Hi, I spent 5+ years of my life on this work and it’s finally out (and under review), so I’d appreciate it if you’d feign excitement or at least pretend to read it. Thanks! #RNAsky #COVID #AcademiaSky 🧪 🦠 ⭕️

That feeling when you get the go-ahead to finally send the manuscript of your PhD work to your co-authors

The danger to my job from AI isn't that AI can do my job, it's that my job is made even more precarious by the way AI is shaping ideas of the value of work. It can't do my job, but it can be part of convincing people (incorrectly) that my job isn't necessary.

Come work with us (or tell your graduating undergrads to do so)! 🧪🦠 #virology

Which means it’s extra important for those of us with knowledge in applicable fields to be out in the community having conversations and giving people the information they need to advocate for themselves and the health of their communities. “Optional” does not mean banned.

Welcome to Day 3 of Black In Micro Week! 🎉 Don't miss today's free events - simply click the linktr.ee/BlackInMicro to 1) Register and 2) Login. Everyone is welcome to join! Show your support by donating at tinyurl.com/GiveBiM (all links in bio). #BlackInMicro #BiM2025

Since they just announced their annual international scientific meeting will be held in Florida in 2026, here’s hoping the @globalvirusnews.bsky.social incorporates some free outreach programs for the public. Hold some accessible talks at a library or school. Encourage conversations Anything! 🦠🧪

This is absolute perfection. Thank you John Darnielle for finding the words and stringing them together so beautifully.

Thinking about the FDA approval of Lenacapavir today, during #pride month. I wonder what pride month, & our society as a whole, would look like today if the millions that have died were still alive today? 🦠🧪🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ www.gilead.com/news/news-de...

23 years ago, I dropped out of high school after sophomore year because I was bullied for being queer, & was suicidal. Yesterday, I served as the 2025 PhD speaker for the Stanford School of Medicine graduation. This was not my dream, because I had no dreams. Now I’m almost 40 & full of hope. 🎓 🦠🧪🔬🧬

This is exactly why I made a campy horror inspired movie trailer/preview short film about my thesis and sent it out to my entire department before my defense last week. It’s so stupid and fun. More silliness in #science and #academia, please!

It’s thesis defense day!!!

Another thing: take pronoun usage in reference letters from mentors with a grain of salt. Always default to what the applicant says. If a mentor misgenders them in a letter, it could be a mistake, or it could show that the trainee was in an unsafe environment where they felt they couldn’t be out.

Happy pride month, #AcademiaSky! If you are interviewing a trans or nonbinary person for a position in your lab or group, don’t stop at pronouns. I had an interview recently where I was addressed correctly, but shown to the wrong bathroom. I was uncomfortable for the rest of the day. 1/n

Important thesis defense prep:

I watched this and cried the entire time.

For someone who has dedicated their career to health equity, I’m shocked to see another shortsighted thread from @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social. TX has also been absolutely vile to & unsafe for LGBTQ+, immigrants, abortion access, etc. So again, who is this for? Also, where is the alt text?

Is there anything more heartwarming than receiving email updates from past students? Got this today from a student who took my Intro to Biology class at a local community college while looking for a new career. The power of accessible education is truly incredible. #academicsky #academiasky

It’s FISH Friday over here… 🧪🧫🧬🦠

This paper deserves more attention: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

The alternative to naloxone (Narcan) for a fentanyl overdose outside a healthcare facility - where almost all of them in this country occur - is death. Dead people don’t recover. Fentanyl overdose is the leading cause of death for Americans 18-44. Every single fentanyl overdose death is preventable.

oSTEM's 2025 Scholarship Program is offering $183k in scholarships for LGBTQ+ students in STEM. 41 scholarships ($2,500-$5,000) available for community college, undergrad, and grad students. Applications open April 14, 2025 - May 18, 2025, 11:59 PM EDT. Learn more at bit.ly/oSTEM-Scholarship

I have so many thoughts about this piece by Peter Hotez regarding the choices early career scientists currently face in the current climate of dissolving scientific stability in the US. While I agree with the advice, I’m going to “yes, and…” here 🧵 🧪 1/?

Hell yeah, this is awesome. Thank you for battling the gate keeping @jrossibarra.bsky.social and everyone who has contributed!

The emails from Penzey’s Spices are really my only source of hope at this point.

Every time I read a paper that has red/green figures, I wonder why journals aren’t adamant about standards for colorblind, low vision, or visually impaired readers. It would take *zero* effort on their part to say “follow these standards and make your paper inclusive or we won’t publish it.” 🧪

Collaborating with @rin-krichilsky.bsky.social and Kanako Shimizu, we put together what's basically a top-ten list of ways to help foster trans inclusivity and awareness within our scientific and academic communities and would love if you could help share the guide!

Here is some helpful advice (sent to me by my university) on how faculty can support undocumented students during these difficult times

As a trainee, it’s so easy to forget that interviews are a two-way assessment. I’ve been connecting with PIs about postdoc positions & one just made the wonderfully inclusive gesture of making sure the admin booking my travel addressed me with the right pronouns/labels (Mx., as I’m not Dr. yet).

Much of the food you eat this holiday season comes to your table from the hard-working hands of farm workers who harvest our food. #WeFeedYou

(please amplify) 4% of scientists face an important barrier to an the ENTIRE FIELD of single-cell genomics and here is why

This Trans Day of Remembrance, the only message I have is: It's not enough to remember us, you need to support us while we're still here.

It's trans day of remembrance where we remember all of our siblings we've lost this year to violence and hate. We know we've lost at least 350 trans and nonbinary people have been murdered in the last year. We honor the dead and fight like hell for the living.

Download our database of 492 (!) funding opportunities for EARLY-CAREER FACULTY AND RESEARCHERS. For each entry, we provide link to funder, description, amount, deadline, and eligibility criteria (e.g. citizenship). Download freely here: research.jhu.edu/rdt/funding-...

At a #KSRNAVIRUS24 panel with journal editors, I asked what journals are doing to navigate equity in publishing so scientists who have access to fewer/limited experimental resources can still have their work amplified, and was told “we don’t have a good answer yet”. We need all voices present! 🧪

Anyone else going to the keystone positive sense RNA virus meeting next week?

there was a new study published *today* in Nature showing that state-level anti-trans laws increase suicide among trans kids up to 72%. when we say that the New York Times (and other rags of equal repute) is killing us, that's because *IT IS LITERALLY KILLING US*

Went to see Alien: Romulus today with a bunch of fellow biologists and we all left talking about what the xenomorph’s genome must look like, and what was conserved in the hybrid. Nerds nerding in the wild.

The fact that many are not familiar with independent postdoc programs is an issue of equity. If only certain folks know about these opportunities, then only certain folks will get those fellowships & advantages. If we want to diversify STEM, everyone needs to know all their options at every stage.

If I could make a plea for BlueSky, it’s this: Please make a point of sharing links to articles, essays and more that you LOVE, that you enjoyed, that expanded you in some way. I’m always surprised by the dominance of hate-shares, complaint shares on here. And I think it has a riptide effect.

So insanely proud of my 2nd summer intern, Gabby, who completed the Stanford Summer Research Program today with her final seminar talk. She is incredible! She’s a rising junior at Johns Hopkins, studying abroad at Oxford this Fall, and a future MD/PhD! Cannot wait to witness what she ends up doing!

Insanely proud of summer intern Maya, who gave her final seminar talk today! She is a community college student and is transferring to Santa Clara in the Fall. She is an incredible scientist. Keep an eye out for her in the future, she is going to do big things in ecology and evolution fields! 🥹

It’s August so we are officially 10! 🧪 #STEMOutreach please check out our website and help spread the word! We are small and mighty!

Thrilled to have the opportunity to talk about my work with virus-derived circular RNA molecules at the Keystone Symposium on positive-sense RNA viruses in Killarney, Ireland this October! ⭕️🧬🦠

Check out my latest Teen Vogue column on mask bans and how they are the new ugly laws www.teenvogue.com/story/mask-b...

The FIFTH Black In Neuro Week is just a few weeks away. Here’s a sneak peak at our day themes, and keep an eye out for registration details. #BINW24 #BlackInSTEM #Neuroscience 🧪

My only concern about #ASV2024 is that I saw less than 1% of attendees wearing masks. Yes, vaccines work, but harm reduction helps even more. It’s an accessibility issue. #lovevirology

As I pack to leave Columbus, I’m reflecting on this week at #ASV2024, and I can honestly say this was the best conference I’ve ever attended. Thanks to the organizers for a fantastic job!