Who's looking for a post-doc? Consider the possibility of Penn State, where Dr. Laura Cabrera and I are collaborating on an NIH-funded project and could use another bright mind to help! (Learn about Dr. Cabrera's Lab at sites.psu.edu/lcabrera/) psu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/PSU_Academic...

I'm happy to share another publication from my team out today! Gratitude and congratulations to Abdulai Rashid, Nicole Rincon, and Nathan Rihani for this collaboration. www.cell.com/ajhg/fulltex...

Happy to have had the opportunity to collaborate on this piece with the great @saragerke.bsky.social & Jacob Balamut! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

I'm excited to share these companion articles published w/ student Caitlin Maloney & collaborators Nina Claessens & Peter Claes! We hope they'll spark important tech & ethical discussions on AI-enabled facial genetics research! doi.org/10.1002/ggn2.202500056 & doi.org/10.1002/advs.202513207

Motivated ELSI scholars, are you looking for a post-doc position for a Spring 2026 start? Come to #PennState to work with Dr. Laura Cabrera and me on ethical, legal, and social issues involving multimodal brain and behavioral data! psu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/PSU_Academic...

ICYMI the FDA issued three draft guidance documents for gene therapies (expedited programs for serious conditions; postapproval methods to capture safety & efficacy data; and innovative clinical trial designs for small populations). Public comment period ends 11/24/25. www.fda.gov/vaccines-blo...

I am sad to see that I already have a conflict that will prevent me from going to the 7th ELSI Congress back at UNC next year! 😭 Shouldn’t the organizers consult UNC alumni before scheduling that? JK.

Who is going to ASHG next week? Send me a note so we can connect!

I'm not sure when exactly this bright red scary banner went up, but it does seem quite ominous for NHGRI. I realize it was up much of the summer (as it's arrival was noted in this warning about the Human Genome Project archives www.statnews.com/2025/06/05/n...), but it still makes me furious.

Always a few bad actors that ruin it for the rest of us - Fearful of AI-generated grant proposals, NIH limits scientists to six applications per year www.science.org/content/arti... #grants #science #research #NIH

I'm pleased to share this Viewpoint coauthored with Anjali Deshmukh. FDA draft guidelines for AI could be important baby steps toward the realization of digital twins for pediatrics care, but more consideration of ethical issues is needed! jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

+1 on this message, as someone born and raised in rural PA.

I had such a stimulating time in Belgium this past week presenting at the 3rd International Facial Genetics Symposium and attending the OriGENE lecture by Joanna Wysocka at KU Leuven! Thank you Peter Claes, Benedikt Hallgrimsson, Hannah Long, & Manfred Kayser for organizing!

It’s a beautiful day at Stanford! And I am back on social media simply to express appreciation to @hankgreely.bsky.social for hosting another Biolawlapalooza! It’s been no secret that this is my favorite meeting year after year!

People have been asking me offline, so here you go... www.wired.com/story/how-to...

Let's call this what it is: This is censorship of scientific research. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Today is International Day of Women & Girls in Science. I don’t feel like celebrating when all signs show me this admin prefers to “protect us” from scientific facts, research, & innovations. To my sisters in science (esp at gov agencies), I see you, appreciate you, & am with you in solidarity.

Take my — — from my cold dead HANDS.

About 8 years ago I jokingly asked which would implode first, the healthcare system or higher ed. Joke is on me. They are taking them both out in one shot… and fwiw, no, I don’t think the actions being taken to achieve this are lawful, but wtf does that matter these days.

Research universities are often the largest employers in their region. They are often the primary health care providers to communities. This funding shift will not only reduce US research leadership, it will put working people out of work and reduce healthcare access.

Giving access to SSNs, other data on government employees to non-employees like Musk is a violation of 5 USC 552a, and carries with it a penalty of $1000 per person whose data was accessed. We are building a case. Govt employees who want to participate should contact me directly

Everyone concerned about data loss right now should learn about the End of Term Web Archive, which I believe has been working on preserving federal websites for the past 8 months. The dataset you fear has been lost may well be here Just an incredible project. Thank you to everyone involved

repeat after me: an AI system does NOT and CANNOT seek power. it CANNOT seek, want, & desire anything more than your toaster can. people in positions of power use AI to seek, assert, consolidate, and centralise power

Caitlin Maloney (my PhD student at @psuanthro.bsky.social) & I were interviewed by @elsihub.bsky.social), which was checking in w/ us ~3 yrs after being matched in its Trainee Connect Mentor program. You can read our comments on mentorship. elsihub.org/news/trainee...

American science and medicine has been thrown into chaos and uncertainty over the past week. Here are some stories to get up to speed. 1/12

In the midst of so much chaos and the unmistakeable scorched earth strategy unleashed in the US since Jan 20, it seems like a bad time to wish y’all a happy Data Privacy Day. Yet here I am doing it anyway.

An important commentary… www.nature.com/articles/d41...

ICYMI Trump signed order withdrawing the US from the World Health Organization. www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

ICYMI amongst the other stuff, President Trump took action to rescind President Biden’s Executive Order 14110 of October 30, 2023 (Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence”). www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

I hate the pervasive! and gratuitous! use of exclamation! points! in work correspondence! #GetOffMyLawn

Join us (Drs. Laura Cabrera & Ibrahim Ozbolat) tomorrow, January 15 at 3-4pm EST for this Zoom webinar by Jeremy Harbaugh titled "Do you own your bioprinted body? Navigating ownership, ethical challenges, and regulatory concerns.” Registration is free psu.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Are you an undergraduate student interested in anthropology (or do you know someone who is)? Apply to the ARISE at PSU program. The program offers research experience in human genetics, microbiome, osteology, and GIS & training in anthropological storytelling! anth.la.psu.edu/arise-program/

I’m excited to be at #PSB25 presenting this paper coauthored with Penn State law student Nicole Rincon and Illinois law prof Sara Gerke www.worldscientific.com/doi/10.1142/...

Ann Telnaes, who has worked at The Washington Post as an editorial cartoonist since 2008, says her cartoon criticizing billions currying favor with Trump was spiked — and now she has quit the paper

The media wants you to be outraged at bad Twitter jokes and random heated comments. They want you to direct your anger at random people on Twitter who "took things too far," rather than question the system that led to these conditions in the first place.

A great investigation that could have been titled “Denied by People,” because this is like straight out of “Automating Inequality” by Virginia Eubanks. People did this, and on purpose.

Curious about bioprinting & related ethical, legal, & social issues? In collab w/ Laura Cabrera & Ibrahim Ozbolat & w/ NIH support, we've organized an exciting 2024-2025 Boosting Bioethics & Bioprinting Webinar Series. Webinars are free (registration required) Join us! sites.psu.edu/wagnerlab/fi...

Today WHO issued guidance for human genome data collection, access, use, and sharing. Enjoy: www.who.int/publications...

Happy to share another article from my collaboration with Laura Cabrera, Daniel Susser, and Sara Gerke published today in PLOS Digital Health: "Synthetic data and ELSI-focused computational checklists—A survey of biomedical professionals’ views," journals.plos.org/digitalhealt...

Happy to share my latest publication, coauthored with Meg Doerr and Cason Schmit! publichealth.jmir.org/2024/1/e58358

Are you interested in ELSI research and emerging biomedical engineering technologies? I’m recruiting a post-doc to join my lab. psu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/PSU_Ac...

My colleagues & I at Penn State are excited to host this upcoming "Symposium Towards Responsible Biomedical AI" with Keynote Speaker Neil Richards on Oct 20. Please join us. For more info on speakers & to register, see www.lpe.psu.edu/assets/doc/S...