This Graduate Student Is Spilling the Sci-Tea!

Today, we’re sitting down with Ryan Brown, a psychology Ph.D. student from Rice University. She studies how relationships help people navigate stress during and after pregnancy and has published a study entitled “Anything He Can Do, She Can Do Better: Children's Attitudes About Gender And Occupations” on gendered media messages and their implications. She also shares her love and passion for science communication on her Youtube channel, Ryan’s Science, where she posts educational videos, her Sci-Tea series with fellow women in science, and other great primers explaining research in psychology!

In this episode of Lady Scientist Podcast, Ryan reveals her inspiration behind her passion for content creation on Youtube, all about her Ph.D. program, and her own fascinating research! You can find Ryan at ryanlinnbrown.com. Support the podcast by subscribing to our channels, signing up for our newsletter, and leaving a review or comment. Thank you for listening!

Episode Highlights:

[6:00] Ryan talks about how she got started uploading content on Youtube, her original goals with the channel, and how it helped her reignite her excitement about her work.

[16:12] Ryan breaks down the components of her Ph.D. program, such as exams, teaching requirements, duration, and processes.

[20:06] Ryan reveals her reason for pursuing a Ph.D. and how she chose her desired area of research, including the woman who inspired her.

[23:48] Ryan talks about her learnings over the years, and how her thoughts about the field of research have evolved since.

[25:47] Ryan shares her goals regarding her Youtube channel, its purpose, and her career plans moving forward.

[31:06] Ryan discusses her research paper and findings on longitudinal changes in HRV, across pregnancy and postpartum, and how relationships affect navigating stress and seeking support.

[35:50] Ryan explains how past stress affects future stress reactivity during pregnancy and how current and past relationships shape our response to stress.

[50:15] Ryan talks about her published research study called “Anything He Can Do, She Can Do Better: Children's Attitudes About Gender And Occupations,” and her collaboration with Dr. Nancy Weinberger.

[57:45] Ryan shares her experience designing and conducting her own study, including the use of statistical power and her recruitment methodologies.

[1:03:29] Ryan reveals her next move and career plans.