Fail-Safe Science

In this episode, we hear from Dr. Ramesh Laungani, an Associate Professor at Marist University in the School of Science in the department of Environmental Science and Policy. His dissertation research focused on nitrogen and carbon cycling in grasslands. Now, his work with undergraduates primarily focuses on the ecological impacts of biochar, a potential solution to climate change and long term carbon sequestration. Here, Ramesh talks about how he got through an error that cost him a whole field season’s worth of data. However, Ramesh was able to cope with it and now uses the experience to inform his own mentoring. Let’s listen!
Transcript: Here
Scientist Info: Ramesh Laungani
Faculty Profile: https://www.marist.edu/science/faculty/ramesh-laungani 
Fail-Safe Science Repository: https://risecenter.asu.edu/fail-safe 
Nominate a scientist for the repository: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevRFJqi8zYb1HTa_ppo2s6H962Ks_NgYSe1sQwbvE8KRU9ng/viewform?pli=1
International Postgraduate Mental Health Alliance (MHA): https://www.ispmha.com/ 
Mental Health Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14G5m91FLPY5gZSHUzWXAQ4Jnm4uX9AS0yhypus3gsuQ/edit?usp=sharing 
Land Acknowledgement Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10lLcxY7OSsuTnXyq_CSC5Wvst8MSMRurisBfX5hK7AI/edit?tab=t.0 

In this episode, we hear from Dr. Gwen Iacona, an Assistant Research Professor at Arizona State University, where she serves as the Assistant Director for the Center for Biodiversity Outcomes. She also serves on the advisory board for the National Parks Service, where she promotes data-driven ecological decision-making. Gwen’s dissertation research focused on the costs and benefits of managing protected areas for conservation, and her work now primarily focuses on how we can support conservation decision makers in achieving the outcomes they are looking for. Here, Gwen talks about her struggles with her prospectus exam, and how she bounced back with the help of fieldwork and taking the space to realize why she wanted the PhD in the first place. Let’s listen!
Transcript: Here
Scientist Info: Gwen Iacona
Faculty Profile: https://search.asu.edu/profile/3379414  
Fail-Safe Science Repository: https://risecenter.asu.edu/fail-safe 
Nominate a scientist for the repository: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevRFJqi8zYb1HTa_ppo2s6H962Ks_NgYSe1sQwbvE8KRU9ng/viewform?pli=1
International Postgraduate Mental Health Alliance (MHA): https://www.ispmha.com/ 
Mental Health Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14G5m91FLPY5gZSHUzWXAQ4Jnm4uX9AS0yhypus3gsuQ/edit?usp=sharing 
Land Acknowledgement Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10lLcxY7OSsuTnXyq_CSC5Wvst8MSMRurisBfX5hK7AI/edit?tab=t.0 

In this episode, we hear from Dr. Xyonane Segovia, an Assistant Teaching Professor at Arizona State University. Her dissertation research focused on malaria, specifically looking at resistance evolution of the malaria parasite. Now, she’s in a position where she teaches various subjects including evolutionary medicine, global health and biology. Here, Xyonane talks about navigating an experiment failure while working on her Ph.D., as well as how she coped with feelings of imposter syndrome throughout graduate school, which included strategies like therapy, medication, exercise, and, as she notes perhaps most of all, talking to other graduate students. Let’s listen!
Transcript: Here
Scientist Info: Xyonane Segovia
Faculty Profile: https://search.asu.edu/profile/1109035 
Fail-Safe Science Repository: https://risecenter.asu.edu/fail-safe 
Nominate a scientist for the repository: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevRFJqi8zYb1HTa_ppo2s6H962Ks_NgYSe1sQwbvE8KRU9ng/viewform?pli=1
International Postgraduate Mental Health Alliance (MHA): https://www.ispmha.com/ 
Mental Health Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14G5m91FLPY5gZSHUzWXAQ4Jnm4uX9AS0yhypus3gsuQ/edit?usp=sharing 
Land Acknowledgement Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10lLcxY7OSsuTnXyq_CSC5Wvst8MSMRurisBfX5hK7AI/edit?tab=t.0 

In this episode, we hear from Dr. Hong Wang, a Professor in the Department of Physics at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC. Her PhD research focused on atomic force microscope imaging of protein and DNA complexes, and her current work focuses on single molecule studies of DNA repair. Here, Hong talks about what it was like for her to navigate pregnancy (with twins) while in graduate school, and how she adjusted her research and expectations for herself leading up to the birth, as well as after becoming a new mom. Let’s listen!
Transcript: Here
Scientist Info: Hong Wang
Lab Website: https://hwang.wordpress.ncsu.edu/ 
Faculty Profile: https://physics.sciences.ncsu.edu/people/hwang18/ 
Fail-Safe Science Repository: https://risecenter.asu.edu/fail-safe 
Nominate a scientist for the repository: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevRFJqi8zYb1HTa_ppo2s6H962Ks_NgYSe1sQwbvE8KRU9ng/viewform?pli=1
International Postgraduate Mental Health Alliance (MHA): https://www.ispmha.com/ 
Mental Health Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14G5m91FLPY5gZSHUzWXAQ4Jnm4uX9AS0yhypus3gsuQ/edit?usp=sharing 
Land Acknowledgement Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10lLcxY7OSsuTnXyq_CSC5Wvst8MSMRurisBfX5hK7AI/edit?tab=t.0 

Hello Fail-Safe Science listeners! This is Olivia Davis- one of the co-founders of Fail-Safe Science. We hope you are all getting some much deserved rest and practicing self-care after a long year. We don’t have a new episode dropping this week, but we still wanted to pop on and check in with you all. In the meantime, if you are looking for mental health resources this holiday season, please check out our show notes. If you’d like to catch up on Fail-Safe Science before our new episodes drop, you can find all of the episodes we’ve released so far on Podbean, or wherever you stream your podcasts. Wishing you Happy Holidays and a wonderful start to the New Year! See you in 2026 with more stories from scientists across the globe. Bye!
Transcript: Here
Guide for Self-Care during the Holidays: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zqiLVtvO6wPB9K9HMK9udftF-_Nj8WAUGKkBKg8FkxQ/edit?tab=t.0 
Fail-Safe Science Repository: https://risecenter.asu.edu/fail-safe 
Nominate a scientist for the repository: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevRFJqi8zYb1HTa_ppo2s6H962Ks_NgYSe1sQwbvE8KRU9ng/viewform?pli=1
International Postgraduate Mental Health Alliance (MHA): https://www.ispmha.com/ 
Mental Health Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14G5m91FLPY5gZSHUzWXAQ4Jnm4uX9AS0yhypus3gsuQ/edit?usp=sharing
Land Acknowledgement Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10lLcxY7OSsuTnXyq_CSC5Wvst8MSMRurisBfX5hK7AI/edit?tab=t.0

In this episode, we hear from Dr. Holly Molinaro. Holly is currently a consultant for General Mills and Blue Buffalo dog food company where she assists on understanding animal behavior to create better products. Her PhD research focused on animal emotions, specifically dogs, and her work now is focused on broadly helping people help their animals, whether in zoos, shelters, or industry partners. She has also been working on starting her own consulting firm, Animal Wellbeing Solutions, which focuses on animal welfare in these contexts. Here, Holly discusses what it was like to navigate receiving feedback on one of her potential dissertation chapters before and during her prospectus exam, and what it felt like writing up results for an experiment that didn’t go exactly the way she hoped. Ultimately, Holly shares how she reframed her view of what failure means to move forward to where she is today. Let’s listen!
Transcript: Here
Scientist Info: Holly Molinaro
Website: https://animalwellbeingsolutions.com/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/animalwellbeingsolutions/ 
Fail-Safe Science Repository: https://risecenter.asu.edu/fail-safe 
Nominate a scientist for the repository: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevRFJqi8zYb1HTa_ppo2s6H962Ks_NgYSe1sQwbvE8KRU9ng/viewform?pli=1
International Postgraduate Mental Health Alliance (MHA): https://www.ispmha.com/ 
Mental Health Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14G5m91FLPY5gZSHUzWXAQ4Jnm4uX9AS0yhypus3gsuQ/edit?usp=sharing
Land Acknowledgement Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10lLcxY7OSsuTnXyq_CSC5Wvst8MSMRurisBfX5hK7AI/edit?tab=t.0

In this episode, we hear from Dr. Kat Magnone, who at the time of this recording was an adjunct Chemistry instructor at Cincinnati State. Their dissertation research studied high school students learning about sodium chloride dissolution using molecular level animations. Here, Kat discusses their experience failing their qualifying exams on their first try at the second institution they went to for their PhD. They then share how going through this challenge inspired them to change not only their approach to science and research but also their approach to mental health. Let’s listen!
 
Transcript: Here
Scientist Info: Kat Magnone
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=m3QZZOsAAAAJ&hl=en 
Fail-Safe Science Repository: https://risecenter.asu.edu/fail-safe 
Nominate a scientist for the repository: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevRFJqi8zYb1HTa_ppo2s6H962Ks_NgYSe1sQwbvE8KRU9ng/viewform?pli=1
International Postgraduate Mental Health Alliance (MHA): https://www.ispmha.com/ 
Mental Health Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14G5m91FLPY5gZSHUzWXAQ4Jnm4uX9AS0yhypus3gsuQ/edit?usp=sharing
Land Acknowledgement Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10lLcxY7OSsuTnXyq_CSC5Wvst8MSMRurisBfX5hK7AI/edit?tab=t.0
 

In this episode, we hear from Dr. Raúl Araya-Donoso. At the time of recording, Raúl was a Postdoctoral scholar at Arizona State University, but he has since moved on to a Postdoc position at Yale. His dissertation research focused on the genomic and ecological factors affecting speciation rates on lizards, and his ASU postdoc kept exploring that same topic. At Yale, he will be going further on that question, and try to integrate how behavior also plays a role in shaping the evolution of organisms. Here, Raúl talks about how he navigated completing a PhD in a place other than his home country, and how he coped with disappointment by allowing himself to feel his emotions. Let’s listen!
Transcript: Here
Scientist Info: Raúl Araya-Donoso
Research Profile: http://www.marthamunoz.com/rauacutel-araya-donoso.html  
Fail-Safe Science Repository: https://risecenter.asu.edu/fail-safe 
Nominate a scientist for the repository: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevRFJqi8zYb1HTa_ppo2s6H962Ks_NgYSe1sQwbvE8KRU9ng/viewform?pli=1
International Postgraduate Mental Health Alliance (MHA): https://www.ispmha.com/ 
Mental Health Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14G5m91FLPY5gZSHUzWXAQ4Jnm4uX9AS0yhypus3gsuQ/edit?usp=sharing 
Land Acknowledgement Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10lLcxY7OSsuTnXyq_CSC5Wvst8MSMRurisBfX5hK7AI/edit?tab=t.0 

In this episode, we hear from Dr. Kate Weiss, an Assistant Professor of Environmental Science at Marist University. Her PhD research focused on understanding how wild carnivores make decisions about what they eat in urban environments. Now, her work focuses on understanding how to promote more sustainable futures for people and wildlife species by incorporating social, ecological, and evolutionary approaches. Here, Kate talks about the obstacles she faced while finishing her dissertation, and how she overcame the expectations she set for herself based on what she thought grad school was going to look like for her, and what it seemed to look like for those around her. Let’s listen!
 
Transcript: Here
Scientist Info: Kate Weiss
Website: https://katherinecbweiss.weebly.com/ 
University Profile: https://www.marist.edu/science/faculty/katherine-weiss 
Fail-Safe Science Repository: https://risecenter.asu.edu/fail-safe 
Nominate a scientist for the repository: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevRFJqi8zYb1HTa_ppo2s6H962Ks_NgYSe1sQwbvE8KRU9ng/viewform?pli=1
International Postgraduate Mental Health Alliance (MHA): https://www.ispmha.com/ 
Mental Health Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14G5m91FLPY5gZSHUzWXAQ4Jnm4uX9AS0yhypus3gsuQ/edit?usp=sharing
Land Acknowledgement Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10lLcxY7OSsuTnXyq_CSC5Wvst8MSMRurisBfX5hK7AI/edit?tab=t.0

In this episode, we hear from Dr. Mercy Salami, a senior lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Farm Management at the University of Ilorin in Nigeria. Her dissertation research focused on the contribution of wild tree species to food security in northwestern Nigeria. Since then, her research has focused on the issues of development economics. Mercy specifically works on food security, poverty, and gender, specifically among rural areas and marginalized populations. Here, she talks about how she felt when she disappointed her supervisor while defending her PhD thesis, and how she was able to process and move forward from this experience after isolating herself by talking to her sibling. Let’s listen!
Transcript: Here
Scientist Info: Mercy Salami
University Profile: https://aefm.agriculture.unilorin.edu.ng/staffmember/dr-mrs-salami-mercy-funke/ 
Fail-Safe Science Repository: https://risecenter.asu.edu/fail-safe 
Nominate a scientist for the repository: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSevRFJqi8zYb1HTa_ppo2s6H962Ks_NgYSe1sQwbvE8KRU9ng/viewform?pli=1
International Postgraduate Mental Health Alliance (MHA): https://www.ispmha.com/ 
Mental Health Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14G5m91FLPY5gZSHUzWXAQ4Jnm4uX9AS0yhypus3gsuQ/edit?usp=sharing 
Land Acknowledgement Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10lLcxY7OSsuTnXyq_CSC5Wvst8MSMRurisBfX5hK7AI/edit?tab=t.0