🎙️ Choosing to Matter: Cocktails with Chris

The Serendipity of Science with Zina Cinker
Episode 6

In this episode, Chris sits down with Dr. Zina Cinker, physicist, global platform creator, and Director General of MATTER. From a childhood shaped by both art and science, to a chance discovery of graphene, to launching PuzzleX and Xpanse as platforms that translate deep science into human stories and explore how Quantum connects to everything, Zina's journey is driven by curiosity, serendipity, and a fearless embrace of the unknown. Her love of Isaac Asimov, the Sufi wisdom passed down through her family, and her refusal to fit into any one box make her path as unconventional as it is inspiring.

What drives Zina is the belief that science is not just discovery, but translation, the ability to bring the awe of new knowledge into forms that move people. Together, we explore the power of serendipity, the role of creativity in science, and why embracing complexity can spark entirely new ways of seeing the future. This is an inspiring conversation about risk, intuition, and the courage to create what doesn't yet exist.

🍸 Cocktail of the episode: Whisky (Laphroaig) + Tea

🎧 A thought to leave you with:

How do we harness exponential technologies with enough imagination - and responsibility - to serve humanity?

Episode Resources:
Zina Cinker
PuzzleX
Xpanse
MATTER

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Credits:
Host: Chris Luebkeman
Executive Producer: Jonelle Simunich
Guest Relations: Taline Frantz
Editors: Viktoria Bacheva and Asmita Mehta
Sound Designer: Taline Frantz
Design and Manager: Kinny Tran-Marazza
Graphic Designer: Nazaré Sarabúa

Presented by: [Y]our 2040
Website: your2040.com/podcast