I am sincerely honored and excited to be named the Vice Chair for Vision Research at the @moraneyecenter.bsky.social at @utah.edu. I am thrilled to work with everyone to build upon the Moran's rich history in vision research. Stay tuned for much more to come - we will be growing!

Moran Eye Center Names Kristen M. Kwan, PhD, Vice Chair for Vision Research

The John A. Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah has named Kristen M. Kwan, PhD, Vice Chair for Vision Research. In this leadership role, she will help guide the strategic direction of the Moran...

healthcare.utah.edu

Three magical words #Vienna

It was an absolute JOY to be in Vienna to see my colleague David Grunwald be awarded the @izfs.bsky.social George Streisinger Award! David gave us an inspiring reminder of who we are as a community, how we got here, and what we can accomplish when we work together. #zebrafish #EZM2026

View from my office this morning: the upper part of the foothills are charred from a wildfire that has been burning behind the university

Congratulations Skyline High School Class of 2026!!!!

Had a fantastic time at #ARVO2026 - so much exciting science, great food, wonderful colleagues, and any form of weather you might want! I am especially honored to have been elected to the AMPC for the Retinal Cell Biology section along with @latorrelab.bsky.social!

For me, this signals the start of fun science at #ARVO ❤️

I had a great time visiting Iowa last week, and it was fantastic to catch up with outstanding alums from our PhD program who are out there doing amazing things! @shyamraji.bsky.social @eannemartin.bsky.social

Raji Shyam@shyamraji.bsky.social · 4mo ago

My home department hosted @blockintheback.bsky.social for a visit and seminar last week. As always, Kristen gave an amazing talk!! Always nice to reminisce out with the fabulous folks at the U! @eannemartin.bsky.social

Had a great visit to the University of Kansas! I got to catch up with a bunch of Utah Human Genetics alums, saw the ctenophores, had Rock Choc Jayhawk at Sylas and Maddy’s, and got to bond with my brother’s cat.

Had an absolute blast visiting the NEI yesterday! It was great to see so many fantastic people including @samerhattar.bsky.social @jeffreyafarrell.bsky.social @katwrog.bsky.social @abhinavsur.bsky.social @tmr65.bsky.social and so many more!

Hard to believe it’s been six years - that was also our first week of remote work and school due to Covid, so my kids were at home to experience their first earthquake (and me hollering at them to get under our big dining room table)

The Salt Lake Tribune@sltrib.com · 5mo ago

Today is the sixth anniversary of the 5.7 magnitude earthquake that rocked northern Utah in 2020. Check out this Tribune story from the day of: www.sltrib.com/news/2020/03...

Huge congratulations to Pramod Karthikeyan from the lab on winning the 2026 Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award from the University of Utah School of Medicine! Here’s Pramod in action presenting at Capitol Hill Day last month! @utah.edu @uuhsresearch.bsky.social

Join us for the 2026 Visual System Development GRC at Sunday River, Maine!

Justin Kumar@flyeyelab.bsky.social · 5mo ago

The 2026 Visual System Development GRC and GRS are fast approaching. Jeremy Kay, Kristen Kwan, Robert Johnston, and I have built an exciting program that we hope you will enjoy. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the meeting this summer in beautiful Maine. Register and RT!

Best kind of surprise for the weekend: an unexpected meet-up with Chase, the first PhD student from the lab!

Sunrise in Maryland

So excited to go to Vienna for this in July!

European Zebrafish Society (EZS)@ezsociety.bsky.social · 6mo ago

🌟 Meet the Scientific Committee: @blockintheback.bsky.social🌟 Kristen Kwan is a member of the Scientific Committee of #EZM2026, and we are thrilled to have her join us in Vienna! Stay tuned as we continue to introduce the outstanding scientists of EZM2026! 🐟🧬

📅EZM2026-Save the date! We are delighted to welcome you to the 13th European Zebrafish Meeting in Vienna, Austria! 📑Submit your abstract by March 15 2026! ✅Early bird registrations are now open until April 15th 2026 We are looking forward to seeing you there!

Tonight’s diversion: a combined performance of the Wasatch Junior High Concert Band, Skyline High School Wind Ensemble, and the Salt Lake Symphonic Winds

First project of the year: a hat for a friend Harlow Flip, Icy Sunset colorway from @spincycle-yarns.bsky.social @dreareneeknits.bsky.social 🧶 #knitsky

Felt this on campus at the University of Utah

Quake Alert - Earthquake Monitor@earthquakes.live · 7mo ago

Felt #earthquake: 4.7 #quake Summit County, 55 mi east of Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah, United States, 7 minutes ago - 48 reports so far. Did you feel it? Send a report!

Just felt a little earthquake in Salt Lake City?

🧪IMPORTANT! This graphic explains how science all over the US is funded. Congress approved a 2% increase in the #NIH budget for FY 26. Buried in the bill- Shift of ~40% of grants to MYF. This will still result in a 35% DECREASE in the NUMBER of grants funded per yr. Russel Vought is behind this.

Good news from NIH! Michael Chiang has apparently been reappointed as Director of the National Eye Institute www.nei.nih.gov/about/our-mi...

Great overview of the damage to science over the past year. This shows NIH awarded 24% fewer new research awards in FY2025 vs 2024. The multiyear funding language in the new LHHS bill means we should expect the same amount of new science this year. www.nature.com/immersive/d4...

US science after a year of Trump: what has been lost and what remains

A series of graphics reveals how the Trump administration has sought historic cuts to science and the research workforce.

nature.com

One year into Trump's second presidency, how are science and medical research faring? Our @nature.com team breaks it down for you. (1/n) From @virginiagewin.bsky.social, learn about Layoffs ✅ Funding cuts ✅ Attacks on science ✅ www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪

‘Shattered’: US scientists speak out about how Trump policies disrupted their careers

Researchers lay bare the human toll of lay-offs, funding cuts and attacks on science one year after the president’s return to the White House.

nature.com

The NIH's MYF policy in 2025 resulted in 4000 fewer grants and fellowships that touched every area of biology and medicine; continuing it in 2026 would be disastrous for science, technology and health in the United States 🧪 www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

The U.S. Is Funding Fewer Grants in Every Area of Science and Medicine

A quiet policy change means the government is making fewer bets on long-term science.

nytimes.com

Mark Histed@markhisted.org · 7mo ago

So what can we do? Start now and demand no votes for this bill unless the MYF provision is returned — to ban MYF at NIH this year, to set it to zero. We can still do this. But if scientists stick their heads in the sand and deny reality, we cannot even begin to fight. Realistic optimism.

Survivorship Bias Sugar Cookies for the Human Genetics Department Holiday Baking Extravaganza

« Not in word list » 😕

An honor and dream come true to perform alongside Yo-Yo Ma, presented by Celebrity Series at Boston Symphony Hall. 💜 🎼Ave Maria (Bach/Gounod)