I know I’ve been MIA for a while, but a lot has happened! I defended my PhD & recently accepted a job in medical writing! I am so grateful 2 the Lerner Lab. There aren’t enough words 2 describe how much I’ve learned. I’ll always love science research & I’m excited 2 start a new journey in scicomm ♥️

My first author paper is officially out!! Thank you to all of my co-authors for their help & support. So proud of the final product 😄😄

It’s honestly just another DEI cut. GRFP always had a focus on diversity, outreach, and pipeline strengthening (look up the history and the predecessor programs). As a 2015 recipient, I’m devastated. First Ford, then DSPAN, now GRFP.

I did it, I’m a doctor now! It’ll probably take me some time to process everything that has happened. I am so incredibly grateful for my community near and far. And I’m so proud of myself for this accomplishment. I’m exhausted, but so full of love ♥️♥️

Me & some of my favorite posters from the #standupforscience rally in Chicago today. The snow did not stop us ❄️🧬🧪🥼

The snow did not stop us in Chicago #StandUpForScience

Me and @durbin.senate.gov defending science @standupforscience.bsky.social wgntv.com/news/chicago...

UPDATE: We remain committed to organizing a conference this year after #SciWri25 hosts withdraw. More than ever, providing an opportunity for the professional science writing community to convene, learn, and support each other is critical. READ MORE+HELP OUT: www.nasw.org/article...

The @standupforscience.bsky.social rallies happen tomorrow! Read more: “We’re trying to give folks somewhere they can feel powerful and have their voices heard.” 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/stan...

This is HORRIFYING.

In the midst of all this madness, a grant question: does anyone have last minute advice/tips for the Hanna Gray fellowship application?

1. Today the NIH director issued a new directive slashing overhead rates to 15%. I want to provide some context on what that means and why it matters. grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...

There are not enough words to express how angry I am about everything happening in this country. This just adds to it. This award has allowed me to participate in so many wonderful academic experiences that I would have never imagined doing before. DIVERSITY IS A GOOD THING, A GREAT THING.

Other privately funded sources for #phd students include: Soros (90k): pdsoros.org/why-become-a... AAUW (20k): www.aauw.org/resources/pr... NSBE: nsbe.org/scholarships/ Centers at private universities and think tanks also have smaller grants you can apply to bsky.app/profile/napa...

It would be nice if people could stop acting like DEI is an only a moral good. DEI strengthens organizations. People from diverse backgrounds bring new ways of solving problems and serving people. DEI isn’t a gift to diverse people. It’s a gift to the orgs that hire us.

PLEASE SHARE 💜 With uncertainty in federal research funding & hiring, we are offering *FREE* resume/CV reviews for early-career scientists in the US who have rescinded job offers or who risk layoffs. If you feel this support would benefit you, submit resume/CV here: forms.gle/CCbbu2X5GJwH...

“If the freeze is not stopped, I might lose my house." Some NSF-funded postdocs are having trouble paying rent and credit card bills because their salaries were paused this week, even though the federal funding freeze memo was rescinded. www.statnews.com/2025/01/30/t...

As I board my flight home for the holidays, I wanted to share that a review I wrote with @talialerner.bsky.social just came out! It’s titled “How dopamine enables learning from aversion.” Super grateful for the opportunity - hope you can check it out! 😊😊🎄🎄 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Back in Chicago from #ACNP2024 and I was welcomed by the CTA Christmas Train & all my wonderful apt winter decorations ❄️🌲🎄. Grateful for all the wonderful conversations & helpful advice from the conference 😊 #ACNP

It's Gaby!! #ACNP2024

Hi #ACNP2024! I'm a postdoc in Reesha Patel's lab at Northwestern, and this is my first in-person ACNP 🎉 I'm presenting a poster on Monday (M157) on VTA 🌟astrocyte 🌟 activity during appetitive and aversive conditioning!

Hi 👋🏽 - my name is Gaby and I am a grad student from Northwestern Uni in @talialerner.bsky.social ‘s lab. This is my 3rd time attending #ACNP. On Monday I will be presenting a poster on my dissertation work investigsting region-specific accumbal dopamine signals during active avoidance learning 🐭

Tomorrow is SWEBAGS! swebags.ebrains.se Free online :) Lerner Lab grad student @nadelneurosci.bsky.social is presenting his work "Alterations of amygdala-midbrain circuit function by adolescent stress promote punishment resistant reward-seeking" at 2:30pm CET / 7:30am CST (you're a hero, Jacob)

Three must read papers for PhD students. #scisky #PhD #science #research #academicsky 1. The importance of stupidity in scientific research Open Access journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...

Behold, my Tres Leches Cake 🍓

I don’t always come home for Thanksgiving, but when I do, I’m always overwhelmed by how aggressive my sister is with Christmas decorations

My talk from the One Mind Festival for Brain Health: Understanding Stress Hormone Regulation of Dopamine Function to Treat Depression youtu.be/kVhkgFc1CRQ?...

Earlier this month I ran my first ever 5K. Now I’m going to start training to try and run an 8K in March. When the heck did I suddenly want to run willingly? 😂Also plz give me advice cause 5 miles feels like a lot 😅.

Speaking of friends: who will be at #ACNP2024 🤓 Check out posters from @glopez.bsky.social M169 @ashleyholloway.bsky.social M157 !!

#BlackInNeuro Starter Pack v1! Let us know if we missed you. #BlackInSTEM #Neuroscience 🧪 go.bsky.app/F8PpdPe

Here's a somewhat sparse Dopamine / Basal Ganglia starter pack. Please self-nominate to add! go.bsky.app/B2kViZY

A starter pack! Some of my favorite women in neuroscience (sorry if I forgot you, I will add!) go.bsky.app/SCFmKoC

go.bsky.app/LJj3CUD let's grow this one

🚨 New preprint from the Lerner Lab 🚨 Gaby Lopez et al looked at how "rewarding" and "aversive" dopamine signals in the NAc evolve during negative reinforcement learning, with some fascinating results!

Last week I was invited to give a talk at Loyola Stritch School of Medicine 👩🏽‍🔬. It was really great to chat with current graduate students and PIs in the community and to be part of their new seminar initiative!

The many ways we saw the eclipse today #chicago #eclipse2024

If there’s something my sister is going to do, it’s aggressively decorate for the holidays 🎄#christmas #holidays #home

Dapi, GFP, & YFP at a Keyence/Fluorescence Microscope near you! #HappyHalloween #fluorescence #neuroscience #keyence @manhuazhu.bsky.social @jlseiler.bsky.social

Because it's approaching grad school application season and I haven't posted this on Bluesky before, here's my advice for your application: medium.com/@TaliaLerner... Apply to Northwestern's NUIN program for grad school by December 1!! www.nuin.northwestern.edu #neuroscience 🧪