Excited to visit Penn later this week and share my career journey with graduate students. Penn took a chance on me 15+ years ago, and I’ll always be grateful for how it helped shape such a rewarding path.

"The only reason I don’t have this funding is because my last name is Rodriguez,” he said. “It has nothing to do with the science." STAT on the betrayal of early-career researchers: www.statnews.com/2025/12/08/t...

The Werner-Washburne principles… preach!!

Day 1 of #CellBio25 - don’t miss the Mentoring Keynote by Maggie Werner-Washburne in Room 126A at 8:45!!!! @ascbiology.bsky.social

Grateful to Isabella Alves & @cterminiphd.bsky.social for writing this fantastic N&V in @natcellbio.nature.com: www.nature.com/articles/s41... Nicely covers our 📰 led by della Volpe & co: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Say cheeeeese! Me and the current, future, and past Presidents of ASCB. Seeing is believing ♥️ 🧬 💗 📸 #CellBio2025 @marymunson4.bsky.social

Super excited for the upcoming #cellbio2025 @ascbiology.bsky.social @embo.org meeting in Philadelphia! Check out the Special President's session on "The Rising Tide of Science Denial" on Saturday at 1pm!

Truly enjoyed writing this piece about recent discoveries by @bloodgenes.bsky.social and colleagues about how we can improve HSC expansion & gene editing by blocking ferroptosis! Our @natcellbio.nature.com N&V: rdcu.be/eR25t Associated article: tinyurl.com/msf9x8fn

Who’s going to ASCB this week? Let’s connect ♥️ 🧫

This faculty journey would be so much harder without a best friend to go through it with. We share all the drama, all the wins, and all the in between. I hope every PI finds a person who gets them like we get each other - thank for @myron_evansPhD this and every season ♥️ 🍁

Recent office addition: peel and stick wallpaper to add some more brightness to accompany my endowed purple chair. It’s a dark time right now, so every bit helps keep me inspired and focused to take on the challenges that each day brings ♥️ 🌺 🩸 🦙

lol sorry to break it to you but America does not like women

Applications are open for the 2026 Zara Weinberg cohort of Leading Edge, named in honor of the incredible, brilliant, fearless @weinberz.witchlab.org. The LE community has been truly transformative for my scientific journey and my happiness. Please apply!! www.leadingedgesymposium.org/apply/

Thank you for your bravery as an advocate for honest and accurate science, for your passion to pursue the mission of human health, for your service to the nation, and for being a role model to us all. May HHS and NIH leadership see the light and course correct for the benefit of all Americans 🙏

Trump’s HHS put me on “non-disciplinary” admin leave today. This was retaliation for speaking up. Moves like this are designed to silence us. Let’s not let. www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8Dteoop/

Not every mentor is for every person. I always tell grad students to listen to what folks in the lab say about a mentor, but it’s okay to also see it for yourself in a rotation. It’s about the match - finding the person who can meet your needs (which are unique!).

🚨 Calling all postdocs 🚨 We are soliciting applications to our 8th cohort of Fred Hutch Dr. Eddie Méndez Scholars! Awardees will be invited to present at a symposium celebrating their achievements 🧵 Apply here 👇 👇 👇 apply.interfolio.com/176955 📆 Applications due 2/1/2026

The Leading Edge Fellows gathered this week to celebrate Zara Weinberg, a beloved member of our community. Our 7th cohort of Leading Edge Fellows (2026) will be named in her honor. The Zara Weinberg Leading Edge Cohort application is now open! Due Feb 2. www.leadingedgesymposium.org/apply/

Zara Weinberg passed away earlier this week. She joined my lab earlier this year when her postdoc lab formally closed. She was a brilliant scientist, supportive mentor, dear friend, avid music fan, rabid believer in public transit, open science champion, and above all just an amazing human.

We are all better because of the energy, inspiration, brilliance, and tenacity that Zara was. A bright light, role model, advocate & snarky tweeter... everything I needed in a person when I was navigating dark times when we met in 2021. You will be missed deeply, Zara, but never forgotten ❤️

100% all of this 👇. So grateful to have had you in my life, Zara, and I will miss you so much.

Grateful to the incredible team we put together for this project: @cterminiphd.bsky.social, @biophysgal.bsky.social, @jpflores.rbind.io, Joselyn Landazuri, Esteban, and Karen❤️. You all inspire me! Also, huge thanks to friends helping to share and amplify this: @sciforgood.bsky.social

Be the scientist who provides thoughtful and critical feedback to strengthen an idea without changing the idea completely. We need creative minds, not clones of thought. Mentors who foster creativity can have an enormous impact on the scientific enterprise: self-awareness is key ♥️ 🔑

✅ I had my first screening mammogram performed today: with a familial history of breast cancer spanning generations and most of my maternal aunts, it was time to check in. Happy to report that it was easy to schedule after getting a referral from my PCP, painless, and fast.

Early morning flash talk ready at @thevfoundation.bsky.social Thank you for inviting me to sharing our work on the sparkle code in leukemia ♥️ 🩸

#NewPI achievement unlocked: first manuscript rejection 🫠☢️🫠🩸🫠 Bart is disappointed that we weren’t invited to resubmit, but at least we made it to review and got some useful feedback. Gotta keep it moving…

With everything being such a mess lately, I’m thankful to have a team that is passionate about science, yet sensitive to the strains I am feeling. Thank you, Termini lab, for giving me space and being patient. I’m thankful I still get to make discoveries with you everyday ♥️🩸

Interested in doing a postdoc in Seattle? Join us on May 6 for Seattle DROP, a virtual biomedical postdoc recruitment event. The first 250 US registrants enjoy lunch via delivery voucher! 🥪 All postdoc candidates are invited to attend. 👇👇👇 Registration: tinyurl.com/seattledrop25

My auntie fought breast cancer hard, but recently passed away. She would always ask, “Have you found a cure yet?” to which I would say, “We’re working on it!”. And we are still working on it. Learn about her journey or donate to her cancer research fund: engage.fredhutch.org/goto/Yolanda...

We as a scientific community need to be more intentional than ever in supporting, mentoring, and being available to help scientists from disadvantaged backgrounds. I urge everyone to think deeply about what they can do. For example…

As a person who directly benefitted from many of the programs being dismantled (F31 Diversity, diverse postdoc seminar series, cluster hire, etc), it hits so hard every time I see one of these programs go away. I am gutted.

I’m learning to immense value of self-preservation for persisting in this job. If I acted on or even just reacted to every single thing I felt outrage about, I’d have an empty tank. This is a really hard part of the job, but essential.

It’s just one of those days where I feel like a total loser and like I don’t belong here (in academia, in science, in a leadership position). I keep showing up, though, because I know I actually do deserve to be here. It’s just hard… 😩 🥸

The wave of energy I get from talking to the scientists in our lab about their projects and discoveries is unparalleled. It truly keeps me going! ♥️♥️♥️

We were delighted to have @king5news.com.web.brid.gy visit us in the Termini Lab to discuss how NIH funding cuts could affect cancer research: m.youtube.com/watch?v=Szo9... We NEED indirect costs to provide funding needed complete research studies that will lead to life saving discoveries.

How it felt when my R01 score dropped last year…

Where will you be on March 7th? 👀 @standupforscience.bsky.social

If you are an @isehsociety.bsky.social member, don't forget to vote for leadership before March 18. There are so many dedicated, hard working people to choose from and if you're not a member consider joining just for this-great time to benefit from the international community!

My study section (DDK-D) met last week! Score release is being held up… but it still feels good to know the science was at least seen.

First names of all of the PIs of labs on my floor: Bruce, Brandon, Naresh, Soheil, David, Derek, Julian, Toni, Irv, Keith, Jerry, and Tina. One of these things is not like the others 🫠

Said farewell to Jen Adair who is heading to UMass Chan to lead their Gene Therapy Center. Couldn’t be more grateful to have gotten to learn from her scientifically & professionally. I’ll keep holding down the fort here, but it’s gonna be harder now ♥️ 🧬 Congrats, Jen: www.umassmed.edu/gtc/

My anxiety has been through the roof lately, which is making is extremely difficult to do my job well. I’m doing my best - carrying on with mentoring, reading, writing, thinking, leading, planning, managing, and everything else that comes with this job… but I am struggling 😔

The Termini Lab at Fred Hutch in Seattle is recruiting a Lab Aide to join our group - more information and instructions to apply can be found at the posting below 👇🧫👇🔬👇🐁 careers-fhcrc.icims.com/jobs/29265/l...

My new routine is that every morning, I spend about 30 minutes ruminating in despair with Bart. I’m so profoundly sad about what science has become. Sending strength to everyone who is trying to carry on ♥️ 🐈‍⬛ #NewPI

Everything is a mess, so here’s a timeline cleanse: give it up for the purrfessors behind the research grants 🐈‍⬛ 🩸 ✍️ 🧫 🐾 if you have a furry collaborator, please post them below!

NIH-funded research is at risk. Cuts to federal funding could harm science and the economy. Contact Congress now to protect research. Every call matters. Find your reps at govtrack.us and speak up today. #FundScience www.ascb.org/science-poli...

Dittoooooo

LOI submitted. The show must go on… 🙏🏻🩸🔮

Celebrating my three fabulous undergraduate research students on “International Day of Women and Girls in Science”. It’s been a honor to have them in my research lab and support them as they discover new antiviral therapies! #womeninscience #11Feb 🧪

“Ask for forgiveness, not for permission” is the name of the game right now. Easier said than done, but the next generation of great scientists are watching and learning from our sentiment and actions. Mentors: stay strong and focused - your words and actions matter more than you know.