I don't argue with religious people because my thing sounds crazy too. Here's the deal, a big star blew up and the debris flew across the universe and eventually assembled itself into me

Particularly proud to see this paper out as an important & new invitation to think about microbiome stewardship! academic.oup.com/sumbio/advan...

Microbiome Stewardship: Definition and Guiding Principles for Implementation

Abstract. Microbiomes are essential for ecosystem, plant, animal, and human health. There is accumulating evidence that changes to microbiomes from anthrop

academic.oup.com

PaBST (Philosophy and Biology Shop Talks) 2026 Schedule. It’s going to be another great year.

Just got a cool email. “Dear Derek, I am delighted to share that you have been promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure. I enjoyed reading about your contributions to research, teaching and service. Thank you for your many contributions to the College of Arts and Sciences.”

Two more weeks left to apply to join us for PaBST (philosophy and biology shop talks) held June 21-26 in North Carolina.

Hi everyone! I'm co-organizing this retreat/workshop June 15-19 for those looking to get started in mathematical/computational modeling of biological processes. Location is a beautiful farm in NC. Please share with students and others who want to build modeling skills. Interdisciplinarity welcome!

We’re excited to launch the official BlueSky profile of ISHPSSB! Founded in 1998, we connect researchers in philosophy, history, and social studies of biology and medicine worldwide. Follow us for updates and events! #PhilosophyOfBiology, #HistoryOfScience, #STS, #Biology, #Medicine

New paper out. This is part of a long term project comparing Hawaiian coral reef connectivity between deep and shallow reefs to help understand biodiversity patterns and whether deep reefs might serve as climate refugia. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Cryptobenthic crab assemblages are more distinct across a 90 m depth gradient than 2500 km of shallow marine habitat in the Hawaiian archipelago - Scientific Reports

Scientific Reports - Cryptobenthic crab assemblages are more distinct across a 90 m depth gradient than 2500 km of shallow marine habitat in the Hawaiian archipelago

nature.com

Philosopher Derek Skillings investigates goal-directed behavior in collective entities, like corals 🪸 – and recently received the largest grant in the history of @uncg.edu's philosophy department thanks to project funding from @templetonfdn.bsky.social researchmagazine.uncg.edu/2025-issue/d...

Therefore we are: diving into the behavior of symbiotic organisms - UNCG Research Magazine

UNCG's Dr. Derek Skillings investigates goal-directed behavior in symbiotic groups – collective entities such as biofilms and corals – with a large grant from the Templeton Foundation.

researchmagazine.uncg.edu

My university just did a nice write up on my research and the recent grant I am leading. researchmagazine.uncg.edu/2025-issue/d...

PaBST is back. Let me know if you're coming out for it and want to hang out! I'll be doing freshman orientation that week but I'm sure we could make things happen.

I'm helping to organize PaBST (Philosophy and Biology Shop Talks) this year. This is an amazing opportunity to relax on a farm and discuss big questions in evolution, ecology, agency, and other aspects of life sciences and philosophy. Application instructions in image and alt text.

New paper on homeostasis with William Bechtel finally out in Philosophy of Science: " Rediscovering Bernard and Cannon: Restoring the Broader Vision of Homeostasis Eclipsed by the Cyberneticists" @ias-research.bsky.social @dialecticalsys.bsky.social www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Philosophy and Biology Shop Talks (PaBST) is back. Keynote by Peter Godfrey-Smith. Abstracts due March 31. Submit at pabstworkshop@gmail.com