Sign in

George Chen (He/Him/His)

@gtchen.bsky.social
171 followers 175 following 24 posts

Assistant Professor at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and USC Keck School of Medicine studying neurodevelopment & autism genetics. Previously @ UCIrvine and @ UCLA. Robotics educator (FIRST/VEX) and maker. georgechenlab.usc.edu

PostsRepliesMedia
George Chen (He/Him/His) @gtchen.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Does the fact that Okta puts their verification buttons in [Yes] [No] order while Duo Mobile puts theirs in [No] [Yes] order bother anyone else? Just me?
000
George Chen (He/Him/His) @gtchen.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
I'm excited to share that I am starting my own lab at Children's Hospital Los Angeles! My lab will focus on modeling neurodevelopmental disorders using brain organoids to understand the impacts on development and to develop therapeutic interventions.
220
George Chen (He/Him/His) @gtchen.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Godspeed, Artemis II
010
George Chen (He/Him/His) @gtchen.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Getting this grant together was a huge team effort, excited that it's going to come to fruition!
010
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
kottke.org @kottke.org · 16/03/2026
Brilliant product review of the Macbook Neo. "Nobody starts in the right place. You don’t begin with the correct tool and work sensibly within its constraints until you organically graduate to a more capable one. That is not how obsession works." [kottke.org]
kottke.org
“This Is Not The Computer For You”
Maybe it’s because I’m a little bit allergic to hype, but I just now got around to reading this review of the Macbook Neo by Sam Henri Gold that absolutely everyone has been recommending and, well, this might
0246
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
Kristian G. Andersen @kgandersen.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
New NIH funding strategy has been formalized. I really do hope scientists understand what this means for the future of science (funding) - it's not subtle. www.niaid.nih.gov/about/unifie...
niaid.nih.gov
NIH Unified Funding Strategy
Objective peer review, and HHS- and NIH- specific priorities, and a standardized, transparent process for incorporating NIAID-specific priorities will guide funding selections.
75441
George Chen (He/Him/His) @gtchen.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
Self-owning in the name of maintaining political power.
010
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
Kai Kupferschmidt @kakape.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
“But we can fight back. The biggest lesson the four of us have learned over this past year is that what feels impossible and overwhelming when you’re sitting by yourself can begin to feel achievable and urgent when you are working with others that share your values.“ 🧪
statnews.com
The NIH has lost its scientific integrity. So we left
“We can no longer lend our credibility to an organization that has lost its integrity,” write four scientists and administrators who recently resigned from the NIH.
011544
George Chen (He/Him/His) @gtchen.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
Happy New Year! Time to go through 52 random things I learned last year, very little of which is practical information but might help you win bar trivia some day.
000
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
public health guy @publichealthguy1.bsky.social · 29/12/2025
what else is there to say
Inside CDC, many of us are grieving, not only for colleagues who have left, but for the institution we once believed was resilient enough to withstand political cycles and changes in administration. We are grieving the loss of institutional memory, of mentorship, of the quiet competence that made crises manageable even when resources were thin. We are grieving the realization that dedication alone cannot protect an agency from leaders determined to destroy it.
The prevailing mood at the agency is one of devastation and a growing recognition that there is little we can do to stop the chaos; no rescue is coming. The atmosphere is…
11553180
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 27/12/2025
More news (not good) from NIH The renewal request from National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke Director Walter Koroshetz has been denied. I guess the NIH_leadership™ needed another position to fill with their time-tested recruitment process.
An email to NINDS staff from Walter Koroshetz announcing that his reappointment request has been denied.
16287126
George Chen (He/Him/His) @gtchen.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
Excited to have been able to contribute a tiny bit to this monumental work by Nick, Troy, and Florence! #neuroskyence 🧪
030
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
The Oatmeal @theoatmeal.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Let’s talk about AI art. theoatmeal.com/comics/ai_art
theoatmeal.com
A cartoonist's review of AI art - The Oatmeal
This is a comic about AI art.
571116537
George Chen (He/Him/His) @gtchen.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” ― Jane Goodall (1934-2025)
000
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 01/10/2025
We are thrilled to announce that our NEW Large Language Model will be released on 11.18.25.
648249418244
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.blacksky.app · 22/08/2025
Justice Jackson is basically reporting live from inside a garbage fire www.ballsandstrikes.org/scotus/nih-c...
ballsandstrikes.org
Ketanji Brown Jackson Stops Just Short of Saying the Supreme Court Is Breathtakingly Full of Shit
“Calvinball has only one rule: There are no fixed rules. We seem to have two: that one, and this Administration always wins.”
16273382026
George Chen (He/Him/His) @gtchen.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
Story out today from @uclahealth.org on one of my projects in lab studying rare neurodevelopmental disorders using patient stem cells and brain organoids. UCLA #ResearchPowersProgress 🧪 www.uclahealth.org/news/article...
uclahealth.org
Rare mutation in autism risk gene connects family with researcher
An email to renowned autism investigator Dr. Daniel Geschwind is leading to new science.
021
George Chen (He/Him/His) @gtchen.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
🧪 #HandsoffNIH
020
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
Michael F. Wells @mfwells.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
Hundreds of millions of dollars suspended for cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's research (among many, many other equally important diseases and endeavors) and for what? What is the point of all of this? Help me understand how this makes our country better, stronger, and healthier in any way.
67626
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
Rodger Sherman @rodger.bsky.social · 03/08/2025
the USA built a system of higher education so good that smart/rich people from across the world came here, spending billions to learn here, subsidizing education for Americans while spending money to live in our cities and towns. our government arbitrarily decided we should stop doing that
6540341343
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
Elle Cordova @ellecordova.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
Federal agencies hiding out in a bunker
7634081187
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
Nigel Goldenfeld @nigelgoldenfeld.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
🧪 #NIH You may have seen this morning that employees at NIH wrote an open letter to the Director (cheekily called the Bethesda Declaration). You can read it and sign a supporting letter here. www.standupforscience.net/bethesda-dec... Please consider signing and forwarding on.
standupforscience.net
Bethesda Declaration — STAND UP FOR SCIENCE
Support NIH Staff Now!
0138
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
The Pudding @pudding.cool · 29/05/2025
New project: From stereotypes to breakthroughs, Hollywood's history with Asian and Asian American characters is complicated. This AAPI Heritage Month, dive into the data that reveals whether that's changed: pudding.cool/2025/05/aapi...
0137
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
The New York Times @nytimes.com · 15/05/2025
Breaking News: A baby with a rare disorder made medical history by receiving the first custom gene-editing treatment. The technique used has the potential to help people with thousands of other uncommon genetic diseases. nyti.ms/4j49xBy
A baby surrounded by medical devices is being held up by someone with gloved hands. A headline reads: "Baby Is Healed With World's First Personalized Gene-Editing Treatment." Photo courtesy of Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania.
831615285
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
Nature Portfolio @natureportfolio.nature.com · 16/05/2025
A technology feature in Nature explains how organoids, assembloids and a growing toolkit of bioengineering tricks are helping scientists stitch together models of the developing human brain, pushing the limits of realism and control. 🧪
go.nature.com
Brain tissues, assemble! Inside the push to build better brain models
With organoids, assembloids and a growing toolkit of bioengineering tricks, scientists are stitching together models of the developing human brain — and pushing the limits of realism and control.
0247
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
Xin Jin @xinjin.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
Thrilled to share 2 reviews from the lab: 🧬Annual Review Functional Neurogenomics annualreviews.org/content/jour... 🧠Current Opinion high-throughput analysis of corticogenesis authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S... Thanks to my labbies and the field—we were honored to showcase your work! #WeAreHiring
annualreviews.org
0145
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
Debby Silver @debbysilver.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
Thrilled to share our latest study out in @natureportfolio.nature.com led by the fantastically talented Jing Liu. Our study provides insight into a long standing question in biology: What molecular features make us uniquely human and how do these function? www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
A human-specific enhancer fine-tunes radial glia potency and corticogenesis - Nature
HARE5, a human accelerated region enhancer, modulates cortical development by influencing neural progenitor cell behaviour, leading to an enlarged neocortex with increased functional independence betw...
1916967
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
Alt NIH Bluesky 🧪 @altnih4science.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
"Dear @senmullin.bsky.social, Capito, Cassidy, Collins, Cornyn..[and 6 others]" "These hastily-executed NIH contract cuts will damage medical research for diseases like cancer&dementia..." "It would be taking the side of cancer to do nothing to stop [the cuts]" Letter sent to R Senators:
To: The Republican Senate caucus, including Senators Mullin, Capito, Cassidy, Collins, Cornyn, Blackburn, Tillis, Lankford, Tim Scott, Rick Scott, and Sullivan (see quotes below)
Dear Senators:
Earlier this month, the Trump administration confirmed ordering NIH and HHS to eliminate 35% of all contracts', amounting to a $2.6 billion cut to NIH?. We write to inform you that these cuts will damage vital clinical care and medical research, conducted at NIH and funded by NIH at centers across the country. Despite what the Trump administration's political employees claim, there is no way to implement these cuts without damaging the NIH mission to understand biology and to understand, prevent, and treat disease and improve human health.
All Americans are touched by diseases like stroke, cancer, and Alzheimer's that NIH works to prevent and cure. NIH has been a worldwide beacon and powerful leader in this research. Currently, this work is under attack from the Trump administration, notably but
821566
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
Nathan Yau @flowingdata.com · 13/02/2025
Dishonest charts are coming from all directions, and they're only going to hit harder. Unless we push back. So, an interactive guide: Defense Against Dishonest Charts flowingdata.com/projects/dis...
flowingdata.com
Defense Against Dishonest Charts
This is a guide to protect ourselves and to preserve what is good about turning data into visual things.
32501250
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
Karyn @kaesser.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
Yet another report on the economic value of NIH investments The indiscriminate and large cuts are illogical and harmful I am angry www.forbes.com/sites/michae...
forbes.com
NIH Grants Fueled $95 Billion In FY 2024 Economic Activity, Finds New Report
National Institutes of Health grants generated almost $95 billion in economic activity nationwide in FY 2024 according to a new report by United for Medical Research.
1308
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
All On The Board @allontheboard.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
Today is Rare Disease Day and it’s a day to raise awareness for the 300 Million people in the world with over 6000 rare diseases. If you or a loved one have a rare disease write it in the comments and make it seen. #RareDisease #RareDiseaseDay
67220
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
Alt NIH Bluesky 🧪 @altnih4science.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
More hits to #NIH: "The Trump administration has imposed a new restriction on employment that could push out thousands of NIH’s senior scientists: The agency cannot retain scientists in 1-year to 4-year positions that have long been routinely renewed." 🧪 @jocelynkaiser.bsky.social at @science.org
science.org
NIH ban on renewing senior scientists adds to assaults on its in-house research
Policy follows firings of tenure-track scientists and suspension of training programs
9258134
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 26/02/2025
RNA xkcd.com/3056
154177422542
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
Sarah Cobey @cobey.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
This is not news to most scientists by now, but others might be interested. Biomedical research is undergoing tremendous damage, even beyond the firings at NIH, CDC, and NSF; the suppression of data sharing; and the attacks on initiatives to improve scientific quality.
110150
George Chen (He/Him/His) @gtchen.bsky.social · 09/02/2025
I don't particularly follow the Superb Owl, but as one team currently supports my research on developing therapies for individuals with profound autism, GO BIRDS!
120
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
The Oatmeal @theoatmeal.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
“In 150 characters or less” by @nikitagill.bsky.social
4037551023
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
Chaz Hutton @chazhutton.com · 11/12/2024
Googling Stuff: Then v Now.
This title if the comic is ‘Googling Stuff…’
The comic shows two columns: on the left is “Then” showing search results with one thing listed as “the thing you want”

On the right column is ‘Now’ - also showing search results but in this case it’s a whole bunch of stuff you don’t need:

AI TAKING A WILD STAB AT IT WITH SOME
BLATANT MISINFORMATION

SPONSORED RESULT

SPONSORED RESULT

SPONSORED RESULT

SPONSORED RESULT

PEOPLE ALSO ASK

VIEW PRODUCTS

And then right at the bottom just off screen is ‘the thing you want’
221167676346
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
Denis Wirtz @deniswirtz.bsky.social · 24/11/2024
We have updated and expanded our database of fellowships for POSTDOCS in neuroscience/neurology/cog science. For each fellowship, we provide a description, $ amount, deadline, link, and eligibility criteria. Download our database freely here: research.jhu.edu/rdt/funding-... pic.x.com/eEhXhlOzEj
28048
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
RedPen/BlackPen @redpenblackpen.bsky.social · 06/11/2024
I'm glad to see that my art continues to be relevant 8 years later (ok, I'm the opposite of glad, but what choice to we have but to be optimistic and realistic at the same time?)
17114
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
McSweeney's @mcsweeneys.net · 07/08/2024
Have you picked a location? A. No. I’ve narrowed my search down to five schools. B. No. I still have to buy a globe, spin the globe, put my finger on a random location, and then look up whether that location has a Taco Bell. www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/qui...
mcsweeneys.net
QUIZ: Do You Want to Go to Grad School Or Do You Just Need a Snack?
1. Why do you want to go to grad school? A. It’s necessary for my professional development. B. I got an email from FAFSA by accident. 2. Do you kn...
062
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
Davis Bickford @davis.social · 26/06/2023
I loved this and wanted to create a little comic for it. This is how I imagined the exchange going. I hope you like it @neilhimself.neilgaiman.com ☺️
One page comic. 

Panel one: Neil Gaiman is sitting in a chair reading, and his son, who is wearing a cape, says proudly, “If you need me…”

Panel two: the some finishes his sentence as he walks away saying, “I’ll be in my mind.”

Full page: the boy is in a crash of waves with a water dragon behind him. A sense of adventure.

Final panel: Neil is smiling as his son plays in a cardboard box, pretending to be in the sea.
10251361498
George Chen (He/Him/His) @gtchen.bsky.social · 15/03/2024
The preprint for one of my postdoc projects is finally up on bioRxiv!
030
Reposted by George Chen (He/Him/His)
Tom Gauld @tomgauld.bsky.social · 18/12/2023
My GIFT-XPERT™ algorithm will help you with those tricky Christmas shopping decisions!
A very complicated flow chart that always results in the suggestion that you buy a book unless you steadfastly refuse in which case it gets in a huff.
9696293