Microsoft Research Podcast

Ideas: The journey to DNA data storage

Research manager Karin Strauss and members of the DNA Data Storage Project reflect on the path to developing a synthetic DNA–based system for archival data storage, including the recent open-source release of its most powerful algorithm for DNA error correction.

Recent Podcasts

  1. Microsoft Research Podcast: Ann Paradiso

    Enabling design with Ann Paradiso 

    April 3, 2019

    Episode 70, April 3, 2019 - On today’s podcast, Ann tells us all about life in the extreme constraint design lane, explains what a PALS is, and tells us some incredibly entertaining stories about how the eye tracking technology behind the Eye Controlled Wheelchair and…

  2. Nikunj Raghuvanshi wearing glasses and smiling at the camera

    Project Triton and the physics of sound with Dr. Nikunj Raghuvanshi 

    March 20, 2019

    Episode 68, March 20, 2019 - Today, Dr. Raghuvanshi talks about the unique challenges of simulating realistic sound on a budget (both money and CPU), explains how classic ideas in concert hall acoustics need a fresh take for complex games like Gears of War, reveals…

  3. a man wearing glasses posing for the camera

    Programming biology with Dr. Andrew Phillips 

    March 13, 2019

    Episode 67, March 13, 2019 - Today, Dr. Phillips talks about the challenges and rewards inherent in reverse engineering biological systems to see how they perform information processing. He also explains what we can learn from stressed out bacteria, and tells us about Station B,…

  4. Josh Benaloh

    Securing the vote with Dr. Josh Benaloh 

    February 27, 2019

    Episode 65, February 27, 2019 - Dr. Josh Benaloh gives us a brief but fascinating history of elections, explains how the trade-offs among privacy, security and verifiability make the relatively easy math of elections such a hard problem for the internet, and tells the story…

  5. a woman looking at the camera

    Talking with machines with Dr. Layla El Asri 

    February 20, 2019

    Episode 64, February 20, 2019 - Dr. Layla El Asri talks about the particular challenges she and other scientists face in building sophisticated dialogue systems that lay the foundation for talking machines. She also explains how reinforcement learning, in the form of a text game…

  6. Researcher Manik Varma

    Competing in the X Games of machine learning with Dr. Manik Varma 

    February 13, 2019

    Episode 63, February 13, 2019 - Dr. Varma tells us all about extreme classification (including where in the world you might actually run into 10 or 100 million options), reveals how his Parabel and Slice algorithms are making high quality recommendations in milliseconds, and proves,…

  7. haiyan zhang standing in front of a wall

    Putting the “human” in human computer interaction with Haiyan Zhang 

    February 6, 2019

    Episode 62, February 6, 2019 - Haiyan talks about her unique “brain hack” approach to the human-centered design process, and discusses a wide range of projects, from the connected play experience of Zanzibar, to Fizzyo, which turns laborious breathing exercises for children with cystic fibrosis…

  8. Rico Malvar, Chief Scientist and Distinguished Engineer standing in front of bushes

    Enable(ing) people to do more with Dr. Rico Malvar 

    January 30, 2019

    Episode 61, January 30, 2019 - Dr. Rico Malvar recalls his early years at a fledgling Microsoft Research, talks about the exciting work he oversees now, explains why designing with the user is as important as designing for the user, and tells us how a…

  9. Cecily Morrison

    Empowering people with AI with Dr. Cecily Morrison 

    January 23, 2019 | Cecily Morrison

    Episode 60, January 23, 2019 - Dr. Morrison gives us an overview of what she calls the “pillars” of inclusive design, shares how her research is positively impacting people with health issues and disabilities, and tells us how having a child born with blindness put…

  10. Paul Bennett

    Building contextually intelligent assistants with Dr. Paul Bennett 

    January 16, 2019

    Episode 59, January 16, 2019 - Dr. Bennett brings us up to speed on the science of contextually intelligent assistants, explains how what we think our machines can do actually shapes what we expect them to do, and shares how current research in machine learning…