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The Grand Challengers Podcast

The Grand Challengers Podcast

By: Peter Marcus Bach
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In a world facing climate change, urbanization, and population growth, inspiring individuals are stepping up with innovative solutions. Each episode features passionate guests working at the cutting edge of science, engineering, technology, and design. Through their journeys, they share insights and personal growth while creating new ways of thinking for an uncertain future. Tune in for actionable advice and inspiration for young professionals aiming to make a difference.


If you enjoy the show, please hit the follow or subscribe button! That's a small way you can help the show grow and reach many more ears!


Show Website: https://www.petermbach.com/podcast/


LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tgcpodcast/


© 2025 Peter Marcus Bach
Career Success Economics Science
Episodes
  • #46 - Mark Swinnerton: Gravity vs. "giant hockey pucks" - what disused mines and renewable energy storage have in common
    Jul 7 2025

    Mark Swinnerton, CEO of Green Gravity, shares his journey from metallurgy to mining operations and currently gravitational storage technology to support the energy transition. We get an in-depth look into how he is transforming the renewable energy storage industry and giving old mine shafts a new lease on life, an insight into the technology and logistics and how businesses are evolving in this new digital age. Tune in for some amazing advice from someone with decades of global experience in a major industry and influences so many aspects of our daily lives!

    Podcast Intro/Outro Song: Starsky by Alex Keren (Check out more of his tunes over on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5vZ3lENfDLjkln8scBJ8mW)

    Chapters:
    00:00 Intro
    1:59 Guest Intro and Wollongong, Australia
    3:52 Mark's infamous selfie-stick - communicating authenticity
    9:10 Mark's journey from metallurgy to mining
    15:17 Reflecting on Mark's 9 years in Singapore
    18:16 Handling large responsibilities
    20:19 The challenge of mining legacy issues
    23:01 Mark's own perception of mining legacy issues
    24:26 What is Green Gravity? - the concept of gravitational storage
    32:30 VIsualizing the scale of mines
    35:30 Increasing importance of energy storage
    38:31 Building up Partnerships in preparation for technology readiness
    42:00 Multiple benefits of Green Gravity’s technology
    46:02 What is Mark most excited about?
    47:42 Relationship between mines and urban areas - the Ballarat example
    52:29 The changing world of business - from corporation to startup
    1:00:48 Q&A Start
    1:01:09 What does innovation mean to you?
    1:03:42 Key moment, book, person
    1:09:26 Time Management
    1:11:39 Favourite childhood memory
    1:14:15 Biggest challenge in career to date
    1:16:39 What would you most like to be remembered for?
    1:17:57 Where can people find you?
    1:18:38 Final Message
    1:19:04 Outro

    Detailed shownotes over at: petermbach.com/podcast for more in-depth information about each episode.
    Join the community over at: linkedin.com/company/tgcpodcast and let's connect across the world!

    Subscribe and listen to the podcast (and do please leave a review/rating) on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts from.
    Your subscription/follow will greatly help the show grow and reach a wider audience.

    Hosted by Peter Marcus Bach (www.petermbach.com), follow me on:

    • X (fomerly Twitter): @petermbach
    • Instagram: @petermbach87
    • Subscribe to my channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/PeterMarcusBach/
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 20 mins
  • The NotebookLM Mini Series #6: These are neither the pollutants nor researcher you are looking for (feat. Lena Mutzner)
    Jun 23 2025

    Welcome to this Mini-Series on The Grand Challengers Podcast! The topic of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has been in all our minds over the past few years and is gaining even more momentum with rapid advancements in text, audio and video. Google recently released NotebookLM, a powerful research-support AI that can generate not only summaries of sources that we feed it, but also entire podcast episodes. This Mini-Series will explore the power of NotebookLM, our live reactions to its outputs... and a deep dive into some of the topics that we have covered on the show. We feature previous guests, who are here to join in on the fun!

    Episode #6 attempts to create a biographical piece - Lena Mutzner (ep45) reacts to how NotebookLM produces a deep dive discussion about her, using all her available publications, her PhD Thesis and up-to-date CV as sources. Will NotebookLM be able to capture the essence of her work and career to date?

    Podcast Intro/Outro Song: Funky Fortune by Danny Shields (Check out more of his tunes over on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7vRFEGMyTTfeCtc8qiUB82?si=dygdqu9IQLSFYNvVzPNu5w)

    Chapters:
    0:00 Intro
    1:26 Guest Intro and AI Impressions
    3:12 Guest prior experience with AI
    8:49 AI for Graphic Design in Research & Communication
    9:59 How this experiment works
    12:16 The human summary - or setting expectations
    13:47 Live Reaction
    41:39 Post-discussion
    47:23 Evaluating the analogies
    49:29 Discussing the accuracy and inner workings
    52:53 Wrap Up
    54:46 Outro

    Detailed shownotes over at: petermbach.com/podcast for more in-depth information about each episode.
    Join the community over at: linkedin.com/company/tgcpodcast and let's connect across the world!

    Subscribe and listen to the podcast (and do please leave a review/rating) on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts from.
    Your subscription/follow will greatly help the show grow and reach a wider audience.

    Hosted by Peter Marcus Bach (www.petermbach.com), follow me on:

    • X (fomerly Twitter): @petermbach
    • Instagram: @petermbach87
    • Subscribe to my channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/PeterMarcusBach/
    Show More Show Less
    56 mins
  • #45 - Lena Mutzner: “A list that keeps getting longer” - understanding pollutants of emerging concern for healthier aquatic environments
    Jun 16 2025

    Lena Mutzner, Group Leader in the Urban Water Management Department at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science & Technology discusses the intricacies of stormwater quality monitoring. We learn a bit about how water quality is sampled, different pollutant types that she has focussed on and the ongoing challenge around contaminants of emerging concern. We also discuss the apparent paradox of repeating research cycles despite having done similar work 40 years ago, the importance of a holistic approach to stormwater management and how she is developing her research career into the uncertain future.

    Podcast Intro/Outro Song: Starsky by Alex Keren (Check out more of his tunes over on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5vZ3lENfDLjkln8scBJ8mW)

    Chapters:
    0:00 Intro
    1:59 Guest Intro & Meditative Activities
    4:16 Nordic Countries vs. Switzerland
    7:36 Lena's Mission in Water Quality
    10:53 How it all started - engineering or psychiatry?
    13:18 Contaminants of emerging concern
    16:48 Studying Water Quality 101
    26:28 Which contaminants does Lena focus on?
    29:28 Tyre wear leachate and 6PPD-Quinone
    33:01 Data issues towards building water quality understanding
    36:45 Different types of common micropollutants
    40:55 Interplay of Modelling and Water Quality Data Collection
    46:18 Effect-based measurements
    48:19 The holistic view - integration as a the way forward
    51:05 Mitigation of pollution through Blue-Green Infrastructures
    54:00 Lena's Future Research Trajectory
    56:49 Q&A Start
    57:24 What does innovation mean to you?
    1:00:30 Key Moment, Person, Event
    1:03:52 Women in STEM - Lena's drive to be a role model
    1:06:40 Time Management
    1:10:24 Favourite childhood memory
    1:12:55 Biggest challenge to date
    1:18:17 Advice for young researchers
    1:20:00 What would you most like to be remembered for?
    1:21:15 Where can people find you?
    1:21:57 Final Message
    1:22:15 Outro

    Detailed shownotes over at: petermbach.com/podcast for more in-depth information about each episode.
    Join the community over at: linkedin.com/company/tgcpodcast and let's connect across the world!

    Subscribe and listen to the podcast (and do please leave a review/rating) on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts from.
    Your subscription/follow will greatly help the show grow and reach a wider audience.

    Hosted by Peter Marcus Bach (www.petermbach.com), follow me on:

    • X (fomerly Twitter): @petermbach
    • Instagram: @petermbach87
    • Subscribe to my channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/PeterMarcusBach/
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 23 mins
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