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Ya’el Courtney, PhD

@scienceyael.bsky.social
1.6K followers 914 following 277 posts

Jane Coffin Childs Fellow & postdoc in immunology @ Stanford Robinson lab | 2024 Harvard neuro PhD @LehtinenLab • @HHMINews Gilliam ‘21 • 119/100📚 in 2025

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Ya’el Courtney, PhD @scienceyael.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
If you're funded by NIH or NSF, the new White House science report and its budget annex are worth your time. They set the direction for the next few years and the annex has a lot of specifics. I read both, plus the hearing. Here's what I made of it open.substack.com/pub/lettheda...
open.substack.com
Thoughts on "Science: A New Golden Age"
What the report says, what the annex does, and where they don't match.
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Ya’el Courtney, PhD @scienceyael.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
HHMI released the official 2027 Gilliam Fellowship details, and a lot changed. Deadline's earlier this cycle: Oct 27. Int'l & MD-PhD students now eligible. Stipend up to 50K. New postdoc pathway adds up to 7 yrs of support. No Journal names!!!! www.yaelcourtney.com/resources-an...
yaelcourtney.com
2027 HHMI Gilliam Fellowship: New Deadline, Eligibility, and Award Changes — Ya'el Courtney
HHMI's 2027 Gilliam Fellowship guide is out. What changed: an earlier October 27 deadline, expanded eligibility, a higher stipend, and a new postdoc pathway.
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Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽 @needhibhalla.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
“If you’re at an institution, ask your sponsored-programs office to file too.” 🧪
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Ya’el Courtney, PhD @scienceyael.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
New OMB rule would move science funding from experts to political appointees, and let agencies cancel grants mid-project. Wrote up the plain version + how to comment before July 13. open.substack.com/pub/lettheda...
open.substack.com
From Objective to Opinion
A rule proposed by OMB would let political appointees decide what research gets funded, and cancel grants already underway. Open for public comment until July 13.
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Jane Coffin Childs Fund for Medical Research @jcchildsfund.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Cutting-edge immunology research 🤝 title that would make TSwift jealous Awesome science communication outreach from JCC Fellow Dr. Ya’el Courtney! @scienceyael.bsky.social @pintofscience.us
static.klipy.com
Predator: Arnold Schwarzenegger's Handshake Of The Gods
ALT: Predator: Arnold Schwarzenegger's Handshake Of The Gods
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Ya’el Courtney, PhD @scienceyael.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Gave a @pintofscience.us talk last night: “You Got Over Mono. Your Body Didn’t.” 15 min on EBV. 95% of us carry it for life. Major cancer cause, required trigger for MS, increasingly implicated across autoimmune and post-viral disease. 🦠
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Ya’el Courtney, PhD @scienceyael.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Save science, save lives! #SB895 savesciencesavelives.com
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Ya’el Courtney, PhD @scienceyael.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Researchers from Stanford, UCSF, and Berkeley are rallying in Sacramento on May 4 for SB 895 — a $23B investment in California science. Free bus available. Not affiliated? Join as a community member. form.laborbase.org/260746265337... Science needs visible advocates. Come be one.
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Ya’el Courtney, PhD @scienceyael.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Just updated my HHMI Gilliam Fellowship application guide for the 2026 cycle. Big changes this year: international PhD students and MD-PhDs can now apply, and there's a new postdoc pathway extending HHMI support up to 7 years total. www.yaelcourtney.com/resources-an...
yaelcourtney.com
HHMI Gilliam Fellowship Application Guide (From a Gilliam Fellow) | Ya'el Courtney — Ya'el Courtney
A detailed walkthrough of every component of the HHMI Gilliam Fellowship application — from the equity and inclusion statement to the community engagement plan — written by a three-year Gilliam Fellow with advice from successful applicants and HHMI leadership.
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Ya’el Courtney, PhD @scienceyael.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
Wrote up what biomedical PhD programs are actually looking for in applicants, ranked roughly by importance. Research experience, letters, statement of purpose, grades, fit, and the stuff you can stop worrying about. www.yaelcourtney.com/resources-an...
yaelcourtney.com
What PhD Programs Look for in Applicants: What Actually Matters | Ya'el Courtney — Ya'el Courtney
What biomedical PhD programs actually look for in applicants, ranked by what matters most. Research experience, recommendation letters, your statement of purpose, grades, fit, and what you can stop wo...
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Ya’el Courtney, PhD @scienceyael.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
I did 40 one-on-one faculty interviews during my PhD application season. Before the first one I remember thinking about how much was on the line and not knowing what to expect. By the end I looked forward to them. Wrote up everything I figured out along the way. www.yaelcourtney.com/resources-an...
yaelcourtney.com
PhD Interview Tips That Actually Help — Ya'el Courtney
Practical PhD interview advice from someone who did 40 one-on-one faculty interviews and now coaches applicants through interview prep — what to expect, how to prepare, and the mindset shift that chan...
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Ya’el Courtney, PhD @scienceyael.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
When I was choosing between PhD programs, I had a hard time gauging what mattered most. Everyone I asked valued something different, which made it even harder to figure out what I should be weighing. Wrote up the framework I wish I'd had: www.yaelcourtney.com/resources-an...
yaelcourtney.com
How to Choose a PhD Program — Ya'el Courtney
Deciding between PhD program offers? A framework for evaluating funding, culture, advisors, and fit — from a coach who chose between Harvard and Stanford and now helps students make this decision ever...
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Ya’el Courtney, PhD @scienceyael.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Wrote up a plain-language guide to the NSF GRFP — eligibility, what it pays, what changed in FY2026, and how the application actually works. Will update when the FY2027 solicitation drops. If you're considering applying this fall, start here: www.yaelcourtney.com/resources-an...
yaelcourtney.com
The NSF GRFP, Explained: What It Is, Who Qualifies, and What Changed in 2026 — Ya'el Courtney
A complete guide to the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship from a coach who's supported 25+ GRFP applicants. Covers eligibility, the application, review criteria, and the major FY2026 changes — includin...
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Ya’el Courtney, PhD @scienceyael.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
California scientists, researchers, clinicians — sign the open letter supporting the CA Science & Health Research Bond Act (SB 895). $23B bond on the 2026 ballot to fund research across the state. Takes <1 min. fundcascience.org #FundCAScience #SB895
fundcascience.org
Fund CA Science
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Ya’el Courtney, PhD @scienceyael.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
On International Day of Women and Girls in Science, I’m thankful to women who gave me early opportunities (Dr. Gemma Casadesus, @bethstevenslab.bsky.social ) & later mentorship! @lehtinenlab.bsky.social, @sciencedame.bsky.social, Dr. Alex Hochstetler I will similarly support women in science!
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Ya’el Courtney, PhD @scienceyael.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
I offer 30 min mock interviews for PhD programs for $75 - this includes pre-review of your application essays, the mock interview, and a recap sent to you with advice!
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Ya’el Courtney, PhD @scienceyael.bsky.social · 04/01/2026
I’ve been mentoring admissions + fellowship applications for ~6 years (through Científico Latino, Project SHORT, TechDev Academy, and as an NSF mentor via Harvard GSAS), and I finally formalized it into a clear coaching structure with options + pricing. www.yaelcourtney.com/coaching
yaelcourtney.com
Admissions & Fellowship Coaching | PhD + Graduate, College, Postdoc | Ya’el Courtney — Ya'el Courtney
PhD admissions coaching and fellowship coaching for college through postdoc applicants. Strategy + writing feedback for SOP/personal/research statements, CV/resume, supplements, and interview prep. Su...
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Ya’el Courtney, PhD @scienceyael.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
I read 150 books in 2025, here were my favorites 📚 Did you read and love (or hate) any of these? See next post to take a closer look. Also, always looking for recs! What books moved you this year? What book could you not stop thinking about? Any genre!
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Ya’el Courtney, PhD @scienceyael.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
I read 150 books in 2025, here were my favorites 📚 Did you read and love (or hate) any of these? See next post to take a closer look. Also, always looking for recs! What books moved you this year? What book could you not stop thinking about? Any genre!
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Colette Delawalla, PhD @cdelawalla.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
After months of work in DC, @rephaleystevens.bsky.social has, with the support of @standupforscience.bsky.social, introduced articles of impeachment against RFK Jr. But...the press thinks it can't be done. We aren't buying it. WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!! www.nytimes.com/2025/12/10/u...
nytimes.com
House Democrat Seeks to Impeach Kennedy for Undercutting Public Health
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Rep. Haley Stevens @rephaleystevens.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
Impeach him.
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Colette Delawalla, PhD @cdelawalla.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
YOUR MOVE @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/12/10/u...
nytimes.com
House Democrat Seeks to Impeach Kennedy for Undercutting Public Health
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Ya’el Courtney, PhD @scienceyael.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
“We now have the single most effective intervention against dementia [shingles vaccine]…if this was a drug this would be a blockbuster…but since it’s a vaccine I think the public isn’t getting the magnitude” awesome @stanfordmedicine.bsky.social Grand Rounds by @erictopol.bsky.social today.
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Jane Coffin Childs Fund for Medical Research @jcchildsfund.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
What causes long covid? Check out this week's video to see how one scientist is trying to unravel this mystery: www.youtube.com/shorts/b3OAG...
youtube.com
Long covid
YouTube video by Everyday Scientists
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Ya’el Courtney, PhD @scienceyael.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
Some engagement posts taken with self timer by my talented partner @kylemurphyphoto.bsky.social
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Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 12/08/2025
This is what the audience for a Long COVID conference looked like today. Notice anything? 😷
Audience for a Long COVID conference all wearing masks
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DEI Speedwagon @myrrlyn.net · 11/08/2025
every time sama posts about “you could have phd level intelligence i. your pocket” i simply remember that i can text actual phd @scienceyael.bsky.social whenever i want and not burn down a meadow to do it
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Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 07/08/2025
Excited to see a new cohort of @hhmi.org Gilliam Fellows. I have seen the impact this program has had and am glad its continuing. Special congrats to UNC's Celeste Robles and her advisor Helen Lazear, continuing a long tradition of amazing Gilliam Fellows here
Image of UNC's Celeste Robles and mention of her advisor Helen Lazear and the field of virology
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Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 07/08/2025
No one should ever have the power to autonomously cancel hundreds of millions of dollars for scientific research based on some lies they saw on YouTube.
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Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 06/08/2025
mRNA vaccines are one of the most important tools we have for preventing future catastrophic pandemics because we can update them more quickly than any other vaccine technology in response to new emerging viruses & variants. RFK Jr cancelling millions in mRNA research makes the world far less safe.
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Ya’el Courtney, PhD @scienceyael.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
P.S. this review was originally 5x longer and soooo much more fun/historical/engaging/narrative.... DM me if you want the director's cut LOL the reviewers did not care for the style.
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Mark Pickens @airshipwriter.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
Call Congress 202-224-3121 or use @5calls.org Pressure is necessary. #StandWithScience For @resist.bot write your Own letters or simply click the one below to sign and share, or text sign PQFDDW to 50409 resist.bot/petitions/PQ...
resist.bot
Support NIH Scientists Bethesda Declaration Letter of Dissent - Hold Hearings
Text SIGN PQFDDW to 50409 to send this to your officials.
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dmcal1.bsky.social @dmcal1.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
@markwarner.bsky.social bsky.app/profile/scie...
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Casey Maguire @casey-maguire-lab.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
David Corey is one of the most brilliant scientists I’ve had the pleasure of working with. Cutting funding to scientists like him is going to hurt our country in so many ways including its standing in the world as well as economically. Not to mention the health of our citizens. All for what?
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Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.net · 15/07/2025
Over 120 mRNA cancer trials are now at risk as the Trump admin cuts funding & tells researchers to scrub “mRNA” from grant proposals. What started as COVID fearmongering is now derailing life-saving cancer research. Hope remains - but scientists say time is running out. zurl.co/YBGNy
zurl.co
‘Tremendous uncertainty’ for cancer research as US officials target mRNA vaccines
Amid Trump cuts and state-level backlash, experts worry that progress in messenger RNA vaccines could stall
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Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.net · 15/07/2025
🚨URGENT RESPONSE CALL. FLOOD THE ZONE 🚨 The House CJS Subcommittee IS CURRENTLY marking up the FY26 budget, incl. NSF. Since 1950, NSF has been advancing science, health, & more. Tell Chairman Rogers: Don’t gut 75 years of progress. We demand NO CUTS to NSF. & watch the livestream: zurl.co/zScND
Graphic with a megaphone and Statue of Liberty background. Text reads: “CALL NOW! Demand NO CUTS to NSF Funding in the FY 2026 Budget! WHAT’S HAPPENING: The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies is marking up the FY26 budget – including funding for NSF. WHY IT MATTERS: America’s 75-year investment in science is at stake with a 23% cut to NSF. WHAT YOU’LL DO: Call Chairman Rogers and DEMAND NO CUTS to NSF Funding in the 2026 Budget! (202)-225-4601. Stand Up for Science logo at the bottom.”
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Uma R. Chatterjee, M.S., MHPS @umarchatterjee.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
Now a Jane Coffin Childs postdoc at Stanford, @scienceyael.bsky.social studies how infections like Epstein–Barr, COVID, & Lyme trigger long-term neurological disease. We talk science, survival, solidarity, & making academia accessible for those without a safety net. #LongCOVID #ChronicLyme 5/
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Uma R. Chatterjee, M.S., MHPS @umarchatterjee.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
At 15, @scienceyael.bsky.social fled a violent fundamentalist household. She battled #eatingdisorders, self-harm, & poverty—working night shifts while teaching herself high school. She forged a transcript to escape, later confessed, earned a GED, & won a full scholarship to Kent State. 3/
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Uma R. Chatterjee, M.S., MHPS @umarchatterjee.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
In Ep. 46 of A Chat with Uma, I talk to Dr. Ya’el Courtney @scienceyael.bsky.social—a neuroscientist whose life traverses extreme circumstances that most only read about. From surviving an abusive home to couch-surfing through high school, her path to neurosci. is nothing short of extraordinary. 2/
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Uma R. Chatterjee, M.S., MHPS @umarchatterjee.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
🎓 FROM FOSTER CARE TO HARVARD NEUROSCIENTIST: The Choice to Live, Maternal #Psychedelics, & Post-Viral Chronic Illnesses with Dr. Ya’el Courtney @scienceyael.bsky.social ☄️ Ep. 46 of A Chat with Uma is out everywhere now! Truly a MUST listen🌟👏🏾 🎙️Tune in here 👉🏾 creators.spotify.com/pod/show/uma... 1/
Podcast cover for “A Chat with Uma.” On the left side is Dr. Ya’el Courtney, a smiling woman with long brown hair, a striped blue button-down shirt, and small hoop earrings. The background is a gradient of rainbow tones. On the right is the podcast branding, featuring a rainbow-colored brain and leaf logo above the title. The text reads:

⸻

Full Transcription of Text on the Image:

A Chat with Uma
By Uma R. Chatterjee, M.S., MHPS

From Foster Care to Harvard Neuroscientist:
The Choice to Live, Maternal Psychedelics, & Post-Viral Chronic Illnesses with Dr. Ya’el Courtney

[Icons for Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Spotify, and RSS Feed appear at the bottom.]
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Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.net · 01/07/2025
📣EVENT ALERT! Join us next Monday, July 7th at 6:30pm PT at Burke-Gilman Brewing Co. in Seattle, WA for a conversation on how science works with @carlbergstrom.com (UW Biology) and Kevin Gross (NCSU Statistics) - and you! Find the event here & register➡️ zurl.co/nEQAN @burkebrewing.bsky.social
📣 Poster for a Stand Up for Science Teach-In on Monday, July 7th at 6:30 PM PT in Seattle, WA. Features bold red text “TEACH-IN” and includes guest speakers Carl Bergstrom (UW Biology) and Kevin Gross (NCSU Statistics). Discusses how science works as a social process shaped by norms and institutions. Statue of Liberty background and humorous image of a bird with caption "HOW science works, damnit!" Event held at Burke-Gilman Brewing Co. QR code and logo for StandUpForScience.net at bottom.
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Alt NIH Bluesky 🧪 @altnih4science.bsky.social · 30/06/2025
“More than 270 employees of the Environmental Protection Agency signed a letter on Mon denouncing the Trump administration’s efforts to politicize, dismantle and sideline the main federal agency tasked with protecting the environment and public health.” This is courage.🧪 @maxinejoselow.bsky.social
nytimes.com
E.P.A. Workers Warn Trump Is Politicizing Their Work
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