Best The University of Chicago Hong Kong Campus Podcasts (2025)

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Episode 145 - Nicholas G. Hatsopoulos: "I'm a scientist, I love discovering new things" 26:52

5d ago26:52

26:52

Professor Nicholas G. Hatsopoulos from the Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy is on The Course this week to discuss his career path. From majoring in physics to psychology, to playing the Bouzouki and working in Greece for a year, it was only later in life that Professor Hatsopoulos found Neuroscience and found his passion as a scientist …

1
Episode 144 - Fred Chong: "Never been a day I thought this was the wrong job." 27:24

19d ago27:24

27:24

Professor Fred Chong is the Seymour Goodman Professor of Computer Architecture and is also a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. In this episode of the Course, Professor Chong shares how he witnessed the evolution of computers and A.I., while finding a niche, quantum computing and computer architecture, for himself to d…

1
Episode 143 - Claudia Brittenham: "Objects keep me honest." 29:58

6M ago29:58

29:58

Professor Claudia Brittenham is from the Department of Art History and the Department of Race, Diaspora, and Indigeneity. She is also the Director of the Center for Latin American Studies. In this episode of The Course, she talks about why she so enjoys the study of objects, the many alternatives she considered as she honed in on her area of focus,…

1
Episode 142 - Chiara Galli: "Every rose has its thorns." 27:25

6M ago27:25

27:25

Assistant Professor Chiara Galli from the Department of Comparative Human Development is on The Course to talk about how her childhood experience moving to the US from Italy influenced her decision to study migrant issues. Professor Galli also shares various insights on choosing a major, being in an interdisciplinary department, and also her love f…

1
Episode 141 - Paula Harper: "That's a thing you can do?" 28:41

6M ago28:41

28:41

Assistant Professor Paula Harper's participation in the choir drew her to music classes in her English major college days, and accidentally gave her a second major by the time she graduates. As she continues her journey to finding her unique path, she found her research interest by combining music, virality and social media platforms together. Join…

1
Episode 140 - Scott Gehlbach: "I got it. I know what I'm doing." 28:58

6M ago28:58

28:58

Professor Scott Gehlbach from the Department of Political Science and Harris School of Public Policy would almost have gone back to his family farm business had it not been for his love for city life and the various life-changing experiences. After spending extensive time in Eastern Europe, he found his research niche and continues to quench his cu…

1
Episode 139 - Jennifer Pitts: "It was a leap of faith." 25:49

7M ago25:49

25:49

Professor Jennifer Pitts from the Department of Political Science is on The Course this week to talk about her career journey from being captured by art history to working as a reporter to finally pursuing a graduate degree in political theory. She also shares her recent focus on the international writings of W.E.B. Du Bois, and the most gratifying…

1
Episode 138— Ruth Bloch Rubin: "You are the captain of your own ship." 27:59

7M ago27:59

27:59

As an academic studying American politics at the University of Chicago, Assistant Professor Ruth Bloch Rubin recognizes she is living in an unprecedented time that future political historians will be studying intently. It is equally a great time to indulge in her political nerdiness with her students. In this episode, Professor Bloch Rubin discusse…

1
Episode 137— Marco Garrido: "I kind of stumbled into being a professor." 28:15

7M ago28:15

28:15

With various interests, Associate Professor Marco Garrido was still determining his next steps after graduation and went off exploring the world. It was when he shared dinner tables with the poor and the rich that he finally found his research interest in the Philippines. Currently studying how people's daily experiences shape their understanding o…

1
Episode 136—Molly Offer-Westort: "I was interested in exploring the world more and having different experiences." 24:45

7M ago24:45

24:45

From being an English teacher in Central Lesotho to being a Peace Corps Volunteer in Madagascar to working with the World Bank and the United Nations, Assistant Professor Molly Offer-Westort chose to experience various opportunities before embarking on an academic life. Now, she uses data science and statistical tools to understand people's online …

1
Episode 135 - Robert A. Pape: "The goal here is to use social science to save lives." 35:09

8M ago35:09

35:09

Professor Robert A. Pape from the Department of Political Science discusses how his early research interest in air power and international political violence brought him to sit with military officers and policy decision-makers on various occasions. Professor Pape also expanded his interest in national security and democracy as he continued his rese…

1
Episode 134 - Timothy Harrison: "I had $287 in my bank account ." 27:31

8M ago27:31

27:31

Associate Professor Timothy Harrison finished high school and ventured off to build his career as a model until he decided to pivot to a scholarly pathway and fulfill his dream as a novelist. Now as an author and co-author of multiple books, Professor Harrison finds joy in teaching, reading, and thinking about various English literature in the 16th…

1
Episode 133 - Catherine Kearns: "Soak up your time in college." 26:23

8M ago26:23

26:23

Assistant Professor in the Department of Classics Catherine (Katie) Kearns is on The Course to talk about her study in Mediterranean archaeology and how her work crosses to reconstructing and studying ancient environments. Growing up, Professor Kearns was an athlete, loved doodling, and also picked up Latin. When she was introduced to history and, …

1
Episode 132 - Andreas Kraft: "Being a student athlete..." 25:54

8M ago25:54

25:54

Assistant Professor of Marketing and Asness Faculty Fellow Andreas Kraft is on The Course this week to talk about his experience as a student-athlete. Professor Kraft came to the US as an undergrad with a scholarship to play wheelchair basketball, with thoughts on going professional. However, with time, he finds himself asking more and more questio…

1
Episode 131 - Victoria Saramago: "This is the challenge that I want to tackle right now." 28:20

9M ago28:20

28:20

Associate Professor Victoria Saramago of the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures grew up fascinated by storytelling. From wanting to be a fiction writer to now an academic who studies novels, she digs into the relations between literature, cultures, and the perception of environmental change, environmental humanities, and energy. Listen…

1
Episode 130 - Carolina López-Ruiz: "Expand your worldview and knowledge in university." 28:39

9M ago28:39

28:39

Professor Carolina López-Ruiz from the Divinity School and the Department of Classics shares how her passion for the ancient world started from a young age, and her determination to have a career related to this sector led her to appreciate various languages and the cultural understanding it opens up for her. Tune in to hear her talk about her care…

1
Episode 129 - Fred Ciesla: "I want to know if there is life elsewhere." 25:39

9M ago25:39

25:39

Professor Fred Ciesla from the Department of Geophysical Sciences is on The Course this week to share how his career path to becoming a geophysical sciences professor started when he was a child. He was inspired to study astronomy after seeing stars, in particular Venus, glowing in the night sky. His path led him to Cornell, NASA, and finally to UC…

1
Episode 128 - Emily Lynn Osborn: "Not to pin your passion onto only one pathway." 25:37

9M ago25:37

25:37

Associate Professor Emily Lynn Osborn from the Department of History talks about how studying African History merged with her sense of rebellion with the French language and interest in history. Opportunities that brought her abroad made her see the world differently, and these experiences transferred to her role at UChicago as she spearheaded the …

1
Episode 127 - Jasmine Nirody: "A career where I can learn things all the time." 30:55

10M ago30:55

30:55

In this week's episode, Assistant Professor Jasmine Nirody from the Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy revealed how studying snake movements in her undergraduate years inspired her to become an organismal and integrative biologist instead of a medical doctor. She also shares the practical applications of studying the biophysics of tardigr…

1
Episode 126 - Andrew Ferguson: "Fortune favors a prepared mind." 29:54

10M ago29:54

29:54

Professor of Molecular Engineering and Vice Dean for Education at the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, Andrew Ferguson, talks about his parents encouraging him to pursue the path he wanted, studying chemical engineering and now researching immunoengineering. In this episode, Professor Ferguson breaks down the complexity of studyin…

1
Episode 125 - Lewis Shi: "I am committed to what I am doing." 26:06

10M ago26:06

26:06

Associate Professor Lewis Shi from the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery & Rehabilitation Medicine shares his determination to be a doctor from a young age. After spending 12 years at Harvard as a "Preparation H," he found his niche in shoulder surgery and continues his fulfilling life as a surgeon, a mentor, and a researcher, all while having his …

1
Episode 124 - Simeon Chavel: "Embrace the chaos." 27:14

10M ago27:14

27:14

Associate Professor Simeon Chavel from the Divinity Schools shares how he found his way to becoming a Hebrew Bible scholar at the University of Chicago through multiple chances. As he continues his research, teaching, and administrative work, Professor Chavel keeps his opportunities open, multitasks, and finds intriguing research topics to keep him…

1
Episode 123 - Martha Feldman: "Follow your passions and interests." 25:32

11M ago25:32

25:32

Ferdinand Schevill Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Music and the College, Professor Martha Feldman, joins us in this episode. Professor Feldman talks about her career journey from training as a professional guitarist to becoming a scholar researching Italian Opera and teaching Long and Song to UChicago students. She emphasizes …

1
Episode 122 - Gabriel Richardson Lear: "What kind of person do I want to be?" 26:08

11M ago26:08

26:08

Professor Gabriel Richardson Lear of the Department of Philosophy and the Chair of UChicago's Committee on Social Thought joins us on The Course in this episode to talk about how her parents' early observation encouraged her to dip her toe into the philosophy world. From arranging state dinners to studying the works of Plato and Aristotle, Professo…

1
Episode 121 - Allison Squires: "If you're torn on a decision..." 27:58

11M ago27:58

27:58

Neubauer Family Assistant Professor of Molecular Engineering, Allison Squires, describes her experiment-filled childhood and all the joy science brought her. By walking through various opportunities, she found her place poking and perturbing molecules with her amazing team at the Squires Lab. Listen to her talk about how she got to her dream job an…

1
Episode 120 - Haresh Sapra: "Be a student. Experiment. Learn. Better yourself." 26:25

11M ago26:25

26:25

Haresh Sapra is the Charles T. Horngren Professor of Accounting at the Chicago Booth School of Business. Originally from a sugar factory on the island of Mauritius, Professor Sapra dreamed big with his family's encouragement and found his strength in accounting. Professor Sapra was an auditor before he pursued a PhD and finally landed a position as…

1
Episode 119 - Michael K. Bourdaughs: "Go study abroad!" 30:31

12M ago30:31

30:31

In this episode, Michael K. Bourdaghs, Professor of Modern Japanese Literature and Culture at the University of Chicago, discusses his life and professional paths. His interest in Japanese literature and culture began when, out of the blue, he was given the chance to study for a year in Sendai, and the rest is history. He worked in the corporate wo…

1
Episode 118 - Michele Friedner: "Thinking through disability expertise and questions of access." 34:10

12M ago34:10

34:10

| In this episode, Medical Anthropologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Comparative Human Development Michele Friedner discusses her path to becoming a UChicago Professor. She describes an early interest in Indian culture that led her to study Indian religions as an undergrad, a time that vastly expanded her worldview and breadth of …

1
Episode 117 - Anthony Fowler: "Every academic faces a lot of rejection." 24:09

12M ago24:09

24:09

Professor Anthony Fowler, from the Harris School of Public Policy, researches econometric methods for causal inference to questions in political science, with particular emphasis on elections and political representation. In this episode, he describes how he switched from being a biology student to being fascinated by the political world. He also t…

1
Episode 116 - Nancy Kawalek: "What we do is a little bit quirky." 25:26

1y ago25:26

25:26

Professor Nancy Kawalek, from the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, is the Director of STAGE: Scientists, Technologists, and Artists Generating Exploration, a laboratory that creates and develops new theater, film, games, and other artistic endeavors inspired by science and technology. Professor Kawalek's early career as an actor and her in…

1
Episode 115 - Amie Wilkinson: "I love communicating math." 23:03

1y ago23:03

23:03

Professor Amie Wilkinson, from the Department of Mathematics, studies smooth dynamical systems, ergodic theory, and mathematical chaos. Although she met an unsupportive advisor in college, her love for pure maths stayed strong, and she saw herself pursuing graduate school even more while working after college. Tune in to hear Professor Wilkinson ta…

1
Episode 114 - John Mark Hansen: "Bringing shadowed things to light." 31:27

1y ago31:27

31:27

Professor John Mark Hansen is one of the nations leading scholars of American politics. His research focuses on interest groups, citizen activism, and public opinion, and he has written two books: Mobilization, Participation, and Democracy in America, which he wrote with Steven Rosenstone, and Gaining Access: Congress and the Farm Lobby. He is also…

1
Episode 113 - Leslie Rogers: "The stars aligning." 31:36

1y ago31:36

31:36

In this episode, Associate Professor Leslie Rogers from the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics talks about her path to becoming a UChicago Professor specializing in exoplanets. From stargazing as a child in Nova Scotia to graduate school at MIT to realizing at CalTech that she had a passion for working with students, Leslie Rogers describes a…

1
Episode 112 - Chibueze Amanchukwu: "You really can do it." 33:22

1y ago33:22

33:22

Chibueze Amanchukwu is the Neubauer Family Assistant Professor of Molecular Engineering. His group works on energy-related challenges, with a specific focus on understanding how electrolytes can control electrochemical processes in batteries and catalysis. His work has been recognized with the NSF CAREER Award, the DOE Early Career Award, and the C…

1
Episode 111 - Dipesh Chakrabarty: "The world remains a source of surprise." 22:30

1y ago22:30

22:30

Dipesh Chakrabarty is currently the Lawrence A. Kimpton Distinguished Service Professor in History, South Asian Languages and Civilizations, and the College in the Department of History. Chakrabarty’s current students in History and SALC work on a variety of topics, including: 20th-century Kerala, prostitution in British India, India-China relation…

1
Episode 110 - Robert Gulotty: "That's the career, that's what I wanted." 24:37

1y ago24:37

24:37

Associate Professor Robert Gulotty, from the Department of Political Science, researches the relationship between national governments and global markets. As a rule follower, Professor Gulotty was initially attracted by potential careers with structure and stability. However, he found the life of the mind and the freedom of learning anything much m…

1
Episode 109 - Jennifer Iverson: "I belong. I'm okay. I'm here." 24:15

1y ago24:15

24:15

Associate Professor Jennifer Iverson, from the Department of Music, is a twentieth-century music scholar specializing in electronic music, avant-gardism, sound studies, and disability studies. As a FirstGen, Professor Iverson is drawn to supporting students in finding their belonging in the world through music. Listen to her share her career path t…

1
Episode 108 - Genevieve Lakier: "Decision-making is a result of gut instincts." 23:59

1y ago23:59

23:59

Professor Genevieve Lakier, from the University of Chicago Law School, teaches and writes about freedom of speech and American constitutional law. Her work examines the changing meaning of freedom of speech in the United States, the legislatures' role in safeguarding free speech values, and the fight over freedom of speech on social media platforms…

1
Episode 107 - Shaoda Wang: "I had this very vague dream of eliminating poverty." 28:45

1y ago28:45

28:45

In this episode, Shaoda Wang, assistant professor at the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy, shares his career path in the field of applied economics. He discusses his initial love for physics and later finds the connection between physics and economics and an early mentor who made him certain he wanted to become an economist, w…

1
Episode 106 - Wilma A. Bainbridge: "You have room to pursue your wacky, fun, crazy ideas." 24:42

1y ago24:42

24:42

The University of Chicago Assistant Professor Wilma A. Bainbridge, from the Department of Psychology, leads the Brain Bridge Lab, which focuses on examining the bridge between perception and memory, through the lens of psychophysical experiments, neuroimaging, and drawing studies. In this episode, she talks about her undergraduate experience as a p…

1
Episode 105 - Paul Poast: "How I think about being an academic and why I wanted to be an academic." 26:40

1y ago26:40

26:40

Associate Professor Paul Poast from the Department of Political Science teaches and researches international relations and is a foreign policy fellow with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and a world affairs columnist for World Politics Review. Professor Poast talks about his career path, from potentially becoming a lawyer and athletic coach t…

1
Episode 104 - Judith Zeitlin: "I think that humanities matter more than ever now." 29:06

1y ago29:06

29:06

Judith Zeitlin is a Professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago. Professor Zeitlin’s research focuses on Ming-Qing literature, cultural history, and the arts, specializing in Chinese opera and the classical tale. Her work combines literary history with other disciplines, such as performance, mu…

1
Episode 103 - Scott Snyder: "Discovery Knows No Vacation." 30:53

1+ y ago30:53

30:53

In this episode, organic chemistry Professor Scott Snyder discusses his career path to becoming a faculty at the University of Chicago. He describes science as "in his DNA" and discusses first falling in love with organic chemistry as an undergrad, a fruitful Ph.D. experience, and a professional career path that has included teaching at Columbia Un…

1
Episode 102 - Jasmin Tiro: "If you had a superhero power, what would your power be?" 24:13

1+ y ago24:13

24:13

Professor Jasmin Tiro is a professor of Public Health Sciences at the University of Chicago She is the Associate Director of Cancer Prevention and Population Science at the NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Chicago. Her program of research identifies multi-level determinants of cancer prevention and early detection beh…

1
Episode 101 - Peter Littlewood: "We have to solve these global problems globally." 23:56

1+ y ago23:56

23:56

Professor Peter Littlewood is the chair of the University of Chicago's Department of Physics. He was formerly the Associate Lab Director and then Lab Director at Argonne National Lab. Professor Littlewood also serves on the advisory boards of several institutes, including the Faraday Institution, the Simons Foundation, the Paul Scherer Institute, t…

1
Episode 100 - Sarah Newman: “There is always a new direction to go in." 23:07

2y ago23:07

23:07

Entering college with little idea of what she wanted to major in, Assistant Professor Sarah Newman took various courses and discovered archeology as her main interest. As an archeologist in the Department of Anthropology, she continues her field trips and research on ancient Maya and Mesoamerica in hopes of understanding the various perspective of …

1
Episode 99 - Adam A. Davidson: "As a professor, here is a level of intellectual freedom." 23:25

2y ago23:25

23:25

Assistant Professor of Law, Adam A. Davidson, majored in theatre, minored in business, and taught as a substitute teacher but discovered his true passion for law when googling for answers. Listen to this episode to find out what Professor Davidson was searching for, which eventually led him onto a completely different career path. As a law professo…

1
Episode 98 - R. Tamara Konetzka: “Fit is much more important than ranking." 31:04

2y ago31:04

31:04

Louis Block Professor of Public Health Sciences, R. Tamara Konetzka, had an unusual career path that took her to various roles and places before finding her true passion in public health, health economics, and health policy. In this episode, where she talks about her research experience and career stories, she also emphasizes the importance of find…

1
Episode 97 - Ryan Cecil Jobson: "A love letter to the people of the Caribbean." 24:59

2y ago24:59

24:59

Inspired by his own family history and the neighborhood he grew up in, Neubauer Family Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Ryan Cecil Jobson, found anthropology as the tool for him to systematically understand the collective human emotions. Along the way of his personal, academic, and career persuasion, he has found significant mentors who taught …

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Episode 96 - John A. Schneider: “A different way of looking at diversity." 24:54

2y ago24:54

24:54

Professor John A. Schneider is from the Departments of Medicine and Public Health Sciences and understands that individual health is not just about personal efforts but also about the surrounding environment and public resources available. As a researcher and educator, he strives to bring broad, meaningful changes in the public health sector while …

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The University Of Chicago Hong Kong Campus Podcasts

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