{"podcast":{"title":"People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers","slug":"people-behind-the-science-podcast-stories-from-scientists-about-science-life-research-and-science-careers-170988","podcast_index_feed_id":170988,"rss_url":"https://peoplebehindthescience.libsyn.com/rss","website_url":"http://peoplebehindthescience.com/","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/7/5/1/7/75176757b4abf5df/People-Behind-the-Science-Final-2048-podcast-V2.jpg","author":"Dr. Marie McNeely","episode_count":300,"summary":"Are you searching for great stories to ignite your curiosity, teach you to perform better in life and career, inspire your mind, and make you laugh along the way? In this science podcast, Dr. Marie McNeely introduces you to the brilliant researchers behind the latest scientific discoveries. Join us as they share their greatest failures, most staggering successes, candid career advice, and what drives them forward in life and science. <![CDATA[ Our website with show notes ]] Greetings science fans! We're elated to welcome you to People Behind the Science where we explore the lives and experiences of the people behind the research and scientific discoveries of today. People Behind the Science's mission is to inspire current and future scientists, share the different paths to a successful career in science, educate the general population on what scientists do, and show the human side of science. In each episode, a different scientist will guide us through their journey by sharing their successes, failures, and passions. We are excited to introduce you to these inspiring academic and industry experts from all fields of science to give you a variety of perspectives on the life and path…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-06T14:18:03.468246+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/people-behind-the-science-podcast-stories-from-scientists-about-science-life-research-and-science-careers-170988"},"episode":{"title":"855: Working to Purify and Preserve Our World's Water Supply - Dr. David Sedlak","slug":"855-working-to-purify-and-preserve-our-world-s-water-supply-dr-david-sedlak","published_at":"2026-03-09T08:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/people-behind-the-science-podcast-stories-from-scientists-about-science-life-research-and-science-careers-170988/855-working-to-purify-and-preserve-our-world-s-water-supply-dr-david-sedlak","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/people-behind-the-science-podcast-stories-from-scientists-about-science-life-research-and-science-careers-170988","url":"https://peoplebehindthescience.libsyn.com/855-working-to-purify-and-preserve-our-worlds-water-supply-dr-david-sedlak","audio_url":"https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/peoplebehindthescience/855_David_Sedlak_Final.mp3?dest-id=193191","summary":"Dr. David Sedlak is the Plato Malozemoff Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Co-Director of the Berkeley Water Center, Deputy Director of the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Reinventing the Nation's Urban Water Infrastructure, and Director of the Institute for Environmental Science and Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. In addition, he is author of the book Water 4.0: The Past, Present, and Future of the World's Most Vital Resource. David is working to create technologies that will allow future generations to have access to adequate amounts of clean, safe water. When David isn't working, he enjoys long-distance running. He often runs along the many trails in the Berkeley area, and he participates in an annual local trails marathon. David earned his Bachelor's degree in environmental science from Cornell University. After college, he worked as a Staff Scientist at Environ Corporation in Princeton, New Jersey. David then attended graduate school at the University of Wisconsin, Madison where he was awarded his Ph.D. in water chemistry. Prior to joining the faculty at UC, Berkeley, David conducted postdoctoral research at the Swiss Federal Institute for Environmental Science and Technology in Dübendorf, Switzerland. Throughout his career, David has received numerous awards and honors, including a National Science Foundation CAREER Development Award, the Paul L. Busch Award for Innovation in Applied Water Quality Research, a Fulbright Senior Scholar Award, a Fulbright Alumni Initiative Award, the U.S. National Academy of Engineering Gilbreth Lecture Award, and the Athalie Richardson Irvine Clarke Prize for Excellence in Water Research. He has also been named an Elected Member of the U.S. Nationa…","meta_description":"Dr. David Sedlak is the Plato Malozemoff Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Co-Director of the Berkeley Water Center, Dep…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2513,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/people-behind-the-science-podcast-stories-from-scientists-about-science-life-research-and-science-careers-170988/episodes/855-working-to-purify-and-preserve-our-world-s-water-supply-dr-david-sedlak/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/people-behind-the-science-podcast-stories-from-scientists-about-science-life-research-and-science-careers-170988/855-working-to-purify-and-preserve-our-world-s-water-supply-dr-david-sedlak.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}