Listen "STEM Tea | How to lead a lab"
Episode Synopsis
In this episode of STEM Tea, host AJ Hinton is joined by Quinton Smith, an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Irvine (CA, USA). Quinton’s lab focuses on distilling the complexity of early human development to controllable factors, creating synthetic biomaterials that support the differentiation and expansion of stem cell-derived organoids and building small and large-scale vascularized tissues from single donor iPSCs for regenerative medicine applications.Here, Quinton discusses his journey into academia, his lab’s research and how he balances life with work, blocking out time to look after his mental health. Quinton and AJ then delve into leadership, including how to lead a lab, transitioning to a leadership role and the challenges that come with it. We also hear about academic life on the sunny West Coast! Contents· 00:00–01:00: Introductions· 01:00–04:05: Quinton’s journey into academia and life as an Assistant Professor on the West Coast· 04:05–06:00: Looking after your mental health in academia· 06:00–09:35: Quinton’s lab focuses and his mentoring style· 09:35–11:47: Challenges of balancing leading a lab with a faculty role· 11:47–13:45: Why choose this career path?· 13:45–16:30: Curating an inclusive lab · 16:30–18:30: Transitioning to a leadership role· 18:30–24:14: Howard Hughes Medical Institute · 24:14–27:55: Life outside science· 27:55–35:36: How has DEIA impacted your career?· 35:36–38:43: Breeding success and making an impact· 38:43–39:59: Communicating science · 39:59–43:19: Favorite experiments· 43:19–44:47: What are you drinking? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More episodes of the podcast STEM Tea
STEM Tea | Investing in our students
24/10/2025
STEM Tea | Founding Black in Neuro
24/10/2025
STEM Tea | Strengthening HBCUs
24/10/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.