Under the Surface Podcast

• 13. Unfiltered Leadership with Erin Davis

  In episode 13, Unfiltered Leadership, we dive into the fascinating journey of Erin Davis, who proves that the path to becoming a CTO at X-Chem is paved with caffeine, coding, and a touch of chaos.  Erin's story is a masterclass in creativity and resilience. Tune in for tales of tech debt, DNA-encoded libraries (DELs), questioning authority, and why she believes humans are just 'meat sacks' trying to make sense of it all.  This episode is a delightful mix of humor, inspiration, perfect for anyone who loves a good science story with a side of laughter. This episode will leave you inspired and entertained! Listener discretion is advised. Subscribe & listen to all episodes of our podcast: https://bit.ly/3WQGPKY  Follow us on LinkedIn & X

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• 12. Never Mind the Woman Behind the Curtain with Dr. Sarah Witzke

  In episode 12, Never Mind the Woman Behind the Curtain, we welcome Dr. Sarah Witzke, Senior Application Scientist at CCG, who spills the beans on the not-so-secret life of support scientists in drug discovery. Think of it as a behind-the-scenes tour as to why you shouldn't ignore the people behind the curtain.  Sarah shares her multifaceted journey, hopping from academia to the industry, kind of like a superhero changing outfits—except her cape was probably a lab coat. She unpacks the art of juggling her responsibilities and her knack for customer interaction. Spoiler alert: building trust with clients is crucial, unless you want them to think you're just some mad scientist in a basement! They explore how remote work has flipped team communication on its head. You might think it's just a lot of Zoom calls and pajama pants, but there's more to it. Sarah reflects on her career path, her growth, and the ups and downs with impostor syndrome along the way. And to top it all off, she dishes out some golden advice for aspiring application scientists — hint: humility and adaptability are your BFFs. So, grab a snack and settle in for a fun and insightful chat that might just inspire you to embrace your inner scientist — or perhaps become one.  

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• 11. Crystal Clear: Unveiling the Secrets of Crystallography and Drug Design

  In our next episode, we're joined by Jason Cole, a Senior Research Fellow at the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Center (CCDC). He shares his fascinating journey, starting from his childhood in Italy, where his love for science blossomed, all the way to his impressive career in computational chemistry and crystallography. We chat about what CCDC does in terms of gathering and sharing crystallographic data, the ups and downs of software development in this field, and why it's so crucial to validate docking software. Jason also highlights the importance of data standards, the philanthropic mission of CCDC, and what the future holds for drug discovery, particularly with the exciting possibilities of artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing. It's a great conversation packed with insights!

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• 10. The Passport to Knowledge and Discovery

  In our first episode of 2025, our hosts, Chris Williams and Dave Thompson, have the pleasure of speaking to Fernando Garces, CEO and co-founder of BioGlyph. Leading us from the sunny climes of Portugal through the tropical paradise that is London, on route to the West Coast of the US and A, Fernando shares his evolving love of science through the heights of academia, into industry, and now as CEO of a software company he co-founded to improve the modeling of complex multispecifics. Important questions are unpacked throughout - is London really a tropical paradise? How long can we keep milking podcast episode titles that take advantage of the homophonic property of pharma and farm? Oh, and we have another surprising guest answer to the 'Deschênes Dilemma'… It is not to quote G. K. Chesterton, a proper nailbiter!

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• 9. Rebecca Swett on The Power of Automation in Drug Development

  In our final episode of 2024, host Chris Williams and guest co-host, Under the Surface Executive Producer and CCG Vice President, Alain Deschênes have a long overdue chat with computational drug discovery rock star Rebecca Swett. Rebecca shares her journey from her academic beginnings to her current role at X-Chem, via roles at Novartis, Vertex, and Relay. Rebecca's wide-ranging experience shines through as the conversation wends its way through cutting-edge computational chemistry covering machine learning, molecular dynamics, and DNA-encoded libraries. At the scale Rebecca works at, automation is key, so this topic comes up too. We're not going to lie; it's a lot. And, of course, there's more … Rebecca highlights the significance of allyship and representation for women in science, and the role of community (with a shout-out to the long-running BAGIM modeling forum). Also, in the inaugural asking of the 'Deschênes Dilemma,' we find out what Rebecca would be doing if she wasn't doing all of the above …   

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