Curiosity Unbounded

Latest Episodes:

Inside Efficient AI: From GPUs to GPTs — Song Han Mar 11, 2026

Show notes

Song Han is an associate professor in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science whose research focuses on efficient AI computing. His work spans high-resolution computer vision for autonomous vehicles, more efficient image generation, improved GPT performance, and novel methods for training machine learning models. He also leads the Efficient AI team at NVIDIA Research, focused on optimizing GPU-accelerated AI systems.

From boom to bust, the workings of financial crises — Emil Verner Feb 11, 2026

Show notes

Emil Verner is the Jerome and Dorthy Lemelson Professor of Management and Financial Economics at the MIT Sloan School of Management. His research examines how finance and the broader economy interact, with a focus on the causes and consequences of financial crises — from bank runs and insolvency to debt booms, economic volatility, and political polarization.

Show notes and transcript:

https://news.mit.edu/podcast/podcast-curiosity-unbounded-episode-17-boom-bust-workings-financial-crises

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Toxoplasma and the Human Host — Sebastian Lourido Jan 14, 2026

Show notes

Sebastian Lourido is an associate professor of biology and a member of the Whitehead Institute. Sebastian studies human pathogens and seeks to unravel the genetic pathways that help parasites like Toxoplasma gondii exist in human cells. He hopes that his work will lead to new treatments for toxoplasmosis as well as drugs that could treat diseases caused by similar parasites.

Show notes and transcript:

https://news.mit.edu/podcast/podcast-curiosity-unbounded-episode-16-toxoplasma-and-human-host

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Making sense of your dollars — Christopher Palmer Apr 01, 2025

Show notes

Christopher Palmer is an Associate Professor of Finance at the MIT Sloan School of Management. He is also a Faculty Research Fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research, and an Affiliate with the Jameel Poverty Action Lab, based here at MIT. He studies consumer credit, and household financial decision making.

Show notes and transcript:

https://news.mit.edu/podcast/podcast-curiosity-unbounded-episode-15-making-sense-your-dollars

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Putting a glacier in its place — Brent Minchew Feb 25, 2025

Show notes

Brent Minchew is an Associate Professor of Geophysics in the department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT. He studies the behavior of glaciers in respect to environmental factors and is dedicated to understanding sea level rise and exploring viable interventions to stabilize ice sheets.

Show notes and transcript:

https://news.mit.edu/podcast/podcast-curiosity-unbounded-episode-14-putting-glacier-its-place

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The future of customizable 3D printing — Stefanie Mueller Jan 28, 2025

Show notes

Stefanie Mueller is an associate professor with a joint appointment in MIT's Electrical and Computer Science, and Mechanical Engineering departments. Her work is mostly focused on developing novel hardware and software systems that advance personal fabrication technologies. She envisions a world in which anyone can use 3D printing to create any object at any time.

Show notes and transcript:

https://news.mit.edu/podcast/podcast-curiosity-unbounded-episode-13-future-customizable-3d-printing

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Making sense of cities — Andres Sevtsuk Dec 17, 2024

Show notes

Andres Sevtsuk is an associate professor of Urban Science and Planning at MIT. His work focuses on the influence of urban design on travel behavior and quality of life, and contributes to making cities more walkable, sustainable and equitable.

Show notes and transcript:

https://news.mit.edu/podcast/podcast-curiosity-unbounded-episode-12-making-sense-cities

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Get out the vote — Ariel White Nov 19, 2024

Show notes

Ariel White is an associate professor of Political Science at MIT. She studies voting and voting rights, race, the criminal legal system, and bureaucratic behavior as a way to shed light on people's everyday interactions with government. Her recent work investigates how potential voters react to being affected by punitive government policies, such as incarceration and immigration enforcement, and how people can make their way back onto the voting registries after these experiences.

Links:

Timestamps:

(07:58) - What is actually known immediately following an election
(10:47) - How does mail-in voting affect elections
(13:09) - Why some people don't vote

Show notes and transcript: https://news.mit.edu/podcast/podcast-curiosity-unbounded-episode-11-get-out-vote

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Making medicine easier to swallow — Giovanni Traverso Nov 05, 2024

Show notes

Giovanni "Gio" Traverso is an associate professor in MIT's Department of Mechanical Engineering and a gastroenterologist at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital. His work focuses on innovative methods for drug delivery, diagnostics, and biological sensing. Here, Gio speaks with MIT President Sally Kornbluth about tackling the core challenges of taking medication, the unique perspective that comes with being both a professor and a practicing gastroenterologist, and the importance of entrepreneurship.

Links:

Timestamps:

(04:48) - Electroceuticals
(06:08) - The gut-brain connection's affect on appetite
(08:29) - The challenges of adherence to medication schedules
(15:45) - Entrepreneurship

Show notes and transcript: https://news.mit.edu/podcast/podcast-curiosity-unbounded-episode-10-making-medicine-easier-swallow

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Silk, the fabric of more sustainable agriculture — Benedetto Marelli Sep 24, 2024

Show notes

Benedetto Marelli is a biomedical engineer by training and a materials scientist. He is an associate professor in MIT’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. His work is focused on the fabrication of new biopolymers that can interact with biomolecules, living matter, and the environment. Here, Benedetto speaks with MIT President Sally Kornbluth about the advantages of using silk-based coatings in agriculture as well as for water filtration, and why being bold and creative can lead to powerful discoveries.

Links:

Timestamps: