Do you teach #rstats? Do your students complain about how lame and old-fashioned dplyr is? Don't worry: I have the solution for you: github.com/hadley/genzp.... genzplyr is dplyr, but bussin fr fr no cap.

Here's my latest contribution to the "Lost Science" series at the New York Times: Jay Falk, a scientist who studies why some female hummingbirds look just like males. Gift link: nyti.ms/4qF7Qje

This is one of my favorite webinar series. Working on polyploidy? Sign-up to give a talk! If you are a grad student or postdoc, this is a really great opportunity to get feedback and connect with others.

I'm recruiting PhD students for the Barker Lab @uofa-eeb.bsky.social We study plant evolutionary genomics - polyploidy, hybridization & machine learning for genome evolution. Work with Selaginella, Xanthisma, Brassica & more. Funding available via CAMBIUM Fellowships. Reach out if interested! 🧬🌵🤖

This is one of my favorite webinar series. Working on polyploidy? Sign-up to give a talk! If you are a grad student or postdoc, this is a really great opportunity to get feedback and connect with others.

Genome assembly fresh of the supercomputer, total size = 29,892,519,935 base pairs 🦎🧬

It’s a very exciting day at Rutgers today! The 100th anniversary of the Chrysler Herbarium! Thanks to @drgentian.bsky.social and Megan King for organizing, training so many students/botanists, and taking such good care of the collections! It’s been really fun to learn from you over the years!

Oof.

The #PolyploidyWebinar series is back for another season! 🧬 Join us for talks at 9AM Pacific on the second Thursday of each month. Are you working on something exciting in polyploidy? We'd love to have you speak! Sign up for open dates at the link below. Looking forward to the great research ahead!

Updated tutorials for nQuack today. Want to predict ploidy level of sequence data? See this new tutorial on how to process and model data faster: mlgaynor.com/nQuack/artic...

Is there a running list anywhere of Postdoc->Faculty Bridge programs (or similar types of programs)?! I'm really interested in seeing what opportunities there are that are cohort-based &/or have professional development aspects that help folks navigate the academic application/interview process.

But wait, there's more! Lacking a reference genome? If you have a target file, you can still use nQuack. See how here: mlgaynor.com/nQuack/artic...

To find out more about nQuack, check out our 2024 publication here: doi.org/10.1002/aps3... Now, we are about 8904 samples into our next model - Stay-tune for jacked duck.

Updated tutorials for nQuack today. Want to predict ploidy level of sequence data? See this new tutorial on how to process and model data faster: mlgaynor.com/nQuack/artic...

Just a reminder - if you run/recruit or have anything to do with an ecology & evolutionary biology PhD program, check out our database and update your departments salary here: rhettrautsaw.app/shiny/Biolog...

And look at this graphic abstract….. 😱🤯

🚨GRFP DEADLINE ALERT!🚨 I missed this in my original solicitation read-through, so FYI 📣LETTERS ARE DUE BEFORE PROPOSALS📣 this year! "Reference letters are due Friday, November 7 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET)." www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...

Shhh… it’s sequencing lab ASMR. 👩‍🔬🔊 From pipette drips to the Vega system powering up, @alexdainis.bsky.social captures the oddly satisfying sounds of science. HiFi sequencing delivers results just as satisfying. #TheresHiFiForThat. Find new ways to streamline your sequencing: bit.ly/3JminPa

Hey Botany friends, any PI at a grad-degree-granting institution want to help us out with a "applying to grad school" panel on Oct 9th at 4:30 est? 🙏 Come share your wisdom!

If you are a current PRFB fellow, we have a slack where all of this and more is discussed. Current fellows, please send me a message and I can add you.

Whole-genome alignments revealed pennycress has nearly dichotomous genome compartmentalization: huge gene-poor pericentromeric regions (~300Mb; <1% genic) with frequent rearrangements and highly syntenic gene-rich chromosome arms (~150Mb; ~20% genic). What we call a "two-speed" genome structure. 3/

New — with @joannarifkin.bsky.social, @jotlovell.bsky.social, @spicybotrytis.bsky.social, and many more — we created seven new high-quality genomes and explored pangenomic variation in the emerging oilseed crop pennycress (Thlaspi arvense). 1/

McCarty Woods update-- marvelous mints. The horsemint (Monarda punctata) on the east side of the woods is spectacular this year ... with lots of pollinators. Definitely check it out! Close up courtesy of Tom Webber

McCarty Woods/ Harmonic woods --250 volunteers braved the drizzle to replant natives in the conservation area aand remove invasives. Over 80 trash bags of invasive plants (fern and coral ardisia) were removed. Thanks everyone and thanks intro bio students for helping out!

This is sad.

Always excited for an increased salary submission! Congrats to the Department of Biological Sciences at New Jersey Institute of Tech for their stipend increase! This union-based win brings the pay almost to the 1:1 line! Update your department and find out more here: rhettrautsaw.app/shiny/Biolog...

Just a reminder - if you run/recruit or have anything to do with an ecology & evolutionary biology PhD program, check out our database and update your departments salary here: rhettrautsaw.app/shiny/Biolog...

UPDATE: The 2025-2026 list of faculty and postdoc positions in ecology and evolutionary biology is out! Be sure to check out this active and helpful community run resources! docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

Pleased that the Manning #Herbarium at Bucknell University is among 400 surveyed for this new paper -- and especially to be among the 261 small collections caring for 7.6 million specimens! #iamabotanist @plantspeopleplanet.bsky.social nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

New Editor's Choice article: "Island biogeography and competition drive rapid venom complexity evolution across rattlesnakes" by Hirst et al. doi.org/10.1093/evol... @hirsticane.bsky.social @RamsesRosales11.bsky.social @marcabeer.bsky.social @jason-strickland.bsky.social @reptilerhett.bsky.social

In this group picture, you can find me stuffing my face with a donut and giggling with @reptilerhett.bsky.social! In you are in Gainesville - stop by next weekend to restore McCarty Woods and eat donuts with @soltislab.bsky.social

Spending my week in Michigan visiting the postdoc lab ~ @blackrim.bsky.social

The 2025 Long-Read Low Pass SMRT Grant for plant + animal sciences is now open! 🌱🐾 Apply to win free PacBio HiFi sequencing for your conservation or agricultural research. Submit your 100-word proposal today: bit.ly/3IgrReu #PacBio #SMRTGrant #HiFisequencing

Mentors needed for BSA’s GRFP Workshop! 🌱 The Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Workshop for Plant Researchers is returning in 2025. With NSF’s 2026 GRFP deadline set for Oct 27, we’re looking for mentors to guide student applicants. Learn how you can help! mailchi.mp/botany.org/b...

Unsolicited listicle: My list of the most criminally underused/underappreciated phylogenetic comparative methods. Note, I am not involved in ANY of these methods; but I see them as things people are often asking of comparative data but have been surprised at how infrequently they have been cited.

🌱 Calling all mentors! The BSA Early Career Committee is bringing back the NSF GRFP Workshop. Sign up to be a mentor if you are a: ✅ Grad student who already received a GRFP or ✅ PI, postdoc, senior researcher Sign up here 👉 forms.gle/sQUwhVryYHJK... #NSFGRFP #botany

Always excited for an increased salary submission! Congrats to the Department of Biological Sciences at New Jersey Institute of Tech for their stipend increase! This union-based win brings the pay almost to the 1:1 line! Update your department and find out more here: rhettrautsaw.app/shiny/Biolog...

McCarty Woods Restoration Event. Sat. Sept 27...early start given the heat… 830-10. Lots to plant, pinestraw and bark to put down. Usual place - NE corner of woods by picnic table. We will bring water, gloves, garbage bags, small hand saws, doughnuts! Come for whatever time you can.

Cool program alert! "The P2P Program is a 1-year training program for people interested in pivoting to a career in plant science, imaging, data science, etc, but have limited research experience. It enables adults with at least an associate's degree to upskill in emerging technologies & methods" 🧪🌱

New Preprint! This one led by Sam Gibbon, an outstanding undergrad I've worked with for the past year. We take a look at whether segregation patterns in tetraploids (disomic v polysomic) affects mut-sel dynamics. We found some surprising results, and some subtleties: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Last week, Julia Freeman visited the @soltislab.bsky.social to learn flow cytometry and chromosome squashing. It was a very successful week - genome size was estimated, and chromosomes were seen. And Julia made this beautiful watercolor of Galax!

Genomics hivemind: I want to genotype a bunch of diverse, heterozygous diploids with a messy genome (🌽 -- who'd have guessed?) but I care about phase. Computational phasing doesn't really cut it, so wondering what the cheapest alternatives are -- nanopore to 10-20X? Linked shortreads?

from first to last day of grad school! on Monday I successfully defended and became Dr. Lauren Frankel :)

I'm using images from their work because I cannot find a photo of Anne Lutz, and without a photo, I fear she cannot compete with Nettie Stevens' absolutely amazing hat:

Soliciting opinions over something silly. Our new flow cytometer is close to being ready for use, and I've decided she needs a name. I've narrowed down to: Annie (after Anne M. Lutz, discoverer of polyploidy) Nettie (after Nettie M. Stevens, discoverer of sex chromosomes). Which do you prefer?

The 2025-26 Eco-Evo job list is out. Good luck to those applying! docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

hi friends, let me know if you'd like a zoom link for my defense next week!