Episode 20 - Rommie Amaro: Simulating viruses, cross-disciplinary complexity, and the brain drain

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In episode 20, I start by asking Rommie how their research on the SARS-CoV-2 virus first unfolded during the early days of the pandemic, and from this story, we move on to discuss her original motivation to study large complex systems. We touch upon the exciting experimental developments that enable the realistic modeling of systems as big as entire viruses, and highlight some unexpected findings that came out of the large-scale simulations. Rommie also shares her reflections about the collaboration-driven nature of her lab and the complexities involved in interdisciplinary communication, and we wrap up with a few thoughts about the AI-driven brain drain from academia to industry.