The Lead Candidate

Hosted by Dr Simona Carbone

Management Science EducationInterviews guests

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Episodes

Latest episode

May 2026

Language

EN-AU

About the show

In science we are taught how to become competent researchers. If you are talented and lucky enough to build a strong research profile, you become a leader in your field. This does not, however, automatically make you leader of people and yet so many roles that use science require real leadership. This podcast aims to understand what qualities and experiences make a great leader in different fields of science. What are the differences between those that fall into the role, versus those who were made for it?

Listen to episodes

30 recent

May 10, 2026Episode 3052 min

Leadership with Dr Rachael Brake

Send us Fan MailToday we have Dr Rachael Brake on the show! Rachael is currently Chief Scientific Officer of Abdera Therapeutics, but has more than 20years in biopharma in a career that has gone from academia-to big pharma and more recently the biotech space.She’s sharing how her experiences have helped form her leadership style which is centred on being open to vulnerability and always learning. For the early leaders trying to find your strengths and style, this episode is for you. Go to theleadcandidate.com for more info and the interview transcript

December 18, 2025Episode 2955 min

Leadership with Prof Sharath Sriram

Send us Fan MailToday we have Professor Sharath Sriram on the show! Sharath is here to talk about his roles as Chief Scientist of Western Australia, Professor at RMIT University, and long-time advocate for improving Australia’s science and research ecosystem.He shares how he’s built a career along two parallel tracks: leading a research lab developing next-generation medical technologies, while also working at a national and state level to fix the systems that support researchers. From academia to policy, Sharath brings a practical, values-driven approach to leadership that’s focused on action, not titles. If you’re interested in leadership in science, research careers, and how policy really works, this episode is for you.Go to theleadcandidate.com for more info and the interview transcript.

September 8, 2025Episode 281 hr 1 min

Leadership with Dr Madusha Peiris

Send us Fan MailToday we have Dr Madusha Peiris on the show! Madusha is here to talk about her roles as CEO of biotech company Elcella and senior lecturer and group leader at Queen Mary University of London. She’s sharing her stories of how Elcella developed over the past 10 years- starting as a basic science project from her academic research through to a product helping patients with weight management. If you’re interested in how a scientific idea can lead to a company, this episode is for you.Go to theleadcandidate.com for more info and the interview transcript.

June 6, 2025Episode 271 hr 2 min

Leadership with Prof Brett Sutton

Send us Fan MailToday, we have Prof Brett Sutton on the show! Brett is here to talk about leading in a public facing role. He’s sharing his experiences as Chief Health Officer for Victoria’s Department of Health which he held throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and then how he has transitioned to his current leadership role as Director of Health & Biosecurity Research Unit at CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency. While most of us won’t face the same level of profile as Brett, there is still a lot we can learn from his approach to leadership.Go to theleadcandidate.com for more info and the interview transcript.

October 28, 2024Episode 2649 min

Leadership with A/Prof Lee-anne Chapple

Send us Fan MailToday we have A/Prof Lee-anne Chapple on the show! Lee-anne is here to discuss her role as Senior Critical Care Dietitian at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, and a Research Fellow at the University of Adelaide in Adelaide, Australia. She shares stories about starting a research career when you already have an established clinical role. This episode is a great example of how letting your interests guide your career decisions can lead to fantastic opportunities you never expected. Go to theleadcandidate.com for more info and the interview transcript.

June 19, 2024Episode 2547 min

Leadership with A/Prof Rebecca Lim

Send us Fan MailToday we have A/Prof Rebecca Lim on the show! Rebecca is here to talk about her roles as Director of Project and Alliance Leadership with CTMC, and research group leader at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research. She’s sharing how she balances the leadership requirements of these different roles. If you want to understand the requirements of leadership positions in academia versus industry then this episode is for you.Go to theleadcandidate.com for more info and the interview transcript.

April 3, 2024Episode 2442 min

Leadership with Prof Yugeesh Lankadeva

Send us Fan MailToday we have Prof Yugeesh Lankadeva on the show! Yugeesh is here to talk about his role as leader of the ‘Translational Cardiovascular and Renal Research Group’ as well as ‘Head of Systems Neuroscience Theme’ at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health.He’s sharing how he grew his research profile to lead a basic science team that collaborates closely with clinicians.Go to theleadcandidate.com for more info.

December 18, 2023Episode 2353 min

Leadership with A/Prof Corey Tutt OAM

Send us Fan MailToday we have A/Prof Corey Tutt OAM on the show! Corey is here to talk about his role as CEO of Deadly Science. He’s sharing his stories of good and bad advice he has received over his journey. If you’re trying to start something new but you’ve heard a lot of ‘no’ along the way then this episode is for you. Go to theleadcandidate.com for more info.

August 20, 2023Episode 2256 min

Leadership with Dr Morley Muse

Send us Fan MailToday we have Dr. Morley Muse on the show! Morley is cofounder and director of iSTEM Co a research, consulting, and talent-sourcing company aimed to enable the employment of women in Australia’s STEM organizations including women of color and women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in STEM. She is also the co-founder of DEIR, the Diversity Equity Inclusion Retention online platform for job recruitment for STEM. She’s sharing her passion for finding solutions to all sorts of problems. If you want an example of a leader, who leads by doing then this episode is for you. Go to theleadcandidate.com for more info.

June 4, 2023Episode 211 hr 0 min

Leadership with Prof Alan Duffy

Send us Fan MailToday we have Prof Alan Duffy on the show! Prof Duffy is here to talk about his role as an astrophysicist at Swinburne University and his recently appointed role as Pro-Vice Chancellor of Flagship Initiatives. He’s also CEO of mDetect as well as a communicator of science in the Australian media. He’s sharing how he manages these varied leadership roles and how he chooses new ones. This episode is for you if you’re trying to understand how to justify and manage diverse roles.Go to theleadcandidate.com for more info.