Cathy Abbott @cathyabbott.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Great reporting from @robinbisson.bsky.social on an absolutely dire funding situation… 21211
Reposted by Cathy AbbottFrancesco Gobbo @franzgbb.bsky.social · 28/09/2026After a long journey it's finally out! My work on navigation strategy-dependent hippocampal representations during plnning with Richard Morris is out on @natcomms.nature.com ! rdcu.be/iS72dYSzBxya 13511
Reposted by Cathy AbbottRob Klose @robklose.bsky.social · 25/09/2026I really enjoyed chatting with Stefan at the recent EMBO transcription and chromatin meeting about some of my thoughts on CpG island biology! 1289
Reposted by Cathy AbbottMwahahahahahadScientist @mads100tist.bsky.social · 17/09/2026You know what's also interactive? Reading the paper. Talk to your colleagues about the paper you just read. Tell them why you loved it. Tell them why you hated it. And even better: invite the authors to talk about their paper 🧪 1621761
Cathy Abbott @cathyabbott.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Spot on. The whole point of the cover letter, as opposed to the formulaic CV, is to convey more about who you are as a person, and why you would be a good fit. It is SO obvious when people use AI- I would never ignore a genuine approach but I'm not responding to people who have made no effort. 071
Reposted by Cathy AbbottLuke Sjulson @lukesjulson.bsky.social · 15/09/2026With the beginning of the new academic year, I'm reposting the info for our free online neuroscience methods course. If you're starting a PhD in neuroscience, or just want a refresher, this is for you! 0219
Cathy Abbott @cathyabbott.bsky.social · 11/09/2026Really thoughtful and helpful reflections on the issues the sector is facing with peer review and demand management. And not the first time I have wished that @kirstygrainger.bsky.social was in charge of UKRI... ☺️ 142
Cathy Abbott @cathyabbott.bsky.social · 10/09/2026I remember when I was a student I went to the science museum in Paris and they had punnet squares which essentially consisted of taxidermied (is that a word?) different coloured guinea pigs nailed to the wall 😱 020
Reposted by Cathy AbbottTim Behrens @behrenstimb.bsky.social · 07/09/2026This made a social media buzz earlier this year, including an eLife paper. I am now pointing to the eLife correction. The authors used the correct antibody,but referred to the wrong one in the paper. They supplied the original receipts during the correction. elifesciences.org/articles/112...elifesciences.orgCorrection: p16 deficiency attenuates intervertebral disc degeneration by adjusting oxidative stress and nucleus pulposus cell cycle 132
Reposted by Cathy AbbottChanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 06/09/2026It’s actually ok to be a person who does not enjoy doing research but then you should not be doing research for pay 464068
Cathy Abbott @cathyabbott.bsky.social · 06/09/2026I know it’s just a scarf but honestly I think this is one of the nicest things I’ve ever made (forgive the brag!) 5442
Reposted by Cathy AbbottJohan Duchêne @johanduchene.bsky.social · 26/08/2026Wow! Only Good Antibodies has developed a new tool that lets you see, directly in a paper, which antibodies were tested and validated. A tool that comes at the right time, given all the issues surrounding antibody validation. Definitively a tool to get onlygoodantibodies.co.uk/extension/onlygoodantibodies.co.ukBrowser Extension — Only Good AntibodiesA free browser extension that marks antibodies cited in a paper with their knockout-controlled validation status, for the application they were used in. 13715
Reposted by Cathy AbbottRebecca Sear @rebeccasear.bsky.social · 26/08/2026Re-upping this for the morning crowd. Already almost as many signatures as the other letter, in just half a day 312561
Cathy Abbott @cathyabbott.bsky.social · 26/08/2026What's so mind boggling is the thought of the training of newly arrived staff. Are they just pointed to the library of background patterns, told to chose one and paste a band on it at the expected size? Imagine the disillusion if you'd come from a research background... 070
Cathy Abbott @cathyabbott.bsky.social · 25/08/2026Actually, this was *exactly* how I approached molecular biology. If there were two reagents that were thought to encourage tricky PCRs, why use only one, I say 😀 080
Reposted by Cathy AbbottMasud Husain @masudhusain.bsky.social · 24/08/2026Lots of stimulating - and challenging - questions from Devi Sridhar and the highly engaged audience at the Edinburgh International Book Festival which hosted some extraordinary discussions across a wide range of topics: fiction, politics, history and science. 142
Reposted by Cathy AbbottBecker Group at CRTD @beckergroup.bsky.social · 24/08/2026Great article about the work of Dave Lyons, Anna Williams and others in Edinburgh and how Brexit makes their research more difficult. We left for Germany... 063
Reposted by Cathy AbbottEpilepsy Research Institute @epilepsyinst.bsky.social · 21/08/2026Our ECR Observer Opportunity gives early career researchers a unique chance to observe our Scientific Advisory Committee as it reviews epilepsy research proposals and makes funding recommendations. Find out more and apply: epilepsy-institute.org.uk/eri/resea… 011
Reposted by Cathy AbbottSimon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 21/08/2026Hello, human geneticist here. There is no scientific basis for attempts to define people in terms of “good” or “bad” genes - these are discredited views in service of racist ideologies. For consensus & concerns of experts in our field, see e.g. this 2020 statement from @geneticssociety.bsky.social: 2208102
Reposted by Cathy AbbottHardeep Matharu @hardeepmatharu.bsky.social · 19/08/2026"We must rage against its cruelty, against the casual conversion of humiliation into entertainment, against the idea that because each blow can be defended in isolation no one bears responsibility for the beating" Poignant reflections by my colleague @iainoverton.bsky.social on Jason Arday's death:bylinetimes.comJason Arday: We Must Rage – Rage Against the Journalism of CrueltyThe death of the academic shows the casual conversion of humiliation into entertainment by a media running on monetised hate and cruelty 417857
Reposted by Cathy AbbottSue Fletcher-Watson @suereviews.bsky.social · 17/08/2026This survey on what it's like to hide parts of your identity is still open - particularly keen to hear from trans people who are not autistic please! But also open to: trans + autistic people cis + autistic people Link for full info and the survey itself is tinyurl.com/3jrfkate 11111
Reposted by Cathy AbbottProf Nisreen Alwan @nisreenalwan.bsky.social · 15/08/2026The agenda behind the obsessive coverage on Jason Arday was not only to distract but also to intimidate those who speak up and act as agents of change in a system that is far from fair. It was not just about silencing antiracism, but also anything else that threatens the status quo. 0318
Reposted by Cathy AbbottMargot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 12/08/2026'I understand why the cost and speed of grant making are important but neither are a proxy for quality, and lessons from the 2007 RCUK Shared Service Centre experiment seem long forgotten.' Important read with great grasp of the longer history and thus the wider context. 1/4wonkhe.comCost and speed are not measures of quality grant makingKirsty Grainger asks whether UKRI's commitment to faster grant making will improve the quality, fairness and effectiveness of research funding 2128
Reposted by Cathy AbbottMwahahahahahadScientist @mads100tist.bsky.social · 06/08/2026Dearest all: I am looking for a queer-owned store that would sell rolls of stickers (or something as in tens of them) with pronouns for handing them out upon registration at the German Fish Meeting. Any pointer/s and RT appreciated! 🧪🐟 73231
Cathy Abbott @cathyabbott.bsky.social · 06/08/2026Very unprofessional and personal post but my lovely daughter is performing at the Edinburgh Fringe. Saw the play yesterday and it’s just so, so good. Do give it a try if you’re around- Hame Teeth Club www.edfringe.com/tickets/what... 1181
Reposted by Cathy AbbottThe Murray Lab @themurraylab.bsky.social · 03/08/2026Excited to share our latest paper, published in Experimental Neurology. Congratulations to @ingapartlova.bsky.social on her first first-author publication! 🔗 You can read the paper here: doi.org/10.1016/j.ex... 185
Reposted by Cathy AbbottAlex Donovan @apadonovan.bsky.social · 03/08/2026Interesting finding that rats have a disproportionate expansion of deep cortical layers when compared to other mammalian species - an output of extended duration in deep-layer neurogenesis, mediated by prolonged canonical WNT activity - link.springer.com/article/10.1...link.springer.comInterspecific diversity in the neuronal composition of the mammalian cortex arises from heterochrony in neurogenesis - The EMBO JournalMammals share a laminar cerebral cortex, with excitatory neuron subtypes organized in distinct layers. Although this framework is conserved, subtype balance varies markedly between species due to larg... 072
Reposted by Cathy AbbottLisa Hansen @lisanhansen.bsky.social · 29/07/2026So excited to share my first preprint of grad school! Check out this thread to learn more about a cool new technique we are using to learn more about hidden layers of RNA regulation! Thank you so much to my coauthors, mentors, and lab for helping us get this story up! 0127
Reposted by Cathy AbbottGlen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 30/07/2026The terrible, stupid waste of UK universities policy continues. Your cash down the drain. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/new-bri...timeshighereducation.comNew British Academy fellows at risk in Exeter jobs cullBeing at the ‘top of your game’ no guarantee of job security, warns decorated historian now facing the chop 12610
Reposted by Cathy AbbottHelen Barron @helencbarron.bsky.social · 28/07/2026***New preprint from the lab*** showing “Generative replay across hippocampal-neocortical circuits”. In sleep we show spiking sequences in V1 (sensory neocortex!) that represent information that has not been directly experienced www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... @bndu.ox.ac.uk @ndcnoxford.bsky.socialbiorxiv.orgGenerative replay across hippocampal-neocortical circuitsTo make flexible decisions, the brain needs to make inferences between events that were not directly experienced together. In sharp-wave ripple (SWR) events, during periods of rest and sleep, spiking ... 413463
Reposted by Cathy AbbottDaryl O’Connor @daryloconnor.bsky.social · 23/07/2026Fancy joining a vibrant, dynamic & collegiate School of Psychology? We've got three lectureships available, and it be great to see applications from health psychology colleagues. Deadline 5th August www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DSE550/l...jobs.ac.ukLecturer (Teaching and Research) in Psychology (Three Posts) at University of LeedsLooking for a new job opportunity in academia? Check out this job opening for a Lecturer (Teaching and Research) in Psychology (Three Posts) on jobs.ac.uk! 0711
Reposted by Cathy AbbottSimons Initiative for the Developing Brain (SIDB) @sidb-edinburgh.bsky.social · 23/07/2026Yesterday was World Fragile X Day. At SIDB, exciting research is helping us further understanding of Fragile X Syndrome and how it affects the brain. 🔬 Learn more about our work by following the link in our bio! #WorldFragileXDay @edinunineuro.bsky.social @patrickwildcentre.bsky.social 022
Reposted by Cathy AbbottRaphaël Pantier @r-pantier.bsky.social · 23/07/2026Our laboratory is looking for a PhD student in Functional Genomics (fully funded position). Expected starting date: Oct 2026 More info here: www.igbmc.fr/en/igbmc/lif... Please share 📨igbmc.frIGBMC: PhD position available in Raphaël Pantier's lab 01216
Cathy Abbott @cathyabbott.bsky.social · 21/07/2026My stats (supervision/examination) are ~the same as the author's, but my views could not be more different. Conflating all science disciplines like this is nonsensical but also, the whole piece is just misguided self-promotion masquerading as an authoritative opinion. (why yes, I am in a bad mood) 270
Reposted by Cathy AbbottRobin Bisson @robinbisson.bsky.social · 15/07/2026UKRI says the reforms "will encourage universities, as autonomous institutions, to specialise and collaborate in ways that build the critical R&I capabilities the nation needs" QR gives universities freedom to use research funding how they see fit, so this sounds like strings are being attached 121
Cathy Abbott @cathyabbott.bsky.social · 15/07/2026"Somewhere in a university shared drive, there is probably an Athena Swan action plan that took months to produce, drew on years of data, involved hours of unpaid or under-recognised labour, and identified inequalities that everyone agreed mattered." This really hit home. 111
Reposted by Cathy AbbottProf Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · 14/07/2026It's a strong public health system and preventative care and considering health impacts across all policies. UK should be proud of our world-class biomedical research but it's not a failure of translation of that research that is behind our ill-health. 4/4 17421
Reposted by Cathy AbbotteLife @elife.bsky.social · 14/07/2026Looking for a home for your neuroscience paper? We welcome research in all areas of neuroscience, including brain function, neuronal circuits, synapses, sensory processing, and motor pattern generation. Take a look at what we publish ⬇️ buff.ly/lKml0cv 052
Cathy Abbott @cathyabbott.bsky.social · 13/07/2026Delighted that all this hard work by Cavan and Manuela is finally out in the public domain. We find that epilepsy/ID-causing mutations in EEF1A2 affect expression of specific genes but don't actually cause measurable differences in global protein synthesis rates in cells (unlike previous studies). 082
Cathy Abbott @cathyabbott.bsky.social · 06/07/2026And meanwhile, in Scotland, I am looking forward to attending graduation this afternoon because it will give me an extra layer of clothing... 😬 130
Cathy Abbott @cathyabbott.bsky.social · 01/07/2026Do give us a follow at @edinunineuro.bsky.social - swanky new video in which I appear to be utterly miserable throughout (I was just concentrating hard on the autocue, honest 😀) 092
Cathy Abbott @cathyabbott.bsky.social · 19/06/2026It’s been a real privilege to be able to collaborate with Andrew Jackson and colleagues, in a very minor way, on a model of progeria syndrome www.nature.com/articles/s41...nature.comTaking apart the DNA-methylation clock with an epigenetic progeria syndromeNature Genetics - With advancing age, clock-like DNA-methylation changes occur across the genome. Whether these changes are passenger events or drive pathology remains to be determined. Here we... 061
Cathy Abbott @cathyabbott.bsky.social · 12/06/2026A lot of work from an excellent team to make this happen but what a fabulous day. And the tribute to Richard Morris was something I wll never forget ❤️ 070
Reposted by Cathy AbbottGav Maclean @gavmaclean.bsky.social · 10/06/2026Academia is basically working on a boat that's holed beneath the waterline, we're going down slowly with less than enough lifeboats and the captain is currently asking us to throw people overboard to make us lighter in the hope we'll float. 49323
Reposted by Cathy AbbottMark Baxter 🏳️🌈🧂 @markgbaxter.bsky.social · 10/06/2026The editorial that the ADA was so afraid to have handed out at their annual meeting is really fantastic diabetesjournals.org/care/article...diabetesjournals.orgMisguided Brushes of a Pen Continue to Dismantle and Destroy Biomedical Research in the United States: We Can No Longer Afford Complacency and Fear. We Must All Act Now!The opinions expressed in this editorial are the personal views of the authors (S.E. Kahn, C.A.M. Anderson, J.B. Buse, and E. Selvin) and do not represent 01913
Cathy Abbott @cathyabbott.bsky.social · 10/06/2026Really good well balanced piece about the place of interviewing in grants (well, my remarks are not particularly well balanced, but the piece is!). Featuring @kirstygrainger.bsky.social too 🙂 www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-worl...researchprofessionalnews.comCan ‘high-stress’ interviews for grants save a system under pressure? - Research Professional NewsFunders are using interviews to manage demand, but some worry about the consequences for applicants 131
Reposted by Cathy AbbottKirsty Grainger @kirstygrainger.bsky.social · 08/06/2026For accuracy, I was Director of the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships programme; describing me simply as an “ex-UKRI director” is misleading. Similarly, I led strategy within both the Research Culture and Talent portfolios, rather than holding a generic “Head of Strategy at UKRI” role. BUT.... 151