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Shikhara Bhat

@shikharabhat.bsky.social
1.9K followers 1.2K following 241 posts

Theoretical evolutionary ecologist. Fond of maths, natural history, wildlife, and metal music. Kokkonut and PhD student at Uni Mainz, 🇩🇪 Past: BS-MS at IISER Pune + MS thesis at CES, IISc, Bengaluru 🇮🇳 Website: thepandalorian.github.io he/him

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Reposted by Shikhara Bhat
Blake Matthews @ebmatthews.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Three new evolutionary ecology PhD positions are open in Switzerland (Eawag, and Uni. Bern) to work on Greenland lake ecosystems. We are interested in how stickleback and copepods evolve, and how their evolution affects the trajectories of lake ecosystem development. apply.refline.ch/673277/1403/...
apply.refline.ch
3 PhD positions in the fields of Evolutionary Ecology, Evolutionary Genomics, and Ecosystem Science
The Department of Fish Ecology & Evolution (FishEc) has vacancies for
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Shikhara Bhat @shikharabhat.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
An incredible animation/explanation (and equally incredible science!)
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Jeremy Van Cleve @vancleve.theoretical.bio · 29/09/2026
My group is recruiting a Ph.D student for Fall 2027! We're a friendly group of mathematically-minded and computationally-inspired biologists studying topics including social evolution, host-pathogen interactions, genetics, and demography. See vancleve.theoretical.bio for more info!
vancleve.theoretical.bio
van cleve research group
Van Cleve Research Group – theoretical evolution & ecology at the University of Kentucky
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Daniel Litt @littmath.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
that the mathematical literature as a whole is so reliable comes down to the fact that, over time, we have made an even number of sign errors
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Ben Allen @evodynamics.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
NEW PUBLICATION: “Adaptive Dynamics of Discriminate and Indiscriminate Mating”, with Sam Rothberg & Brian Lerch. We model and analyze the evolution of indiscriminate mating—where organisms mate with others regardless of their sex. academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...
academic.oup.com
Adaptive dynamics of discriminate and indiscriminate mating
Abstract. Same-sex sexual behavior (SSB) occurs across many animal taxa. Some instances of SSB likely arise from animals’ mating indiscriminately and/or wi
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Quanta Magazine @quantamagazine.org · 26/09/2026
Lie groups underlie some of the most fundamental laws of physics. www.quantamagazine.org/what-are-lie…
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Michael Manhart @michaelmanhart.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Two interesting Ph.D. student opportunities in microbial ecology, evolution, and systems biology, in labs I think very highly of: Tobias Bollenbach, U. Cologne (bpsb.uni-koeln.de/open-positions) Andrew Letten, U. Queensland (evoldir.net/brian/evoldi...)
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Anonymous Potato @anonymouspotato.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
EcoEvoJobs 2026-27 just opened for business and we've already got 79 faculty / permanent jobs listed. Please repost! ecoevojobs.net
ecoevojobs.net
ecoevojobs.net 2026-27
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Hanna Kokko @kokkonut.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
There is still time to apply! I'll start reading the applications this Friday.
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Ricard Solé @ricardsole.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
We are very happy to announce the launch of Systems Ecology @systems-ecology.bsky.social, a new independent, diamond open-access journal dedicated to advancing systems-level understanding in ecology. systems-ecology.org/index.php/se Check the Founding editorial! systems-ecology.org/index.php/se...
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Guim Aguadé-Gorgorió @guimaguade.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
This looks promising! "...free to read and free to publish, with no subscription barriers for readers and no article processing charges for authors. The journal is run by researchers, for researchers, with the goal of advancing ecology through systems thinking."
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Dmitri Petrov @petrovadmitri.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
We are searching for an Assistant Professor in Evolutionary Biology! Looking for colleagues asking fundamental questions relating to evolutionary processes and drivers of evolutionary patterns. If you think it is you, please do apply! And please repost. facultypositions.stanford.edu/jobs/assista...
facultypositions.stanford.edu
Assistant Professor in Evolutionary Biology - Stanford University, California, United States
The Department of Biology at Stanford University seeks applicants for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Evolutionary Biology. A successful candidate will conduct research that asks fundamental que...
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Katie Slivensky @kslivensky.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
If someone turned my scientific paper into this AI agent mess I'd be SO MAD, like, so beyond furious, I would be flipping tables. Just read the paper!!! This isn't hard!
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Rob Noble @robjohnnoble.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The excellent Hanna ten Brink in Amsterdam is advertising "a super cool Phd project on modelling krill and salps and, most importantly, their poo" that'd suit someone into mathematical modelling, coding, and marine ecosystems, polar regions, and/or biogeochemistry werkenbij.uva.nl/en/vacancies...
werkenbij.uva.nl
Vacancy — PhD candidate in ecological modelling of krill and salps in a changing Southern Ocean
Are you excited by ecosystem modeling, climate change and polar oceans? Do you enjoy quantitative work, coding, and turning ecology into equations? We are looking for a highly motivated PhD candidate ...
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Michael Reichert @reichertfroglab.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
I'm recruiting new grad students for fall 2027, looking for students motivated by animal behavior and animal communication. Our main study system is acoustic communication in treefrogs. More details here, please spread the word: reichertlab.com/2026/09/07/r...
reichertlab.com
Recruiting grad students for fall 2027
The Reichert Lab in the Department of Biology at Oklahoma State University is recruiting 1-2 graduate students (MS or PhD) for Fall 2027. Our lab does integrative research in animal communication a…
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Shikhara Bhat @shikharabhat.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
This! Of course the same idea extends to theory in applied fields
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Alexander Kasprzyk @amkasprzyk.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
If government believes "math is solved"; if research funders believe "math is solved"; if university administrators believe "math is solved"; if future would-be students believe "math is solved": then it really doesn't matter what the #LLM is capable or not capable of doing. Communicate our value.
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Daniel Litt @littmath.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Maybe too obvious to be worth saying, but: frontier models are now obviously superhuman at some mathematical tasks, including ones that the profession has, historically, rewarded with prestige etc.
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Graham Coop @gcbias.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I’m looking to hire an NIH funded postdoc to join our lab here at Davis (please RT). Ongoing areas of interest include: 1) polygenic signals of selection from time series, ARGs, GWAS, etc 2) The interpretation of GWAS, polygenic scores, & sources of confounding
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Chuliang Song @clsong.com · 10/09/2026
A wonderful review by Stefano on 100 years of Lotka–Volterra models. Don’t miss the incredibly detailed Supplement, truly the “War and Peace” of LV models. I really wish it had existed when I was a grad student! doi.org/10.1146/annu...
doi.org
One Hundred Years of Lotka–Volterra Models
Over the past century, the generalized Lotka–Volterra (GLV) model has grown from a mathematical curiosity to a cornerstone of theoretical ecology. Here we celebrate the enduring legacy of Lotka and Vo...
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Pranav Minasandra @pminasandra.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I feel the worry is mid-range companies. With this solution to the Millennium problem it's easy for a start-up to sell themselves as "solving" a (non-theory) field of science with brute force. Scientists have published all data, code, ideas etc in the spirit of openness. I'm worried about some...[1]
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John C. Baez @johncarlosbaez.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
If you're publishing massive unreadable AI-generated proofs and need to convince the world they're not just slop, you need to formalize them using Lean. Thus formalization paves the way for AI. 😒
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Shikhara Bhat @shikharabhat.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Precisely my fear for eco-evo. People often delude themselves into thinking they understand a theoretical result in eco-evo without delving into the maths because they understand the statement and think conceptual intuition is enough. Theorists are forced to do HW, AI tools encourage sidestepping it
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Sridhar Ramesh @radishharmers.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
It is no longer possible to experience any sense of accomplishment. Accomplishment is something a computer does for you.
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Sridhar Ramesh @radishharmers.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
The only thing I've ever done is thinking, which no longer has value. I think every conscious minute of my life, suboptimally.
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Sridhar Ramesh @radishharmers.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
If I were a better mathematician, I'd be mourning less. But I'm not a better mathematician. I'm precisely on the margin where I have no place anymore in the world that comes. As the margin narrows (truly marvelously), I no longer fit.
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Sridhar Ramesh @radishharmers.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I already wasn't a good or productive mathematician. Why are they twisting the knife on me so hard?
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Zach Weinersmith @zachweinersmith.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I am very worried about the mental health of math friends :/
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Ben Allen @evodynamics.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
It's hard to interpret OpenAI burning through $24 million of compute just to make sure the other guys don't get there first as anything other than a giant middle finger to the mathematical community
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Quanta Magazine @quantamagazine.org · 08/09/2026
Mathematicians at OpenAI announced that a group of 10,000 autonomous AI agents under their direction proved that the Navier-Stokes equations can “blow up,” thus solving one of the six remaining Millennium Prize Problems. The result is not without controversy. www.quantamagazine.org/ai-has-solve...
quantamagazine.org
AI Has Solved One of Math’s $1 Million Millennium Prize Problems | Quanta Magazine
Mathematicians at OpenAI showed that the Navier-Stokes equations, which describe how fluids flow, can sometimes “blow up.” But the massive result is not without controversy.
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Shikhara Bhat @shikharabhat.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Going beyond pure maths, ideas of computer autonomy and ideas of being completely out-thought by large-scale efforts from huge AI companies both sound like a death sentence for careers in theory in ecology and evolution, if I'm being honest.
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singular locus sarah @scgriffith.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
tried to explain to someone why openai's actions are so serious. not to be dramatic but we are in hell and all the demons are here
there are tons of issues here. almost impossible to convey how bad things are. in no particular order:

    this research breakthrough was a consequence of dumping tons of money into the ai companies. if the future of the field means being entangled with openai et al. and extreme expenses that is going to upend mathematics in a much bigger way than ability to prove new things will. this hasn’t been a focal point of discussion yet but it looks to be at the center of mathematics going forward imo.

    possibly for legal reasons, the statement stops short of accusing openai of stealing their in progress work. as in literally snaking their documents off the cloud and using them to try to undercut researchers. but it’s very clear that that is what the author believes happened

    openai straight up threatened the mathematician in question. in a colloquial sense they’re engaging in extortion. apparently this is so routine for them that they didn’t even stop to consider that they can’t threaten an academic’s career (or they assumed the mathematician would understand there will be no academic careers in the future)

    openai is straight up lying about their research methods. there are various ways that their announcements have had the potential to be misleading (for example when you see “we spent $2000 to compute these proofs” ask how much they spent on attempts that didn’t work). but what they’re saying may generally just not be true even in a literal sense
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Liam U. Taylor @liamtaylor.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
the year 2028. our global meta-analysis Why Do Gulls Eat Trash? is published. We show that multiple drivers influence the ecology of animals. our paper is thus of pressing interest to the broad readership of Nature Eco Evo. I blow the NYT interview with a rant about eyeshadow for hooded eyes.
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Shikhara Bhat @shikharabhat.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
The latest drama around AI use in maths manages to impact "is AI use better for the progress of mathematics as a whole", "is AI use plagiarism", AND "Are individual academics doomed if large AI companies are dedicating time and resources to tackling all the big maths problems" all in one fell swoop
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austin @aparker.io · 08/09/2026
the silver lining to l’affaire navier-stokes is that we’re seeing unprecedented levels of wordplay from the mathematicians. for too long have your clever witticisms been suppressed by a lack of general interest in your field; no more!
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Sean Carroll @seanmcarroll.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
If I understand this, two mathematicians (one at Anthropic) combined a great deal of human effort with LLM input to come close to a famous problem, showing that the Navier-Stokes equations of fluid mechanics developed singularities. But someone from OpenAI might have peeked at their ChatGPT logs...
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Shikhara Bhat @shikharabhat.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
What a wonderful, heartwarming read
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Hanna Kokko @kokkonut.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Are you into mathematical modelling of ecological and evolutionary systems? Look at this job ad for a senior lecturer in Lund. I've visited many times, splendid compact city, splendid department! lu.varbi.com/en/what:job/...
lu.varbi.com
Senior Lecturer in Computational Biology
Lund University welcomes applicants with different backgrounds and experiences. Gender equality, equal opportunities and diversity are fundamental principles in all parts of the University’s activit
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Daniel Bolnick @danielbolnick.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
A bit of good news for once: The @asn-amnat.bsky.social American Society of Naturalists is awarding its second-ever Service Award to @bobmontgomerie.bsky.social for his role in creating the data & code editor system with The American Naturalist www.amnat.org/announcement...
amnat.org
Presidential Award for Outstanding Service to the Community, 2026
<p>The ASN is pleased to announce Dr. Bob Montgomerie as the recipient of the 2026 special Presidential Award for Outstanding Service to the Community in recognition of the tremendous work he did in establishing <i>The&nbsp;American Naturalist</i>&rsquo;s data editors program.</p><br/>
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Sergey Kryazhimskiy @skryazhi.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Question for evolutionary biologists. Am I missing something or are Fisher's geometric model and Simpson's adaptive landscape model exactly the same thing? And why has nobody said so? If you know a paper that makes this point even tangentially, pls let me know. #evolution #popgen #quantgen
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bioRxiv Ecology @biorxiv-ecology.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Geometric scaling of non-consumptive interactions generates sublinear density dependence and reshapes coexistence www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/20…
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Hanna Kokko @kokkonut.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Come and work with us (the Kokkonuts) as a postdoc! Our research within (theory-evo-eco) is broad; let's say it's implicitly defined by the journal club papers we read. Which is why the application process includes a JC-related task, I hope it'll be a fun one for you! www.evoldir.net/brian/evoldi...
evoldir.net
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Shikhara Bhat @shikharabhat.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
The doomscrolling journey is long and full of terrors. Here, have a stream-dwelling torrent toad (Ghatophryne ornata) and a (land+tree)-dwelling snail (Indrella ampulla). Both brightly coloured, and I don't think anybody knows why! Both are endemic to the western ghat rainforests of southern India.
Picture of Ghatophryne ornata, a torrent toad endemic to the central western ghats rainforests in India. The genus Ghatophryne consists of two species, both endemic to the ghats.Picture of Indrella ampulla, a terrestrial snail endemic to the western ghats rainforests in India. The genus Indrella is monotypic.
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Corrie Moreau @corriemoreau.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
📣 📣 📣 UPDATE: The 2026-2027 list of faculty and postdoc positions in ecology and evolutionary biology is out! Be sure to check out this active and helpful community run resource! docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
docs.google.com
ecoevojobs.net 2026-27
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Shikhara Bhat @shikharabhat.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Some birds from Sabah to brighten your timeline
Bornean peacock pheasant Black-and-red broadbill Whitehead's trogonBornean banded pitta
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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Am Nat is *the* coolest journal - not just bc it's a beloved society journal, or bc it was well ahead of the curve in requiring data deposition, or bc it publishes deeply cool eco-evo work but ALSO because we have the best people writing our press releases. Become one of our best people!
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Quanta Magazine @quantamagazine.org · 17/08/2026
Mathematician Alex Cohen’s recent breakthrough proof extended the fractal uncertainty principle to all dimensions. The result earned him an assistant professorship at NYU at the age of 25. www.quantamagazine.org/graduate-stu…
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Paul Rainey @paulbrainey.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Ever wondered how new evolutionary individuals arise? Wanted to engineer communities so the parts integrate to form a new whole? Or impose conditions that cause simple chemistries to become Darwinian? New MS shows how. Psst… don’t tell AI www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Forging an evolutionary individual from separate replicators
A central puzzle in the evolution of individuality is the origin of heredity. Egalitarian transitions integrate formerly independent replicators into a higher-level individual, but this requires the c...
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Will Shoemaker @shoestrapped.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Some salient points here re: cell biology that I think are also applicable certain areas of evolutionary biology where reliance on black box simulations is the norm
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Julio Ayala-López @ayalopjulio.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Happy to share this preprint of one of my PhD chapters with @cbank.bsky.social and @spei.bsky.social! We use a population genetics model and find the conditions under which hybrid incompatibilities can be maintained in an isolated population when BDMI loci are overdominant. 1/3
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