Head's up SSE members: Virtual Evolution is next week! Join us for the SSE Presidential Symposium on May 21 for talks from SSE leaders and past presidents on sustaining research, supporting trainees, navigating funding uncertainty, and strengthening evolutionary biology. Pls RT!

Breaking news: Indiana University plant microbiologist Roger Innes has been locked out of his laboratory by the school in response to a request by one of his federal funders. The move comes after Innes complained about the government’s prosecution of Chinese postdocs. https://scim.ag/4tsDqRr

If you work at a Canvas school, like I do, FYI: www.insidehighered.com/news/tech-in...

Lots of people have reached out asking how they can support us after the devastating fire in the MSL building, the heart of @cmarinescience.bsky.social Here’s one way, a GoFundMe organized by our graduate students - gofund.me/4373c6ff3. Please share widely, and thanks for helping our community!

Now accepting applications for our 2027 Simons Graduate Fellowships in Ecology and Evolution! These awards support students entering U.S.-based Ph.D. programs to conduct #ecology and #evolution research. Deadline is June 30, 2026: bit.ly/4umYKZd #science

More details on the firing of the National Science Board. The NSF now has no director, deputy director, or board. They have issued almost no new awards in 2026. The plan appears to be to completely destroyed the agency. The details are horrifying and have Russ Vought written all over them.

We're looking for a junior specialist to work on a fun project exploring seagrass local adaptation across the whole state of California! It should be a good mix of field and molecular work. Please share with folks you think would be interested! recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07605

U.S. President Donald Trump has fired all 24 members of the National Science Board, the body that oversees the National Science Foundation. https://scim.ag/4cxQWhl

He fired the National Science Board - a non-partisan, apolitical group that advises the NSF. It also interacts with Congress in very important ways that impact the scientific R&D budget. The damage from today is some of the worst yet.

💬 In the latest Evolution Exchange, SSE President Dr. Gina Baucom talks with Dr. Claire Horner-Devine (Counterspace Consulting) about what career coaching is and how it can help academics: www.evolutionsociety.org/the-evolutio... @chdcoaching.bsky.social @gbaucom.bsky.social

NEW: NSF has been funding research at a fraction of its historic rate. Last week, the agency finally began distributing money to its directorates and is now likely to pick up the grantmaking pace. But these allocations also amount to substantial cuts across the sciences. My reporting:

Science is essential—it helps us understand change and guide decisions. But how we do science is expanding: more collaborative, more connected, more inclusive. When it starts with communities, it leads to solutions that last. My Earth Day op-ed is out www.seattletimes.com/opinion/eart...

👋 👋 SSE members, I hope you'll join me May 21 for the virtual SSE Presidential Symposium: Navigating Uncertainty: Individual Resilience and Collective Action in Evolutionary Biology Pls RT to help get the word out!

Just a reminder - if you are looking to advertise opportunities in marine science in the New England area, or look for marine science opportunities in the marine science area, the New England Marine Science opportunities listserv is your place to be! groups.google.com/g/ne_marine_... 🧪🌊🌍

I wrote about why every lab should have AI use guidelines, and how to do it. open.substack.com/pub/blekhman...

Job alert! Post-doc position available in the Tsutsui lab at UC Berkeley. I'm specifically looking for someone optimize and scale RNA interference for invasive ant control and eradication. Happy to take questions at [email protected]. Spread the word! aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05325

Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Indirect Costs (But Were Afraid to Ask) I have been working on this post for some time. Lots of data, analysis, and some policy recommendations. goodscience.substack.com/p/everything... Questions and comments welcome.

Oh no. NSF Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program shuttered. This one leaves me winded. A good story from 2025 by @seattletimes-rss.bsky.social offers insight into what we are losing: www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

NSF LTER program “archived”. LTER=“Long Term Ecological Research”. This program has been incredibly successful, incredibly frugal for what they accomplish, and…of course…targeted by evil know-nothings. My heart is breaking.

Available soon! Jeb Byers, April Blakeslee, and myself gently twisted the arms of a few dozen of our brilliant colleagues to put together this new text on "The Ecology and Evolution of Marine Parasites and Disease", should be out in June. global.oup.com/academic/pro...

The President's fiscal year 2027 Budget was released today. Important---Important---Important The President's Budget is always fundamentally a political document that Congress may or may not (usually not) take very seriously. www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u... 1/9

Grad students & postdocs: how is funding uncertainty affecting you right now? SSE's GSAC is collecting anonymous input to inform advocacy and conversations at Evolution. Share your perspective by May 1, 2026 and pls RT!

New paper out in ecology letters! with @andylee.bsky.social @allydefduf.bsky.social We synthesized the active debate on how scientists define sex, including limitations and assumptions. We believe this discussion will lead to more accurate science. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Folks, more good news! Our latest paper on oyster microbiomes out in @pnas.org. Led by the inestimable Dr. Andrea Unzueta-Martinez and with great support from the Wang lab @whoi.edu we explore the how a persistent community of microbes in calcifying fluid could shape shell deposition. Enjoy!

"35% of undergraduate women reported experiencing nonconsensual sexual contact during their time at Cornell, an increase from the 23%...in the 2023 survey. Eight percent of undergraduate men reported nonconsensual sexual contact in 2025, compared to 9% in 2023." www.cornellsun.com/article/2026...

“If O’Neill is confirmed as NSF’s director, the Trump administration will further tighten its control over an agency created by Congress to be independent in its work to advance science.” UCS’s Julian Reyes explains why the Senate should work to block this nomination:

Our review of #trait - based approaches to ecological restoration is finally out in @esajournals.bsky.social *Ecological Applications*, highlighting the value of functional traits for creating system-general restoration strategies. 🌐 🧮➕📏 urldefense.com/v3/__http://...

🌿 Postdoc opportunity in plant evolutionary ecology/genetics! My lab in the Dept. of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan is recruiting a postdoctoral researcher to start Fall 2026. We study plant adaptation, using weeds as model systems. #Postdoc #EcoEvo Pls RT!

On the cover of The Lancet: Editorial — “Robert F Kennedy Jr: 1 year of failure” Read the latest issue: spkl.io/63327Aa31W

My department is hiring a Teaching Professor in Marine Biology! northeastern.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/careers/job/... Application review will begin on March 31, 2026 #EcoEvoJobs #EvolJobs #PhDjobs @ecoevo.social.ecoevo.social.ap.brid.gy

So, y'all have heard me going on about #causalinference in #ecology a lot. Now our big synthetic guide "Best practices for moving from correlation to causation in ecological research" is out! Led by Hannah Correia & Paul Ferraro, it's a great walk-through for all! 🌍🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

With #bem2026 our amazing new student committee has created an instagram - www.instagram.com/p/DU9ef50jCC... - and is now on here at @benthicsmeeting.bsky.social - marine ecology folk, go give them a follow and forward this post! 🌍🧪🌊

STOP THE SAVE ACT (Updated) My new piece is up with lots of info about the SAVE America Act - the version of the SAVE Act that passed the House and is before the Senate this week. This is a MUST READ and then ACT. open.substack.com/pub/sherrily...

Three postdoctoral fellowships in quantitative biology are available as part of a new Quantitative Biology Initiative in the Department of Biology at the University of Maryland. Best consideration date: 3/14 Job Ad: umd.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/UMCP/j... Department: biology.umd.edu/people

This is worth reading for those in higher ed: www.insidehighered.com/opinion/care...

BEACHES (Bridging Each Applicant’s Chances for Higher Ed Success) will run this summer, June 7-10! all-expense paid, 3-day boot camp on demystifying the graduate school application process. cos.northeastern.edu/beaches/. Applications due March 13. #STEM #marineScience 🧪👩‍🔬

BREAKING: The Department of Education has ended its directive that attempted to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in schools nationwide. This is a victory for academic freedom and education equity.

😲 This is THE most amazing thing I've seen this year. (And that's saying something!) A ResistDance retelling of ICE murdering Renee Good & Alex Pretti enacted through dance‼️😭 Performed by First Amendment Troop in DC. 🤍

The SAVE Act is a voter suppression bill. Tell Congress to stop the SAVE Act here: https://bit.ly/3XoEskc #ResistTrump

Republicans are still trying to pass the SAVE Act—a bill that would make it harder to vote and disenfranchise millions of Americans. Join @redistrictingaction.org and tell your member of Congress to vote no: act.redistrictingaction.org/a/natl-saveact-cte

we need to talk about that Ring Super Bowl ad

I am SO incredibly excited to announce the launch of a global list of Inspiring Black Scientists. You can use this list to nominate and connect with researchers. Please share and join us in highlighting these outstanding scientists for #BlackHistoryMonth and beyond! www.wiley.com/en-us/resear...

Whatever you think of the Washington Post at this moment, here's a chance to support the dedicated, hard-working journalists who were just laid off. If you have the means, your donation is most welcome. If you don't, a kind thought and maybe spreading the word to others is support enough 💙

NSF GRFP applicants (and mentors): Was your application Returned Without Review and deemed ineligible despite fitting in the allowed topics? 1) Write NSF 2) Write your Congressperson 3) CC us at [email protected] so we can compile + follow up Details and template at grant-witness.us/grfp-letter

We are proud to uplift the next generation of Black scientists who will protect our waters, our communities, and our future. Thank you for your passion, your voice, your creativity, and your unwavering dedication to this field. The world is a better place because of you. #BlackHistoryMonth

The @bikepackingcom.bsky.social folks put together a map of all the Alex Pretti memorial rides happening this weekend. Find one near you! @bikesky.social

One small thing you can do today: ICE is ramping up in Maine. Food For All is delivering meals to 300 families that can't leave their homes. They need $7k a day to continue operations. The Culture Study community is raising enough to cover a day—join us? Donate directly: givebutter.com/Scx87A or

I cannot imagine the devastation this family is experiencing today. This statement is powerful and must be read.

Dr. Gladys West, the pioneering mathematician whose work laid the foundation for modern GPS technology, has died. She was 95.

My friends local to Minnesota, whom I trust a great deal, would like to share the following resources that could use support. PowWowGrounds - Native American Coffee Shop doing direct food and supply aid to their communities- Venmo @powwowgrounds www.powwowgrounds.com