Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
In this episode of Science Quickly, host Rachel Feltman interviews NASA astrophysicist Erini Lambrides about her unconventional journey from pursuing the performing arts to studying supermassive black holes. Lambrides reflects on how curiosity, persistence through early struggles in physics and a background in acting shaped her scientific approach and mentoring philosophy.
0:00 — Introduction
1:12 — From Aspiring Actress to Astrophysicist
5:10 — Struggling and Thriving in Physics
7:35 — Mentorship and Who Gets to Succeed
10:19 — Supermassive Black Holes and Little Red Dots
14:22 — A Unique Scientific Perspective
18:13 — Advice for Early-Career Scientists
20:49 — Outro
Recommended Reading:
The Young American Scientists
scientificamerican.com/report/young-american-scientists-2026
Profile: Erini Lambrides
scientificamerican.com/article/erini-lambrides
Join our Summer Reading Challenge
sciam.com/readingchallenge
E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!
Discover something new every day. Subscribe to Scientific American: scientificamerican.com/getsciam
And sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter: scientificamerican.com/account/email-preferences
Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.
This episode is part of “The Young American Scientists,” an editorially independent project that was produced with financial support from Regeneron.
regeneron.com
In this episode of Science Quickly, host Rachel Feltman interviews NASA astrophysicist Erini Lambrides about her unconventional journey from pursuing the performing arts to studying supermassive black holes. Lambrides reflects on how curiosity, persistence through early struggles in physics and a background in acting shaped her scientific approach and mentoring philosophy.
0:00 — Introduction
1:12 — From Aspiring Actress to Astrophysicist
5:10 — Struggling and Thriving in Physics
7:35 — Mentorship and Who Gets to Succeed
10:19 — Supermassive Black Holes and Little Red Dots
14:22 — A Unique Scientific Perspective
18:13 — Advice for Early-Career Scientists
20:49 — Outro
Recommended Reading:
The Young American Scientists
scientificamerican.com/report/young-american-scientists-2026
Profile: Erini Lambrides
scientificamerican.com/article/erini-lambrides
Join our Summer Reading Challenge
sciam.com/readingchallenge
E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!
Discover something new every day. Subscribe to Scientific American: scientificamerican.com/getsciam
And sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter: scientificamerican.com/account/email-preferences
Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by Marielle Issa and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.
This episode is part of “The Young American Scientists,” an editorially independent project that was produced with financial support from Regeneron.
regeneron.com
