27 October 2019
Episode 109
30 minutes
The award-winning astrophysicist is a pioneer in the field known as Seti (the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence). For more than four decades she has been leading the way in attempting to answer the age-old human question, “Are we alone?” She speaks to Monocle’s Carlota Rebelo about what it’s like to devote your life to working on a problem that you might never see solved.
27 October 2019
Share episode
DownloadWant more radio episodes like these in your inbox?
Sign up to Monocle’s email newsletters to stay on top of news and opinion, plus the latest from the magazine, radio, film and shop.
The Big Interview - latest episodes
Fred Kempe
A former journalist and editor at ‘The Wall Street Journal’, now president and CEO of The Atlantic Council, Fred Kempe’s life and career spans from the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall to the ongoing war…
Jason Isbell
Back in 2013, American singer and songwriter Jason Isbell released the album ‘Southeastern’, which tracked his life as an enthusiastic-if-reckless archetype of the dissolute southern rocker. It was an overwhelming critical…
Gherardo Felloni
Gherardo Felloni, creative director of Parisian luxury-accessories house Roger Vivier, joins Monocle’s associate editor Grace Charlton to discuss the brand’s spring-summer 2025 collection. Felloni tells us about his vision…
Alison Loehnis
Widely considered to be one of the most influential figures in fashion and retail, the ad interim CEO and president of the Yoox Net-a-Porter Group, Alison Loehnis, has been a leading force at the pioneering online retailer…
Karl Ove Knausgaard
More than a decade after reaching worldwide acclaim with his six-volume autobiographical novel ‘My Struggle’, the Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgaard has returned to the fictional form in ‘The Morning Star’ series. Knau…
Adrian Edmondson
British comedy veteran of ‘The Young Ones’ and ‘Bottom’ fame Adrian Edmondson sits down with Andrew Mueller to talk about his memoir ‘Berserker!’, his often violent skits with late collaborator Rik Mayall and using humour…
James Comey
Former FBI director-turned-crime-fiction-author James Comey speaks with Andrew Mueller about his new novel, ‘Westport’, the dangers of a new Donald Trump presidency and whether he regrets reopening the Hillary Clinton…
Alison Jackson
Award-winning artist, photographer and filmmaker Alison Jackson sits down with Georgina Godwin to speak about her staged and satiric photographs of celebrity lookalikes, her time as a politician and her planned Donald Trump…
Ziya Tong
Science broadcaster and author Ziya Tong sits down with Andrew Mueller to discuss her new documentary film, ‘Plastic People: The Hidden Crisis of Microplastics’, her stint as one of Canada’s top encyclopaedia salespeople…
Penelope Tree
Swinging sixties fashion icon Penelope Tree sits down with Georgina Godwin to discuss her debut novel, ‘Piece of My Heart’, and her rise to fame at Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball. Plus: her relationship with photog…
Joel Meyerowitz
London and New York-based street photographer Joel Meyerowtiz sits down with Monocle’s photography director, Matthew Beaman, to discuss quitting his job after working with Robert Frank, finding “decisive moments”, how…
Gabrielius Landsbergis
The minister of foreign affairs of Lithuania sits down with Andrew Mueller to discuss the importance of military preparedness, diplomatic efforts and being able to explain and justify your arguments to the electorate.
Jacob Collier
The six-time Grammy award-winning musician sits down with Robert Bound to discuss the release of the fourth and final instalment of his ‘Djesse’ album series, his creative process, the influence of his mother and how he…
Tim Peake
The British astronaut sits down with Andrew Mueller to discuss his remarkable career, the future of space exploration and his new book ‘Space: The Human Story’.
Madhur Jaffrey
The culinary legend and actress sits down with Robert Bound to discuss her cookbooks, which span the flavours of India, and how she unintentionally became a household name for anyone with a taste for South Asian cuisine.
