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Maitreya Dunham

@maitreya.bsky.social
4.7K followers 665 following 228 posts

My lab works on genome evolution, using yeast genetics and genomics. Chair, Department of Genome Sciences at University of Washington. Lab website: depts.washington.edu/dunhamlab

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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Now that UW is in the Big 10, we apparently get access to other activities besides just football. I was pleased to be selected for the Big Ten Academic Alliance Department Executive Officers Program this year. Had our first meeting today, and it seems like it'll be pretty interesting!
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Here’s the link for anyone interested (I get zero dollars and zero cents for any purchases btw, so no COI in posting it!) mbaa-store.square.site/product/brew...
mbaa-store.square.site
Brewing Yeast Volume 1: Yeast Fundamentals and Propagation | MBAA
Offers a road map on processes and procedures that even a small brewery could easily implement in its day-to-day operationsSupported by extensive visual material: photographs, process diagrams, graphs...
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
While book chapters are frequently a bear to write, it’s always thrilling to get a physical object at the end. Thanks to my coauthors Chris and Barbara! We got the intro to yeast chapters for this nice volume from MBAA.
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Whoops, looks like this link might have changed. Try this one docs.google.com/forms/d/1HRr...
docs.google.com
Genome Sciences grad information sessions
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Here's the ad for the Genome Sciences faculty positions ap.washington.edu/ahr/position...
ap.washington.edu
Position Details - Academic Personnel & Faculty
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
My kingdom for a reference manager that maintains proper italicization of gene and species names.
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Chris was able to find all sorts of cool patterns combining our population sequencing data with previously published. One of my favorite results is if you are near a Ty hotspot, you have different mutations available to you vs other loci, and that shows up in the mutation distribution.
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Aaron and his team of undergrads (also authors on the paper) did nearly 100 yeast chemostat evolution experiments using our "ministat" platform. Truly an incredible amount of work but worth it to get that many replicates. Here's how to build them if you're interested www.jove.com/t/50262/desi...
jove.com
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
New paper that includes work from one of my first grad students (Aaron) and one of my most recent (Chris). Experimental evolution really is the gift that keeps on giving. Mutational bias and local genome context constrain adaptive paths in experimental evolution academic.oup.com/genetics/adv...
academic.oup.com
Validate User
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The little trick where you pipetted the reactions+loading buffer out on parafilm so you wouldn't get oil in the gel. So satisfying.
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Let them finish their sentence when the timer goes off. Ask one follow-up question. Move on. It’s great as a way to judge many posters in a short amount of time, and shakes people out of their usual spiel. Obviously lacks something in depth but I can always go talk to the person more later. And fun!
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
People might not believe you initially, so give them a second to process then hit start. They will then get down to business and tell you the most interesting thing! What they find most interesting is an interesting choice in its own right.
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Caveat: this method only works for situations like retreats where you more or less know the background and can skip to the good stuff. I elbow aside anyone else at the poster and say I’m a judge. Then I set a timer for 1 minute and ask them to tell me the most interesting thing on their poster.
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Great fun as always at the @uwgenome.bsky.social retreat, this year on Bainbridge Island (photos from the ferry this morning). Very stimulating talk on the history of the concept of inheritance by @matthewcobb.bsky.social And i feel compelled to share my favorite poster judging method for retreats:
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Exciting news: @uwgenome.bsky.social will be hiring for two tenure-track faculty positions this year, one open rank and one assistant professor. Both are “Genome Sciences” interpreted broadly so we welcome applicants working in a variety of fields and methods. Ad will be out shortly.
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
With any luck I will post more about it later :)
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Seattle locals request: does anyone have a set of "port tongs" that I could borrow for what I promise is a very highly scientific cause?
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
lol. It was Pokemon Go night so I did get a fancy Pikachu with the stadium in the background.
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Lab outing to a Mariners game
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Reposted by Maitreya Dunham
tracey depellegrin @traceydepellegrin.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The @c4lifesciences.bsky.social is seeking an Executive Director. CLS is a terrific group of engaged scientific & scholarly society leaders. Check out the position (ideal for a person experienced in policy & advocacy + Capitol Hill) & share w/interested, qualified folks.
ascb.applytojob.com
Executive Director, Coalition for the Life Sciences - American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) - Career Page
Apply to Executive Director, Coalition for the Life Sciences at American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) in Bethesda, MD.
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Is there anything better than hanging out with a room full of people who geek out about yeast as much as a yeast geneticist? Got invited to be the guest of the Rat City Homebrew Club, who is planning some experiments with S. eubayanus. Ran out of yeast stab vial party favors.
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I got a copy of the book for the CSHL Yeast Course library since it does such a good job of capturing that experience, as also mentioned in the article by Mark Rose.
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
One fun thing at the Botstein symposium was being reminded of this great article about the novelist Jeffrey Eugenides visiting the lab to get some "spice" for The Marriage Plot. I can literally hear David say "I have here a novelist” when he brings him into the lab. www.nytimes.com/2012/02/14/s...
nytimes.com
The Scientist Was a Figment, but His Work Was Real (Gift Article)
Jeffrey Eugenides’s new novel, “The Marriage Plot,” has scenes describing yeast genetic studies that ring so true, many assume that researchers had to have given him some in-depth help.
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Welcome to our new graduate student, Joey! He is a student in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences co-mentored with @clairewilling.bsky.social. I'm excited and a bit intimidated to move On Beyond Ascomycetes. Auditing Claire's Fungal Ecology & Biology class this quarter to get up to speed
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Emotional and meaningful day celebrating and remembering the legacy of David Botstein. pph.princeton.edu/david-botste...
pph.princeton.edu
David Botstein Memorial Symposium
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
If you are thinking of applying to the @uwgenome.bsky.social PhD program this fall, we have a couple of zoom info sessions set up for Oct 6 and Oct 22. Please register at the link. Our website also has a ton of useful information about crafting your application. www.gs.washington.edu/news/graduat...
gs.washington.edu
Graduate Program Information Sessions – UW Genome Sciences
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Latest w/ Bonny Brewer and Raghu. We evolved different DNA repair mutants to investigate the mechanism of a gene amplification we've been working on for many years. We got all sorts of interesting alternate outcomes, including these cool subtelomeric repeats in Ku mutants dx.plos.org/10.1371/jour...
dx.plos.org
Telomeric amplicons of SUL1 and Y’ in yeast are generated by microhomology-mediated break induced replication occurring in cis
Author summary The human genome is peppered with repeated segments that are located at sites both nearby and distant from the original, ancestral segments. These Copy Number Variants, or CNVs, appear ...
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Since we originally posted it, another group found a similar result in S. pombe! dx.plos.org/10.1371/jour...
dx.plos.org
Hypomorphic mutations in ura6 confer 5-FOA resistance in fission yeast
Genome integrity is essential for cellular survival and adaptation across diverse physiological states. The fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe relies on conserved DNA repair pathways to maintain ...
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Updated version of our preprint about mutations in URA6 causing 5-FOA resistance in S. cerevisiae, now including new metabolite profiling data! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
biorxiv.org
URA6 mutations provide an alternative mechanism for 5-FOA resistance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
The URA3 gene is frequently used in the budding yeast community as the mutation target for 5-fluoroorotic acid (5-FOA) resistance. We identified a class of ura6 mutants that can grow in the presence o...
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
About to attempt a live demo on yeast strain development at @brewingchemists.bsky.social 2026 meeting. Wish us luck!
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
But challenges remain, including, among other things, looking at complex alleles, better utilizing the turbidostat, and harnessing other yeast phenotypes. Renee and her lab are continuing to work on some of this, as is my summer REU student, Diana, so stay tuned!
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
I continue to find G6PD just a fascinating gene. So much genetic variation. Balancing selection since deficiency can be protective against malaria. Interesting tech challenges too: the human gene can rescue the yeast zwf1 knockout, and we competed the mutant library in turbidostats to tune selection
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Our deep mutational scan of G6PD is out in final form! @reneegeck.bsky.social did an incredible job on the project, & @dougfowler.bsky.social has been fantastic to collaborate with, as usual. Really gratifying to contribute functional evidence on VUS classification for G6PD deficiency. rdcu.be/fyTlf
rdcu.be
Evidence for G6PD variant classification from multiplexed functional assays
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Favorite hilarious thing I learned today: we borrowed a plate reader from a lab downstairs and they have two, named Jacob and Edward. They’re both apparently temperamental and people have superstitious favorites. Edward gave us an error so I guess we’re Team Jacob. So funny.
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Reposted by Maitreya Dunham
Fred Hutch Basic Sciences Division @basicsci.fredhutch.org · 05/08/2026
Join @FredHutch.org's Basic Sciences Division as an Assistant or Associate Professor and help shape the future of fundamental biology. We welcome applicants whose work will complement, extend, or bring new directions to the division.
apply.interfolio.com
Apply - Interfolio
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Yes, I have frog stickers for the occasion
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
If anyone would like to join me in a last-gasp-of-summer attempt to catch up on things before the new school year hits, I'm calling August #FrogMonth during which I'm going to try to polish off as many proverbial Twainian frogs as possible. Moldering papers, overdue administrative tasks, & more 🐸🐸🐸
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Looking forward to our annual Wednesday Evening at the Genome Public Lecture tonight, this year in partnership with @burkemuseum.bsky.social: Samuel Wasser on using genetics to combat the illegal ivory trade. For future events, sign up for our mailing list mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/list...
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
At the Hutch today for a teacher training workshop with @sciedhutch.bsky.social New group of teachers trying out our yeast evolution and genomics high school activities as part of our @yevolab.bsky.social project. You can download materials from yevo.org (and we can send you strains too!)
yevo.org
yEvo
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Congratulations to undergraduate researchers Katya and Nya on winning Herschel & Caryl Roman Scholarships! www.gs.washington.edu/academics/aw...
gs.washington.edu
Herschel & Caryl Roman Scholarship – UW Genome Sciences
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
The cartoons represent budding brewing/baking yeast cells, and the color gradient is supposed to give the impression that they’re evolving, which is what my lab studies :) I actually often do include a card with notes on the back when I give other people yeast strains from our collection.
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Got myself some new business cards from the wonderful Letterpress pdx!
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Reposted by Maitreya Dunham
Saccharomyces Genome Database @yeastgenome.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Join the Pacific Northwest Yeast Club for the 2026 PNWYC annual meeting! July 31st, 2026 at Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA. Registration's FREE. Anyone working in any type of fungal system is welcome! www.pnwyc.net/home
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Registration is open for the 2026 PNW Yeast Club meeting, July 31 at WWU in Bellingham. Researchers in any yeast/fungal systems welcome. Register by July 10 for talks, or July 24 for posters & other attendees. Thanks @dan-pollard.bsky.social and @kinasequeen.bsky.social for hosting! www.pnwyc.net
pnwyc.net
PNWYC
PNWYC 2026 Meeting A day for yeast labs in the Pacific Northwest to get together and share research, outreach, teaching, and more! July 31, 2026, in Bellingham, WA, USA Western Washington University ...
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
End of spring quarter we said goodbye to newly graduated PhD student Gabby, and now beginning of summer we say hello to summer REU student Diana!
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
I had a pretty good run too: kicked off by introducing @gsherloc.bsky.social’s great award lecture, helped celebrate David Botstein, co-ran a workshop on teaching genetics, tabled for outreach, & co-chaired the last session. And I can’t not mention the CSHL Yeast Course get-together. Fun all around!
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Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
The @genetics-gsa.bsky.social Yeast Meeting will always be my favorite. Highlights: grad student Leah winning best poster (!), postdoc Sarah's poster on a new @yevolab.bsky.social evolution scheme, Barbara's talk on beer yeast evolution, Leah's real time data analysis on the mentoring panel #Yeast26
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Genetics Society of America @genetics-gsa.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Building on a series of successful virtual meetings, members of GSA's Department Chairs Forum gathered at Asilomar for their first in-person meeting which provided a space for peer-level exchange on navigating a rapidly-shifting landscape and addressing challenges. ⬇️🧵
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Caiti Smukowski Heil @caitismuheil.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Dunham lab past and present at #Yeast26 ! @maitreya.bsky.social
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Sally G Pasion @sgpombe.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Graduate awardees of #Yeast26 YGM Student Poster Awards announced by #InesPinto @uarkansas.bsky.social: #LeahAnderson @maitreya.bsky.social lab @uwgenome.bsky.social, #NasimaAkhter @justinfay.bsky.social lab @urochester.bsky.social , & #OnyinyechiOnuoha #BruceKnutson lab @biochemdept-bmb.bsky.social
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