iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

One of the most fun things I've taken part in. Sometimes we chat about careers or fun facts about our work, and sometimes we talk about our favourite video games or music. This programme is so incredibly vital to give so many students a chance to meet real scientists. I'm so grateful for the win!

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

My first ever long talk! I had a lot of fun putting it together, and plenty of fun delivering it. I look forward for more chances to improve my public speaking skills! Watch below to hear my talk on why mucus is still a hot topic. #SciComm #AcademiaSky 🧪

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Hana Ayoob @hanaayoob.co.uk · 20/12/2025

Looking for some nerdy drawing fun over the next few weeks? My Xmas & New Year zines are available to download for £1 (or more) and you’re welcome to print as many copies as you want! They’re A4 but I’m told can be printed on Letter paper & trimmed #SciArt ko-fi.com/hanaayoob/shop

Hana holding a fan of A6 zines called ‘nerdy drawing club, issue 1 - Xmas marks the spot’ with a tree made of triangles on the front.

An a6 zine titled ‘nerdy drawing club: issue 2, New Year’s Play’ with half a mandala drawn on the front and a pen on top of the zine

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BIG - STEM Communicators Network, UK @big-stem-network.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

There's still time to join our online LinkedIn Clinic on 3rd December. Book your spot now! www.big.uk.com/event-6410654

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

I'm #PhDone! I had a wonderful day discussing my work on goblet cell responses during parasite infection 🤧🪱 After a really pleasant and exciting viva, I got to spend the evening celebrating with friends from all different areas of my life. Onto full-time sci-comm! #PhDSky #SciComm #ImmunoSky

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

My video from FameLab is now up! In 3 minutes, I aimed to convince the audience that nature's supermaterial mucus deserves so much more research! I was extremely nervous, but I'm determined to keep bringing mucus to the masses! 🧪 #SciComm #PhDSky www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9oh...

youtube.com

FameLab UK Final 2025 - Erin Pallott

YouTube video by Cheltenham Festivals

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Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health @fbmh-uom.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

Fantastic news and so well deserved, Erin!

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Robin Hayward 🌳 🏳️‍⚧️ @canopyrobin.com · 22/07/2025

Did you know that bisexual flowers are perfect? Botanists do. My latest pin celebrates the fact that 90% of flowering plants have individual flowers with both male and female parts. Botanists call these 'bisexual' or 'perfect' flowers. Please share! www.etsy.com/uk/listing/4...

A row of five enamel pins in the shape of six-petal flowers in nonbinary, pan, bi, trans, and LGBTQ+ flag colours. Each is on a backing card that reads "A perfect flower by canopy robin. Did you know that 90% of flowering plants have individual flowers with both male and female parts. Botanists call this a perfect flower."
The bi flower's backing card is purple and the others are green.

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

I'm writing my thesis and wrapping up this PhD, but I've been extremely blessed in my final year to receive awards and recognition for my public engagement and sci-comm work. Thank you to everyone who supported and nominated! @britsocimm.bsky.social @fbmh-uom.bsky.social @fbmhdocacad.bsky.social

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 26/06/2025

What came first, the scientist or the journalist? Great first panel for #abswss25 discussing career journeys into science journalism. 2 perspectives from a science background and 2 from a journalism background. @absw.bsky.social

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 19/06/2025

This was a real surprise, and I'm so grateful. The support I've had has been phenomenal and it's giving me the courage to keep going and recognise "hey, I'm actually quite good at this". Thank you @britsocimm.bsky.social for this lovely award.

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Robin Hayward 🌳 🏳️‍⚧️ @canopyrobin.com · 17/06/2025

We're halfway through Pride so now seems a good time to drop a pin that people have been requesting: something for allies. The thing is though, I'm not interested in selling a traditional ally pin that allows just anyone to claim they're on our side, so lets talk about that 🧵 canopyrobin.etsy.com

Rectangular pins with rounded corners and text that reads "ask me about allyship" or "Real allies take action" on the trans pride flag, intersex inclusive progress pride flag, and a plain black background.

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 27/05/2025

I'm representing North West at the @FameLab national final on 6 June! I'll be bringing the gross factor to my talk on mucus, alongside nine other amazing speakers covering a wide range of science topics. So excited to show Cheltenham Science Festival attendees what I'm all about! #SciComm #PhDSky

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

I am so pleased to announce that I have been shortlisted for the @britsocimm.bsky.social Public Engagement Award. I have worked really hard on supporting PE initiatives, as well as building my own ( @reshiveblog.bsky.social ), so this is really exciting for me! #ImmunoSky #PhDSky

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

#FluorescenceFriday #FluorescentFriday Here's a Trichuris muris egg getting up close and personal with the intestinal epithelium. #PhDSky #ImmunoSky

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

Nothing like tackling a public speaking fear than a public speaking competition. I am so thrilled and shocked to have won the #FameLab North West final. Everyone was amazing and I hope you're all proud. Looking forward to learning and improving ahead of the national finals!! #SciComm #PhDSky

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 07/03/2025

We're working hard to think of new ways to be helpful! Always looking for feedback.

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Research Hive - Sci-Comm Blog @reshiveblog.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

Is this surprising to you? Check our blog (and below!) for a recent post on how fiction reading is beneficial to your mental health and wellbeing. Read for fun, not as a chore! #BookSky #EduSky #AcademicSky

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Research Hive - Sci-Comm Blog @reshiveblog.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

Scientists and politicians need to communicate if we want helpful scientific advancements to make it to everyday life. Federica looks at the links between science and policy and the current barriers to efficient cross-talk. #SciComm #AcademicSky #PhDSky research-hive.com/2025/02/18/s...

research-hive.com

Science and Legislation: Challenges, benefits and hopes of a growing relationship

Author: Federica Spaggiari // Editors: Erin Pallott & Elan Shellard When people are asked to think of a word to describe politics, the answers range from laws to corruption, taxes to parties, e…

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Research Hive - Sci-Comm Blog @reshiveblog.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

When the PhD goes wrong, it can feel like the end of the world. Dead ends and failed experiments are hard, but often inevitable. Elan writes about her experience and tips for managing stress in these situations, emphasising community. Talk it out! #PhDSky #PhDChat research-hive.com/2025/02/06/p...

research-hive.com

Probably Not the End of the World

Three realisations for coping with stress and anxiety when PhD plans go awry Author: Elan Shellard // Editors: Rashmi Danwaththa Liyanage & Oliver Hartley A PhD is a somewhat unique challenge i…

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

With my wonderful partner's help, I ran a workshop introducing PGRs to blogging and how our platform @reshiveblog.bsky.social can help kickstart #scicomm skill development. It was so exciting and with the great feedback, I hope I can start hosting it online to even more people #PhDSky

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 20/12/2024

For my final blog post of the year, I wrote about parasite cleanses. My own personal pet-hate of pseudoscience internet, since helminths are my thing. I focussed on how these snake oil salespeople get people hooked on their content and into their online stores. #AcademicSky #SciComm

research-hive.com

Selling the Disease to Sell the Cure: Parasite Cleanses of Social Media

Author: Erin Pallott // Editors: Nithya Eswaran & Vicky McIntyre I enjoy browsing social media under hashtags relating to my research fields. There are so many talented and dedicated scientists…

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Macaulay Turner @macaulayturner.bsky.social · 22/11/2024

Get down to the engineering building to see some NanoSIMS #UoM-TBM

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 16/12/2024

Joined the rest of UoM's immunologists at our Christmas dinner social. The theme was dress to impress, so we had to show them how the goths do it. Maybe a slight shock to those who only see me at work 🤭 #ImmunoSky #AcademicSky #QueerInSTEM

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 09/12/2024

One of our team members, Rashmi, wrote this wonderful story about just how personal her research is to her.

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

On a casual afternoon of my final year, I have noticed I've been incorrectly spelling a gene name the entire time. In every single write-up, abstract, poster and presentation. #PhDSky

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

What a privilege it is to help people share their stories through my blog. Rojita's journey is incredible.

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Research Hive - Sci-Comm Blog @reshiveblog.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

NEW POST: Good news! A healthy night's sleep will do more for your memory than those extra late-night hours of revision. Nina Wycech explains the science behind how important sleep is for learning, and how it is the real key to exam success. #PhDSky #EduSky #NeuroSkyence

research-hive.com

Don’t forget to sleep: The key to exam success

Author: Nina Wycech // Editor: Luke Marshall How long did you sleep yesterday? Have you pulled an all-nighter or sacrificed sleep to study longer? As a neuroscientist interested in sleep, your answ…

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

Happy Fluorescence Friday! To summarise my talk at @thestemvillage.bsky.social last week: Intestinal goblet cells are far more complex than we think. A simple PAS or Muc2 antibody stain won't reveal the whole picture in your studies. #ImmunoSky #PhDSky #AcademicSky #QueerInSTEM

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

Society if scientists could figure out how to effectively fill seats in lecture theatres. #AcademicSky

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Matthew Sinton 🏳️‍🌈 @mcsinton.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

Yesterday was such a special day, being surrounded by LGBTQ+ immunologist from around the world, as well as allies. Over the years, many people have asked why we need these events, so here’s a couple of reasons 1/🧵 #LGBTQSTEM #Immunosky 🧪🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

A lecture theatre full of people, at The STEM Village Immunology Symposium in Manchester

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 21/11/2024

Boasting some BIG numbers here! I really do love participating in @imascientist.bsky.social. I've not quite won them over to win the coveted prize yet, but each term is another chance. 😼 #PhDSky #EduSky #SciComm #AcademicSky

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

Proud to be part of this exclusive club 😎

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

So thrilled to be here, and on LGBTQIA+ in STEM day no less! #QueerInSTEM

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 14/11/2024

Teaching in the undergrad labs and a group were discussing "I wouldn't do lab work! Imagine how horrible it must be doing the same things over and over and over" and I'm just stood behind them like #PhDSky #AcademicSky

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 13/11/2024

Excited to share my work at this symposium on Monday! #QueerInSTEM #PhDSky

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 28/10/2024

My friend Nina bravely wrote this and I'm so proud of her! It's a lovely piece and this is something I'm thrilled I can use my growing platform for. #PhDSky

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 23/10/2024

Thank you for sharing! It is disheartening to hear people say they relate to this article, but I appreciate people using it to start discussing their own experiences! #PhDSky #AcademicSky

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David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 02/10/2024

Since we're talking about proper word choice when communicating science to non-scientists, here's my list of some examples of "kinda-jargon." Jargon is when your non-scientist audience has never heard the word before. Kinda-jargon is they've heard it but in a very different context. #SciComm 🧪

A table showing some commonly used scientific words that mean different things to different audiences

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 27/09/2024

It's been a while since I wrote a full blog article. I find the greatest writing motivation from being mad about stuff. I tried tackling the issue of bullying in academia. It started as a rant, but I tried my best to make it something useful for others. Feedback VERY welcome. #AcademicSky #PhDSky

research-hive.com

“I Don’t Want to Cause Trouble”: Acceptance of Bullying in Academia

Author: Erin Pallott // Editors: Luke Marshall, Sophie Alshukri When I joined my PhD programme, I needed to figure out which lab I wanted to join. I got given lots of advice on what to ask other Ph…

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 13/06/2024

A tropical disease so neglected, that it failed to get status as a neglected tropical disease?? PhD Student Isabella Hubbard from LSTM wrote this piece for my blog. I must admit, I hadn't heard of it before either! #PhDSky #AcademicSky #SciComm manchesterresearchhive.wordpress.com/2024/06/13/a...

manchesterresearchhive.wordpress.com

A (Very) Brief Introduction to Scorpionism

Author: Isabella Hubbard // Editor: Erin Pallott Scorpion people? Scorpionism… what a word. For me, it conjures up thoughts of a strange disease where someone unfortunate enough to be stung by a scorp...

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 03/04/2024

I've been hard at work developing ideas for my blog. While we're Manchester and biology-based, we would love submissions from PhD + Masters students and postdocs from elsewhere. If you don't have a platform to openly communicate science, we're happy to host you! #SciComm #PhDSky #AcademicSky

A poster promoting the blog Research Hive. The text reads:
Research Hive.
Science Communication Blog by PhD Researchers.
Who We Are.
An open platform for everyone to write about their research in an engaging and accessible way.
A team of postgrad and postdoc researchers promoting the importance of practising science communication.
An opportunity to gain valuable skills for your CV: Editing, networking, basic HTML and sci-comm.
Write for us.
Our team is ready to hear any idea and help you get it into words. We accept posts about research, science interests and experiences.
Join the team.
Passionate about or considering careers in sci-comm? Join the team to help write, edit, and promote the blog. We are flexible around schedules.
https://manchesterresearchhive.wordpress.com/
erin-claire.pallott@manchester.ac.uk

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Prof Sheena Cruickshank @sheencr.bsky.social · 26/03/2024

One in five children are not vaccinated or under-vaccinated. I discuss why and what we can do to address this inequality. 🧪#VaccineConversations open.substack.com/pub/sheenacr...

open.substack.com

Vaccines for all?

Inequalities in vaccine access hamper our global health.

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 08/02/2024

I am super excited that my Biological Sciences Review article is finally out. It's also my first commissioned/paid piece! (They're always asking for more writers so check your uni emails for opportunities). It's also so cool to put mucus on the map for A-Level students. #PhDSky #AcademicSky #SciComm

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Erin the Slime Scientist @erinpallott.bsky.social · 07/02/2024

#HiSciSky Immunology PhD student at Uni of Manchester. Love all things helminths and mucus. I'm also a very persistent editor of my research-based blog Research Hive. Would love to hear from PhD students who are interested in writing science communication blogs! manchesterresearchhive.wordpress.com

A poster showing information for the blog Research Hive
Text reads: Develop new skills in science communication, networking, writing, editing and basic HTML. Join the Team - No experience needed! We have a team of subeditors to produce and source regular content. Fantastic experience for your CV. Contact an editor or visit our website for more information. erin-claire.pallott@manchester.ac.uk. www.manchesterresearchhive.wordpress.com.

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