Sign in

Sonya Widen

@sonyawiden.bsky.social
333 followers 391 following 51 posts

🇨🇦Postdoc in the Burga lab at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA)🇦🇹. Developmental biologist turned selfish gene/mobile genetic element/virus enthusiast, working in nematodes at the interface of them all!

PostsRepliesMedia
Sonya Widen @sonyawiden.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I will absolutely be taking this energy into the culture of my own lab. "I don't know" isn't a bad or scary sentence, and being comfortable saying it out loud is a huge green flag at all levels of academia.
science.org
I thought ‘I don’t know’ signaled scientific incompetence. Now, I know different
When this researcher started a postdoc, he felt he was expected to present himself as knowledgeable
192
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Maya Voichek @mayavoichek.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Super excited to share my postdoctoral work at @imbavienna.bsky.social @viennabiocenter.bsky.social - We discovered that some retrotransposons, or "jumping genes" 🧬, are able to spread from cell to cell via a new viral infectivity route. A short thread: 🧵👇 (1/7)
AI-generated illustration of the soma-to-germline transmission of retrotransposons described in our work
20257148
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Max Farnworth @maxfarnworth.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
🚨 I AM HIRING a 3-year postdoc & 4-year PhD student 🚨 [PLEASE SHARE WIDELY] My Emmy Noether @dfg.de funded Neural Circuit & Systems Evolution lab (🌟) at the @unimainz.bsky.socialÍ wants to start existing. So..., what do we need? WELL... we need you! APPLY UNTIL 21 SEPTEMBER.
static.klipy.com
ALT:
15965
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Silvia Ramundo @sramundo.bsky.social · 29/11/2025
There are a couple of empty chairs at our table — want to sit with us? Reach out to me or any lab member www.oeaw.ac.at/gmi/research... We’ll be hiring two postdocs in 2026. We’re excited about ambitious and creative ideas and are committed to supporting future group leaders 1/2
13624
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Mart Krupovic @mkrupovic.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
Check out our latest paper on mirusviruses, one of the most remarkable new groups of protist viruses - extremely diverse, carry lots of spliceosomal introns (including new homing introns) and are at the evolutionary crossroads between tailed phages and herpesviruses! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Widespread and intron-rich mirusviruses are predicted to reproduce in nuclei of unicellular eukaryotes - Nature Microbiology
Environmental metagenomic explorations show that Mirusviricota lineages lack essential replication and transcription genes and contain spliceosomal introns, suggesting nuclear reproduction.
27439
Sonya Widen @sonyawiden.bsky.social · 08/11/2025
This is a most excellent read. Reducing Rosalind Franklin to simply a victim in the discovery of the DNA double helix inadvertently strips her of her very real contributions.
094
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Brian Owens @scibri.com · 05/11/2025
Canada makes pitch for US researchers to relocate with $1.7bn in new funding. My story for @science.org 🧪 www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
Canada’s new budget aims to lure U.S. researchers to relocate
Spending plan also calls for smaller research spending cut than feared
12403159
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Rory Craig @rorycraig.bsky.social · 29/10/2025
Excited to introduce Auxenochlorella as a new algal reference organism for fundamental plant science and bioengineering. A paper in two parts: a genetic toolkit for site-specific genomic manipulation, paired with the most unusual genome I’ve ever worked on academic.oup.com/plcell/artic...
academic.oup.com
Targeted genetic manipulation and yeast-like evolutionary genomics in the green alga Auxenochlorella
Auxenochlorella, green algae shaped by evolutionary forces acting on vegetative diploids, are amenable to discovery research and bioengineering via efficie
23917
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Piali Sengupta @senguptalab.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
Despite the mess, we are grateful to be funded, have exciting science happening, and have an opening for a postdoc! If you are interested in sensory biology and esp in cilia, thermosensation, or interoception, and would like to join an interactive & supportive group - please email. Please RT 🙏
04745
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Sjors Scheres @sjorsscheres.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
I just made an account and voted for this biology laboratory made of LEGO to "promote biological research and inspire more people into the world of biology". They need 10K votes. Reposting and/or voting below would be helpful. 🤗 beta.ideas.lego.com/product-idea...
beta.ideas.lego.com
Biological Laboratory | LEGO® Ideas
This is a two-floor realistic Biological Laboratory building. In this design, I try to tell stories about biologists, introduce biology concepts to general publ…
8223131
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Oded Rechavi @odedrechavi.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT📣: I haven’t been this excited to be part of something new in 15 years… Thrilled to reveal the passion project I’ve been working on for the past year and a half!🙀🥳 (thread 👇)
56495185
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Science Magazine @science.org · 14/10/2025
Science chats with photographer Lindsey Wasson, who captured how Nobel winner Mary Brunkow reacted to life-changing news. scim.ag/3IX1uuu
science.org
What’s it like to tell someone she won a Nobel Prize?
Science chats with photographer Lindsey Wasson, who captured how Nobel winner Mary Brunkow reacted to life-changing news
1285
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Ulrich Hohmann @hohmannulrich.bsky.social · 12/10/2025
Thrilled to share that I’ll be joining @imbmainz.bsky.social in February 2026 to start my own group! We will explore new mechanisms in eukaryotic gene expression, leveraging ‘evolutionary play’ to uncover how regulation, repurposing, and hijacking shape RNA biology. PhD positions available!
68331
Sonya Widen @sonyawiden.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
Interested in stem cell/developmental biology AND working for a genuinely lovely person? Funded PhD positions are open! 🥳 can’t wait to see what Anzy does with her unreal amount of brain power. 💪🧠
030
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Jacob Schreiber @jmschreiber91.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Now that I'm settled in at @umasschan.bsky.social, I'm hiring at all levels: grad students, post-docs, and software engineers/bioinformaticians! The goal of my lab is to understand the regulatory role of every nucleotide in our genomes and how this changes across every cell in our bodies.
64326
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Development @dev-journal.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Pathway to Independence: a forecast for the future of developmental biology In this Perspective, each of our 2025 Pathway to Independence Fellows discuss future outlooks for #DevBio and how their work will contribute to this exciting new era. journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
Picture of the title of the article and author list (2025 PI fellows) Chee Kiang Ewe, Max S. Farnworth, Anzy Miller, Joaquı́n Navajas Acedo, Marlies E. Oomen, Giulia Paci, Sonya A. Widen and Toshimichi Yamada
0126
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Institute of Molecular Biotechnology @imbavienna.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
Congratulations to Sakurako Nagumo Wong, former PhD student in Jürgen Knoblich’s lab, who was awarded the 2025 Rabitsch Award for her remarkable contributions to the study of human cortical development and neurodevelopmental disorders. Read more: imba.science/4gPHh6l
0141
Sonya Widen @sonyawiden.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
So proud of Dr. Saku Wong (@saku-wong.bsky.social) for her beautiful doctoral work that this morning won her this year’s Kirsten P. Rabitsch award! Each year, this award recognises the most promising PhD student from @impvienna.bsky.social or @imbavienna.bsky.social and it is so well deserved 🥹🔬🧠
Saku, post-award talk, proudly holding her framed Rabitsch award certificate 👩🏻‍🔬Saku on stage at the IMP for her Rabitsch award talk, with a packed acknowledgements slide because great science never happens in isolation!
160
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Jennifer Molidor @jennifermolidor.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
At a time when we need more of her and less of the rest, it is our great loss. Eternally grateful for the kindness with which she lived by example, her revolutionary study of chimpanzees that shifted scientific understanding of animals and nature, and decades of advocating for a humane world.
My hero Jane Goodall. Text reads 1934-2025.Jane Goodall comforts a frightened chimpanzee, early in her career, in Gombe National Park.
37722
Sonya Widen @sonyawiden.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
“Above all, we must realise that each of us makes a difference with our life. Each of us impacts the world around us every single day. We have a choice to use the gift of our life to make the world a better place - or not to bother.” www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
theguardian.com
Jane Goodall, world-renowned primatologist, dies aged 91
Jane Goodall Institute says ‘tireless advocate’ for natural world died in California during US speaking tour
062
Sonya Widen @sonyawiden.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
Together with my wonderful cohort of @dev-journal.bsky.social PI fellows, we offer our perspectives about exciting questions to be tackled in the future of developmental biology! 🧬 🧪🔬Inspired by any of the ideas? Reach out to us!
050
Sonya Widen @sonyawiden.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
Who defines the distinction between defect and difference? This is an incredibly important conversation and one that is close to my heart. A moving and eloquent article, from top to bottom.
121
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Julius Brennecke @juliusbrennecke.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
Close inter-lab collaborations with shared PhD students and postdocs are the future! Julia is the hero of this work, she is currently looking for postdoc labs …
1174
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Kranzusch Lab @kranzuschlab.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
How can we understand the earliest events in evolution of eukaryotic immunity? @yao-li.bsky.social reports incredible molecular fossils of complete bacterial-like operons in eukaryotes that illuminate how animal immunity was first acquired from anti-phage defense www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
26937
Sonya Widen @sonyawiden.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
Thanks to Katie Pickup (@katiepickup.bsky.social) for chatting with me about my scientific journey and what’s next in the future! If you’re curious about what I do, where I’m heading, and why I used to sleep with a chicken, check out my interview with Development (@dev-journal.bsky.social) below! 🧬
152
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Society for Developmental Biology @socdevbio.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
📚 Wishing all developmental biologists an AMAZING new academic year! 🚀 Boost your teaching & learning with SDB CoRe: a FREE, peer-reviewed online database of stunning images, movies & diagrams for all things development! 🌱🐣🦎 Explore here: www.sdbcore.org 🌟 #DevBio
093
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Akanksha Thawani, PhD @akankshathawani.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
Extremely excited to share that I’m joining Columbia University @columbiauniversity.bsky.social as an Assistant Professor! We will explore how the mobile genome works—how transposons shape us, our DNA and how they can be harnessed to build useful technologies. #NewPI #RNAsky #TEsky thawanilab.org
thawanilab.org
The Thawani Lab at Columbia University
The Thawani Lab at Columbia University describing their research on mobile genome, cryo-electron microscopy and genome engineering
1013834
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Molecular Biology and Evolution @molbioevol.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
Sarre, @alexdemendoza.bsky.social et al. study the evolution of methyltransferases and the roles of cytosine methylation in underexplored eukaryotes, revealing a rich ancestral eukaryotic repertoire and an important role for lateral gene transfer. 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf176 #evobio #molbio
doi.org
Repressive Cytosine Methylation is a Marker of Viral Gene Transfer Across Divergent Eukaryotes
Abstract. Cytosine DNA methylation patterns vary widely across eukaryotes, with its ancestral roles being understood to have included both transposable ele
12010
Reposted by Sonya Widen
John Hawks @johnhawks.net · 13/08/2025
I'm absolutely cackling that they developed a tool for analyzing ONE MILLION GENOMES and they named it DR EVIL Well played www.cell.com/ajhg/fulltex...
cell.com
Estimation of demography and mutation rates from one million haploid genomes
Samples of millions of genomes provide substantial information about recent demography and mutation, but standard population-genetic methods make assumptions not met in these data. We introduce DR EVI...
0546
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Mark A. Hanson @hansonmark.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
A reminder you/your lab can support FlyBase at Cambridge through the following link. Every bit helps. Please share if you yourself can't donate. www.philanthropy.cam.ac.uk/give-to-camb...
philanthropy.cam.ac.uk
Drosophila Genetic Database
The Drosophila Genetic Database, FlyBase, is on the brink of collapse due to the sudden termination of the FlyBase NIH grant, which includes salaries for 5 literature curators based at the University ...
181111
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Giulia Paci @giuliapaci.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
Thrilled to share the first story from my postdoc! 🎉 A wonderful experiment + simulations collaboration. In the Drosophila wing, we find that 3D cell shapes affect signalling range and fine-tune developmental patterning www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... Thread below ⬇️
510842
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Ethan (Chee Kiang) Ewe @ethanewe.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
🔥my latest paper from @odedrechavi.bsky.social lab🔥 we found small RNAs act across tissues to regulate fertlity in C. elegans 🪱. Surprisingly, we also found that O2-sensing neurons inhibit germline maintenance. Follow along our journey👇https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.07.669182v1
85827
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Institute of Molecular Biotechnology @imbavienna.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
Today, we’re celebrating World RNA Day by highlighting three IMBA research groups focusing on RNA research.
152
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Piali Sengupta @senguptalab.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
Want to publish a NIH-funded paper in Nature? Well - unless your institution has an agreement with Springer, you'll have to be mega-rich to be compliant with NIH's new no-embargo policy. Springer is insisting on gold OA - that's $12,690 and that's extortion.
1149
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Katherine Brown @katherine-brown.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
This is a useful summary of how some major publishers are responding to the new NIH policy. We've just updated our policies at @biologists.bsky.social: @dev-journal.bsky.social @jcellsci.bsky.social and @jexpbiol.bsky.social will allow authors to deposit the accepted version with zero embargo.
authorsalliance.org
An Updated NIH and Publisher Guidance: What Authors Need to Know about NIH’s Public Access Policy
In June, we published an FAQ for authors and librarians to give some guidance on how they might respond to NIH’s accelerated implementation of its public access plan, which requires immediate avail…
02116
Reposted by Sonya Widen
The Royal Society @royalsociety.org · 25/07/2025
Born #OnThisDay in 1920 was Rosalind Franklin. Her work on X-ray diffraction images of DNA helped lead to the discovery of its structure, but her efforts were only recognised posthumously. Liz Sockett FRS and Isabelle Moss reflect on her enduring legacy:
royalsociety.org
From molecular structures to research culture: Celebrating Rosalind Franklin’s legacy | Royal Society
Rosalind Franklin never lived to see the full impact of her discoveries. She didn’t witness how her work on DNA would revolutionise biology, nor did she witness the impact she would have in…
36133
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Oded Rechavi @odedrechavi.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
Pending editorial decision
416120
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Akanksha Thawani, PhD @akankshathawani.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
Vertebrate retrotransposons are the future of gene therapy. But how do they insert their genes? 🔥🔥 Thrilled to share our new work now published with Kathy Collins, @nogaleslab.bsky.social @berkeleymcb.bsky.social where we investigate this with #cryoEM & biochemistry in 🧪 and cells! #RNAsky #TEsky
26721
Reposted by Sonya Widen
John Murray @jisaacmurray.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
Happy to announce our paper comparing embryonic gene expression between C. elegans and C. briggsae, work led by Christopher Large with Rupa Khanal and in collaboration with Junhyong Kim and Bob Waterston. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
Lineage-resolved analysis of embryonic gene expression evolution in C. elegans and C. briggsae
The constraints that govern the evolution of gene expression patterns across development remain unclear. Single-cell RNA sequencing can detail these constraints by systematically profiling homologous ...
58132
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Genome Biology and Evolution @genomebiolevol.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
D.D. Fusca, @katjakasimatis.bsky.social, H. Zhu, @asherdcutter.bsky.social scanned the genomes of 51 Caenorhabditis species for Argonaute genes, identifying over 1,200 genes, novel subfamilies, and repeated gene gains and losses. 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf106 #genome #evolution #RNA
doi.org
Dynamic Birth and Death of Argonaute Gene Family Functional Repertoire Across Caenorhabditis Nematodes
Abstract. Diverse small RNA pathways, composed of Argonaute effector proteins and their bound small RNA molecules, define critical systems for regulating g
053
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Institute of Molecular Biotechnology @imbavienna.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
🚨📢 New paper alert! A study led by Kirsten Senti and Julius Brennecke offers new insights into how ancient endogenous retroviruses diversified to exploit different cell “niches” in the fruit fly ovary, and how the host’s defenses adapted in return. imba.science/Brennecke_EMBOJ
02810
Reposted by Sonya Widen
Shira Weingarten-Gabbay @shiraweingarten.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
If you love #viruses, #ribosomes, and genomic #darkmatter, this thread is for you!! 💫 We're excited to share our new publication developing Massively Parallel Ribosome Profiling (MPRP), which uncovered ~4,000 hidden proteins in ~700 viral genomes. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
34616
Sonya Widen @sonyawiden.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
Onto the Woodstock portion of the Woodstock.bio2 conference! Goodbye Prague, hello Bohemia #TCTeAC
141
Sonya Widen @sonyawiden.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
@gekaragoz.bsky.social representing @viennabiocenter.bsky.social and @maxperutzlabs.bsky.social at #TCTeAC 🥳 #foldproteinsnotlaundry
050
Sonya Widen @sonyawiden.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
Some improvisational theatre of deterministic cell fate going on right now, so this seems… correct 😂 #TCTeAC
072
Reposted by Sonya Widen
The EMBO Journal @embojournal.org · 06/06/2025
REFEREE 1: “I conclude with a simple, direct statement - this is the best paper I have read all year!” #TransparentPeerReview Co-evolving infectivity and expression patterns drive the diversification of endogenous retroviruses @juliusbrennecke.bsky.social et al www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
311638
Reposted by Sonya Widen
FlyBase @flybase.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
We currently have a call for support that has gone out to European labs, to support FlyBase-UK. We are asking our colleagues from labs in the US and other countries to wait for a similar call to them that will go out in the near future, to support the US sites. We thank you for your patience.
081114
Sonya Widen @sonyawiden.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
#worm community - if you can, let’s help keep an essential resource up and running so that fly researchers can keep rightfully dragging me for my gene name choices in reviews. Link for donating below 💪
131
Sonya Widen @sonyawiden.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
@lewsiferase.bsky.social fighting the good fight to put animal toxin-antidote elements on the map! Quite jazzed to see this story published. Tag yourself, I am the transient blob #teamTAs
121
Sonya Widen @sonyawiden.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
I was lucky enough to be part of the second call of this post doc fellowship program and would highly recommend! Many perks in addition to the funding ☺️
010