iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by christine liu / two photon art

Artologica aka Michele Banks @artologica.net · 23/09/2026

News for SfN peeps: I'll have a small show in a gallery very close to the meeting from 11-18 November #sciart

map of downtown dc showing convention center and touchstone gallery

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Alexandra Gallant-Lee @alexandragallant.com · 24/08/2026

I just opened up pre-orders for my next comic, SCAM, it's all about how white women use aesthetic, image, identity and style to further their scams. A5, 60 pages, $20, ships to 🇺🇸🇬🇧🇨🇦 in mid-September. Here's the front and back cover of it - more to preview, too: frogby.bigcartel.com/product/scam

The cover of my comic "SCAM (The careless whispers of white women scammers)"

Everything is a performance.

The cover art features a face with wide eyes behind the word 'SCAM', it wasn't necessarily intentional, but it does evoke the iconic cover art by Francis Cugat for The Great Gatsby, the mouth is whispering the words "the careless whispers of white women scammers"

Beneath this, there are six marble statues of white women all on pedestals, one of them, with hair in the style of Marie Antoinette, has no pedestal and lies horizontally

The eyes in the face cry to the point that the pedestals are slowly being overwhelmed by the flood.

A sailing ship called 'The Scam' attempting to get a hook into a big sperm whale, but the whale is about to chomp on that boat, there are birds in the sky in the distance

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christine liu / two photon art @christineliu.art · 31/08/2026

Oh yayyy I’m so glad!! I must be getting confused with your exhibited paintings at the art social, I totally thought you had a booth before lol!!! Anyways that is SO EXCITING I can’t wait to see your booth!!

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Vikaas Sohal @vikaassohal.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

New preprint up! How do brain networks generate flexible behavior? Insula-prefrontal communication helps mice shift behavioral strategies, specifically when the new strategies use odor cues. Gamma synchrony between insula & PFC PV neurons enables this coordination! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

biorxiv.org

Smells like γ-synchrony: Insula-prefrontal communication depends on γ-synchrony and supports modality-specific changes in behavioral strategies

The prefrontal cortex is critical for many aspects of flexible behavior, but how it interacts with other brain regions to perform this function remains largely unknown. The insula is bidirectionally c...

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christine liu / two photon art @christineliu.art · 29/08/2026

Yay! I’d like to just make a slide shouting out your work! Will you also have a booth this year? I can’t believe it was so busy last time that I never even got to come over and say hi 😵‍💫

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Zen Faulkes @doctorzen.net · 27/08/2026

The real American 🇺🇸 “brain drain” isn’t that a few established scholars might get new jobs outside the US, it’s the enormous number of grad students - particularly international grad students - who can’t or won’t study in the US now or in years to come. That’s the body blow.

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christine liu / two photon art @christineliu.art · 27/08/2026

I want to identify common themes for why scientists make art. To escape? For instant gratification in contrast to our research? To communicate or celebrate our science? Or just because it’s fun!? For me, it’s all of the above 🤓

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christine liu / two photon art @christineliu.art · 27/08/2026

Are you a neuroscientist that also makes art? I wanna get to know you and spotlight your art at this session at #SfN26! Show me your art, whether it’s related to your science or not! 🧠🧪

The Artist in the Neuroscience Lab
Chair: Michele Banks
Artologica
Panelists: Michele Banks; Geinene Carson;
Kimberly Fiock, PhD; Christine Liu, PhD
Date & Time: Sunday, November 15, 1:30-3 p.m.
Location: WCC Room 152
Theme: Theme K - History, Education, and Society

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Artologica aka Michele Banks @artologica.net · 25/08/2026

A mini blue mitosis watercolor #sciart artologica.etsy.com/listing/4562...

grid watercolor with 4 panels showing phases of mitosis

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Schmitt Lab @ UCLA @schmittlab-ucla.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

The final version of our paper describing the development of iGlo, a glutamine biosensor, is now available. All plasmids are on Addgene! pubs.rsc.org/cb/article/d...

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christine liu / two photon art @christineliu.art · 27/08/2026

Do you think you will revisit some of those other ideas? Or has the entire scope/direction of your lab transformed? Really cool to think about how much change can happen, and perhaps understates the importance of where one ends up setting up shop!

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Danielle L. Schmitt 🔬 @schmittwitt.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

We’ve done one project I proposed. Most of the lab is working on things I never thought about when preparing my application.

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christine liu / two photon art @christineliu.art · 27/08/2026

Thanks for your insight on what’s being evaluated for each portion of the application/interview! It has really helped me think about the scope of what’s appropriate to include based on my expertise but also what I’m excited to dive into across an entire career’s worth of learning!

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Hannah R Snyder @hannahrsnyder.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

In a chalk talk we basically want to see that you can engage in rigorous scientific thinking live, not just produce a polished job talk - you need to be prepared to engage with questions about your proposed work thoughtfully and not defensively. These are often extremely revealing.

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christine liu / two photon art @christineliu.art · 27/08/2026

What an elegant approach!! Thank you for your insight, I have learned a lot on how to think about sculpting my vision!!

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Kevin Wright @kevinmawright.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

To some extent I was trying to thread the needle on “here are some very fundable things that are virtually guaranteed to work” with the short term and “here are big picture ideas that may not work, but we’ll figure it out one way or another” for the long term.

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Kevin Wright @kevinmawright.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

for my short term plan I had a full R01 already mapped out with detailed experiments. Mid term stuff used new tools I had in hand but only a bit of “proof of concept” data. The “long term” was just a vision of the types of questions I wanted to answer and broad outlines of how I would do it

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Kurt Fraser @kurtfraser.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

kinda loosely doing things I talked about (I think?) didn't propose super precise experiments but themes of ideas all related. can share my stuff if you want and happy to look! already 2 years in we are doing stuff i never imagined doing so thats the more fun part

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christine liu / two photon art @christineliu.art · 27/08/2026

Yeaaah! It was cool hearing about how you you’re pursuing stuff so out of the original plan but would be super novel and high impact!!! I’d really appreciate looking at a copy of your materials! Still feels early to be thinking about the next step but I suppose I’ll never feel truly ready anyway 😝

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christine liu / two photon art @christineliu.art · 27/08/2026

Hahaha!!! I guess “fit” can be less literal and more about getting everyone on the search committee excited about your work!!

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CG Partridge @partridgecg.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Hahahahaha. I work at 'water resources' institute and my research program is currently focused on invasive forest pests.

static.klipy.com

That Is Not The Same Farid

ALT: That Is Not The Same Farid

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Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

MIRA or R01? I'd definitely go the renewal route

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Teresa Lee @snickclunk.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

This is reassuring to hear!! I've been wondering how NIGMS considers accountability when weighing whether to renew or just submit a new grant (and trying not feeling shame that I completed like 1.25 of the aims during the time of the grant 😅)

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Mike Feigin 🥯 @mikefeigin.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Haha I intended to do the work I proposed, but people who joined the lab had great ideas and I went with them! And I’m very happy we went this way!

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christine liu / two photon art @christineliu.art · 27/08/2026

!!!! That’s super helpful! I have heard this many times about grants but am only realizing that it can be true for the faculty research plan too! Thank you!!

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adelaide tovar @adel-aide.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

I’ve not even started yet, but I can provide recent corollary info. Both of my advisors and at least one person at each of my interviews made a point to say the research statement is not your contract. It’s just a way for them to see how you think and what part of the sandbox you plan to play in.

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christine liu / two photon art @christineliu.art · 27/08/2026

That’s simultaneously very reassuring and terrifying! But just goes to show that it’s always good to have multiple ideas that can be pursued in parallel!

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Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

By the way, the "safe" project was the dud, and the "ambitious" one worked.

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christine liu / two photon art @christineliu.art · 27/08/2026

Oh man! I hadn’t even considered that there needs to be an intentional decision to stop working on a project. I had assumed that deviating from the plan mostly occurred due to opportunity with a shiny new direction. I have so much to learn!!!

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Jeff Lewis @lewislab.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Maybe 1/3. I’m just now coming back to something I first proposed 15 years ago because it’s more feasible now. Figuring out when to triage or table a project is a really important part of the job.

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christine liu / two photon art @christineliu.art · 27/08/2026

That makes so much sense!! I imagine that the proposal for the long term ideas also tend to take up less space and have less detail in the written plan? Or should equal attention be given to all parts?

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Kevin Wright @kevinmawright.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

The short term projects (years 1-3) all got completed; the mid-term (years 3-7) ones were about 50/50; the long term (years 7+) ideas went nowhere because we pivoted to new, more interesting questions based on new directions/tech that were unknowable at the time I started.

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christine liu / two photon art @christineliu.art · 27/08/2026

That’s great to hear because my favorite part of science is trying new things!! 😊😊😊

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Christophe 🔬 Leterrier @christlet.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Don't be too conservative - part of the appeal at the start is in the potential and the capacity to try new things. If you manage to do well, nobody in the end will check if that is exactly what you planned initially.

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christine liu / two photon art @christineliu.art · 27/08/2026

I see! So having a strong grasp of knowledge and caveats in the proposed plan is going to be crucial, but an appropriate amount of imagination is welcome!

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christine liu / two photon art @christineliu.art · 27/08/2026

I love that!! Thank you for this awesome advice that will make writing the statement way more fun!

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christine liu / two photon art @christineliu.art · 27/08/2026

Haha! Maybe a military grant has more of an expectation to follow the orders that you wrote for yourself 😅😅

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Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

However, I once had an Army Breast Cancer Grant and they literally wanted you to do exactly what you proposed. I had to write a long explanation about why the switch in direction that led to a paper in Nature was a good idea :)

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Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Things change every day, and we follow the science. At least in the olden days (2 years ago), NIGMS was happy if you did something cool, and your Aims from the last grant were irrelevant. 1/n

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Hannah R Snyder @hannahrsnyder.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Tenure at an R1 comes down mostly to grants and papers. If you are productive with those no one generally cares about topics. I guess if you completely changed fields they might.

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Hannah R Snyder @hannahrsnyder.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

I think for job market statements, the research statement should propose things it is clear you *can* do (high feasibility as demonstrated by your description of your prior research), and that are interesting and plausibly fundable. After you're hired, success speaks for itself.

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Hannah R Snyder @hannahrsnyder.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

You should be aware though that some TT interviews will include a chalk talk where you have to basically present and defend what your 1st R01 would be. Doesn't mean you have to stick w/ it - more a test of your scientific thinking. But you do need to be prepared for that.

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Harmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

@hhmi-science.bsky.social has several upcoming competitions for scientists at various career stages. Here is a list (pl share whatever you feel will be useful): 1) Rising college juniors & seniors in summer 2027 can apply to the Cech Fellows program (www.hhmi.org/programs/cec...) Deadline: Nov 10

hhmi.org

Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (REU) | Cech Fellows | HHMI

The Cech Fellows Program is a paid, nine-week summer research experience empowering the next generation of scientific leaders.

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Suzanne Hoppins @shoppins.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Early on a program officer told me that my grant was not a contract and the best thing to do was “follow the science”.

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Hannah R Snyder @hannahrsnyder.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Definitely no one is going to go back and look at your application documents for tenure! It isn't a contract, it is more to show that you are thinking programmatically about future lines of research. You will write new statements for your tenure dossier.

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christine liu / two photon art @christineliu.art · 26/08/2026

Makes sense!! Success can’t be planned out so easily anyway!

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Mike Feigin 🥯 @mikefeigin.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

0%. At my promotion talk I literally said, “I hope none of you remember my job talk, because I didn’t do any of that!”

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