New paper from the Rosin lab in collaboration with the Hawley lab 🎉 Spearheaded by postdoc Leif Benner. We use imaging and RNA-seq to better understand apyrene meiosis. Programmed meiotic errors facilitate dichotomous sperm production in the silkworm, Bombyx mori. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

What a day it was! There are many past versions of me who did not believe that I could make it this far. Proud of myself for overcoming hurdle after hurdle after hurdle. Thank you to everyone who supported me on my way!

This #MicroscopyMonday shows the synaptonemal complex, which is a multi-protein structure that forms in early #meiosis between the maternal and paternal copy of each #chromosome. Here, we see two such structures in the fruit fly. @sillysciencelady.bsky.social (Hawley Lab & Gibson Lab)

My second PhD project is now out as a preprint! Our observations of the synaptonemal complex in wild-type Nematostella suggested an incredible degree of conservation. Then, our mutants told a story of dramatic functional divergence. We were bamboozled on a regular basis with this one! 🧪 #meiosis4eva

I’m so excited (and nervous!!) to be defending my PhD thesis on February 5th! If anyone is interested in virtually attending my thesis seminar, let me know and I’ll send you the zoom link. My seminar will focus on the Nematostella part of my thesis research. #meiosis4eva

Having been a PhD student of Scott’s is one of my greatest honors. I consider myself very lucky to have learned from him and that I found a research topic that I absolutely love, even on the most miserable days. 🧬

A bittersweet acceptance: Between a manuscript and grief Stefanie Williams @sillysciencelady.bsky.social shares the story behind her paper on the synaptonemal complex, including a tribute to her supervisor Scott Hawley, who passed away while Stefanie was completing the research.

Are you an early-stage graduate student (2nd or 3rd year) or early-stage postdoc based in the US or Canada, working primarily in Drosophila? Would you like to help improve the experience of all trainees working in Drosophila research? If so, read on. (Please repost to reach a broad audience.)

Very exciting news: My first first-author paper is now out (open access!) in Chromosoma! link.springer.com/article/10.1...

We are hiring! We are looking for a motivated and enthusiastic postdoc to study mammalian DSB repair using innovative genomic approaches. Our lab is at the Curie Institute in Paris and offers vibrant scientific environnement and cutting edge platforms. Please repost or apply here: lnkd.in/eJ9q3QrR

With many postdoc grants like the NSF PRFB, Ford Fellowship, and Hanna H. Gray fellowships disappearing, I am currently looking for grants that could fund incoming postdoctoral scholars. Here is a thread of some of them 🧵

Tenure-track faculty search of the UCSF Biochemistry & Biophysics Department is open for applications! We are looking for creative, innovative scientists asking fundamental questions in any area of biology. Join our vibrant, collaborative, and supportive community! aprecruit.ucsf.edu/JPF05702

Very pleased to say we have an Assistant Professor job opening (tenure track) in the Department of Genetics at Trinity College Dublin! 😀 www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOA399/a... - deadline is August 19th! Please repost!

PSA for flood response: remember to NEVER mix cleaning solutions across classes, especially bleach x any ammonia or ammonium salts derivative (e.g. Lysol & many medical-grade spray cleaners)!! Biological hazard-graded respirators won’t protect against hazardous chemical fumes.

TIL (on mastodon) that the US National Park Service has crochet patterns! www.nps.gov/articles/000...

We ran a randomized controlled trial to see how much AI coding tools speed up experienced open-source developers. The results surprised us: Developers thought they were 20% faster with AI tools, but they were actually 19% slower when they had access to AI than when they didn't.

🧪 After the workshop on 7/7, the FDA and NIH are asking for public comments on implementing novel methodologies and other strategies to reduce the use of animal testing by 7/14: www.fda.gov/news-events/...

Reposting this as the same issue continues at #IZFC2025: lots of red/green LUTs in talks. Especially the #zebrafish crowd, with imaging as a key technique in our field, should be able to do better. And know how to. #WeTheColorBlind #2025IZFC @izfs.bsky.social

The preprint for my first first-author paper is up! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

In this review, I write about why it is important to study synaptonemal complex protein evolution and highlight this with a few key examples of conserved features and unique adaptations.

It was an honor to be the last PhD student he took in. He was always excited about even the smallest progress I made. But he was truly more than just a scientific advisor and I will miss him deeply. Rest In Peace, Scott. And thank you for everything.

If you have been affected by the fires in LA, or are concerned about your ability to keep precious Drosophila strains going during the latest funding crisis, we will host your strains as a backup. Please email me. Please amplify. If you are also able to host fly strains, add your name as well.

Today I passed my qualifying exam and am officially a PhD candidate 🎉