I had fun writing a short commentary on the importance of integrating prophage biology into microbiome research 🦠 Now out in @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social #microbiomesky #phagesky www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

📢 Registration for our International Symposium on “New Concepts in Prokaryotic Virus-Host Interactions” is now open! 🗓️ 5–7 October 2026 📍 Harnack House, Berlin, Germany ➡️ Information and registration: spp2330.de/symposium-20...

Very happy to share our Druantia III–Zorya II synergy story, now on bioRxiv: www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2026.05.12.724681v1 It appears alongside several Druantia III papers from excellent colleagues, each telling a different part of the story. (links below)

Happy to share that our latest research on the eco-evolutionary dynamics of MDR plasmids and PDPs is now out (open access vAuthor) in The ISME Journal doi.org/10.1093/isme... Here, we explored how plasmid-dependent phages (PDPs) act as a selective pressure against the spread of multidrug resistance

📣 Whelan lab is hiring 📣 We are looking for an entry level technician to help us with our culturing and DNA sequencing prep of cystic fibrosis lung microbiome samples. Applications close 20 May 2026. www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...

Less than 1 week to apply for this postdoc! If you want to find out more about the project have a look at our recent preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... #mevosky

New paper out in @pnas.org 🎆! Across healthy humans, the same bacterium encounters markedly different gut microbiomes. How does this shape the ecological interactions it experiences? We explored this focusing on commensal E. coli.
 www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... Image: @illuzation.bsky.social

We have a PhD studentship available to develop genome safeguarding technologies for synthetic phage therapeutics www.findaphd.com/phds/project... It is part of an exciting new @officialuom.bsky.social PhD by Enterprise programme www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/study/resear...

#Microbiome @uccmicrobiology.bsky.social @uccresearch.bsky.social @colinhillucc.bsky.social

My super department @warwicklifesci.bsky.social is hiring 6 assistant profs in the wake of recent retirements. We're looking for people in microbiology/infection, cellular disease / immunity; environmental biology; and plant/crop science. #MicroSky warwick-careers.tal.net/vx/lang-en-G...

1/8 🔥 New preprint dropped: Dynamic co-existence of bacteriophages and their hosts 🦠 in the Arabidopsis thaliana 🌱 phyllosphere Work led by the indomitable @sheilaroitman.bsky.social‬ #plantscience #microbiome #holobiont www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Delighted to share our latest work on gene transfer agents (GTAs). We found a lysis control hub which allows GTAs to escape their bacterial host cells and transfer DNA 🧬 between bacteria. Thanks to @tunglejic.bsky.social, all co-authors, and our amazing collaborators! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Phylogenomics of Asgard archaea reveals a unique blend of prokaryotic-like horizontal transfer and eukaryotic-like gene duplication www.nature.com/articles/s41... #jcampubs

Interested in synthetic biology & microbiomes? 🧬🧫 We are recruiting a PhD student to develop biosensors to study microbe–microbe & microbe–host interactions. In beautiful Lausanne, Switzerland🏔️⛵ @dmf-unil.bsky.social @fbm-unil.bsky.social Apply by 24.05.2026 👇 shorturl.at/6X7M4 Boosts appreciated!

Excited to share our new paper out today in @science.org 🎉 We show that HGT via natural competence drives diversification of chromosomal integrons in V. cholerae 🤩 Below a 🧵 on key findings incl. background on natural competence in V. cholerae 1/ #microsky #phagesky www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

PLEASE SHARE. PhD Opportunity with me, Ben Raymond and Jan Engelstaedter and Andrew Letten at University of Queensland. Experimentally testing mechanisms of how temperature may change selection and spread of AMR in E. coli. Coupled with some advanced modelling and sequencing. 🧪🦠 #microsky

Join us in Lisbon in September for the amazing GIMM Fest!!! Check out the program and registration here 👇

🔊 Looking for a Research Assistant in Bacterial Evolution to join my lab 🦠 🥼Main duties: Research (AMR + microbiome) + lab assistance. ⏲️ Post duration: 30 months 🗓️ Closing date for applications: 20th April 2026 💰 Salary: ~£35k Details and how to apply: tinyurl.com/2a3v66y7 Please share!

So happy to see this finally published in @plosbiology.org! This is the first chapter of @julielebris.bsky.social PhD thesis demonstrating how capsules are exchanged by plug-and-play dynamics w/ @epcrocha.bsky.social #microsky @klebclub.bsky.social Link below- Check out her 🧵 for more details!

New preprint alert!!! 🚀🤓 We are very happy to finally share this with the world — the result of seven years of work and a new tool to study integrons and discover new functions encoded in these bacterial platforms. If you want to know more, here is a thread 🧵 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Meet Molly Ingersoll, microbiologist & immunologist. Her work shows how women and men can respond very differently to infections, and why sex-specific treatments are urgently needed. She also speaks up about the invisible hurdles women face in science. Follow her here @immunobladder.bsky.social

Some of us know how sweet procrastination can be! If you feel the same, good news: The abstract deadline for the EMBO Workshop has been extended to March 19! Don’t miss the opportunity to present your work June 2–5 2026 in Oeiras, Portugal!

This! 👇

🚨 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁! After years of work, I'm excited share our manuscript "𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆-𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗚𝘂𝘁 𝗩𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗡𝗘𝗫𝗧 𝗰𝗼𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁: 𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻, 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀". doi.org/10.64898/202... A thread🧵👇 (1/11)

New post-doctoral research position in my phage-host interactions (Phi) laboratory in @otagomicroimmuno.bsky.social at @universityofotago.bsky.social New Zealand. The project is focused on defences against jumbo phages. Please share and if interested apply using the link in the comments.

🎉 We are thrilled to share our latest study revealing a new mechanism by which Legionella pneumophila evades antibiotic killing via reversible genetic variation mediated by integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs). 📖 Here for the full story: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

➡️ preprint from the lab! Bacteria have loads of antiviral defences in their mobile genetic elements (MGEs). So when MGEs move between bacteria, the defences move with them, generating a fast turnover of defences in bacteria. But what about the antiviral defence turnover in the MGEs themselves? 🤔 🧵👇

Very happy to see our microphysiological human mini-bladder published! 🎉 We show how urine composition affects tissue health and thus invasivness of UPEC, and how cell wall-deficient UPEC from the tissue reactive UTIs. 🦠 Check it out here: www.nature.com/articles/s41... #UTISky

New preprint out on bioRxiv! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... Can conjugative plasmids be used to control plasmid and pathogen spread? Follow me down the rabbit hole that led to this story 🧵

Faculty position in Plant Molecular Biology (Associate Professor or Tenure-Track Assistant Professor) at Aarhus University, Denmark mbg.au.dk/aktuelt/ledi...

A short research stay in 2019 (back in the pre-COVID era) at José R. Penadés lab turned into the third chapter of my PhD and today it finally sees the light.

I am seeking a postdoc to join my group at UCLA -- ideally the candidate would have some experience in either population genetics or microbes/microbiome (computational background needed). We have a range of projects and are happy to tailer to your interests. Please dm/email me if interested.

Most microbes don't live in shaking flasks; spatial structure shapes how microbes interact and evolve at every scale, as we discuss in our recent review @jeroenmeijer.bsky.social @simonvanvliet.bsky.social @bedutilh.bsky.social @bramvandijk.bsky.social and others academic.oup.com/femsre/artic... 🧵👇

To celebrate #IDWGS2026, we're highlighting women who shaped microbiology but never got their flowers, starting with Fanny Hesse. We're not stopping there; help us continue the work. Nominate a female microbiologist you know for a feature on our blog: buff.ly/kk7Ieye #IDWGS #WomenInSTEM

Calling all curious minds!🧠💡 As part of the “CURIOSITY IS INFECTIOUS” initiative, @helmholtzhzi.bsky.social is offering 10 fully funded PhD positions in infection research across its five sites. At #HIRI, we are especially excited to welcome PhD candidates who are passionate about all things #RNA.🧬

Unveiling hidden variables in stressed bacteria @cp-cellreports.bsky.social Review by @divyach.bsky.social and @maxencevincent.bsky.social www.cell.com/cell-reports...

Now out & nicely formatted in @isme-microbes.bsky.social A big analysis of ocean genomes & metagenomes co-led by former postdocs, now PIs, @gmdouglas.bsky.social & @cyanophage.bsky.social along with co-PIs @lbobay.bsky.social & Samuel Chaffron. A few highlights... 🧵 (1/n) doi.org/10.1093/isme...

Epitranscriptomic control of stress adaptations in Escherichia coli @narjournal.bsky.social by Sebastián Riquelme-Barrios et al from @kirstenjunglab.bsky.social academic.oup.com/nar/article/... #MicroSky

🚨 PhD Studentship available! 🚨 We're hiring a UK student to start in Oct '26 via the BBSRC CODEM scheme. Full studentship plus £10k top-up PA. Study the mysterious ZOMBIE PHAGES 🧟 🦠 with our fabulous @mermanchester.bsky.social and @uommib.bsky.social communities! www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

Registration fee is only 175€, some of the invited speakers: Charles Rice, Yasmine Belkaid, Bonnie Bassler, Daniel Mucida, Joy Bergelson, Matthew Chang, Carolina Lucas, Jeff Barrick, Carolina Tropini, Roy Kishony and more... Save the date now!

GIMM Fest returns September 17–19 with three days dedicated to the future of science and health, this year focusing on microbes. 🦠 Join researchers and innovators for a programme designed to promote scientific exchange and collaboration.

Interested in eco-evolutionary feedbacks? Microbial experimental evolution? Pleiotropy? Filamentous phages?? Check out our latest preprint, now up on BioRxiv! biorxiv.org/content/10.6... For a quick summary, peep the thread below...🧵 (1/10)

New #BehindThePaper for our latest paper in @natcomms.nature.com (rdcu.be/e2qMK) Secret Invasion: Strain Fate Across Microbiomes Cover illustration by Helena Klein (@illuzation.bsky.social). communities.springernature.com/posts/secret...

Amazing findings in geometry-based immune activation! Two bacterial defence systems detect phage-encoded ring oligomers, assemble high-order molecular complexes, and trigger abortive infection. www.nature.com/articles/s41... www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Passioned by #bioenergetics? Do not miss our new article on the evolutionary history of oxidoreductases with G. Borrel and @sgribaldo.bsky.social @archaeal.bsky.social @valdeanda.bsky.social @pasteur.fr @cnrs.fr @cnrsbiologie.bsky.social @natecoevo.nature.com (www.nature.com/articles/s41...).

Now with the final graphic ✨ Beautiful artwork by Sonia Monti (scientific-visualization-solutions.com). Design by @embo.org 🧬 The Rules of the Game 📍 @gimmfoundation.bsky.social, Oeiras (PT) | June 2–5, 2026 🗓️ Register by March 1st 👉 meetings.embo.org/event/26-cel...

Un poste de Maître de Conférence est ouvert pour rejoindre notre unité à Lyon ! Possibilité de rejoindre mon équipe pour travailler sur: - caractérisation des mécanismes de défense anti-phage - transfert horizontal et interactions entre éléments génétiques mobiles N'hésitez pas à me contacter

My first paper from my undergraduate work is out today :)

📢 Join us in sunny Lisbon 🇵🇹 2-5 June for the @embo.org workshop ☀️ “The rules of the game: biophysical & molecular principles in cellular evolution” Apply by March 1st! Please repost to help spread the word! meetings.embo.org/event/26-cel... #EMBORulesOfTheGame @gimmfoundation.bsky.social

New paper out in PNAS!!! 🎉 Do more plasmid copies mean faster evolution? 🧵 Dive into the story www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...