This week, MSc (PhD-intended!) candidate Alexander Gain talks about his research on modelling and testing immune responses to different HIV vaccines.

Although current treatments help keep the virus at bay, this requires people living with HIV to take anti-viral medication for the rest of their lives. Building a preventative vaccine could allow for people to experience a better quality of life, but requires a lot of tricky planning and overcoming experimental constraints.

How does one even start to design HIV vaccines that can hopefully work across different HIV variants? What sort of models can be used to examine the immune response following vaccination? What technical challenges exist before such questions can be properly tested, and how does one pace themselves better over such a marathon of a research endeavour?

Join Bruno Mesquita and Victor Lau as they hear more about Alex tackling a career path that aligns with his values, and for an episode that has both fun details and takes into account a larger picture.

To find out more about Alex and his group's research, please check the Arts Lab website: https://artslab.ca/enter/

Recorded on Tuesday, September 29, 2026

Produced by Evelyn MacKay-Barr

Theme tune “Feelin Good” provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

This week, hosts Anthony Cruz and Bruno Mesquita are joined by Sara Varon Echeverri, a PhD student in Western University's Department of Philosophy studying social and scientific problems related to climate change. Enrolled in Western's collaborative specialization in environment and sustainability, Sara is trying to determine the best ways to study climate change that can lead to effective responses from the public.

Sara believes in the importance of bringing people together and was involved in planning the 2026 Rotman Graduate Student Conference, bringing international students to Western to discuss the philosophy of science. In this episode, Sara discusses her research in philosophy and provides tips on how to plan a conference!

Recorded on Tuesday, October 6, 2026

Produced by Ella Siciliano and Anthony Cruz

Theme tune “Feelin Good” provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)

We’re back with our mini-series, chatting with folks on campus who support graduate students in every aspect of life! This week, your hosts, Maris Schneider and Garth Casbourn, are chatting with Melanie Molnar, the Ombudsperson at Western University. Melanie is a professional mediator who supports graduate students as they move through their programs and learn to navigate complex relationships with supervisors and advisors. Tune in to learn more about Melanie’s role in graduate life and how you can use the Ombudsperson to support your academic journey.

Recorded on Tuesday, Sep 15, 2026 Produced by Kuljeet Chohan Theme song provided by FreeBeats.io (Produced by WhiteHot)