Dr. Jessica Tracy is a Professor in the Department of Psychology and Director of the Emotion and Self Laboratory at the University of British Columbia. In addition, she is a University of British Columbia Sauder School of Business Distinguished Scholar and author of the book Take Pride: Why the Deadliest Sin Holds the Secret to Human Success. Jess conducts research in the field of social and personality psychology. Her lab focuses on better understanding the self-conscious emotions we feel when we are evaluating ourselves. Some examples of self-conscious emotions are pride and shame. In her free time, Jess enjoys being outdoors in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia. Some of her favorite outdoor activities are hiking, running, visiting the beach, and skiing. Jess received her B.A. in psychology From Amherst College, and she was awarded her M.A. and PhD in social-personality psychology from the University of California, Davis. After a brief postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Davis, Jess joined the faculty at the University of British Columbia in 2006. Jess is a Fellow of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology and a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science. She has also been the recipient of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research New Investigator Salary Award, the University of British Columbia Killam Research Prize, the Outstanding Early Career Award from the International Society for Self and Identity, and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar Career Salary Award. In our interview, Jess shares more about her life and science.

Dr. Franklin West is an Associate Professor in the Regenerative Biosciences Center at the University of Georgia. In the lab, Franklin and his team are developing and testing stem cell therapies to treat stroke and traumatic brain injury (TBI). They use induced pluripotent stem cells, which are cells that can be reprogrammed to develop into any kind of cell in the body. Traveling is a passion for Franklin. Though he had to cancel his trip to Seoul, South Korea planned for this summer, he is looking forward to his next big travel adventure. In the meantime, Franklin has been having fun taking care of his garden at home. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Morehouse College and was awarded his Ph.D. in stem cell biology from the University of Georgia. Franklin then worked as an Assistant Research Scientist at the University of Georgia for a few years before joining the faculty there in 2010. He received the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Science's Young Alumni Award in 2019 and recently received the University of Georgia Alumni Award "40 Under 40" distinction. Franklin was also named an "Emerging Scholar" in 2012 by Diverse Magazine and among the "Top 40 Under 40: Georgia's Best and Brightest" by Georgia Trend Magazine. In our interview, Franklin will share more about his life and science.

Dr. Meenal Datta is the Jane DeFlorio Collegiate Professor and associate professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Notre Dame, where she directs the Tumor Immune Microenvironment & Mechanics (TIME) Lab. Her research focuses on the physics of cancer. She examines how the mechanical forces generated as solid tumors grow can influence disease progression, treatment resistance, and the ability of immune cells to fight cancer. Her lab studies how these forces and larger physical forces, like gravity, affect both cancer and immune cells within and around tumors. Outside of science, Meenal enjoys taking walks around the beautiful campuses near Notre Dame while listening to podcasts and audiobooks. A recreational rower since high school, she also rows a few times a week with the South Bend Community Rowing Club. Meehan also enjoys reading, cooking, and unwinding with sci-fi or true crime.

She received her BS in chemical engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and her PhD in chemical and biological engineering from Tufts University. She completed her predoctoral and postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital under Dr. Rakesh K. Jain, before joining the faculty at Notre Dame in fall 2021. She has been recognized with numerous honors and awards including the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the Biomedical Engineering Society's Rita Schaffer Young Investigator Award, the Air Force Young Investigator Program Award, the Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering Young Innovator Award, a Rising Star award from the American Society for Mechanical Engineers and a Maximizing Investigators' Research Award for early stage investigators from the National Institutes of Health. In this interview, she shares more about her life, career, and research.