‘Get to know your Lecturer’ a podcast series

Written by Vikesh Chhabria, Lecturer in the School of Biosciences.

Have you ever been approached by your personal tutees highlighting the following “I would love to do a PhD with this academic… What research do they do? How did you become an academic/researcher?” The answers to which are under every staff profile, however students prefer gaining this knowledge by talking to academic members of staff, learning from lived experiences. This does have challenges as some students are shy, especially when English is not their first language. Even with drive for inclusivity in higher education there seems to be a staff-student power dynamic.

Don’t you feel that you learn more from having a chat with a colleague, or your collaborations might have progressed/developed over a cup of coffee? To enhance the feeling of community, we have created a “Get to know your Lecturer” series podcast – a project where students are given the opportunity to interview their academic role-model.

Podcasts have become an invaluable resource for expanding our knowledge and staying informed about a wide range of topics. In 2022, there are approximately 21 million podcast listeners in the UK.

Among the many podcasts available, the “Get to know your Lecturer” series stands out as a unique gem for students and anyone interested in academia.

With the upcoming release of Season 2, we thought it was the perfect time to take a look back at the highlights from Season 1 and get ready for the exciting journey ahead.

Season 1 of the “Get to Know Your Lecturer Series Podcast” introduced us to an impressive line-up of educators from various fields such as anatomy, physiology, cell biology, ecology, biochemistry, neuroscience and many more, shedding light on their backgrounds, academic journeys, and unique perspectives. Each episode provided an intimate glimpse into the lives and passions of these lecturers.

With Season 2 on the horizon, anticipation is building for what this podcast has in store for its listeners. Here’s a sneak peek at what you can look forward to:

• 10 T&R academics sharing their latest research developments
• inspirational stories
• insights into their research/academic journey

Listen to the podcast

You can listen to the podcast here or please scan the QR code.

As a team, we are currently studying the impact these two seasons have on our students. We are also open to ideas and collaborations to take this project forward. Get in touch with myself, Vikesh Chhabria chhabriav2@cardiff.ac.uk.