Podcasts

Nicol Keith - Failure, Collaboration, and the Culture of Research

Professor Nicol Keith shares insights from a decades-long career in cancer research. This conversation digs into the realities of collaboration, interdisciplinarity, failure, and research culture, offering candid reflections and lessons learned.

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In this episode, Professor of Molecular Oncology Nicol Keith reflects on his career so far and gets candid about successes, failures, and lessons learned along the way. This conversation goes deep into Nicol’s passion for interdisciplinary collaboration and how it has influenced his work. We also talk creative stamina, productive self-doubt, public engagement and much more, so tune in!

In this episode:

• Why communication matters as much as science.
• How crossing disciplinary boundaries fuels creativity and keeps research meaningful.
• What failure in research really looks like and why it can be a source of strength.
• Why curiosity, self-doubt, and ego all play a role in shaping collaboration.

Nicol Keith Biography

Nicol is driven by curiosity about what lies ahead and by the potential for research to create real societal impact. 

His work focuses on translational cancer research, including biomarker development, clinical trials, and cancer cell immortality. He has successfully moved preclinical findings into clinical studies, and values global collaboration and interdisciplinary approaches. Nicol has played key roles in national, European, and international consortia, both as a contributor and as a leader. 

With extensive international experience in career, research, and policy development, Nicol chairs and serves on several funding committees spanning disciplines from medical sciences to social sciences and the humanities. His work with international funding agencies reflects his skill in building complex partnerships, understanding local needs in a global context, and developing and implementing effective impact evaluation. 

 

Hosted and produced by Nick Bruce, with questions, recording, editing, mixing, and original music by Nick.