Research Advisor Podcast

How do our genes influence the way our bodies process nutrients, and what does that mean for preventing disease? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Kate Townsend Creasy, Assistant Professor of Nutrition Science at Penn’s School of Nursing. Dr. Creasy shares her research on liver lipid metabolism and cardiometabolic diseases, explaining how cutting-edge techniques such as multi-omics and single-cell analysis are advancing precision nutrition. We explore her work translating complex genetic and metabolic insights into strategies for personalized health, her interdisciplinary collaborations, and her commitment to mentoring students and making science accessible to all. Through this conversation, Dr. Creasy offers a window into the future of nutrition science and its potential to improve health outcomes across diverse communities.

Dr. Sarah Bush, a Political Science professor at Penn, shares her journey into global politics, democracy, and human rights. She discusses the evolution of her research, from conducting fieldwork in the Middle East to analyzing election monitoring, gender representation in government, and global attitudes toward climate change. This episode also reflects on the role of academics in shaping policy and the challenges of democracy promotion in an increasingly autocratic world.

Is color a simple physical property, or does it depend on the perceiver? In this episode, we explore the nature of perception with Dr. Gary Hatfield, Seybert Professor of Philosophy. We discuss how top-down influences shape not only what we see but how we see it, examining the convergence of philosophy, psychology, cognitive science, and visual studies. Through this multidisciplinary lens, Professor Hatfield unpacks the evolving understanding of spatial perception and its broader implications for the mind.

In this episode of "Ever Thought About...?", we sit down with Professor Peter Fader, the Frances and Pei-Yuan Chia Professor of Marketing at The Wharton School. With a background in mathematics, Dr. Fader took an unexpected turn into marketing, where he applied statistical modeling to predict customer behavior. At the intersection of psychology, statistics, and economics, he shares his journey—from pioneering customer analytics to co-founding Zodiac, a company later acquired by Nike, and shaping customer-based corporate valuation in private equity.

Is the spiritual world still relevant? Dr. Emily Ng, Professor of Anthropology, certainly thinks so! In this episode, sit down with Professor Ng and learn about her work in psychological and medical anthropology, and hear her perspectives on the implications of creating knowledge about a people. At the intersection of Asian American Studies and Anthropology, Dr. Ng's work in urban and rural China has led her to study such topics as madness and subjectivity, transgenerational historical traumas, and more.

"How do physical changes in the brain ultimately give rise to changes in the mind?" This is a key question that guides the research that takes place in Dr. Allyson Mackey's lab, The Changing Brain. In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Mackey, a professor of psychology here at Penn to talk about the significance and applicability of research in cognitive neuroscience. Dr. Mackey's work focuses on understanding the basic mechanisms underlying brain plasticity in children and how environmental factors can influence windows of peak plasticity.

In this first episode of "Ever Thought About," we spend some time with Professor Jeremy McInerney to discuss the amazing breadth of his research. From investigating cattle in ancient Greece to understanding the concept of ethnicity in the ancient Mediterranean to exploring hybrids such as centaurs and pegasi, Professor McInerney's work reveals just how flexible and meaningful research in Classical Studies can be.