iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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SCOPE Policy @scopepolicy.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Meet our Leadership: Stefanie Williams is our microSCOPE blog Director. She is a postdoc at EMBL in Germany. She received her Ph.D. at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City, USA, where she began her research into the evolution of meiosis. @sillysciencelady.bsky.social

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Ben de Bivort @debivort.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

We are hoping that word of this search goes far and that we draw a wide and diverse pool of applicants. Please take a look and share if you're inclined. 5 departments involved! • Organismic & Evol Bio • Mol & Cell Bio • Stem Cells & Regen Bio • Earth & Planetary Sci • Human Evolutionary Bio

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Ben de Bivort @debivort.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Hello friends, the Harvard Life Science departments have banded together to hire a new colleague working at the intersection of Life Sciences and AI. Could be primarily an experimentalist, or could be primarily a compute/theorist. academicpositions.harvard.edu/postings/16773

academicpositions.harvard.edu

Tenure-Track Professor in Life Science and AI

The Life Sciences Departments in Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences seek to recruit a tenure-track professor whose research is at the interface of AI and life sciences, from methodological developme...

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Max Farnworth @maxfarnworth.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

🚨 I am very happy (and relieved!) to announce that I secured Emmy Noether funding by the @dfg.de to start my own group at @unimainz.bsky.social , hosted by Marion Silies & Jakob von Engelhardt in August! 🚨 Website coming soon - open for name/logo suggestions. They better be funny tho!

static.klipy.com

Sophia Petrillo with Megaphone in Golden Girls

ALT: Sophia Petrillo with Megaphone in Golden Girls

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Maik Bischoff @maikbischoff.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

1/23 I have fantastic news! I am truly honored to have been awarded an Emmy Noether-Grant by @dfg.de @uni-muenster.de Since most of you are not from Germany, I will use the following posts to explain what this Program is, who Emmy Noether was and what my group in Münster will be doing. #cellbio

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SCOPE Policy @scopepolicy.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

We're proud to share this interview with our co-founder @stepsbystef.bsky.social in @nature.com, on why science advocacy matters and why scientists belong in the policy conversation. Read his story:

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SCOPE Policy @scopepolicy.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

📝 Calling all science policy writers! Have something to say about science policy? We want to hear it! microSCOPE is open for guest submissions—both full drafts and pitches welcome. Bring your perspective, your evidence, and your voice. 250-800 words. Details & submission: Link in bio.

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SCOPE Policy @scopepolicy.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Join @spgatucsf.bsky.social and @scopepolicy.bsky.social for this FREE hybrid Science Policy Resume Workshop led by @abankston.bsky.social, a research advocate, government relations advisor, and former AAAS/ASGCT Congressional Policy Fellow. Tue 9/29 12pm PT/3pm ET. tinyurl.com/scipol-res

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the Node @the-node.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

I don’t belong here: Thoughts of a first-generation academic @sillysciencelady.bsky.social discusses her experiences of belonging and the burdens that first-generation students face in academia, and how she is actively combating these thoughts and feelings. thenode.biologists.com/i-dont-belon...

thenode.biologists.com

I don’t belong here: Thoughts of a first-generation academic - the Node

As a university student working towards my bachelor’s degree, I didn’t even know what it would mean to add “Dr.” to my name. Six months into my postdoc, I

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Steffi (she/her) @sillysciencelady.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

I have been slowly finding my way back to creative interests outside of the lab. This piece, where I share my thoughts on being a first-generation academic, is one of the results: thenode.biologists.com/i-dont-belon...

thenode.biologists.com

I don’t belong here: Thoughts of a first-generation academic - the Node

As a university student working towards my bachelor’s degree, I didn’t even know what it would mean to add “Dr.” to my name. Six months into my postdoc, I

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EMBO @embo.org · 25/08/2026

Don't miss out! Register and submit your abstract now until 30 September for the EMBO Young Scientists’ Forum #EYSF2026 taking place in Dubrovnik, #Croatia, 28–30 October 2026. 🧪 event.fourwaves.com/eysf #LifeSciences #EarlyCareerResearchers

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Wyoming Wormboy @wyomingwormboy.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

With most 1st-year PhD students starting graduate programs this month, it seemed like a good time to address the most important dilemma faced by many incoming PhD students—how to choose rotation labs. Although perhaps obvious to those with experience, many of the key factors are often overlooked.

helpimascientist.com

Choosing rotations and a dissertation lab - Help, I'm a Scientist!

By David Fay Choosing a lab in which to carry out your PhD is admittedly one of the more important decisions you’ll make in your early scientific career. But it’s important to have some perspective. F...

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Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽 @needhibhalla.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

From the abstract: “promoting a woman to Associate Professor increases female faculty by 1.5 members after 15 years, leads to six additional female PhD graduates over the following decade, and raises the number who subsequently remain in academia and reach tenured positions”

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Steffi (she/her) @sillysciencelady.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

As I was trying to figure out how to properly visualize some data, @acollierastro.bsky.social’s voice popped into my brain reminding me of histograms (instead of violin plots because they kind if didn’t show what I wanted to convey). If you aren’t familiar with her work, I highly recommend her work!

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Gabrielle A. Perry, MPH @geauxgabrielle.blacksky.app · 27/07/2026

I’m so happy and proud to announce that my nonprofit is awarding $100,000 in scholarships this upcoming 7th cycle of The Perry Second Chances Scholarship. The largest amount of money we have EVER awarded in one cycle. $10,000 PER WOMAN. Subscribe to thurmanperryfoundation.org to stay up to date.

THE PERRY SECOND CHANCES SCHOLARSHIP
$100.000
vailable
'Everyone Deserves A Second Chance!
- Gabrielle Angelique Perry, MPH, Founder & Executive Director
The mission of The Perry 'Second Chances' Scholarship is to annually provide fiscal resources to formerly incarcerated women and the daughters of anyone who has been impacted by incarceration. Women who are currently enrolled or recently accepted into an accredited 2-to-4-year educational institution will be given a one-time, $10,000 scholarship, paid directly to their institutions, to support their education & needs in order to thrive in their educational endeavors.
Applications open 11.15.2026 and close 2.27.2027, at www.theperryscholarship.org
Learn more at thurmanperryfoundation.org

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Ann Kennedy @antihebbiann.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Happy Monday! Come learn how jellyfish swim. In a review led by fluid dynamics maestro Alex Hoover, we outline how neuromechanical modeling will help us understand how modulation of neural activity allows jellyfish to jet and pirouette through fluids www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Figure 1. The fluid dynamics of jellyfish swimming. a) Minimum intensity projection of a video clip of swimming Clytia hemisphaerica recorded at 30 fps; dark spots capture trajectories of tentacle bulbs, mouth, and gonads over time. Blue outlines approximate the margin of jellyfish on the frame of maximum extent on two successive swim pulses; green arrow shows direction of swimming. b) Minimum intensity projection of the same animal during a period of turning, showing asymmetry in the movement of bulbs on the inside vs outside of the turn. c) 3D diagram of the bell of a swimming jellyfish, showing starting and stopping vortex rings and fluid flow into (blue) vs away from (purple) the bell during the passive energy recapture phase of swimming. d) Cross section of a swimming jellyfish showing fluid vorticity toward the end of a swim pulse relaxation phase, showing locations of the starting and stopping vortex rings and the boundary layer. e) Swim pulse dynamics of an oblate jellyfish under symmetric bell contraction, producing straight swimming. The starting vortex ring is generated by active muscle contraction of the bell (ii, purple arrows), while the stopping vortex ring is generated by passive elastic relaxation (iii-iv, green arrows) from the mesoglea. Forward motion during the relaxation phase arises from the interaction of the starting and stopping vortex rings, with the starting vortex ring pulling fluid away from the bell and the stopping vortex ring directing fluid into the subumbrellar cavity. f) Swim pulse dynamics under asymmetric bell contraction, producing turning. Initially at rest (i), the neuronal signal initiates a muscular contraction in the bell margin on the inside of the turn before a stronger contraction of the bell margin is observed on the outside of the turn (ii-iii, purple arrows). The corresponding passive restoration yields a stronger expansion of the bell margin on the outside of the turn (iv, green arrows).

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Steffi (she/her) @sillysciencelady.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

I used to donate blood and plasma regularly. Now, I'm no longer allowed to due to medical reasons but if you can, this is such an easy thing you can do and it LITERALLY is life-saving. Please consider it and take a couple friends with you to make it a group activity.

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Steffi (she/her) @sillysciencelady.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

If you work in academia and are chronically ill/disabled: I am working on a little something as I am hoping to contribute to a more accessible space for us. If you have any particular questions/concerns that you think need highlighting, let me know here or in a dm (as you feel comfortable). 🧪🧬👩‍🔬

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Leah Rosin @scienceleah.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

New paper from the Rosin lab in collaboration with the Hawley lab 🎉 Spearheaded by postdoc Leif Benner. We use imaging and RNA-seq to better understand apyrene meiosis. Programmed meiotic errors facilitate dichotomous sperm production in the silkworm, Bombyx mori. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

pnas.org

PNAS

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...

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Steffi (she/her) @sillysciencelady.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

What a day it was! There are many past versions of me who did not believe that I could make it this far. Proud of myself for overcoming hurdle after hurdle after hurdle. Thank you to everyone who supported me on my way!

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Stowers Institute @stowersinstitute.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

This #MicroscopyMonday shows the synaptonemal complex, which is a multi-protein structure that forms in early #meiosis between the maternal and paternal copy of each #chromosome. Here, we see two such structures in the fruit fly. @sillysciencelady.bsky.social (Hawley Lab & Gibson Lab)

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Steffi (she/her) @sillysciencelady.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

My second PhD project is now out as a preprint! Our observations of the synaptonemal complex in wild-type Nematostella suggested an incredible degree of conservation. Then, our mutants told a story of dramatic functional divergence. We were bamboozled on a regular basis with this one! 🧪 #meiosis4eva

biorxiv.org

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Steffi (she/her) @sillysciencelady.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

I’m so excited (and nervous!!) to be defending my PhD thesis on February 5th! If anyone is interested in virtually attending my thesis seminar, let me know and I’ll send you the zoom link. My seminar will focus on the Nematostella part of my thesis research. #meiosis4eva

A flyer from the Graduate School of the Stowers Institute for Medical Research advertising the upcoming thesis defense seminar of Stefanie Williams. The title provided is: “A complex story: Probing the evolution of chromosome synapsis proteins in Nematostella vectensis and Drosophila melanogaster. It will take place on Thursday, February 5th of 2026 at 11:00 AM Kansas City local time. The thesis advisors listed are Matt Gibson and Scott Hawley

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Steffi (she/her) @sillysciencelady.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

Having been a PhD student of Scott’s is one of my greatest honors. I consider myself very lucky to have learned from him and that I found a research topic that I absolutely love, even on the most miserable days. 🧬

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the Node @the-node.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

A bittersweet acceptance: Between a manuscript and grief Stefanie Williams @sillysciencelady.bsky.social shares the story behind her paper on the synaptonemal complex, including a tribute to her supervisor Scott Hawley, who passed away while Stefanie was completing the research.

thenode.biologists.com

A bittersweet acceptance: Between a manuscript and grief - the Node

I was so excited when I received notification that my first first-author research paper was accepted. My excitement quickly turned into sadness with the realization that my co-PI was not seeing our vi...

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Harmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

Are you an early-stage graduate student (2nd or 3rd year) or early-stage postdoc based in the US or Canada, working primarily in Drosophila? Would you like to help improve the experience of all trainees working in Drosophila research? If so, read on. (Please repost to reach a broad audience.)

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Valérie Borde @lab-borde.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

We are hiring! We are looking for a motivated and enthusiastic postdoc to study mammalian DSB repair using innovative genomic approaches. Our lab is at the Curie Institute in Paris and offers vibrant scientific environnement and cutting edge platforms. Please repost or apply here: lnkd.in/eJ9q3QrR

lnkd.in

Institut Curie hiring Postdoctoral Position in Mammalian DSB Repair (F/M) in Paris, Île-de-France, France | LinkedIn

Posted 8:04:09 PM. About UsInstitut Curie Research CenterInstitut Curie is a major player in the research and fight…See this and similar jobs on LinkedIn.

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Brooke Fitzwater, PhD (she/her) 🐟🪱🏳️‍🌈♾️ @oceanfilly.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

With many postdoc grants like the NSF PRFB, Ford Fellowship, and Hanna H. Gray fellowships disappearing, I am currently looking for grants that could fund incoming postdoctoral scholars. Here is a thread of some of them 🧵

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Martin Kampmann @kampmann.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

Tenure-track faculty search of the UCSF Biochemistry & Biophysics Department is open for applications! We are looking for creative, innovative scientists asking fundamental questions in any area of biology. Join our vibrant, collaborative, and supportive community! aprecruit.ucsf.edu/JPF05702

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Kevin Mitchell @wiringthebrain.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

Very pleased to say we have an Assistant Professor job opening (tenure track) in the Department of Genetics at Trinity College Dublin! 😀 www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOA399/a... - deadline is August 19th! Please repost!

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Isabel @isabelott.bsky.social · 13/07/2025

PSA for flood response: remember to NEVER mix cleaning solutions across classes, especially bleach x any ammonia or ammonium salts derivative (e.g. Lysol & many medical-grade spray cleaners)!! Biological hazard-graded respirators won’t protect against hazardous chemical fumes.

DO NOT MIX THESE CLEANING PRODUCTS
BLEACH + VINEGAR
Bleach and vinegar mixture produces chlorine gas, which can cause coughing, breathing
problems, burning and watery eyes.
BLEACH + AMMONIA
Bleach and ammonia produce a toxic gas called chloramine. It causes shortness of breath and chest pain.
BLEACH + RUBBING ALCOHOL
Bleach and rubbing alcohol makes chloroform, which is highly toxic.
HYDROGEN PEROXIDE +
VINEGAR
This combination makes peracetic/peroxyacetic acid, which can be highly corrosive

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Yvonne Lam @yvonnezlam.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

TIL (on mastodon) that the US National Park Service has crochet patterns! www.nps.gov/articles/000...

nps.gov

Halibut Crochet Pattern (U.S. National Park Service)

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METR @metr.org · 10/07/2025

We ran a randomized controlled trial to see how much AI coding tools speed up experienced open-source developers. The results surprised us: Developers thought they were 20% faster with AI tools, but they were actually 19% slower when they had access to AI than when they didn't.

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Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽 @needhibhalla.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

🧪 After the workshop on 7/7, the FDA and NIH are asking for public comments on implementing novel methodologies and other strategies to reduce the use of animal testing by 7/14: www.fda.gov/news-events/...

fda.gov

FDA-NIH Workshop: Reducing Animal Testing

The FDA is hosting a workshop on reducing animal testing. The workshop is open to current FDA and NIH employees.

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Christian Mosimann @chrmosimann.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

Reposting this as the same issue continues at #IZFC2025: lots of red/green LUTs in talks. Especially the #zebrafish crowd, with imaging as a key technique in our field, should be able to do better. And know how to. #WeTheColorBlind #2025IZFC @izfs.bsky.social

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Steffi (she/her) @sillysciencelady.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

It was an honor to be the last PhD student he took in. He was always excited about even the smallest progress I made. But he was truly more than just a scientific advisor and I will miss him deeply. Rest In Peace, Scott. And thank you for everything.

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Harmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

If you have been affected by the fires in LA, or are concerned about your ability to keep precious Drosophila strains going during the latest funding crisis, we will host your strains as a backup. Please email me. Please amplify. If you are also able to host fly strains, add your name as well.

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Steffi (she/her) @sillysciencelady.bsky.social · 14/12/2024

Today I passed my qualifying exam and am officially a PhD candidate 🎉

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