Science Conversations

Science Conversations is a public engagement audio project looking at different careers in science and what life in scientific research is like.

Professor Pete Kaiser

The first recording we did for the project was with Professor Pete Kaiser, a world leading research scientist who had spent most of his scientific career progressing our understanding of  host-pathogen interactions in chickens. Pete was particularly interested in the immune response in chickens and how this knowledge could be used to design new vaccines and to identify disease resistance genes that could be used to inform breeding programmes.

He was at a high point in his career, leading a large team at the  Roslin Institute and had just secured some significant research funding when he was diagnosed with a brain tumour which resulted in him having to retire early from work. This extended interview with Pete was conducted in July and October  2015 and covered the different stages in his scientific life and career including his personal reflections. Very sadly Pete died on the 1st July 2016 and with the permission of his family we have also included the parts of the interview where he talked about his thoughts following his diagnosis and his selection of music tracks to accompany the interview. 

Part 1 - The Kaisers of the North

Part 2 - Inspiration

Part 3 - The Highs and Lows of a PhD

Part 4 - Conferences and How to Survive Them

Part 5 - Career Planning

Part 6 - The Institutes

Part 7 - More Papers, More Grants, More People

Part 8 - Being a Chickenologist

Part 9 - Life Happens

Part 10 - Accompanying music tracks with introduction from Pete