I ❤️ Iris Murdoch #youdon'tsay - I'm so excited she has a new book out despite having died in 1999 and it's poetry - my fave - here are some of my thoughts: How I found an unexpected connection to science in the works of Iris Murdoch – by a molecular biophysicist theconversation.com/how-i-found-...

Blown away by this incredible documentary by Hannah Berryman about Eileen Collins pioneering astronaut, pilot & mission commander. I remember these famous space missions esp Discovery but knew nothing of their heroine. Amazing Q&A w her afterwards too. Beg, borrow or steal a ticket-unmissable!

Earlybird deadline has passed and we have our ideal number of delegates signed up but if anyone else would like to join us the venue has a little more capacity and we are still open to a few more applications and poster abstracts if anyone else would like to join us - it's gonna be a blast!

Earlybird deadline TODAY! We are nearly full-reserve your protein-making spot right now-we would love to see you in Birmingham-super fun interactive 2-day course-choose-your-own-adventure sessions for expression and purification; personalised trouble-shooting! www.eventsforce.net/biochemsoc/f...

It's Bandcamp Friday! daily.bandcamp.com/best-country... so far I've bought Folk Bitch Trio, Darkening Green, Kissing Other Ppl (all from attached) and David Hurn. I was gonna get Fancy Hagood who was wonderful supporting Ashley Monroe recently but don't think he's on. Further suggestions welcome...

EARLYBIRD deadline 18th Sept! Places filling fast for our super-interactive protein-making workshop. Come join us in Brum at Thinktank Museum & learn to make top qual proteins start-to-finish. Limited numbers 4 max interaction/troubleshooting. My report from 2024: portlandpress.com/biochemist/a...

🧪I'm honoured & proud to say I've been appointed chair of the organising committee for Physics of Life 2027, our flagship conference @physicsoflifeuk.bsky.social, @instituteofphysics.bsky.social & @bbsociety.bsky.social which will be held in Edinburgh 22-25 March 2027. Stay tuned for many updates...

@irismurdoch.bsky.social On Murdoch's Birthday why not consider joining the Iris Murdoch Society? irismurdochsociety.org.uk/product/memb... Receive the brilliant Iris Murdoch Review, keep up to date with scholarship, new publications, symposia etc via the newsletter & get reduced rates on IM events

I wrote about my 7/7 experience for the 20th (!) anniversary: The art of ‘travelling hopefully’ ft.com/content/ac05... via @ftweekend.com This, from the comments section, is going on my CV: In a world of pontificating dim wits, a voice that is crystal clear on what it means to carry on fully awake

🧪25th @ccpnmr.bsky.social conference is go! Off to wonderful start with session on peptides featuring Anne Conibear, @kawamuragroup.bsky.social so far. We don't think anyone has been at all 25 CCPNs but search is on for top attendee. I'm 22/25 -missed first 2 living in US and 1 for giving birth...

An outstanding afternoon at the cross-disciplinary 1st King's Multiscale Biofilm Research Hub Symposium. This is Prof. Jessica Mark Welch all the way from the US-just look at those incredible images! 🧪

I am at something amazing-a book launch for 2 very different works-a coming-of-age lesbian novel by Katie Hall & a book about evil in Iris Murdoch by my friend Daniel Reid. Totally inspiring evening @kingstonunilib.bsky.social is a total travesty they have shut down humanities

On the same day my son asked me how I wore my hair in the 'nineteen hundreds' & my daughter asked me whether the bike I rode in Cambridge was a penny farthing... #notthatold

🧪 I have an excellent review article on S-palmitoylation in health and disease written by a superb student I've been mentoring. I've been sniffing around for upcoming special issues on PTMs or lipids but no luck so far - anyone know of anything, or has interest in publishing this? NO SPAM please

PGR symposium always a favourite day of the year. Our @kingsnmes.bsky.social chemistry PhD students are so awesome! Love this action shot of our fearless leader Isma telling us what an adventure the PhD journey can be...

Absolute #dreamcometrue meeting the wonderful #MaryChapinCarpenter last night. The heartfelt dynamic between accomplished interviewer &lifelong superfan #NicoleTaylor and MCC was absolutely bewitching. Everyone was enraptured. Both so sweet & modest-privileged to hear the beautiful new songs. Lovely

I had a great time at the #climateprotest last week - I know fun isn't really the goal but it was a beautiful day with inspiring talks and the reassurance of being around sensible people who care about the planet and are actually trying to do something about it @ScienceToPolitics.bsky.social #win

I've got a crazy day on Tuesday but am still really hoping to put in an appearance - please come too 🧪

To find out about inner workings of department stores I bought a book published in 2024-it all felt quite relevant & useful, if a bit pompous in style, until about half way through it mentioned deliveries by horse & wagon. I've since discovered it was first published in 1901-interesting experience!

Every year I co-organise a popular protein engineering workshop with @Biochemsoc.bsky.social - this year we will be in Birmingham 18-19 Nov. Booking hasn't opened yet but interest can be registered here. We had a wonderful group last year-join us! www.biochemistry.org/events-and-t...

🧪Awesome Lizzie from the press office @kingsnmes.bsky.social has written a story about our new papers in Genes & Development @cshlpress.bsky.social which identify MdfA, a new protein that helps bacteria shut down their metabolism as they transform into spores: www.kcl.ac.uk/news/scienti...

🧪Amy @amycamp.bsky.social & I met in the Silver lab @danafarber.bsky.social in 2001 & we've collaborated ever since we both got our own labs. This paper about a new ClpCP adaptor, out today, is the work of about 10 years & we are very happy to see it fly the nest. genesdev.cshlp.org/content/earl...

This week I did a careers fair at a huge state school for years 7-9. Hundreds of students over 4hrs. Bought a 500 piece jigsaw from Vinted for £2.50 & the kids all helped me do it gradually - worked great & finished in perfect time! Lots of kids said they hated science tho & I tried to argue back...

Early bird deadline TODAY! Come join us in beautiful Harrogate...

The event I did in the Old King's Head now has a lovely write-up on the PubSci blog! I can't explain how much I enjoyed doing this - I found my milieu - sipping, supping, science - hope to do lots more of it... pubsci.info/2025/02/05/g...

I haven't been yet but I hear good things and have got tickets to this: www.arcolatheatre.com/whats-on/as-... something thought-provoking in these dark and complex days - I will report back...

I did leadership course with an incredible company 64 million artists-their online course Creative Courage is open-designed to give tools, time, space & community to build courage to make life changes, personal/professional. Strong recommend 4 inspiring trainers! 64millionartists.com/creativecour...

Never imagined being published in the Journal of #Arachnid Science but hey, #dreamscancometrue thanks to our fab Aussie collab Sean Blamires & PLuS Alliance - this is a review for spidey peops on recombinant protein production... www.frontiersin.org/journals/ara...

Happy 2025! If u fancy summat fun& vaguely educational to cheer up yr Jan, I've agreed to do 'Science in the Pub' event 15th nr London Bridge-will b accessible & entertaining (tho I do say so myself)-it's free (donations appreciated)-u can eat/drink throughout: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/how-ai-won...

Beware the #rickshaw #cyclists are out in force hurtling around #London eliminating everyone on #Whamageddon #Scrooges #merryChristmas

Shimmering city - feel very happy and lucky to live here! Took this on the way to our #chembio #Christmas meal on #Bankside #loveLondon

Roll up, roll up, this will be a fantastic meeting - abstract submission extended until 15th Dec so please go for it!

Sharing current @oxunipress.bsky.social #discountcodes (incl 50% off audio book just till end of today-sorry so late) for incredible book on #eclipses edited & partly written by #TomMcLeish (he'd've loved BSky) & #HenrikeLange reviewed by me @naturephysics.bsky.social nature.com/articles/s41...

Wonderful #NMR #reunion this eve @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social am feeling #inspired, #drunk & #nostalgic in equal measure. I spent 10 happy years in this uni!

Not sure #ConnectNMRUK has quite made it to the #bluesky yet but I'm loving the #Christmas newsletter that just dropped which includes new research on #NMR analysis of #Brusselssprouts & #metabolomics for tracking veg consumption: www.connectnmruk.ac.uk/connect-nmr-...

Walking between our #central #London @kingsnmes.bsky.social campuses can be time-consuming but on crisp #sunnydays like this the self-guided #streetart #architecture #walking #tours really come into their own!

Just for fun I put #sonnet18 into #AlphaFold3 & removed any letters that aren't #aminoacids (mostly O, U & B)-it's predicted #helical with low confidence. This sonnet has been ingrained in my brain ever since it was on all the bus shelters in #Manchester ~1994-at least it doesn't look amyloidogenic

The #Shard has started its #Christmas twinkling-always a cheering sight! Happy #weekend everyone! #loveLondon

My #reading life for the past month has been an odd mix of immersion in the #champagne world of #veuveclicquot in #Reims in #TheFrenchHouse by #HelenFripp whom I met in the loos at a 50th & a close reading of a friend's non-fiction draft on fascinating but stressful topic-will disclose in due course

I'm in a human #clinicaltrial called #Heartbeet which examines the effect of beetroot on #cardiac #health it's a fascinating experience being part of a different kind of #science I'm loving my current capsules-I think they're the real thing & that I had the placebo a few weeks ago but who knows?!

How does one get to be in #starterpacks? I'd fit in loads but don't seem to be in any e.g. #biophysics #structuralbiology #poetry #sciart #irismurdoch #chemistry

She loved pubs & collected beer mats-this year's #IrisMurdoch Review is alcohol-themed & includes my paper: ‘It depends on the liver’: Alcoholism, Detoxification, Regeneration & Wound-healing in A Fairly Honourable Defeat-can also be read on the IM blog irismurdochsociety.org.uk/2024/11/15/l...

Our fab lab at Engineering Recombinant Proteins workshop last week. We often accuse people of hiring in their own image & looks like I'm guilty too-not for want of trying (but that's what they all say!). Last time our 4 shortlisted candidates all turned out 2 b women w colourful hair & nose piercing

Think this was possibly my favourite gig of all time thus far-glorious women's harmonies-epic, beautiful @dawnlandes surprise dream bonus @JackieKayPoet & a total privilege to see & hear the great @PeggySeeger in the flesh! #moveonover www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/202...

Off to @IrisMurdoch conf this week - dream theme is aspiration & inspiration can't wait to reunite w friends from across the globe & experience 3 days' non-stop stimulation of the brain! I'll be discussing school effects, portraiture, science & The Sandcastle

Booking is now live for this unique conference in Durham celebrating Tom McLeish: www.dur.ac.uk/research/ins... 1st day: Rheology (whatever that is); 2nd day: PhysicsofLife (I'm one of the speakers); 3rd day: Science/Humanities interface (I'm way most excited for this part)

#woohoo #iykyk www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8hC... think it's my 26th consecutive year of 49 brachot - old habits die hard...

A total honour to write this tribute to one of my most wonderful scientific role models - my friend & mentor, the heroic Olga Kennard as an Icon of Interdisciplinarity | Crystal Growth & Design pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....

I was honoured to meet the great man once at the Royal Society (photographic evidence below) - sad to hear that one of our most famous alumni @kingsnmes.bsky.social Peter Higgs has died - he had a good innings - hopefully someone else's post will explain about the boson...

Last August I sent a book of poetry with post-it notes in all my favourite pages to my friend in Cape Town who has cancer. The Royal Mail postage cost £15.45. I was shocked but paid it & stupidly didn't keep receipt. Amazingly, my friend received the parcel today-we had both completely given up!