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Tracy Palmer

@proftracypalmer.bsky.social
2.9K followers 656 following 250 posts

We work on the type VII secretion system and are interested in Gram positive competitive mechanisms.

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Reposted by Tracy Palmer
hobbslabmicro.bsky.social @hobbslabmicro.bsky.social · 4h
Has anyone submitted an MRC applicant-led grant this year and heard if they've been shortlisted? Just wondering if there's any data yet on how long the process is taking since they reopened!
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Simonetta Gribaldo @sgribaldo.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Interested in #archaea, #methane, #cell-envelopes? New paper out @nature.com ! We discovered an enzyme that specifically cleaves the cell wall of methanogens, revealing a new chemical structure of archaeal peptidoglycan, 50 yrs after its first description www.nature.com/articles/s41... #MicroSky 🧵👇
nature.com
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Buzz Baum @buzzbaum.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
We are looking for a research assistant! Come join the team: www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DSZ826/r...
jobs.ac.uk
Research Support Officer | Cell Biology | Dr Buzz Baum | LMB 2904 at MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
Start your UK & international job search for academic jobs, research jobs, science jobs and managerial jobs in leading universities and top...
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paveltomancak.bsky.social @paveltomancak.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
21627 applications. Nothing to celebrate here. Impossible to evaluate fairly & safely. Neither the science (too diverse & possibly LLM generated) nor the soft criteria (likely LLM generated). Without an interview stage - a security risk! marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/whats-new/ne...
marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026 receives record number of applications
The 2026 call has attracted considerable interest from the research community with 21,627 applications submitted.
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James Connolly @ruamicro.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Are you a motivated researcher interested in bacteria-host interactions? We have postdoc position available in my lab to join our Wellcome Trust funded collaborative team. We will study the role and regulation of the enigmatic sphingolipids in E. coli. Please share. www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DSX115/r...
jobs.ac.uk
Research Assistant/ Associate in Bacteria-Host Interactions at Newcastle University
Explore an exciting academic career as a Research Assistant/ Associate in Bacteria-Host Interactions. Don't miss out on other academic jobs. Click to apply and explore more opportunities.
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Willem van Schaik @wvschaik.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
'Large outbreak of aggressive strain of MRSA superbug in Ireland was linked to bouncy castles' www.thejournal.ie/mrsa-bouncy-... Paper: www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2...
thejournal.ie
Large outbreak of aggressive strain of MRSA superbug in Ireland was linked to bouncy castles
Most previous large outbreaks have been found in sporting activities, prisons and childcare facilities.
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Matthew Freeman @mjafreeman.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Less than 2 weeks to apply! If you are looking for early career fellowship sponsorship, consider @dunnschool.bsky.social to launch your independent career Great science, great support and, of course, lovely colleagues... www.path.ox.ac.uk/work-with-us...
path.ox.ac.uk
Group Leader Career Development Fellowships - Dunn School
Are you an early career researcher interested in the cell or molecular mechanisms underlying disease? Do you have an outstanding record and an innovative research plan?
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Julian Parkhill @julianparkhill.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Chair in Bacteriology in Cambridge Department of Medicine. A great opportunity. Please circulate. www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/researc...
cam.ac.uk
Research Professor in the field of Bacteriology
Strengthening Cambridge's leadership in bacteriology research Bacterial infection and antimicrobial resistance remain among the most pressing global health challenges of our time. At Cambridge, the De...
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Sven T. Stripp @stripplab.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Stop paying predatory publishers of academic journals - A policy proposal to restore scientific integrity and transparency (via @febsletters.bsky.social) doi.org/10.1002/1873...
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PLOS Biology @plosbiology.org · 28/08/2026
#Engineering microbial systems capable of sensing host-derived stress hormones has proved technically challenging. This study reconstitutes adrenergic sensing in E. coli, creating a probiotic strain capable of sensing host #stress and secreting #therapeutics. 🧪 #AcademicSky plos.io/4zI6itm
A synthetic QseB-responsive promoter enables dose-dependent catecholamine sensing and controlled secretion of a CRF antagonist.
Illustration depicting engineered EcN detecting NE and Epi via the QseBC two-component system, resulting in conditional expression and secretion of the defined biological output rCRF(9–41).
Created in BioRender. Aggarwal, N. (2026) https://BioRender.com/z371w74.
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Anthony Vecchiarelli @cellforganized.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
My MCDB Dept is hiring, again! Assistant Professor Faculty Search. Please Repost! Applications Due Oct 1st We welcome applications from all areas of cellular/molecular biology in prokaryotes, plants, and animals. More information can be found HERE: jobs.sciencecareers.org/job/679540/a...
jobs.sciencecareers.org
Assistant Professor - Ann Arbor, Michigan job with University of Michigan - Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology | 679540
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN FACULTY POSITION IN CELL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND RELATED FIELDS   The Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental B...
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Ellie Boardman @ellieboardman.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Happy to see this one pre-printed - a little more understood about the protein-protein interactions involved in T7SS in mycobacteria 🥳
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Tracy Palmer @proftracypalmer.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Happy to see this work preprinted! Only our second foray into the mycobacterial T7SS
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Reese Richardson @reeserichardson.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
A massive update: At least ~15 companies~ are selling scientists antibodies using faked validation data. We've documented 18,000+ manipulated images on 17,000+ products sold by leading laboratory suppliers including Thermo Fisher, Abcam, Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Millipore Sigma and Bio-Techne. 1/🧵
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Herve Celia @hervecelia.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Structure and Function of the Type IX Secretion System for Protein Secretion and Cellular Motility - www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
annualreviews.org
Structure and Function of the Type IX Secretion System for Protein Secretion and Cellular Motility
The type IX secretion system (T9SS) is a Bacteroidota-specific multiprotein machine that supports a wide range of biological processes, from nutrient acquisition and surface modification to host inter...
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Lis Lowe @lislowe.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
New preprint out - Jenn’s hard work over the last few years collaborating with @jnb-lab.bsky.social, Overkleeft Lab in Leiden, Spencer Williams, Hannah Bridges at Cryosparc and @pmoyniha.bsky.social. Feat. her beautiful 1.5A cryo structure with a covalent inhibitor 😍. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
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Curtis Suttle @virosphere.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Professor in Bacteriophage Biology & Evolution at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Closing date 1 October, with an expected start date no earlier than January 1, 2027, and a salary within the range of $200,000 to $270,000 per year. For details: ubc.wd10.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/ubcfac...
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Cascales Lab @cascaleslab.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Proud to see our review "Anti-type VI tactics: bacterial defenses against T6SS attacks" featured on the Cover @cp-trendsbiochem.bsky.social www.cell.com/trends/bioch... Kudos to @nicrivard.bsky.social for creating this fantastic Cover illustration! But… do do you recognize the original painting?
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Basler Lab @basler-lab.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Interested in the Function and Regulation of #T6SS? Do you have relevant experience from your Master's project? Apply to this PhD position in our lab: www.biozentrum.unibas.ch/open-positio...
biozentrum.unibas.ch
PhD Student – Function and Regulation of Type 6 Secretion System
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Chris H. Hill @chillzaa.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Some very exciting news - cryo FIB-SEM instrumentation will soon be coming to the University of York cryo-EM facility, thanks to funding from @ukri.org BBSRC ALERT. This will enable technically demanding cryo-CLEM and in situ structural biology workflows for multiple projects ❄️🦠🧫
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Wiep Klaas Smits (ExpBac/CMAT) @smitslab.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
A hierarchical regulatory cascade defines the temporal window of natural transformation in Staphylococcus aureus www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
A hierarchical regulatory cascade defines the temporal window of natural transformation in Staphylococcus aureus
Natural transformation (NT), a major mechanism of horizontal gene transfer, promotes bacterial genome plasticity and contributes to the dissemination of antibiotic resistance. NT requires the developm...
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Jamie Blaza @jnb-lab.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Permanent academic position as a Lecturer in cryo-ET open at York. We are looking for someone to lead a research program making the most of the stunning advances occurring in cryo-ET. It's a research and teaching post but with a focus on research in the early years. jobs.york.ac.uk/vacancy/lect...
jobs.york.ac.uk
Jobs - The University of York
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Cascales Lab @cascaleslab.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Happy to share our latest review on the "Structure and function of the #T9SS for protein secretion and cellular motility" to be published in the incoming volume 80 of Annual Review in Microbiology. Kudos to Yaelle Aouizerate and @thicoz.bsky.social ! www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
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Rauf Salamzade @raufs.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
We investigated and identified several skin-derived bacteria that antagonize common pathogenic species: www.nature.com/articles/s41... A cool highlight was that bacteria from feet, where fungi are particularly diverse, tended to be more broadly antifungal than those from other body sites! #microevo
nature.com
Large-scale investigation for antimicrobial activity reveals newly-identified defensive species across the healthy skin microbiome - Nature Communications
Authors present the EPithelial Isolate Collection (EPIC), a large skin microbiome culture collection, uncovering new species, widespread antifungal activity, and hidden biosynthetic diversity, reveali...
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Matthieu Chavent @matthchavent.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Excited to share our latest work with Wonpil Im lab about the modeling of mycobacterial inner membrane using atomistic simulations, published in the @pubs.acs.org the Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling! Congratulations Hwayoung and Nate! More details here: pubs.acs.org/jcisd8/artic...
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Kate Beckham @kshbeckham.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Happy to share our recent story on the Type VII secretion system. Here were present new insights into the regulation of secretion mediated by the central pore. Thanks to all authors involved in the work. 🙂
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FEMS @femsmicro.org · 31/07/2026
FEMS MICRO 2027 – Growing Microbial Futures ✨ Explore Ljubljana & the venue ✨ Submit a session proposal ✨ Save the date Be part of the conversations shaping the future of microbiology. Join us in Ljubljana next July and stay updated: buff.ly/5HEuk3g
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Alexander Harms @aharms485.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
The tradition of naming phage systems after ancient deities has the side effect that one cannot evade them even outside of microbiology journals... 🧬🛡☕️
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Michael Glickman @michaelglickman.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Please repost! #microsky🦠 The Glickman Lab at MSK is recruiting! Projects in Mtb pathogenesis, basic biology of mycobacteria, and mycobacterial cancer therapies. See our publications here: tinyurl.com/3f386f4x Send CV and cover letter to: glickmanmycolab@gmail.com
scholar.google.com
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Matthew Cobb @matthewcobb.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Tragic and - according to scientists quoted in the article — avoidable.
science.org
Exclusive: Death of girl in Chinese gene-editing trial was never made public
Parents want accountability after study went disastrously wrong, Science and Retraction Watch investigation reveals
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Dr Katherine Duncan @kateduncan.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
The EMBO workshop (March 2027) on marine microbial chemicals communication is open for abstract submission and registration (deadline 20th Oct 2026). The inaugural meeting in 2025 was fantastic and there are already some great speakers lined up, highly recommended. meetings.embo.org/event/27-mar...
meetings.embo.org
Marine microbial chemical communication
This EMBO Workshop on Marine Microbial Chemical Communication will bring together researchers at the forefront of understanding the chemical crosstalk of microbial interactions in the ocean. As micr…
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Valeria Reyes Ruiz @reyesruiz.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Our lab is hiring an enthusiastic and motivated research specialist to study host-pathogen interactions in the context of S. aureus infection. For more information, see below: Lab website: www.reyesruizlab.org jobs.wisc.edu/jobs/researc...
jobs.wisc.edu
Research Specialist - Madison, Wisconsin, United States
Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Workday to apply through the internal application process.Job Category:Academic StaffEmployment Type...
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Reposted by Tracy Palmer
Nature Microbiology @natmicrobiol.nature.com · 01/07/2026
Out Now! Identification of chemical features for improved outer membrane permeation in mycobacteria using machine learning #MicroSky
go.nature.com
Identification of chemical features for improved outer membrane permeation in mycobacteria using machine learning
Nature Microbiology, Published online: 30 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02412-5Screening 1,572 compounds for mycomembrane permeation plus cheminformatic and machine learning analyses reveals features associated with improved permeation in the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis and model organism M. smegmatis.
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Tracy Palmer @proftracypalmer.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
This has been such a fun collaboration and a great example of team science
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Tracy Palmer @proftracypalmer.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Check out our latest T7SS toxin story. These reverse toxins aren’t as rare as we thought!
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Gair Dunlop @gair.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Spare a thought for the Dundee University staff who were told yesterday that their jobs are at risk, who today have to talk to prospective students and parents at an Open Day. They are expected to paint a confident picture. It will take quite a feat of imagination. @ducuuo.bsky.social @ucu.org.uk
still image from a Godzilla film, invoking the potential help of imaginary spirits.
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Michael Okun @michael-okun.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
I’ve officially resigned as Associate Editor for Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience. It used to be a reputable journal, but became a case study in how forced automation destroys academic integrity. 👇
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DMartin @drddom.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
This just keeps getting worse. For non-science people, we use commercial antibodies on a daily basis to detect proteins of interest using many methods. Bad antibodies mean bad results, which means a lot of medical research was wasted. I can't imagine the costs to trainees (their time), labs, etc.
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Times Higher Education (THE) @timeshighered.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
Two in five academics at Northumbria University have agreed to switch from TPS to USS pension scheme at the end of a concerted push by the institution to save millions of pounds on its staffing costs. ow.ly/O2BG50Z7YFV
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PLOS Biology @plosbiology.org · 05/06/2026
The T6SS is a widespread nanoweapon deployed by #bacteria, but why is it deployed heterogeneously? @cascaleslab.bsky.social &co show that #Ecoli adopt distinct #T6SS attacker "ON" & defender "OFF" roles to optimize survival, a key strategy in microbial warfare @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/3S5dL45
Top: Representative confocal fields of the 3 types of TssC-GFP-TssK microcolonies (homogeneous ON, heterogeneous, homogeneous OFF). Scale bars, 10 μm. Bottom:  Model for the role of T6SS phenotypic heterogeneity in EAEC. Top: The Psci1 promoter integrates Fur- and Dam-dependent regulation, generating ON (T6SS⁺, yellow) and OFF (T6SS⁻, blue) subpopulations at a reversible equilibrium. Bottom left: OFF (blue) cells, which do not express T6SS, do not kill competitors but avoid triggering such defences (1). Due to the absence of killing activity, OFF cells are unable to colonize the niche (2). Bottom centre: While ON (yellow) cells assemble and deploy functional T6SS (1) and kill susceptible competitors (2), they provoke retaliatory attacks from defensive T6SS⁺ species (gray) and are eliminated and fail to colonize the niche (3). Bottom right: Heterogeneous ON/OFF population (1) optimizes colonization by killing neighboring cells (2). While ON (yellow) cells are eliminated by counterattacks by defensive T6SS+ species (gray), OFF (blue) cells resist (3) and can ensure a continuous supply of ON cells (4-5) while limiting population-wide exposure to retaliation.
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Cascales Lab @cascaleslab.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Happy to share the last work of Jonas Desjardins, identifying and characterizing a novel Rhs NAD(P) glycohydrolase delivered by the #T6SS of the major cosmetic contaminant, Pluralibacter gergoviae. www.jbc.org/article/S002...
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James Connolly @ruamicro.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Latest research from the lab out now. We examined the role and expression of fimbriae during UPEC bloodstream infection. A real team effort and brilliant collaboration with Mark Schembri’s lab in Brisbane. Thanks to the MRC and BBSRC for supporting our research @ukri.org
journals.plos.org
Yad fimbriae are triggered by host cues and enhance extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli tissue colonisation during bloodstream infection
Author summary Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) colonise the human gut without causing disease but can disseminate to the urinary tract and bloodstream. Understanding the mechanisms...
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EMBO @embo.org · 01/06/2026
Register now for the EMBO Workshop "Advances and new frontiers in #ProteinTranslocation across membranes" in Sant Feliu de Guixols, Spain, 21–25 Sep 2026. Abstract submission/Registration by 19/30 Jun meetings.embo.org/event/26-protein-… #EMBOProteinTranslocation #EMBOevents 🧪
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Pilhofer Lab 🦠❄️🔬 @pilhoferlab.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
🛠️💉It's time for engineering contractile injection systems! @chipericson.bsky.social & @davidschaumann.bsky.social introduce programmable CIS - PROCIS, combining tail length control, non-native cargo loading, and cell retargeting all in one system! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 🧵 1/5
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Prof Jenny Rohn @jennyrohn.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
"Everyone I know in academia is hanging by a thread. The profession has always been fraught, but in the past few years I’ve sensed an edge of desperation in many of my colleagues. In theory there might be a tipping point beyond which we simply break." My latest blog post bit.ly/4nXsFpb #AcademicSky
bit.ly
In which we keep below decks – for now | Mind the Gap
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Teresa Thurston @thurstonlab.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
One week left to apply for two 3-year postdocs in the lab on molecular mechanisms of Burkholderia pathogenesis. Posts associated with Magdalen College. Our lab is based in the Dunn School of Pathology with amazing collaborators at Oxford and MORU magdalencareers.pinpointhq.com/postings/c90...
magdalencareers.pinpointhq.com
Calleva Centre Postdoctoral Researchers- The deadly enigma of melioidosis: Decoding the pathogenesis of Burkholderia pseudomallei.
Job Opening: Calleva Centre Postdoctoral Researchers- The deadly enigma of melioidosis: Decoding the pathogenesis of Burkholderia pseudomallei. at Magdalen College in Central Oxford.
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Richard Unwin @rdunwin.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
This is REALLY bad of Thermo. They've got caught, and their statement (in thread) smacks of a complete misunderstanding of of what they've done and disregard for their customers. What would happen if I submitted a paper with an image that had been "adjusted for presentaton purposes". Quite.
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Reese Richardson @reeserichardson.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
TL;DR: We've identified more than 100 cases of apparent manipulation in Thermo Fisher Scientific's antibody verification data. @sholtodavid.bsky.social @johanduchene.bsky.social reeserichardson.blog/2026/05/28/h...
reeserichardson.blog
How much of Thermo Fisher’s antibody data has been manipulated?
We’ve documented more than 100 instances of apparent data manipulation in Thermo’s catalog
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Stefan Marciniak @profmarciniak.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
Universities across England face ‘real risk’ of closure due to insolvency for first time www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
independent.co.uk
Universities in England face ‘real risk’ of closure due to insolvency for first time
In a new report, the Education Committee said 24 institutions are at risk of insolvency and closure within 12 months
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Chris Havergal @chrishavergal.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
Two in five UK universities are open to or are actively considering acquisitions and mergers with other institutions, find @universitiesuk.bsky.social survey www.timeshighereducation.com/news/two-fiv...
timeshighereducation.com
Two in five universities considering mergers as majority cut jobs
UK institutions look to structural changes to address cost pressures, but warn there is only so much they can do without government support
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