The Liverpool Scientific

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL: Big Data & Public Health with Iain Buchan

In this bonus Christmas special, Cara chats to Professor Iain Buchan about his work using 'big data' to inform public health policy. Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Iain and his team have provided analysis of large datasets to understand how the virus is spreading and how to contain it, as well as analysing the consequences of COVID-19 measures to plan for public health and economic recovery. This year, he also orchestrated the pilot testing events down at the Docks and in Sefton Park which helped provide information about the transmission of COVID-19. We discuss how his childhood experiences of living in North Liverpool inspired him to follow a career in Public Health, the importance of using big data for good and the impacts of the spread of misinformation about COVID-19, as well as what he has learnt over the course of the pandemic.

S3 E2: Predicting Pandemics with Maya Wardeh

In this episode, Cara is joined by Dr Maya Wardeh, a research fellow in the Institute for Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, who uses machine learning techniques to study interactions between different species to try and predict where the next coronavirus might come from. We also talk about her most recent work that identifies potential sources of new coronaviruses and the artificial intelligence behind these results, her love for computer science and the importance of linking studies to allow a big picture view of the diseases that affect wildlife, livestock and humans.

S3 E1: COVID-19 & The Brain with Benedict Michael

In this episode, Cara chats to Dr Benedict Michael, a neurologist here at Liverpool who looks at understanding the biological mechanisms behind why certain patients infected with Covid-19 suffer from severe neurological issues like swelling of the brain. We also discuss how his research has changed since the start of the pandemic, his experience of studying at Harvard Medical School as a postdoc and what he’s learnt from working on front-line research over the past 18 months. z This episode is part of The COVID Scientific, a bonus season of The Liverpool Scientific that focuses on the pioneering COVID-19 research at the University of Liverpool.

S2 E8: The Physics of Life with Peter Weightman

In this episode, Cara chats to Professor Peter Weightman about his work looking at how we can use the laws of Physics to understand the mechanisms that cause cancer, and how in turn this knowledge could improve cancer treatments in the future. We also chat about the wide-ranging nature of his research over the course of his 50 year career at Liverpool, his experience of learning with dyslexia whilst at school and the big biological questions he’d still like to answer.

S2 E7: Protecting Biodiversity with Jenny Hodgson

In this episode, Cara sits down with Dr. Jenny Hodgson, a conservation biologist at Liverpool who uses theoretical models of how species in certain habitats will adapt to the effects of climate change and habitat loss in order to help conservation organisations direct resources in the most effective way. In this episode, we talk about the importance of using land sustainably, her childhood interest in the natural world and how farms in the UK are helping to promote biodiversity.