Here's a fact you can't un-know: The strongest organism on the planet, pound for pound, is Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The bacterial pathogen that causes Gonorrhea can 'lift' 100,000X its own body weight. That's like a human lifting the Eiffel Tower. Let's explore how the heck we can even know that.

Dan Weinberger and I @yalesph.bsky.social are hiring multiple research positions in microbial/virus sequencing and bioinformatics workflows with respiratory pathogens, including Streptococcus pneumoniae, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, RSV, and/or hMPV. See 👉 forms.gle/xpmzTtNqHFqK...

Postdoctoral Position (Please re-post) A funded postdoctoral position for a recent graduate to study aspects of Neisseria gonorrhoeae pathogenesis, antigenic variation, genetics, or physiology. Please contact Hank Seifert [email protected] #Microsky, #Microbiology, #MicrobialEvolution

Cervical microphysiologic model recreates immune-microbiota-pathogen dynamics with cross-lab reproducibility www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Happy to share the final version of my postdoc work on bacterial CBASS immunity with @aaronwhiteley.bsky.social published in @cp-cellhostmicrobe.bsky.social www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...

🚨life threatening cold is about to hit Charlottesville, and it’s not leaving for a hot minute. please consider helping get folks into the warm.

ALERT: Abstract submission deadline is tomorrow (21 January) for the ASM Applied & Environmental Microbiology Meeting within ASM Microbe 2026 in Washington, D.C. (4-7 June). @asm.org asm.org/events/asm-m... 🧵 for more information including themes for Contributed Abstracts for In-Depth Sessions:

Last chance to submit to the ASM Mechanism Discovery Meeting at #ASMicrobe 2026. Abstracts close Jan. 21 at 2 p.m. ET. Showcase foundational research uncovering the mechanisms that power microbial life. Submit now: asm.social/2LT

Grinnell College has openings for two 1-year term positionsto teach microbiology and immunology. More information here: apply.interfolio.com/179939

We are hiring new faculty!! Come join our amazing community in the Department of Molecular Microbiology at Washington University School of Medicine! The deadline for applications is 2/21, but applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. facultyopportunities.wustl.edu/Posting/Deta...

📣Building Bridges in Leukocyte Biology #BBinLB webinar series hosted by the @leukocytebiology.bsky.social Next speaker: @oehlerslab.org "Differential subversion of host immune signalling by tuberculous and non-tuberculous mycobacteria" 📅 Jan 28 at 9 am EST -register free link below #Zebrafish

"Meningococcal disease is a terrible, terrible disease." - Walter Orenstein, MD, former Director of the US Immunization Program www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdi...

The deadline for general abstract submission for ASM Microbe is Jan. 21! Join us at the Mechanism Discovery Meeting, your home for fundamental microbiology research.

The @asm.org statement in response to the changes in the childhood immunization schedule: asm.org/press-releas...

I feel so sad. The world has lost an amazing person.

Submit your abstracts for ASM Microbe 2026! As a member of the Scientific Program Committee, I can vouch for great science with something for everyone! @asm.org asm.org/events/asm-m...

Abstract portal is open for ASM Microbe 2026. New meeting format, same great science. Hope to see you in DC!

While everyone is hustling for the holidays, hopefully folks will have time to submit abstracts or register for #ASMMicrobe2026 in DC! Please repost!

I'm incredibly honored to serve as inaugural chair of the Mechanism Discovery Unit of @asm.org! Looking forward to this opportunity to support our microbial sciences community and help it grow.

Well this is frustrating: “The first weekday Northeast Regional train currently departs Charlottesville’s Union Station at 8:55am, but it will now leave at 12:45pm. The Crescent will continue to be scheduled to leave at 10:59am.”

A double dose of good news on the infectious disease front: There’s not just one but two new drugs coming for gonorrhea, one of the most worrying diseases when it comes to antibiotic resistance. 🧪 #IDsky www.science.org/content/arti...

What are #Neutrophils? why are there so many? how are they shaped by disease? how is it that they maintain memory despite their short lifespan? Our views on this and much more written with #Ivan_Ballesteros for @cp-cell.bsky.social 👇 authors.elsevier.com/a/1mFj9L7PXu...

Please join me on Wednesday, December 10, from 12:30–1:30 p.m. ET. I’ll be in conversation with three esteemed STEM colleagues as we share insights on navigating rapid change and uncertainty across the field. www.pathlms.com/asm/webinars...

Architecture of the neutrophil compartment @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Last chance! Early abstracts & travel awards for #ASMicrobe close TOMORROW (Dec 2, 2 p.m. ET). Early submissions receive early review—helpful for planning travel & approvals. Submit today! ➜ asm.social/2Ij

We're hiring! Check out our ad and please re-post or forward to interested #Microbiology parties: apply.interfolio.com/174783

More great work from my UW colleagues:

📢 Deadline approaching! Are you a Ph.D. candidate, postdoc or lab-based researcher, or know someone whose work deserves recognition? Nominate them for #IAIJournal’s 2026 Emerging Voices in Microbiology Minireview Collection! ⏰ Deadline is Oct. 20: asm.social/2Ea

CDC released provisional 2024 data on sexually transmitted infections (STIs). For the first time in years, overall reported cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, & syphilis are down ~9%. In 2024, over 2.2 million STIs were reported. That’s still 13% higher than 10 years ago. www.cdc.gov/sti-statisti...

🚨 Microbiologists! We are recruiting Assistant / Associate Professors in 3 collaborative areas of our U. Pittsburgh School of Medicine. 1) MMG (my dept): fundamental research in med micro 2) Peds ID / I4Kids institute 3) Center for Vaccine Research 🔗 to all 3 w/info: www.linkedin.com/posts/vaughn...

Merck is accepting applications for its 2026 Future Talent Program - these are internships and co-ops in a variety of areas including drug discovery, vaccines, clinical trials, biostatistics, epidemiology, HEOR, data science, regulatory affairs, and more #chemsky 🧪⚗️ jobs.merck.com/us/en/search...

Here is the Virginia Department of Health standing order that can used to get a pharmacy based covid vaccine for those 65+ or 18-64 with at least one underlying condition. Your pharmacy should have a copy as well. www.vdh.virginia.gov/content/uplo...

The @ukhsa.bsky.social STI Reference Lab has identified a strain of Neisseria gonorrhoeae which evades detection on the Cepheid Xpert CT/GC Assay. Read more in our eurosurveillance article www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2...

Postdoc position (please re-post) A funded postdoctoral position, will open in 2026 to study aspects of Neisseria gonorrhoeae pathogenesis, antigenic variation, genetics, or physiology. If interested in more information, please contact Hank Seifert [email protected] #MicroSky

Interested in host-pathogen interactions? Want to work in a fun, exciting, and rigorous environment with phenomenal colleagues and world class facilities? Believe it or not, we’re hiring! Please share #MicroSky 👇 womeninscience.com/posting/7315...

Incredibly honored to announce I've received an R37 MERIT award to continue our studies on gonococcal-neutrophil interactions. Thank you to the many mentors, colleagues, collaborators, and most importantly, lab members who have contributed to this work!

New York Times story with profiles of researchers whose grants were terminated. [Gift Link] www.nytimes.com/2025/08/24/o...

Our new review “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘝𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘔𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤-𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘴” is out Compared to antibiotics, vaccines: ✓ Act prophylactically at low pathogen burden ✓ Less prone to inducing resistance due to multifactorial nature of immune pressure 🧵1/3

Excited to have our new mini review on Microbiome Metabolism out today in I&I as part of the @asm.org New Voices in Microbiology collection! Check it out! 🧫🧪 journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

Some journals are claiming that you need to pay big $$ for gold open access to comply with NIH's new public access policy. FYI that is total bs. You can comply by depositing the Accepted Manuscript into PubMed Central on the Date of Publication without embargo. Pass it on.

Excited to share our new call for papers at @asm.org's MRA journal. Do you have a database, software, or web-based tool that would be a great resource for the micro community? Consider submitting it to MRA! journals.asm.org/journal/mra/...

Please use this link to nominate: asm.org/IAI-minireview

A few weeks late, but delighted to announce I'm an editor at Infection and Immunity! Send your manuscripts to this @ASM.org society journal - proceeds go back to our community. And free immediate #OpenAccess through #SubscribeToOpen. Want to know more? journals.asm.org/S2O

Infection and Immunity is now welcoming nominations for highly promising scientists at the assistant professor level (or equivalent) to submit research to the next New Voices in Microbiology Collection! Please nominate by the August 18 deadline using the below link: app.asm.org/account/logi...

We are looking for a new postdoctoral fellow to join our team at NC State University College of Veterinary Medicine, near Research Triangle Park. If you are interested please DM me and or also apply here: jobs.ncsu.edu/postings/219...

Alert! The abstract deadline for the Microbial Pathogenesis & Host Response meeting has been extended to July 7 meetings.cshl.edu/meetings.asp...

Wonderful to be at #ASMicrobe and catch up with colleagues including the amazing Monica Gestal! #ASMJournals

INVALUABLE must read for academic leadership and really all researchers 👇🏻

Exclusive: Confusion over new DEI language from NSF and NIH leads Williams College to be first institution to pause accepting any grants www.science.org/content/arti...