This festive special flips the script on polished papers and perfect protocols. Dr Fiona McLean [1] is joined by Dr Ian Harrison [2], Dr Soraya Meftah [3], and Dr Kate Harris [4] to share the research moments that did not go to plan but taught them far more than success ever could.
From ELISAs gone rogue and antibodies that refuse to behave, to admin systems that quietly derail months of planning, this episode is a reminder that real research is messy, unpredictable, and occasionally hilarious. The conversation moves easily between lab disasters, student supervision realities, near misses with fire, and the emotional rollercoaster of academic life.
It is light hearted, reassuring, and (hopefully) relatable. A permission slip to laugh, reflect, and remember that being wrong is often part of doing good science.
Merry Christmas from all of us!
Top takeaways
- Most experiments do not fail, they redirect
- Unexpected results often open better research questions
- Rushing protocols almost always backfires
- Admin failures can be as stressful as lab failures
- Talking openly about what went wrong saves time and money
- Students learn more from troubleshooting than from perfect results
- Publishing negative findings can help an entire field
- Being wrong is built into the scientific method
- Giving yourself time and mental space matters
- If no one was hurt, it is probably recoverable
If you would like to share your own experiences or discuss your research in a blog or on a podcast, drop us a line to dementiaresearcher@ucl.ac.uk [5]
Did you know... you can find our podcast in your favourite podcast app [6] on mobile devices, and our narrated blogs are also available as a podcast [7].
The views and opinions expressed by the host and guests in this podcast represent those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the institutions where our they work, UCL, Dementia Researcher or its funders.
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