Nobel Prize Conversations  “Organic chemistry found me as much as I found it” Meet football fan and chemist David MacMillan in this podcast episode, conducted in April 2022. He speaks about the importance of storytelling and his strong belief that “science is supposed to be about having fun, it is not supposed to be…

Nobel Prize Conversations “You have to reinvent yourself every couple of years. It’s absolutely important. It’s necessary for me to make my life interesting. Life is too short.” Meet physicist Anton Zeilinger in a podcast episode where he speaks about his endless curiosity, the randomness and weirdness connected to quantum mechanics and why the number…

Nobel Prize Conversations “The way you do science should have an intrinsic beauty to it” In this conversation, conducted in October 2021, Elizabeth Blackburn speaks openly about the value of science and how better to engage others in its importance – and beauty. Also up for discussion is our current climate crisis, as Blackburn has…

Nobel Prize Conversations “I find solutions to problems by looking at places where nobody else was looking” The creative and poetic chemistry laureate Joachim Frank always aspires to solve problems by looking at places no one has looked before. “Poetry boxing” and photography are essential for his work-life balance as a scientist, hear him speak…

Nobel Prize Conversations  “Science takes time and you need to build up the knowledge so I don’t see why we shouldn’t start right now?” “When people think about other worlds, they think about other life.” Nobel Prize laureate Didier Queloz was a pioneering explorer of exoplanets – planets outside our own solar system –…

Nobel Prize Conversations ”In a number of my works, I am just narrating a tale for whoever is interested” In this podcast episode with literature laureate Wole Soyinka, conducted in November 2021, he talks about his photographic memory, his creative process and the question of who he writes literature for. His home of Nigeria figures…

Nobel Prize Conversations  “I try to lead a conversation rather than telling students what to think” ”Sometimes I make a mistake during the lecture, I’ll make an argument that’s not quite right and not even notice it, and a student will catch me. I just love it when students do that.” Economic sciences laureate…

Nobel Prize Conversations  “I see myself as the one who never gives up” In this podcast episode with Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee, conducted in December 2021, she shares her heartbreaking life story of growing up during the Liberian civil war. The consequences from the war required her to grow up quickly or as…

Nobel Prize Conversations  “I guess I was halfway content with the idea that somehow I’d become an economist” Robert B. Wilson didn’t really see himself as an economist until he reached the age of 50. In this conversation, conducted in March 2021, Wilson speaks about his journey to becoming an economist, about how he…

Nobel Prize Conversations  “My aspiration really was to be like my role models, like Einstein” What is your aspiration in life? In this conversation, conducted in March 2021, Frank Wilczek tells us about his hope to make a mark on the world. He has released a new book, Fundamentals: Ten Keys to Reality, where…