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Black In Plant Science- UK @blackinplantsci.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

We're delighted to share that BiPS co-founder Professor Yoselin Benitez-Alfonso has been awarded as one of the 2026 AAB President's Medallists! 🏅 Accessibility in Applied Biology Medallist 🌱 For promotion of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion within the Applied Biology Community.

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Black In Plant Science- UK @blackinplantsci.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

If you haven’t already seen, registration is still open for the BiPS Conference 2026. We are looking forward to welcoming students at the very beginning of their plant science journey + those that have been leading the way in plant science research. Join us by registering here: buff.ly/jeEVTqZ

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Department of Plant Sciences Cambridge @camplantsci.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Excellent candidates for 2027 Fellowship schemes are now invited to apply to attend our Research Fellowships Open Day. Deadline to apply is 07 December 2026. Find out more: tinyurl.com/2p9swnb9 @slcuplants.bsky.social @cambridgebiosci.bsky.social #PlantSciences

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Jen McGaley @jenmcgaley.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

The Fungi Field Day would not have been possible without a heroic team of volunteers from @cropscicentre.bsky.social , @camplantsci.bsky.social , @slcuplants.bsky.social , @ensa-research.bsky.social and wider @cambridgebiosci.bsky.social - thank you all! Bring on Fungi Field Day 2027... (🧵5/5)

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Darius Kosmützky @dariuskos.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Happy #UKFungusDay! Find me until 4pm in the Botanic Garden‘s FungiFieldDay @cubotanicgarden.bsky.social talking about my research on the interaction between #Marchantia and a fungus that loves #liverworts @slcuplants.bsky.social

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

We're at #NewScientistLive - use a scanning electron microscope, see like a bee, dive into computational modelling and chat to our scientists. #PlantScience #NSL2026

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Congratulations to authors Torkel Loman, Christian Schwall, Teresa Saez, Yujia Liu & James Locke

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Understanding how these circuits generate different behaviours provides valuable information for designing gene circuits with predictable and programmable functions & exploring whether synthetic mixed positive and negative feedback loops allow other properties of gene expression to be tuned.

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Using stochastic mathematical modelling & single-cell microscopy, they identified 10 distinct classes of gene expression dynamics, including stochastic pulsing, stochastic anti-pulsing, oscillations, bistability, homogeneous activation, heterogeneous activation & several intermediate dynamic states

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

🧬 How can simple gene circuits create complex cell behaviours? James Locke’s team shows how a common genetic circuit, combining positive & negative feedback loops, can be tuned to produce a wide range of gene-expression patterns 🔗 doi.org/10.1038/s414... 🔗 www.slcu.cam.ac.uk/news/how-sim...

Schematic of the general mixed positive/negative feedback loop model. Here, a single component (σ) both activates and deactivates its own production. The activation depends on the presence of an input, and the deactivation is subject to a time delay. 10 line graphs showing Simulations for 10 different parameter sets, demonstrating the 10 different behaviours the model can achieve. Initially, the system remains inactive; upon triggering the input (marked by the red dashed lines), distinct behaviours emerge: a No activation. b Stochastic pulsing. c Oscillation. d Stochastic anti-pulsing. e Homogeneous activation. f Heterogeneous activation (three different simulations displayed). g Stochastic switching. h Stable bistability. This panel depicts two simulations. The first (dark blue) is initiated at the initial (inactive) state at the same time as the simulations in the other panels. The second (purple) is initiated at the time of the input (dashed red line) in the active state. There is no intrinsic way for the system to switch between these two states (however, it could happen by e.g., the addition of exogenous σ). i Single response pulse. j Intermediate activation. Source code used to generate this figure can be found in the provided GitLab repository.

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haopengyu.bsky.social @haopengyu.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Five wonderful years at @johninnescentre.bsky.social Thank you @yiliangding.bsky.social , @CarolineDean and @KeLi for your support and guidance, and to the whole lab and all my friends across JIC/TSL. Thanks to Yiliang for organising such a lovely send-off. Now on to the next adventure 💪

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haopengyu.bsky.social @haopengyu.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Welcome to join my group! Fully funded DTP PhD at @slcuplants.bsky.social Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University. Use AI foundation models to decode the regulatory grammar of plant cell identity. Open to international students. Deadline 8 Dec 2026. bbsrcdtp.lifesci.cam.ac.uk/project-refe...

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Rituparna Goswami @rituparnagoswami.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

It was such a lovely conference. I had so many insightful conversations and encouraging discussions. Talks were super amazing. #plantbiology #SLS26

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

A huge thank you to everyone who attended #SLS26 & our concluding keynote speaker @apmahonen.bsky.social for a fascinating talk and exciting new insights into how stem cell fate decisions are regulated in the vascular cambium. Read more about his team's work: www.helsinki.fi/en/researchg...

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STARMORPH_ERC SYG @starmorph-syg.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Two of STARMORPH PIs were at the @slcuplants.bsky.social for #SLS26! Morphogenesis at its best! @xanderjones.bsky.social @srobertgroup.bsky.social

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Cambridge Institute for Medical Research @thecimr.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Are you, or do you know, a yr 12 student interested in medicine/research careers? Applications now open for ISAC, our work experience scheme for local young people. Places at CIMR, @mrc-mbu.bsky.social @ims-mrl.bsky.social & @slcuplants.bsky.social Apply via link: www.cimr.cam.ac.uk/inspiring-sc...

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Andrea Paterlini (he/him) @apaterlini.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Very excited to have Nadia Radzman, from @slcuplants.bsky.social, open our Monday Seminar Programme for this academic year! We’ve learned so much about plant peptides and neglected legume crops in her talk! 🫛🫘 Check out her www.broadnmind.com project! @instmolplantsci.bsky.social

Nadia Radzman presenting behind the podium

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Umeå Plant Science Centre @umeaplantsciencecentre.se · 24/09/2026

Nice to see Elsa Gascon sharing her work at #SLS26! 🌱🔬 At UPSC, Elsa works in a collaboration between @stephanevrg.bsky.social and @icelabumu.bsky.social, combining modelling and plant biology to better understand the mechanics of plant tissues.

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IceLab @icelabumu.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

IceLab and @umeaplantsciencecentre.se interdisciplinary postdoc @gasconelsa.bsky.social presented at the 2026 Sainsbury Laboratory Symposium. Elsa is a computational biologist whose research focuses on the interplay between tissue topology and mechanical stresses during plant morphogenesis. 👏

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Stéphanie Robert @srobertgroup.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

And the end of an amazing meeting! One of the best I have ever attended! Thank you @robinsonsci.bsky.social and News bâtis for the organization! @slcuplants.bsky.social #SLS26

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Marc Somssich @somssich.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Leonie is also on here: @leoniekraska.bsky.social 👍

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Vinay Shukla @vinayshukla.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Thank you for organising this fantastic meeting! The quality of the science and the discussions at #SLS26 was superb, and the organizers did an excellent job.

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Mariana Romeiro Motta @mromeiromotta.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

This was an amazing meeting, with incredible speakers and a great atmosphere. Thank you to the organisers @robinsonsci.bsky.social and Neha Bhatia for the inspiring symposium!

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

@keikoutorii.bsky.social shared her work investigating patterning & differentiation in stomata in her #SLS26 talk "The plant-specific ACTL domain determines bHLH transcription factor heterodimeric partner selectivity during stomatal development" More at: plant-stomata.org #PlantScience

Graphic from Keiko Torii's first slide showing impact of stomata on plant life on land - taking in CO2 and producing O2 and H2O

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Begonia possesses remarkable diversity in leaf size and shape. Lucy Turnbull shared her research at #SLS26 investigating leaf morphogenic variation through transcriptomic analyses. #PlantScience

Begonia leaf diversity - images of huge varieity of begnia leaf shapes among species.

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

How do plants grow cups? Leonie Kraska shared her research at #SLS26 investigating the development and plasticity of Marchantia polymorpha gemma cups - organs with a distinct concave geometry #PlantScience

Images of cup forms in fungi and plants - Nidulariaceae, Mitella japonica and Marchantia polymorpha

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

@thomasgreb.bsky.social shares investigations into plant vascular tissue development at #SLS26 studying repressor proteins and external cues like water availability Find out more: www.cos.uni-heidelberg.de/en/research-... #PlantScience

First slide of Thomas Greb's talk showing cross section of plant root and talk title: Roads to complexity: The making of plant vascular tissues

Illustration of Arabidopsis plant and arrow pointing from hypocotyl area on illustration to a white light microscopy image of the cross section of the hypocotyl area. Text reads: The hypocotyl is a hotspot of vascascular tissue formation

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Andy Plackett @seedrevolutionlab.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I know @vinayshukla.bsky.social regularly posts to promote others' research here, so I want to return the favour. Great talk Vinay! #Plantscience #SLS26

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

@joopvermeer.bsky.social discusses integration of mechanical feedback in the formation of lateral roots in his #SLS26 talk "Integration of 3-dimensional differential growth within a tissue by a set of microtubule associated proteins" Read more about the Vermeer lab work: www.unine.ch/lbmc/

Graphics of root cell with lateral roots emerging and timelapse movie showing lateral root emerging

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

@idonir.bsky.social presented fascinating research at #SLS26 showing diverse mechanisms by which tomato modifies conserved stomatal regulators to achieve surface-specific patterning & environmental responsiveness Plus PhD/postdoc role #plantscijobs Find out more: sites.google.com/mail.huji.ac...

Images and analysis comparing stomatal development responses to temperature in tomato and Arabidopsis

Fully funded PhD/postdoc project looking at Promoters, Introns and UTRs as drivers of stomatal developmental plasticity

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

@vinayshukla.bsky.social presented at #SLS26 a model in which O2 functions as a diffusible developmental signal rather than simply a metabolic resource or stress cue. Read more from the Root Respiration Group: sites.google.com/view/root-re...

Low O2 signalling in plant development - what is happening in apical meristem and lateral root meristem?

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Sabrina Sabatini revealed at #SLS26 a dynamic mechanoadaptive strategy that enables roots to adjust their growth and developmental programs in response to increasing mechanical impedance. Exciting work on investigating how roots reprogramme growth when they hit hard soil.

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Elsa Gascon from @umeaplantsciencecentre.se introduced at #SLS26 a novel representation of multilayered tissues based on simplicial complexes, which captures cell layers while remaining fully compatible with biomechanical modelling. Find out about Elsa's research: www.umu.se/en/staff/els...

Mechanical simulations using simplicial complexes

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Emily Oren from @slcuplants.bsky.social showcased her research quantifying the effects of division on mechanical properties of Arabidopsis hypocotyls using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Automated Confocal Micro Extensometer (ACME). Read about Emily's research: www.slcu.cam.ac.uk/people/emily...

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

@srobertgroup.bsky.social's talk at #SLS26 showed opposing growth gradients & cuticle integrity are key to maintaining hook. "Mechanical cues & reactive oxygen species work together to regulate growth, linking physical & biochemical signals in organ shaping" Find out more: doi.org/10.64898/202...

Growth ratio heat map of Arabidopsis thaliana apical hook

Live imaging of Arabidopsis thaliana apical hook

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Rong Li @shibalili1.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Great to be part of Day 2 at #SLS26 and to share my work alongside such a diverse range of plant science. Really enjoyed the discussions and the mix of molecular, imaging and quantitative approaches 🌱🔬

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

And that's a wrap for our Flash Talk speakers and poster presenters for Day 2. A huge diversity of really interesting research showcasing the importance of combining molecular genetics, biochemistry, genomics, live imaging & computational modelling

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Argyris Zardilis @zardilis.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

So nice to talk at #SLS26 about learning gene regulation dynamics from spatial data, learning interpretable mechanistic models from the flower atlas at the scale of the whole dataset!

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

@zardilis.bsky.social describes development of differentiable reaction-diffusion simulations and potential for application to other mechanistic models of morphogenesis to increase quantitative mechanistic understanding. Find out about Argyris' research: www.slcu.cam.ac.uk/people/argyr...

First break of symmetry on flower meristem. This formulation is used to address the problem of pattern formation and early symmetry breaks in flower development in Arabidopsis Thaliana, using a 4D spatial gene expression atlas as training data. The model recovers known interactions and predicts new ones that improve the literature-derived network

The research further predicts a latent diffusing signal needed to establish the symmetry break, a testable prediction of an unobserved spatial cue.

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Beini Chen from @mpipz.bsky.social reveals new findings during SAM switch to flowering. Live imaging reveals a ring-shaped hotspot of proliferation around the stem cell niche, while cell-cycle dynamics are reprogrammed in a highly spatial manner. Find out more: www.mpipz.mpg.de/formosa

Diagram of SAM with zones labelled. SAM cells undergo a transient high-growth and high-proliferation state, especially around the putative central zone during doming. Next question is are all cell-cycle states also spatially and temporarally reorganise?

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Kalika Prasad provides insights into how plants rebuild form by combining molecular genetics, biochemistry, genomics, live imaging & computational modelling research to uncover how cells integrate biochemical, mechanical & geometric inputs. Find out more at: english.cemps.cas.cn/Research/New...

Kalika Prasad discussing the remarkable developmental plasticity systems behind plant regeneration of shape. Image of Arabidopsis and showing that taking small sections from leaves or roots can be grown to regenerate any part of plant.

Cellular reprogramming diagram illustrating that biochemical properties, cell geometry and mechanical forces all interact in reforming shape.

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Kicking off #SLS26 Day 2 is @weibingyang.bsky.social talking about how cell walls guide stem cells in the shoot apical meristem including new research on pectin methylesterification & its influence on cell division patterns and stem cell maintenance. english.cemps.cas.cn/Research/New...

Confocal microscope image of Arababidopsis meristem and graphic show stem cell dynamics and relationships between Cytokinin, cell wall, cell growth, cell division patterning and cell division activity

Text: Mature wall methylesterification is required for stem cell maintenance. Images showing SAM siz different between control plants ant PME5 plants with much smaller meristems.

Weibing Yang at lectern presenting at #SLS26

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Vishwadeep Mane @vishwadeep-mane.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Me presenting my work of leaf development and Utpal presenting my work on cotyledon development! At the SLS 26 symposium. @slcuplants.bsky.social

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Ingo Nettersheim @ingonettersheim.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

What an amazing opportunity to present my work at #SLS26 at @thesainsburylab.bsky.social! Already the first couple of hours were worth the trip! I’m looking forward to the next 2 days of inspiring talks on plant morphogenesis. 🍀

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Wow, what a day! 👏 A huge shout-out to our amazing Flash Talk presenters and poster presenters. The poster session was packed with exciting science, thoughtful questions, and great conversations. A brilliant start to the 2026 Sainsbury Laboratory Symposium #SLS26! 🌱🔬

Collage of Flash Talk presenters on Day 1 of Symposium
Alicia Camuel - Poster #3
Annalene Hansen - Poster #7
Chiara Perico - Poster #11
Giovanna Frugis - Poster #15
Ingo H. M. S. Nettersheim - Poster #19
Jayne Griffiths - Poster #21
Katharina Schiessl - Poster #27
Margot Evelien Smit - Poster #35
Thea van den Berg - Poster #51
Vishwadeep Mane - Poster #53

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Martina De Angelis @martinadeangelis.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

So many inspiring talks today at #SLS26! It was great to present my and @tadseymour.bsky.social work on carpel development and have many interesting chats. Thank you so much, looking forward to tomorrow!

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

@mromeiromotta.bsky.social presents findings at #SLS26 that suggest that mechanical stress damages microtubules in ways that recruit MAP65-1, triggering the formation and bundling of new microtubules to reinforce the cytoskeleton Read the preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Mariana Romeiro Motta presenting at #SLS26

MAP65-1 accumulates on bent microtubules in vitro

Mariana Romeiro Motta presented a model in which mechanical stress generates lattice defects and damage that recruit MAP65-1, which then promotes nucleation and bundling, thereby reinforcing microtubule arrays. These findings provide a potential means by which cells can record and respond to mechanical stress through cytoskeletal reorganization.

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Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Bénédicte Sanson's (@pdncambridge.bsky.social) talk at #SLS26 explores the mechanisms by which tricellular junctions control dynamics during cell rearrangements and other cell behaviours. Really cool reseach also relevant to plants! www.pdn.cam.ac.uk/directory/be...

Cell corners are important in epithelials biology: Diagrams showing cell vertices imaged under microscopy and model of system

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