From Quantum Teleportation to Virtual Cells with Samantha Davis | fAQ podcast S3 E7

Next up on the fAQ Podcast, Tai-Danae Bradley sits down with Samantha Davis, a postdoc resident on the AI Simulation team at SandboxAQ. Samantha shares her remarkable scientific journey, which spans from earning a PhD in physics at Caltech, where she built quantum teleportation networks, to her current work building virtual cell simulation engines for computational biology. But her path to these incredible achievements was wonderfully unconventional. Despite a lifelong passion for physics nurtured by her scientist parents, Samantha candidly shares her early struggles with standard classroom learning and exams, which nearly led her to drop out of college. After discovering she had ADHD and a form of dyslexia, she realized her brain was perfectly suited for unstructured, experimental laboratory research where she could carve her own path. We also dive into what it is like to navigate viral science. Samantha opens up about the intense media frenzy and academic scrutiny she faced after her rigorous research on simulated wormholes was published in *Nature* and went viral on social media. Tune in to hear how Samantha transitioned her mindset from open-ended academic curiosity to product-driven industry deliverables, how she balances it all with adventurous travels like hiking the pristine lakes of the Andes, and why she believes the deepest scientific discoveries happen at the intersection of fields. **Links** - Learn more about SandboxAQ’s AI Simulation team here: https://www.sandboxaq.com/solutions/drug-discovery - Find Samantha on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-isabel-davis-965a23144/ **About this podcast** This podcast is hosted by Tai-Danae Bradley and features the stories of amazing people working in science and technology at SandboxAQ and beyond. All curious humans are invited to join! Want to get in touch? Write us at [faq-podcast@sandboxaq.com](mailto:faq-podcast@sandboxaq.com) For previous episodes, check out https://www.youtube.com/@sandboxaq