New podcast shines a light on the people behind exoplanet discoveries
3 March 2026
A team from the School of Physics and Astronomy have launched a new podcast, About Growing Worlds, with a clear mission to highlight the human stories driving breakthroughs in exoplanet science. The series focuses on early career researchers whose work is shaping how we discover and understand worlds beyond our solar system.
Each episode pairs scientific insight with personal storytelling. Listeners hear from researchers at pivotal stages of their careers, describing the ideas, challenges and motivations that guide their work. The podcast aims to open up the culture of exoplanet research by giving emerging voices a platform that is accessible to a wide audience.
Science is only possible thanks to the general public - after all, it’s their taxes that very often funds research. We think it’s essential to strengthen the connection between researchers and the communities around them by breaking down the walls that hide what science really is. By sharing the work and voices of early-career exoplanet scientists in an accessible and fun way, we help to make research more open, more human, and more connected.
By centering the experiences of early career researchers, the series introduces listeners to both cutting-edge science and the people pushing the field forward. Episodes explore the decisions, setbacks and discoveries that define research life.
Behind every exoplanet discovery is a person learning, struggling, and staying curious. By focusing on early-career researchers and their journeys, we show the human side of science and make a research career feel possible and relatable.
The team behind About Growing Worlds hopes the podcast will support a more open and collaborative research community, while inspiring those considering a future in planetary science.
Growing Worlds is for anyone curious about space and STEM, from the general public to researchers, with a particular focus on students and young people. Because we feature early-career scientists, listeners hear from voices that feel closer, more relatable, and more accessible than the traditional image of senior professors, making the field feel open to them.
Astronomy Instrumentation Group
Cardiff Hub for Astrophysics Research and Technology
Share this story
People
Dr Lorenzo Mugnai
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Astronomy Instrumentation Group
Cardiff Hub for Astrophysics Research and Technology