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Leading Edge Fellows Program

@leadingedgeprogram.bsky.social
875 followers 169 following 13 posts

Leading Edge is an initiative to improve the gender diversity of life sciences faculty leadingedgesymposium.org

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Leading Edge Fellows Program @leadingedgeprogram.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
New from @meikeesther.bsky.social !
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Sweta Agrawal @hokuba.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The Agrawal lab has published its first paper! "Sticking the landing: leg mechanosensory feedback coordinates the transition from flight to landing" www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... This project was led by a technician in the lab, Tse-Wei (Wayne) Kuo. Brief 🧵on what we found
agrawal-lab-workspace.slack.com
Slack
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The Ohainle Lab @ohainlelab.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Very excited to share the first preprint from the Ohainle Lab at UC Berkeley! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
CypA is a molecular barrier to HIV emergence from Eastern chimpanzees
Of the two lineages of lentivirus that endemically infect chimpanzees, only one has served as a source of infections in hu-mans. Using HIV-CRISPR screening, we identify factors that limit the replicat...
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Krissy Lyon @krissylyon.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Super excited to share that I will start my lab at University of Oregon in Fall 2027! We will study astrocyte-neuron interactions in neurodevelopment and related disorders. Grateful to all my mentors and colleagues! I couldn’t be happier to return to the PNW! ion.uoregon.edu/research/fac...
ion.uoregon.edu
Faculty Page
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Jane Coffin Childs Fund for Medical Research @jcchildsfund.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Congrats to the 2026 Zara Weinberg Leading Edge Fellows - we're especially delighted to see JCC Fellows Dr. Airi Yoshimoto and Dr. Meenakshi Asokan in this cohort! @airiyoshimoto.bsky.social @meenakshiasokan.bsky.social
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Sweta Agrawal @hokuba.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
really enjoyed chatting with @callimcflurry.bsky.social from @thetransmitter.bsky.social about some of the non-Drosophila work happening in the lab! www.thetransmitter.org/neuros-ark/w...
thetransmitter.org
What mosquitos lay bare about proprioception
By comparing the proprioceptive systems of mosquitos and Drosophila, Sweta Agrawal aims to uncover key features of the ability to sense self-movement.
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Yale Neuroscience @yaleneuro.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Congratulations to LaShae Nicholson, postdoctoral fellow in the Strittmatter lab @yaleneuro.bsky.social and previous @kavliatyale.bsky.social postdoc awardee, for being named a 2026 Zara Weinberg Leading Edge Fellow!
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Dr. Jaye Gardiner @jayeperview.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Fun news! I was named one of the inaugural #SciAmYoungAmericanScientists! Thank you to whoever nominated me - I’m excited for the research ahead in @thegardinerlab.bsky.social and working with my stellar students!
Black square with Scientific American written across the top in white capital letters. Underneath in a robin’s egg blue reads “Young American Scientists”. A squiggly white arrow separates this text and 2026 written in the same blue color.Stylized illustrated photo (bust up) of Jaye Gardiner (me) - a Black woman with a silver lip ring wearing dark green glasses. The style of the illustration turned my curly hair into a cascade of triangles
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Dr. Jaye Gardiner @jayeperview.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
If you’re looking for stellar candidates for your tenure-track faculty search or fantastic seminar speakers, check out the @leadingedgeprogram.bsky.social fellows! 👇🏾
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Leading Edge Fellows Program @leadingedgeprogram.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Gorgeous new work from Meike van der Heijden’s lab!!
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Airi Yoshimoto @airiyoshimoto.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
I'm so excited to be a part of the 2026 cohort and to be a part of the Leading Edge community.
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Annie Ly, PhD @anniely.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
I’m so honored to be part of the 2026 Leading Edge Fellows Zara Weinberg Cohort. Excited to join this amazing community of leader scientists!
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Meenakshi Asokan @meenakshiasokan.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
So grateful to be a part of the Leading Edge community!! Having this network of such kind and inspiring people who are so generous with their time and support is truly an honor!
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Erin Huiting @erinhuiting.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
I’m honored to be a part of the 2026 Leading Edge community, especially in memory of the incredible person and scientist Dr. Zara Weinberg. I was lucky enough to know Zara during my time at UCSF, and I will strive to continue her legacy empowering scientists for generations to come!
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Isabella Gaeta @isabella-gaeta.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Super excited to be a part of this fantastic group! ✨🔬🧫
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Alex Wells @duplicatewells.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
I am incredibly excited to join this vibrant community
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Jess Moore @jlmoore.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Grateful to be part of this amazing community that I've looked up to for years!
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akandrew11.bsky.social @akandrew11.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Excited and extremely honored to join this amazing group of professionals!
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Sierra Marable, PhD @smarable.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
So excited to be a part of this amazing community!
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Veronika Kondev @veronikakondev.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
So excited to be a part of this incredible group! 🐭🥰
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Ines Patop @inespatop.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Honored to be part of the 2026 Leading Edge Fellows Zara Weinberg Cohort! Thanks to all my mentors and collaborators for their support. Looking forward to being part of this amazing community of scientists!
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Deirdre Logsdon, PhD @deirdrelogsdon.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
So excited to be welcomed into such a supportive community of amazing scientists!! Cheers to good people and good science 🧬 👏 🎉
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Siegenthaler Lab @siegenthalerlab.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Congratulations to all the new Leading Edge Fellows! Wonderful tribute to Zara Weinberg's legacy as a scientist and advocate. ❤️ @leadingedgeprogram.bsky.social success is truly a testament to the power of lifting up early career scientists! Here's to many, MANY more years of fellows! 🎉
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Mia Konjikusic, PhD @konjikusicmia.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
So incredibly honored and excited to be a part of leading edge! Joining the ranks of all these incredible scientists has me truly humbled. To be part of Zara’s cohort when she was so instrumental to me in my first few years at UCSF makes me feel all the things.
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Leading Edge Fellows Program @leadingedgeprogram.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
We are thrilled to announce the 2026 Zara Weinberg Leading Edge Fellows! 40 remarkable postdocs pursuing transformative research in biological/biomedical sciences. This is the 7th Leading Edge cohort and we are so excited to welcome them! www.leadingedgesymposium.org/fellows/
Congratulations to the 2026 Zara Weinberg Leading Edge Fellows! 
Airi Yoshimoto, Yijun Yang, Alexandra Wells, Simran Virdi, Archana Venkataraman, Emery Usher, Marianna Tannus Ruckert, Wenzhi Song, Kathryn Shelley, Selin Schamiloglu, Julia Peloggia de Castro, Ines Patop, Ruhi Patel, Suranjana Pal, Bernie Simone Owusu Yaw, LaShae Nicholson, Sivapratha Nagappan Chettiar, Dallas Mould, Jessica Moore, Deka Mohamed, Sierra Marable, Annie Ly, Xi (Lucy) Lu, Deirdre Logsdon, Anna Lipkin, Ellen Lesser, Mia Konjikusic, Veronika Kondev, Cayla Jewett, Lucia Ichino, Erin Huiting, Maggie Horst, Isabella Gaeta, Martha Echevarria-Andino, Natasha Claxton, Sarah Cherkaoui, Nikita Bhalerao, Merci Best, Meenakshi Asokan, Alicer Andrew
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Natasha Shylo @shylonatasha.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
I want to thank @aussiebiologist.bsky.social and @leadingedgeprogram.bsky.social for the incredible support I received on the job market last year.
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Natasha Shylo @shylonatasha.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
I suppose it's better late than never to mention that this September I started an Assistant Professor position at Rowan University @rowancsm.bsky.social. We will be doing cool work with chameleons 🦎 to understand early development, especially left-right patterning view.rowan.edu/the-human-pu...
view.rowan.edu
The puzzle of human development by Rowan University
Rowan University biologist, Natasha Shylo studies human development and asymmetry.
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Glennis Logsdon @glennislogsdon.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
Absolutely thrilled to share the latest work from my lab focused on the variation and evolution of human centromeres among global populations! We assembled 2,110 human centromeres, identifying 226 new major haplotypes and 1,870 α-satellite HOR variants. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
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Abby Cheruiyot @abbycheru.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
I’m so excited to share that I’ve accepted an assistant professor position at the University of Colorado Anschutz, BMG department and Barbara Davis Diabetes center! I’m so grateful to many who have helped me get here, especially mentors at Joslin, @hmsbpa.bsky.social @leadingedgeprogram.bsky.social
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Dr. Jaye Gardiner @jayeperview.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
My tenth ASCB/ Cell Bio meeting; my first meeting as a PI. I love the amazing community I have and am so excited for our new and future labs 🥰 Until next time! #CellBio2025
Group of people (all scientists, all faculty) smiling for a photo (left to right): Adelita Mendoza, Jaye Gardiner, Tigist Tamir, Mary Munson, Chantell Evans, Cornelius Taabazuing, Donita Brady, Christie Towers, and Krishna MudumbiPhoto of several Leading Edge fellows (all women scientists) smiling for a group photo (left to right): Dr. Jaye Gardiner, Dr. Joan Pulupa, Dr. Ally Nguyen, Dr. Melissa Pamula, Dr. Tina Termini, Dr. Ewa Bomba-Warzcak, and Dr. Tigist TamirGroup photo of MOSAIC K99 fellows, the MOSAIC program organizer, and the co-directors of the ASCB MOSAIC Program. List of people in the photo (attempted left to right but folks are bunched):

Front row: Tigist Tamir, Erica Rodriguez, Jaye Gardiner

Middle row: Ewa Bomba-Warzcak, Jennifer Landino, Adelita Mendoza, Durre Muhammad, Leah Gates, Joan Pulupa, Evan Ratzan, Laura Newman, Kalynda Gonzales Stokes

Back row: Mike Boyce, Karl-Frederic Vieux, Mary Munson, Chrystal StarbirdPhoto of Leading Edge fellows (all women scientists many leading their own labs) around a candlelit table for dinner (left to right): Dr. Meghna Gupta, Dr. Tina Termini, Dr. Rebecca Adikes, Dr. Melissa Pamula, Dr. Lexy von Diezman , Dr. Ally Nguyen, Dr. Jaye Gardiner, Dr. Amelie Raz, and Dr. Joan Pulupa
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Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
Kathryn Gunn followed up with a remarkable talk combining cryoEM and and cryoET to reveal the surprising helical filament organization of lipoprotein lipase in storage vesicles. She convinced me that a single lab can use these tools to bridge the gap #cellbio2025
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Dr. Jaye Gardiner @jayeperview.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
I have one other panel on Tues @ 4PM in room 126A. We’re discussing navigating your career in challenging times - come by if you’re here! #CellBio2025
Screenshot of the Cell Bio 2025 app. It reads:

Speaker
Jaye Gardiner
Professional Development: Thriving in Uncertain Times: Navigating Career and Funding Challenges @ Tuesday, Dec 9 4:00PM 

Information not in the screenshot - it’s in room 126A
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Dr. Jaye Gardiner @jayeperview.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
Panel 1 at #CellBio2025 done! (And forgot to mention I was on a panel - whoops) Thanks Mike Boyce and Monica Quiones-Frias for the invite and the 100+ people in attendance asking questions about the transition to independence. Was very fun being on a panel with my friends in academia and industry!
Group of 7 people smiling for a photo. From left to right the people are: Dr. Michael Boyce, Dr. Porsha Howell, Dr. Jaye Gardiner, Dr. Jennifer Landino, Dr. Joan Pulupa, Dr. Christine Vazquez, and Dr. Monica Quiones-Frias
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Stacey Kigar @staceykigar.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
Defining psychiatric disorders is often 'fuzzy' - e.g., compulsivity is a symptom in substance addictions, OCD, hoarding disorder, et al., - which impedes diagnostics and treatment. Our newly published work examines these shared ('transdiagnostic') symptoms... www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
Inflammatory profiles of transdiagnostic symptom dimensions in healthy females
Psychiatric disorders are increasingly conceptualised as heterogeneous categories with transdiagnostic underlying mechanisms that cut across multiple …
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Erin Doherty @erinedoherty.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
Work I co-led with @jnoms.bsky.social is now online at @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social ! We revealed a previously unrealized diversity of viral immune-evasion proteins that selectively destroy different cyclic nucleotide signals used in bacterial immunity. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
Divergent viral phosphodiesterases for immune signaling evasion
Cyclic dinucleotides (CDNs) and other short oligonucleotides play fundamental roles in immune system activation in organisms ranging from bacteria to …
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Claudia Vásquez @claudiaraudia.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
It’s that time of year for me to dust this thing off and encourage you to apply to be a Leading Edge fellow, this year named in honor of Zara Weinberg
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Mari Sosa @marisosa.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
The Sosa Lab is going to #SfN25 and actively recruiting ✨postdocs✨ with systems neuroscience experience! We study both fundamental memory processes and how memory changes during pregnancy and postpartum. If you are interested in meeting at SfN, please email me! www.sosaneurolab.com/join/postdoc...
sosaneurolab.com
Sosa Lab - Postdoctoral Researchers
We are seeking postdocs to start in 2026!
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Abby Cheruiyot @abbycheru.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
Such a fitting honor for Zara! Her passion for science and Justice inspired us. Apply to join the 7th Cohort of LE, an amazing community of scientists that has given me tremendous support
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Leading Edge Fellows Program @leadingedgeprogram.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
The Leading Edge Fellows gathered this week to celebrate Zara Weinberg, a beloved member of our community. Our 7th cohort of Leading Edge Fellows (2026) will be named in her honor. The Zara Weinberg Leading Edge Cohort application is now open! Due Feb 2. www.leadingedgesymposium.org/apply/
Candid photo of Zara Weinberg. She has short red hair, bangs and glasses. She is laughing.
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Stacey Kigar @staceykigar.bsky.social · 01/11/2025
Zara was an incredibly inspiring scientist, activist, and leader within our community of Leading Edge Fellows. She will be deeply missed by all those who had the pleasure of interacting with her.
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Krisha Aghi, PhD @phdoll.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
Zara Weinberg was a brilliant light both in and out of science. She changed the lives of everyone she interacted and loved for the better. Her legacy will live on through all of us and we will fight for a better world on behalf of her memory.
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eartha mae @endoeartha.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
Zara Weinberg was a brilliant, loving, and beautiful woman. She inspired everyone who she interacted with, and always strived to make the world a better place for everyone. Tho the world is a little less bright today without her, her memory will always be a blessing. She was truly one of the best.
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Sweta Agrawal @hokuba.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
Zara was an inspiration. We never met in person but became friends through Leading Edge. She zealously advocated for her ideals, but was also passionate about helping others realize why they should too. Her loss is gutting & the world is the worse for it. RIP, I'll do my best to continue the fight.
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Willow Coyote-Maestas @willowcoyote.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
Zara Weinberg passed away earlier this week. She joined my lab earlier this year when her postdoc lab formally closed. She was a brilliant scientist, supportive mentor, dear friend, avid music fan, rabid believer in public transit, open science champion, and above all just an amazing human.
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Monique Smith @moeneuro.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
I need to give the biggest shoutout to @leadingedgeprogram.bsky.social Fellows for teaching me how everything I know! It’s the most beautiful open community and yall should apply when applications are open!
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Raquel Fueyo @fueyoraquel.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
Today in @nature.com, we present our work leveraging functional genomics and human blastoids to uncover a human-specific mechanism in preimplantation development driven by the endogenous retrovirus HERVK. Special thanks to the reviewers whose comments improved our manuscript a lot! rdcu.be/eI3tD
rdcu.be
A human-specific regulatory mechanism revealed in a pre-implantation model
Nature - Genetic manipulation of blastoids reveals the role of recently emerged transposable elements and genes in human development.
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Sweta Agrawal @hokuba.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
The Agrawal lab is moving! This January we will be setting up shop at #UBC in Vancouver, in the department of #Zoology! We are actively recruiting at all levels, especially masters and PhD students. These position are #funded! Please send anyone interested my way!
Agrawal lab logo. A fly in the UBC colors, with dots framing its body.
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Dr. Liz Haynes 🐟🔬 @drlizhaynes.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
Here's a movie from the 3D neuroimaging paper - this is the telencephalon of a 19 month old tg(kdrl:mCherry, mpeg1:eGFP) fish. We use imaris to strip the top layer (the skin and skull) off the projection so we can see just the tissue beneath the skull. This was taken with a Bruker 2P+ multiphoton.
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Dr. Liz Haynes 🐟🔬 @drlizhaynes.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
Want to image the adult zebrafish brain? Here's a nifty design that I made with the help of a talented master's student, Corey Steinhauser. Supporting files here! morgridge.org/research/lab...
morgridge.org
A 3D-Printable device for non-invasive neuroimaging of adult zebrafish - Morgridge Institute for Research
Short Summary: This device is designed for use with an upright multiphoton microscope for neuroimaging of the adult and juvenile zebrafish. It allows for fast and reproducible mounting of fish
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Andrea Jones, PhD @dr-andrea-jones.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
My pre-print from the Shikanov Lab is live! We detail oocyte and somatic transcriptome, and whole follicle proteome signatures driving folliculogenesis in vitro towards improved ART. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
biorxiv.org
Transcriptomic and proteomic dynamics of ovarian follicle group culture resemble in vivo folliculogenesis
The prohibitively low yield of fertilizable oocytes obtained from cultured ovarian follicles limits clinical translation of in vitro follicle maturation for fertility preservation. This is in part due...
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