first Loo Lab paper is out now in @pubs.acs.org! here we show how polymer blends can tune Li ion solvation site and enhance ion transport read it here: pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

I am incredibly excited to share that I will be starting as an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the CBE Department at FAMU-FSU College of Engineering this fall! Ready for some Florida sunshine 😁

I am THRILLED to officially announce that I have accepted a position as an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison starting January 2026! My lab will use expertise in polymer science, biomaterials, and ECM engineering study osteochondral disease! 🦡 🔬🧪🧫 🦴

This is incredible. This is the kind of stuff that's why we do science.

This is so demoralizing. We are losing critical ECR funding from all sources..and in doing so, losing the future of science. Who will stand up for these vulnerable communities?!

It’s graduation season! 🎓I am incredibly proud of Kayla Mash, double major in Biochem and Applied Math with a minor in Biomedical Engineering who has conducted research with me the past 3 years! Today she graduates with honors and was awarded Outstanding Biochemistry Student Award at graduation!

The Human Genome Project cost taxpayers $3 Billion. Two decades on, it has generated a staggering return on investment of $1 Trillion, with benefits in medicine, agriculture, energy, the environment, & more. If you want to boost the economy, funding science is one of the best things you could do.

Tell me how tariffs are good?

180 higher education leaders from US colleges & universities released a joint statement condemning Trump’s efforts to control universities. The government’s “political interference” and “overreach” is “now endangering higher education in America,” www.nytimes.com/2025/04/22/u...

The NSF cut the number of graduate research fellowships awarded this year by about half, further eroding US grad students' opportunities to secure career-boosting $$$ for 🧪⚛️🔬 Words by me + Data analysis by @leighkboerner.bsky.social now online @cenmag.bsky.social cen.acs.org/policy/resea...

Sharing all my research via a tutorial website was the most unique idea I had during my PhD. I took advantage of my years of blogging experience via Wordpress, but it still took a lot of work. I'm glad it has connected me to scientists across the globe. Visit hydrogeldesign.org to learn more!

M. Gessen hits the nail on the head, yet again www.nytimes.com/2025/04/14/o...

I am excited to share that the final paper from my graduate work has now been published! Thank you to everyone at UM who helped me push this over the finish line! This work focuses on the development of vascularizing PEG-based microgels! Check it our here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Several thoughts about this very helpful interview on NYT w Chris Eisgruber, president of Princeton, about existential attacks on higher ed, how and what solidarity among American universities looks like. And why it's worth the listen. (Also a dopey headline.) 1/ www.nytimes.com/2025/04/09/p...

Since starting as a #NewPI, I've been feeling the weight of my impact on the future of my students. Which makes it so difficult to empathize with the people that have so much more power than me when they don't appear to be affected by the weight of the people whose lives they directly alter.

Congratulations to the NSF GRFP awardees! This was an especially competitive year because the number of awardees was down by 51%. To the students who didn't get it: my heart goes out to you. This was an especially competitive year. I hope this doesn't deter you from research.

just started watching and he's talking about the importance of NIH funded research: "let me repeat 99.4% of FDA approved drugs were funded by NIH research" 🧪

Welp. It happened. Our NIH training grant was terminated on Friday. Just highlighting this incredibly derisive language used in our termination notice. To focus on the positives, see some of the great things our undergraduates have done over the last couple of years: web.uri.edu/esteemed/

A pie graph worth keeping in mind as the NIH budget plummets jamanetwork.com/journals/jam... for 356 new FDA drugs approved

From 2010 to 2016 (latest data I have ), NIH research contributed to EVERY drug approved by the FDA

University of California announced a systemwide hiring freeze. This affects not 1 but 10 campuses (including UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC San Francisco, UC San Diego among others) plus 3 national labs with impact on medical and scientific research and local economies. www.reuters.com/world/us/uni...

There are days in life that shake you. I’m shattered 💔 to share that I just found out that the US Government terminated my 2024 NIH Director’s Early Independence Award (~$2 million), threatening my long-promised assistant professor job at Columbia University & academic career... 1/🧵

I'll be at the Stand Up for Science Rally in DC tomorrow! #ChemSky #SciSky Feel free to ping me on here or on Signal (bribarbu.95) if you want to chat about your motivations for being there & what standing up for science means for you! Particularly interested in basic chem research!

This checks out! www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Biomedical research uses a lot of chemicals. Essentially every procedure in molecular biology, biochemistry, or genomics involves the use of chemicals including solvents, toxins, and carcinogens. You can't just dump these things down the sink when you're done with them!!!

Well said 👏

Very excited about using this in the future!!! The door is wide open to answer so may interesting ECM questions.

"Imagine a DAPI-like stain, but for the extracellular matrix." That's basically how this work was pitched to me by Kayvon and Antonio a year or so ago. Now the final product really delivers. Read about their versatile label for ECM in living tissues here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Happy start of the new year! @acspoly.bsky.social is kicking things off by continuing our Career Development Series, a virtual workshop on "Pivoting Careers as a Polymer Scientist/Engineer in Industry" POLY members only #polysky- space is limited so please register 👉 docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Hi Bluesky 👋 We're looking forward to sharing our departmental news on this new platform. Please spread the word that we've joined!

It's so exciting to welcome the lab's first #PhD students - Hannah, Ruth, and Lawrence! Starting in January, they will be working on exciting projects at the intersection of #biomaterials, #hydrogels, #microbiology, and #softmatter. I feel so grateful to work with this team as a #NewPI! Welcome!😊

One of the biggest questions we get is when will our journals be here. We thank you for your patience. You can now follow our journals with this starter pack!

Happy #fluorescencefriday! The Anseth Lab had a great showing at the Up Close Imaging Competition this year! 🔬 #BioFrontiers #Nikon @bruceekirk.bsky.social @kaustavbera11.bsky.social 2nd 🥈 and 2 of the 9-way tie for 4th place! Always a great way to highlight the beautiful imaging the group does!

The Anseth lab continues to pioneer many of the best and most versatile photoresponsive biomaterials known to our community. Congrats to @monicaohnsorg.bsky.social and Ella Hushka for summarizing the group's last 15 years of exciting efforts in their new paper!

Inspiration: this absolute marvel of a post: bsky.app/profile/meow...

🧪🔬🦴 This is an #Osteocyte It lives in #bone and reaches out to #implants and #biomaterials through cellular extensions [ * ] It frequently talks to other osteocytes and orchestrates bone remodelling Be like the Osteocyte =) * Scanning electron microscopy ** Horizontal field width = 27 µm

🌟 Perfect timing to check out our new @acspublications.bsky.social Accounts of Chemical Research article out online today summarizing the past 15 years of work with photoresponsive synthetic ECMs for biological applications conducted in the Anseth Lab! 🌟 #chemsky pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

For day 10 of #ChemAdvent24 we take a look at a compound that both wrapping paper and tape have in common 🎁 #ChemSky 🧪

New cryoEM structure of zoonotic H5N1 from Peter Kwong's lab curiously shows the glycan at N169 occupying the HA receptor binding site of a neighboring promoter #glycotime 🧪 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

🆕 Check out this great work on “tanglemers” from a great undergraduate/graduate student team in the Anseth lab! 💫

The 2024 VinFuture Special Prize for Women Innovators has honored Professor Kristi S. Anseth for advancement in design of polymeric biomaterials and methods for biomedical applications. www.media-outreach.com/news/vietnam...

Congratulations, Kristi! 🤩 The entire Anseth lab can’t wait to officially celebrate with you when you get back to CO from Vietnam! “The translation of bioengineering across biology and medicine remains a frontier with many opportunities to explore.” - Prof. Anseth www.colorado.edu/chbe/2024/12...

Very exciting work! Using machine learning to predict the mechanical properties of sustainable polymeric materials 👇

One of my favorite images: a platinum replica electron microscopy shot of an unroofed cancer cell migrating along collagen fibers (blue). It beautifully captures the clathrin-coated pits (red, ~100 nm) and the intricate network of branched actin filaments (orange) 🔬

“It’s been a long time coming🥰” The Nanite team proudly presents how predictive design of multimonomeric polyelectrolytes enables lung-specific gene delivery in Polym Chem 🧪🫁🐁 We believe this pioneering approach can enable new eras of gene therapy 🧬 pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a...

Whoohoo! #chemsky #UMNProud Sidharth was my prospective student contact at UMN! 😏

My latest feature for @cenmag.bsky.social examines biodegradable and compostable polymers as a solution to microplastic pollution. Spoiler: While there are plenty of ways to use these materials smartly, microplastics are mostly a problem that new plastic can't solve! cen.acs.org/materials/po...

Wouldn’t it be great if we could recycle plastic waste using sunlight? Now we can! Check out our latest work on recycling post-consumer polystyrene plastic! pubs.acs.org/doi/epdf/10.... #chemsky #bluesci #Sustainability #plastic #pollution @acspublications.bsky.social @stache-lab.bsky.social

I wanted to highlight a previous piece I did a few years back of a bee surrounded by the pheromones of a queen bee. 🐝👑 #sciart #chemsky Get a print here: philustrations.etsy.com/listing/1157...

What a fun way to do science communication and show off cool chemistry!!