Dr. Karmella Haynes

In the midst of all the current mess, a glimmer of joy … a reminder of how fortunate I am to live to see a President who can play the dozens.

Had my first in-depth conversation with a breast cancer patient advocate this morning … one of the best scientific conversations I’ve ever had! #breastcancerresearch

I secured my vote! 💙✊🏾

Not only is @samsanders.bsky.social back on NPR, he’s on MY station @wabe.org … the way I shouted for joy when I heard that news! I missed his voice so much. Welcome home Sam!

Hot take: the essential problem with generative AI is that the engineer wants to reap the benefits of an ever expanding “free will,” and within unbreakable constraints. On its face this makes no sense, and this was plainly warned about in West World and other speculative science fiction.

We are still doing representation and inclusion work and we are not going to stop until the work is done. #DEI

The chromatin staining experiment Finally. F*cking. Worked. 😵‍💫 The hilarious part: we made a H3K27me3 specific GFP fusion that works in live cells, avoiding artifacts from fixing & staining. The reviewer asked that we show the probe tracking w/ antibody signal, which requires fixing & staining. 🙄

Chatbot: You seem to relate with Cordelia Cupp, who is quirky and eccentric. Me: Eccentric? She seems normal to me. Chatbot: 😄 I think it suggests that your baseline for “normal human behavior” includes considerably more independent thinking than the average television character’s does. Me: 🤨

Cordelia Cupp is my new series bestie #TheResidence. Shut up everyone, the lady who knows WTF she’s talking about is speaking. 👏🏾 I’ve had to step away from Carmy from #TheBear for a minute, my previous spirit character, until Disney sorts itself out.

Carmy is a lab PI. Struggling PIs who are still working at the bench and also watch(ed) The Bear know exactly what I’m talking about. #lifeoflabPI #thebear

I hear that AfroBiotech might be headed to New Orleans in 2027 👀. And maybe at a certain university with a legendary history of educating Black scientists and health professionals 👀 👀. Nothing official yet, but we’re talking. #AfroBiotech2027

Random roadside squash vine spotted by a neighbor today!

Ya’ll 🥹🤓🥳 Wordle 1,889 1/6 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I love dining at the bar, but nothing makes me say “check please” faster than a social media influencer sitting next to me, propping their phone/ camera up, announcing where they are to whatever audience, and ordering a margarita with a sugar rim. 🙄

That MIRA R35 summary statement stung. “15 years and no tenure/ promotion” ignoring my institutional move and COVID. I’ve spent a long time participating in a professional ecosystem that has been better at extracting my labor than investing in my advancement. #blackinacademia

My latest favorite thing about the airport is that I don’t have to see Kristi Noem’s face on the TSA announcement screen anymore.

At the end of his PhD defense my wonderful trainee said that he hoped to become a PI some day. My face: ☺️. My inner voice: 😳 mannnnn I don’t know if you want this life.

Made myself a little pulled bbq pork from slow-cooked pork shoulder just to keep it a little festive in my single lady home. I put it on a toasted ciabatta bun with some caramelized onions. I added some home-made cabbage slaw with vinegar-mayo dressing and sweet pepper relish. Happy July 4th!

A flurry of chemical activity as bacteria resist destruction might be hiding under the radar … but not for long. Congrats Dr. Johnson! Looking forward to the cool work that will come from this project! #fundboldscience @blackinmicro.bsky.social

While venting to my Chatbot about administrative pressures to act on things I literally have no control of, the Chatbot validated my frustration and quipped “Nine women can’t make a baby in one month.” 🤣🤣🤣 #academia

Red drink for #Juneteenth!

Ya’ll! 🤣

I love that Alzo Slade has taken on the prestigious position of the @npr.org Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me announcer and score keeper! At the same time I’ll miss Bill Curtis’ voice … “so rich that it makes you sign a prenup.”

The saddest twist on the anti-DEI crusade is that it turns out to *not* actually benefit talented, qualified White people. Take a look at Trump’s appointees. But people who know what’s up understand why. It’s not about merit, it’s about tribalism and loyalty.

Calling all Scientists! Research Administrators! Deans! Fans of Science! No one is coming to save us. Here is your assignment. I have written a step by step, easy to understand "how-to" document to help you comment on the proposed OMB rule. elizabethginexi.substack.com/p/what-we-ne...

Science people 🚨Here is your assignment. 1. Read Ginexi’s substack. You will learn what the new “politicians have the final say on grants” policy is and how leaving an original detailed public comment with effectively flood the zone. 2. Leave your comment here: www.regulations.gov/document/OMB...

A reflective and inspiring Decoration Day to all #decorationday #memorialday

New genomics data are on their way to the public realm! GEO entry coming soon. One step closer to predictable epigenetic reprogramming of human cells using engineered chromatin proteins. #epigenetics #synbio Lunch: home made Thai-inspired basil fried rice topped with a fried egg over easy.

My cancellation note to Paramount Plus: “With Colbert’s cancellation from CBS, I suspect that Paramount Plus is becoming a propaganda puppet for Dictator Miracle Ear. I am not interested in paying to be lied to.”

It is my honor to “hood” two STEM PhDs, Cancer Biology (left) and Biomedical Engineering (right), today at the #EmoryCommencement ceremony. As a first-gen URM PhD myself it is especially exciting to bestow this hard-earned title to two black women scientists #blackinSTEM

About to “hood” my first Emory/ GA Tech Biomedical Engineering PhD graduate at the GA Tech c/o 2026 PhD ceremony! @gatechengineers.bsky.social #gatechgraduation2026 #blackinSTEM

New preprint! Adipocyte signals trigger stress-adaptive, growth-promoting states in TNBC via metabolic+epigenetic changes. Congrats to 1st author Dr. Ashley (Townsel) Kelly & collaborators Dr. M. Kemp & Dr. C. Henry. #BreastCancer #Epigenetics #SystemsBio khayneslab.wordpress.com/2026/04/14/r...

Captain Victor Glover, yes you did that! 🚀 🙌🏾 And in the same week Dr. Josephine Allen and colleagues dropped this fire article in NPJ Microgravity on supporting inclusive space travel biomedical research!!! 🤩 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Want to learn synthetic biology in a wet lab & computational lab this summer? The @CSHL synthetic biology summer course is now accepting applications. Deadline: April 10, 2026 meetings.cshl.edu/courses.aspx... #learnsynbio

That is one saucy pig. Sitting there like it knows exactly what it’s doing. The “come hither” eyes, little smirk, just daring you to order another round and make questionable decisions. You know what? I trust it.

Celebrating my 49th trip around the sun with a tequila cocktail and a fried chicken dinner at the best Peruvian spot in Atlanta, Las Brasas! 🥳🎂

K-pop Demon Hunters was awesome! Amazing animation art. I loved it!

Let’s start a new trend: grant apps-maxxing. I kind of feel like I’ve already started it.

I just learned about a spay and neuter organization in Georgia called “Planned PEThood.” 🤭 pethoodga.org

Steve Inskeep @npr.org really put Sen. Ron Johnson to task this morning. I loved it. How are you going to back Trump’s war decision 100% but then call Obama’s Syria strike unconstitutional? And as you’d expect Ron circled around the drain with “but Trump … American security … Trump.” #iran

A riddle for Prof. Allyson Friedman: what two things do these neurobiologists have in common: Farah Lubin, Antentor Hinton, and Andre Fenton? They’re Black and they each have an h-index higher than yours. abcnews.com/amp/US/hunte...