring Engineering at UC Berkeley trailer 1:03

13d ago1:03

1:03

Debuting Tuesday, July 8, Exploring Engineering at UC Berkeley is your introduction into each of the academic departments and programs that are part of UC Berkeley Engineering. For a transcript, please visit the episode page on the ESS podcast hubBy Berkeley Engineering

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Episode 18: High-Stakes AI Systems and the Cost of Getting It Wrong 58:45

22d ago58:45

58:45

Sudarshan Seshadri—VP of AI, Data Science, and Foundations Engineering at Alto Pharmacy—joins us to explore what it takes to build high-stakes AI systems that people can actually trust. He shares lessons from deploying machine learning and LLMs in healthcare, where speed, safety, and uncertainty must be carefully balanced. We talk about designing A…

1
Episode 17: The Incentive Problem in Shipping AI Products — and How to Change It 53:52

1M ago53:52

53:52

Roberto Medri, VP of Data Science at Instagram, explains why most experiments fail, how misaligned incentives warp product development, and what it takes to drive real impact with data science. He shares what teams get wrong about launches, why ego gets in the way of learning, and how Instagram turned Reels from a struggling product into a global s…

1
Solving the CRISPR delivery problem using a proprietary peptide-based platform 1:05:53

2M ago1:05:53

1:05:53

Dana Foss and Ross Wilson are the cofounders of Editpep, a biotech startup focused on developing CRISPR-based therapeutics. They are using a proprietary peptide-based delivery platform that enables targeted delivery to specific cell types, particularly for hard-to-reach areas like the brain. While Dana Foss is the CEO, Ross Wilson is also an Assist…

1
Episode 16: How Human-Centered AI Actually Gets Built 47:22

2M ago47:22

47:22

Fei-Fei Li—co-director of Stanford’s Human-Centered AI Institute and one of the most respected voices in the field—reflects on AI’s evolution from the early days of ImageNet to the rise of foundation models. She explains why spatial intelligence may be the next major shift, how human-centered design applies in practice, and why AI should be underst…

1
Episode 15: Why Good Metrics Still Lead to Bad Decisions — and How to Fix It 54:17

3M ago54:17

54:17

Eoin O'Mahony—data science partner at Lightspeed, former Uber science lead, and one of the early architects of the system that kept NYC’s Citi Bikes available across the city—argues that positive metrics are meaningless if you don’t understand the mechanism behind them. At Uber, he was careful to make sure his launches both looked good on paper and…

1
Episode 14: Why Most Companies Aren’t Actually AI Ready (and What to Do About It) 51:58

3M ago51:58

51:58

Barr Moses—co-founder and CEO of Monte Carlo—thinks we’re headed for an AI reckoning. Companies are building fast, but most are still managing data like it’s 2015. In this episode, she shares high-stakes failure stories (like a $100M schema change), explains why full-stack observability is becoming essential, and breaks down how LLM agents are alre…

1
Episode 13: The End of Programming As We Know It 1:23:09

4M ago1:23:09

1:23:09

Tim O’Reilly—founder of O’Reilly Media and one of the most influential voices in tech—argues we’re not witnessing the end of programming, but the beginning of something far bigger. He draws on past computing revolutions to explore how AI is reshaping what it means to build software, why real breakthroughs come from the edge—not incumbents—and what …

1
Episode 12: Your Machine Learning Solves The Wrong Problem 54:40

4M ago54:40

54:40

Stefan Wager—Professor at Stanford and expert on causal machine learning—has worked with leading tech companies including Dropbox, Facebook, Google, and Uber. He challenges the widespread assumption that better predictions mean better decisions. Traditional machine learning excels at prediction, but is prediction really what your business needs? St…

1
Altitude Lab Fund- Supporting healthcare founders in challenging times 51:41

4M ago51:41

51:41

Chandana Haque is the Executive Director of Altitude Lab, a healthcare startup accelerator building a community of diverse entrepreneurs in Utah. Altitude Lab was cofounded in 2020 by Chandana and Chris Gibson, the co-founder & CEO of Recursion in Salt Lake City. They recently announced the launch of a pre-seed venture fund aimed at supporting earl…

1
Episode 11: What Comes After Code? The Role of Engineers in an AI-Driven Future 1:05:44

4M ago1:05:44

1:05:44

Peter Wang—Chief AI Officer at Anaconda and a driving force behind PyData—challenges conventional thinking about AI’s role in software development. As AI reshapes engineering, are we moving beyond writing code to orchestrating intelligence? Peter explores why companies are fixated on models instead of integration, how AI is breaking traditional sof…

1
Episode 10: AI Won't Save You But Data Intelligence Will 59:42

5M ago59:42

59:42

Ari Kaplan—Global Head of Evangelism at Databricks and a pioneer in sports analytics—explains why businesses fixated on AI often overlook the real advantage: making better decisions with their own data. He shares lessons from his work building analytics teams for Major League Baseball, advising McLaren’s F1 strategy, and helping companies apply AI …

1
Episode 9: Why 90% of Data Science Fails—And How to Fix It -- With Eric Colson 1:09:40

5M ago1:09:40

1:09:40

In this episode of High Signal, Eric Colson—former Chief Algorithms Officer at Stitch Fix and VP of Data Science and Machine Learning at Netflix—breaks down why most companies fail to unlock the full potential of their data science teams. Drawing from years of experience leading data functions at top tech companies, Eric shares how organizations ca…

1
Episode 8: From Zero to Scale: Lessons from Airbnb and Beyond 1:06:42

6M ago1:06:42

1:06:42

In this episode of High Signal, Elena Grewal—former Head of Data Science at Airbnb, political consultant, professor at Yale, and ice cream shop owner—shares her journey of building data teams that scale across vastly different contexts. Drawing on her experiences in tech, consulting, and brick-and-mortar, Elena offers practical lessons on leadershi…

1
Episode 7: What Lies Beyond Machine Learning and AI: Decision Systems and the Future of Data Teams 1:18:44

7M ago1:18:44

1:18:44

In this episode of High Signal, Chris Wiggins—Chief Data Scientist at The New York Times, Professor at Columbia University, and co-author of How Data Happened—shares how organizations can move beyond prediction to actionable decision systems. Drawing on his work at The New York Times and in academia, Chris explains how to scale data teams, optimize…

1
Partnering to accelerate therapeutics: A primer on forming alliances and their management 50:40

7M ago50:40

50:40

Monica Rosoff, the founder and CEO of LBBAL™ Alianza. Prior to launching Alianza, Monica was a partnering executive with roles of increasing seniority at Genentech, Gilead, Kite and Exelixis. Over the course of over two decades, she had the opportunity to lead and participate in a wide diversity of deals, negotiations, diligence exercises, alliance…

1
Episode 6: What Happens to Data Science in the Age of AI? 1:18:23

7M ago1:18:23

1:18:23

In this episode of High Signal, Hilary Mason—renowned data scientist, entrepreneur, and co-founder of Hidden Door—shares her unique insights into the evolving world of data science and generative AI. Drawing from her pioneering work at Fast Forward Labs, Bitly, and Hidden Door, Hilary explores how creativity, judgment, and empathy are reshaping the…

1
Episode 5: The Hard Truth About Building AI Systems and What Most Leaders Miss About AI 1:02:06

8M ago1:02:06

1:02:06

In this episode of High Signal, Gabriel Weintraub (the Amman Professor of Operations, Information, and Technology at Stanford Graduate School of Business), brings his expertise in market design, data science, and operations, enriched by his experience with global platforms like Uber and Mercado Libre, to a conversation that spans practical strategi…

1
Episode 4: How to Build an Experimentation Machine and Where Most Go Wrong 51:16

8M ago51:16

51:16

Ramesh Johari (Stanford, Uber, Airbnb, and more) explores the art and science of online experimentation, especially in the context of marketplaces and tech companies. Ramesh shares insights on how organizations evolve from basic experimentation practices to becoming fast, adaptive, and self learning organizations. We dive into challenges like the r…

1
Episode 3: Data Science Meets Management: Teamwork, Experimentation, and Decision-Making 52:12

9M ago52:12

52:12

Chiara Farronato (Harvard Business School) discusses how digital platforms like Airbnb and Uber have transformed industries. She explores the challenges of fostering collaboration between managers and data scientists, bridging communication gaps, and building data-driven cultures. Chiara also delves into the complexities of managing peer-to-peer ma…

1
Episode 2: Fooling Yourself Less: The Art of Statistical Thinking in AI 1:00:51

9M ago1:00:51

1:00:51

Hugo Bowne-Anderson welcomes Andrew Gelman, professor at Columbia University, to discuss the practical side of statistics and data science. They explore the importance of high-quality data, computational skills, and using simulation to avoid misleading results. Andrew dives into real-world applications like election predictions and highlights causa…

1
Episode 1: The Next Evolution of AI: Markets, Uncertainty, and Engineering Intelligence at Scale 1:15:12

9M ago1:15:12

1:15:12

Michael Jordan (UC Berkeley) on the future of machine learning as it extends to a planetary scale in "The Next Evolution of AI: Markets, Uncertainty, and Engineering Intelligence at Scale." In this episode, Mike speaks with Hugo about the evolution of AI, the importance of integrating machine learning, computer science, and economics, and how AI ca…

1
Episode 37: Rylan Schaeffer, Stanford: On investigating emergent abilities and challenging dominant research ideas 1:02:51

10M ago1:02:51

1:02:51

Rylan Schaeffer is a PhD student at Stanford studying the engineering, science, and mathematics of intelligence. He authored the paper “Are Emergent Abilities of Large Language Models a Mirage?”, as well as other interesting refutations in the field that we’ll talk about today. He previously interned at Meta on the Llama team, and at Google DeepMin…

1
From Pitches to Stories: Transforming Complex Ideas into Engaging Narratives 54:11

10M ago54:11

54:11

Zack Shildhorn is an investing Partner at venture firm Lux Capital. He played multiple key roles that helped the firm scale from less than $100M to more than $4B in assets under management. After witnessing thousands of pitches, he saw that even the most disruptive startups often struggled to develop effective narratives. Having worked closely with…

1
ESS 812: Resources in the CAEE 22:17

11M ago22:17

22:17

In our final podcast of the summer, we speak with Luis Castillo, associate director of student development in ESS, and returning engineering students Andrea Limon, Gabriel Sianez and Rosalind Martinez. They will introduce us to the Center for Access to Engineering Excellence (CAEE), a program in ESS that includes academic support, a computer loan p…

1
ESS 811: Engineering Transfer Center & Transfer Ambassadors 27:20

11M ago27:20

27:20

Students transferring to the College of Engineering face many changes. Among them, they must learn to navigate an entirely new college environment. To support these students, we asked Heidi Maqueos, program manager for transfer success initiatives in ESS, to tell us about two resources that are for transfer students, by transfer students: the Engin…

1
ESS 810: Discover entrepreneurship in engineering 15:48

11M ago15:48

15:48

Are you interested in someday making the leap from student to entrepreneur? This week, we are learning about the Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology and its Student Innovation Fellows program. Engineering students Rachel Eizner and Claire Holland will give us pointers on signing up to be a fellow and ways you can engage with this pr…

1
ESS 809: Career Library 25:05

12M ago25:05

25:05

We don’t expect students to always know their post-graduation plans.You will spend the next two to four years learning about the many opportunities that await you after graduation. This week, we are delighted to have Kate Zuby, from Berkeley’s counseling & psychological services, here to introduce the Career Library — a resource that will help you …

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Turning great science into impactful medicine: Lessons from Corey Goodman, Pioneer in Science and Venture Capital 1:21:13

12M ago1:21:13

1:21:13

Corey Goodman, Ph.D., is the managing partner of venBio, a venture capital firm he cofounded in 2011. venBio already has 7 FDA approved drugs on the market, saving and improving lives. Corey spent 25 years as Professor of Biology at Stanford University and Evan Rauch Chair of Neurobiology at U.C. Berkeley, where he was a HHMI Investigator, Head of …

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Episode 36: Ari Morcos, DatologyAI: On leveraging data to democratize model training 1:34:19

12M ago1:34:19

1:34:19

Ari Morcos is the CEO of DatologyAI, which makes training deep learning models more performant and efficient by intervening on training data. He was at FAIR and DeepMind before that, where he worked on a variety of topics, including how training data leads to useful representations, lottery ticket hypothesis, and self-supervised learning. His work …

1
Pushing Boundaries: Abhishek Tripathi’s Experience with NASA, SpaceX, UC Berkeley and Startups 1:01:24

1y ago1:01:24

1:01:24

Abhishek Tripathi, is the Director of Mission operations of the Space Sciences Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley. Abhi is also the Chair of the Air and Space track startups at Skydeck, which is UC Berkeley's startup accelerator program. For over two decades, Abhi has been at the forefront of human and robotic space exploration. A…

1
Episode 35: Percy Liang, Stanford: On the paradigm shift and societal effects of foundation models 1:01:55

1y ago1:01:55

1:01:55

Percy Liang is an associate professor of computer science and statistics at Stanford. These days, he’s interested in understanding how foundation models work, how to make them more efficient, modular, and robust, and how they shift the way people interact with AI—although he’s been working on language models for long before foundation models appear…

1
Lessons from Evolution of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem at UC Berkeley 58:06

1y ago58:06

58:06

Richard Lyons, Ph.D., is the Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Innovation & Entrepreneurship Officer, at the University of California, Berkeley. Rich is an economist and the former dean of the business school. Rich will become the next chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley. We talk about a wide variety of topics around the Evolutio…

1
Civilization Ventures: Lessons learned from founding, exiting and applying them to support founders as an investor 54:45

1+ y ago54:45

54:45

Shahram Seyedin-Noor is the founder and managing partner at Civilization Ventures. Shahram received a JD from Harvard and worked at Wilson Solsinis and Cooley before going into investment banking at firms like Goldman Sachs and Bank of America. He then entered the startup world co-founding several startups. He eventually ended up Angel investing an…

1
Episode 34: Seth Lazar, Australian National University: On legitimate power, moral nuance, and the political philosophy of AI 1:55:45

1+ y ago1:55:45

1:55:45

Seth Lazar is a professor of philosophy at the Australian National University, where he leads the Machine Intelligence and Normative Theory (MINT) Lab. His unique perspective bridges moral and political philosophy with AI, introducing much-needed rigor to the question of what will make for a good and just AI future. Generally Intelligent is a podca…

1
Humba Ventures: Investing in Deep Tech Startups with Engineering Focus 53:11

1+ y ago53:11

53:11

Leo Polovets is the Co-founder and General Partner at Susa Ventures. Leo focuses on enterprise software and technical products at Susa. About two years ago, He also started Humba Ventures, a fund that invests in deep tech and critical national sectors like energy and defense at Humba. Leo led Susa's investments in Mashgin, People Data Labs, Scalyr,…

1
Berkeley Skydeck- Catalyzing the growth of deep tech startups at the world’s number one ranked public university. 52:08

1+ y ago52:08

52:08

Caroline Winnett is the Executive Director of Berkeley Skydeck, a startup accelerator at the University of California, Berkeley. Skydeck started as a mentoring space in 2012 and soon translated into one of the leading startup accelerators in the world. SkyDeck was Formed as a partnership between UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, the College of…

1
Medtech Innovator and Biotools Innovator: accelerator for medical device, digital health and diagnostic companies 1:12:25

1+ y ago1:12:25

1:12:25

Paul Grand is the founder and CEO; Ayelet Marom is the Program Director for BioTools Innovator, which focuses specifically on biotools; and Jim West is the Associate Director, BioTools Innovator, who was previously the Co-Founder and CEO of, Clara Biotech, which was founded in 2018 and was acquired by Innovaprep in the summer of 2023. Jim was the f…

1
Metcela - Treating chronic organ diseases using a novel fibroblast-based technology 58:06

1+ y ago58:06

58:06

Kenichi Nogami is the co-founder and CEO of Metcela, a clinical-stage biotechnology startup pioneering the research and development of fibroblast and stem cell-based therapy for chronic heart diseases that currently have limited therapeutic options. We talk about the current treatments for heart failure and how the fibroblast technology could help …

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