Ri Science Podcast

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) is offering a revolutionary new treatment option for a range of diseases, particularly cancers. By combining the skills of physicists and physicians, PDT uses light to kill living cells without damaging the structural integrity of the surrounding tissue.
Stephen Bown is the founder of the National Medical Laser Centre, and has decades of experience both developing and implementing PDT. He joins us for this month's From the Lab episode ahead of his Discourse on Friday 29 May.

About 'From the Lab':
This is the fifth of our new 'From the Lab' series, taking the place of our 'From the Theatre' episodes. UCL are celebrating their 200th anniversary in 2026, and we've collaborated with them to host UCL researchers as our Discourse speakers throughout 2026. As part of this collaboration, we'll be bringing you episodes with each of these speakers two weeks before their Discourses to explore their research topics further and give you a sneak peek of what's to come in their Discourse.
Buy tickets to Stephen's Discourse on Friday 29 May on our website.
Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
•Book tickets to upcoming talks on our website
•Subscribe to our YouTube channel
•Follow us: @ri_science on Instagram and TikTok
Producer and presenter: Lia Hale
Music: Joseph Sandy
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How are segments of DNA preserved from ancient viruses impacting the functioning of the placenta? And how does this lead to pregnancy complications? Jennifer Frost leads a team of researchers at Kings College London, investigating the role of transposons in the placenta which leads to pregnancy complications. She joins us this month to explore what transposons are, why the placenta is so susceptible to their influence, and how this can manifest in pregnancy.

Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
Explore our Summer Programme on our website
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Follow us: @ri_science on Instagram and TikTok

Producer and presenter: Lia Hale
Music: Joseph Sandy
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From thin film coatings to drug delivery and even antimicrobial resistance, nanoparticles have a huge range of applications. In this month's From The Lab episode, chemist Ivan Parkin explores some of these applications pursued by his research group at UCL ahead of his Discourse in April.

About 'From the Lab':

This is the third of our new 'From the Lab' series, taking the place of our 'From the Theatre' episodes. UCL are celebrating their 200th anniversary in 2026, and we've collaborated with them to host UCL researchers as our Discourse speakers throughout 2026. As part of this collaboration, we'll be bringing you episodes with each of these speakers two weeks before their Discourses to explore their research topics further and give you a sneak peek of what's to come in their Discourse.
Buy tickets to Ivan's Discourse on Friday 24 April on our website.

Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
Book tickets to upcoming talks on our website
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Follow us: @ri_science on Instagram and TikTok

Producer and presenter: Lia Hale
Music: Joseph Sandy
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The science of consciousness is a complex and constantly evolving field of research. Neuroscientists are still understanding how it originates in humans, but the question now arises of whether Artificial Intelligence could ever become conscious. Cognitive and computational neuroscientist Anil Seth discusses the current theories for consciousness, and the probability of AI ever becoming conscious, in his essay 'the mythology of conscious AI' which won him the 2025 Berggruen Prize Essay Competition.

Read Anil's winning essay here.

Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
Book tickets to upcoming talks on our website
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Follow us: @ri_science on Instagram and TikTok

Producer and presenter: Lia Hale
Assistant producer: Georgina Gonzalez and Freddie Rodgers
Music: Joseph Sandy
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this month's From the Lab episode, we discover the power of sound waves and how they can manipulate small objects with engineer Sriram Subramanian, ahead of his Discourse at the end of March. Sriram explains the science behind acoustic holography and levitation, and how we could see these concepts in practice in industries ranging from gaming to medicine.

About 'From the Lab':

This is the third of our new 'From the Lab' series, taking the place of our 'From the Theatre' episodes. UCL are celebrating their 200th anniversary in 2026, and we've collaborated with them to host UCL researchers as our Discourse speakers throughout 2026. As part of this collaboration, we'll be bringing you episodes with each of these speakers two weeks before their Discourses to explore their research topics further and give you a sneak peek of what's to come in their Discourse.
Buy tickets to Sriram's Discourse on Friday 27 March on our website.

Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!

Book tickets for upcoming talks
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Follow us: @ri_science on Instagram and TikTok

Producer and presenter: Lia Hale
Music: Joseph Sandy
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.