HHMI Freeman Hrabowski Scholar and Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Washington studying host-pathogen interactions in beautiful Seattle.
(he/him). Opinions are my own and do not reflect those of my employer.
Thrilled to announce that the Department of Microbiology at the University of Washington, School of Medicine is hiring at the Assistant Professor level (tenure-track)!
The Pacific Northwest is an awesome place to live and do science 🧪🦠. Join us!
apply.interfolio.com/185622
Applications due 8/1.
Of all the harm this administration has done to US science, today's proposed changes to the way federal grants are awarded and administered is the most damaging yet.
The text of the federal register document is impenetrably tedious by design, so here's an excellent summary of what it says.
Summary of Key Changes in OMB’s Proposed Federal Financial Assistance Rule.
Russell Vought is going destroy American Science.
elizabethginexi.substack.com/p/summary-of...
You asked, we answered — this time for our united #FreemanHrabowski Scholars and #HannaGray Fellows programs. A warm welcome into who's eligible, how the programs connect, and more, from our very own Science Program team members Mary Bonds & Lucy Corcoran. Applications open 11/3! bit.ly/fhs26 🧪
Registration deadline is fast approaching for the "Host adaptations to viral infections” Meeting May 10th-13th, 2026, at the CNRS Station Biologique de Roscoff, Brittany, France! JOIN US and the many amazing speakers! JOIN US!
sites.google.com/berkeley.edu...
Check out our new publication, a collaboration with Giovanni Luchetti and Vishva Dixit @ Genentech.
We show that the E.coli effector NleL inhibits intestinal epithelial cell extrusion after #inflammasome activation via degrading the kinases ROCK1 and 2!!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Explainer 1/8
I'm excited to announce our new biorxiv preprint, wherein we investigate the evolution of the weirdest genetic locus I've ever seen! Behold the tgr genes of the social amoeba, which mediate self/non-self discrimination during facultative multicellularity 🐅 🧵 1/
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
What does 18,000+ brave signatories look like standing together in massive solidarity with the #NIH heroes of the historic Bethesda Declaration??...
Find out by adding YOUR NAME to our #NIHLove letter here! -
actionnetwork.org/forms/add-na...#StandUpForScience#BethesdaDeclaration#StopTrump
Especially if you're on the fence about it, protest today. Fascism is isolating and lonely. Its very goal is to make you feel like you're the only person unwilling to accept a cult of personality. On days like today you fully realize there are more of us than there are them. You will feel better.
"Sources said the administration is specifically considering a full termination of federal grant funding for the University of California and California State University systems."
Pure vandalism.
This could never happen in a country with functioning checks and balances.
Together with leading science organizations, ASM filed an amicus brief calling for immediate restoration of NIH grants supporting early-career scientists. Read the press release: asm.org/press-releas...
NIH's work saves lives—& Trump is gutting it.
Straight from D.C. I headed to Seattle Children's to hear from researchers & patients alike about the importance of NIH funding—it's not just about lines in a budget, it's about lifesaving discoveries.
We ALL need to speak up to save it.
🚨 Over 70 graduate programs in the biological and biomedical sciences have frozen or slashed admissions.
The consequences are profound—how many brilliant minds are being shut out of research entirely? How much future discovery is being lost before it even begins?
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
See this chart for one stark example: NIH funding has dramatically slowed down.
Grant awards are down *$3 billion* so far, compared to same time period last year
I asked the White House to explain.
“This is not a researcher entitlement program,” said an official, defending their new approach.
Federal funding of biomedical research has been a remarkably successful partnership, with benefits that are so intertwined in our daily lives that they can be easy to take for granted.
So what will we lose if the U.S. continues to defund research?
theconversation.com/cuts-to-scie...
I want to highlight:
...trainees are the lifeblood of biomedical research and its future. Supporting young people committed to public service through research and health care is an investment in medical advancements and public health...
We see you. You belong here.
Federal funding of biomedical research has been a remarkably successful partnership, with benefits that are so intertwined in our daily lives that they can be easy to take for granted.
So what will we lose if the U.S. continues to defund research?
theconversation.com/cuts-to-scie...
We lose:
✖️Basic science advancements that help us understand the causes of disease.
✖️New treatments and cures for diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's. Our ability to combat infectious diseases.
✖️the biomedical workforce.
✖️the next generation of researchers and health professionals.
I wrote an OpEd arguing against funding cuts to NIH and NSF and their devastating impact for the newspaper I grew up with, the Morning Sun, in Pittsburg, Kansas.
Keep spreading the word, wherever you can.
morningsun.net/stories/maki...
Ann Palmenberg was a trailblazer in virology and infectious disease research — but that was just for starters. A great scientist, mentor and friend, she lived every day to its fullest. news.wisc.edu/remembering-...
First authors Madeline Churchill and Ankit Pandeya @nkeet50.bsky.social from @rauchlab.bsky.social show that tuft cells, known for their role in anti-parasite defenses, can also contribute to anti-bacterial responses in the small intestine. rupress.org/jem/article/...#InfectiousDisease
Let's not forget that apart from science advocacy the Rauch lab also does kick-ass science!
Together with the @psmitchej.bsky.social and Tait Wojno labs, we show that #tuftcells can induce specific protective signaling after recognition of intracellular bacterial infection via the #inflammasome!
First authors Madeline Churchill and Ankit Pandeya @nkeet50.bsky.social from @rauchlab.bsky.social show that tuft cells, known for their role in anti-parasite defenses, can also contribute to anti-bacterial responses in the small intestine. rupress.org/jem/article/...#InfectiousDisease
New report shows that NIH grants fueled $95 billion in economic activity and 407,782 jobs in 2024.
That's not to mention the countless lives that biomedical research has saved.
Show me a better investment than that.
www.forbes.com/sites/michae...
🧪 The attack on science could have a generational effect. We risk losing a wave of early-career researchers to these cuts. And biomedical science in the US will be less ambitious, less competitive & lead to fewer breakthroughs. So much is at stake. My latest for @opinion.bloomberg.com (🎁 link):
The Sorrells Lab is hiring a recent college graduate interested in neurobiology of mosquitoes! The position is ideal for someone interested in gaining skills for graduate school. Apply here: apply.interfolio.com/164849
1/4
Today, I honor Dr. Lee Herzenberg, a renaissance woman and a pioneer.
#InternationalWomensDay#WomenInScience#IWD
I’ve been fortunate to be mentored by women at home and in science. I met Lee in 2004, and her mentorship profoundly influenced my career and values.
Posting some links to articles about the Stand Up For Science rallies
In the @nytimes.com
"Science, Politics and Anxiety Mix at Rally Under Lincoln Memorial"
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/08/s...#StandUpForScience
My message to those that aim to sow distrust in science & healthcare: You picked the wrong group to dismiss and discount. We do not yield to misinformation and lies! #standupforscience2025@sufsseattle.bsky.social@standupforscience.bsky.social
Breaking news: Thousands of researchers and their supporters, including recently fired federal workers, have gathered across the U.S. in response to layoffs and funding cuts ordered by the Trump administration. scim.ag/41zlPv4
Joining colleagues and concerned citizens across the US and around the world today who are Standing Up For Science. Why?
✔️research creates cures
✔️science grows the economy
✔️for my colleagues, our trainees, and the future of research and healthcare
✔️because science is for everyone
The study section I sit on (Innate Immunity B) will be rescheduled to April.
Just putting this out there since folks have been getting no notifications about whats going on with their grants.
Hope to see you next week #Seattle.
This isn't just for scientists. Science is for everyone. Biomedical research benefits everyone.
@standupforscience.bsky.social
March 7
12-3 PM
Seattle Center
It may not be cool or hip in some circles, but we legitimately do need a massive amount of people to run for office.
Flood the school boards, councils, county seats, state legislatures, Congress, etc.
Big changes at the top happen when the ground shifts at the bottom. And that can start now.