Bummed to miss #Evol2026. For all those students looking for a position, we're recruiting MS students (polyploid genomics) and a PostDoc (conservation genomics) for next year. Shoot me an email!

With the #BYI announcement buzz settled, I’ve been reflecting on what this award means to me. 🎓 It’s a win for R2s, a boost for #wildlifegenomics 🐸🧬🖥️, and a testament to my @rittigers.bsky.social lab of students ✨ Reflections here: bit.ly/4xGNhX9 Thank you to @beckman-foundation.bsky.social!

Reflecting on the BYI: A Win for Salamanders, Mentorship, and the Road Less Traveled

​If you had told me years ago that a career spent chasing salamanders through the woods would lead to being named a 2026 Beckman Young Investigator  (BYI), I’m not sure I would have believed...

megalabrit.weebly.com

One of the best parts of any conference is meeting the next generation of amazing researchers ✨🐸 Thank you to the #GARD2026 team for organizing a great #mentorship program. We had great chats & made friendship bracelets! 🏆 Shout out to Lars Westerlinck who won a student presentation award!

The MEGA Lab has been having a blast at #GARD2026 in Knoxville which just so happens to be placed next to the “Salamander Capital of the World” 💖 The week has been filled with great research, conversations, and so many #amphibians & #reptiles 🐸🦎🦠🌈🧬 #whyistherestillnosalamanderemoji

✨ So proud of @ritscience.bsky.social MS student, Emma Thompson, for delivering a great flash talk about her research on #thermalecology & #microbiomes at #GARD2026! 🎉 🦠🐸 She impressed a large international audience of #herp disease experts. #proudmentor @gardconference.bsky.social

Interested in #macroevolution, #macroecology, and mountain biodiversity? I'm recruiting a #postdoc for an NSF-funded project at Yale, in collaboration with Martha Muñoz (Yale) and Maya Stokes (Florida State University). I'll be at #Evol2026 and happy to chat! Link below

Beyond honored to be named a 2026 Beckman Young Investigator #BYI! I can’t wait to get started on this work with my wonderful lab of students and to contribute much-needed genomic resources to the field of #amphibiangenomics! 🐸🧬

Beckman Foundation@beckman-foundation.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Congratulations to our 2026 Beckman Young Investigator Awardees! Twelve Researchers Selected to Receive $7.2M in Total Science Funding for Cutting-edge Research www.beckman-foundation.org/latest-news/... #BYI #beckmanresearch #newlyawarded

I have three amazing students presenting posters at #GARD2026! Come chat with them and get a salamander sticker ✨🙌🏻

My amazing student Emma Thompson successfully defended her MS in Enviro Sci @rittigers.bsky.social! I am so honored to have been part of Emma’s journey and cant wait to see what she accomplishes at Rutgers’ Ecology PhD program! 🌟🎉🐸🦠🧬 Stay tuned for her 2 pubs combining #microbialecology & #omics!

The MEGA Lab had a great time showing off our research on amphibian genomics and environmental microbiomes at #ImagineRIT! We spoke to over 400 people about the powerful integration of molecular biology and ecology/evolution research 🦠🔬🧬🐸🌎 @rittigers.bsky.social @ritscience.bsky.social

✨Amphibian migration has begun here in Rochester, NY 🐸 I drafted a guide on my website on how to “herp” responsibly from a conservation scientist’s perspective. Please share! megalabrit.weebly.com/responsible-... #conservation #amphibian #communityscience #herpetology #ecology

Responsible herping

Every spring, thousands of amphibians embark on a perilous journey from their wintering grounds to breeding pools. This event is often referred to as the "Big Night." While they face many natural...

megalabrit.weebly.com

Happy International Women’s Day! Thankful for all the funny, strong, creative, compassionate, supportive, and intelligent women in my life, especially those I get to share my lab with @rittigers.bsky.social! 💖✨🧬🔬 #WomeninSTEM #InternationalWomensDay

As a fun lab meeting activity right before break, one of my students designed a @jeopardyofficial.bsky.social game about our lab! My favorite category was “slack quotes.” Feeling so lucky to have such amazing @ritscience.bsky.social students! 💖

#MicroSky 🌎🐸🐢🐍🦎🦠🧫

GARD conference 2026@gardconference.bsky.social · 6mo ago

🚨Last call for Abstracts🚨 🗣️ Don’t miss the opportunity to present your research at #GARD26 🦠 Deadline extended to Sunday, Feb 15! 🔗 Apply: utconferences.eventsair.com/third-gard-c... #disease #ecology #evolution #microbiome #amphibian #reptile #herpetology #conservation #PopGen #wildlife 🧬🖥️

Last call for abstracts! Join us at the Global Amphibian & Reptile Disease conference 🐸🐍🦎🐢🌎🦠🧬🧪

GARD conference 2026@gardconference.bsky.social · 6mo ago

⏰ ABSTRACTS DUE TOMORROW! ⏰ Don’t forget to submit your abstract to #GARD26 by Feb 1 Join one of the largest gatherings of herpetologists 🐸🐍🐢🦎 Link to submit: utconferences.eventsair.com/third-gard-c... #conservation #ecology #evolution #herps #amphibian #reptile #disease #microbiome

If you are a student whose NSF GRFP application was returned without review for vague 'eligibility' reasons: 1) Let your department chair & Graduate School know. Encourage them to contact NSF & congress 2) Write to your congressional reps. 3) Write to grfp@nsf.gov to request re-consideration;

Just a little over a week left to submit your abstract for #GARD26! 🧪🌎🧬🦠 🐸 Don’t miss out on networking with other herpetologists around the #salamander capital of the world!

GARD conference 2026@gardconference.bsky.social · 7mo ago

🚨Deadline approaching🚨 🦠 Don’t miss your chance to present at #GARD26! 🧬 Submit your abstract by Feb 1! 🔗: utconferences.eventsair.com/third-gard-c... #amphibian #reptile #disease #ecology #evolution #conservation

Registration is open! 🧪🌎

GARD conference 2026@gardconference.bsky.social · 7mo ago

🐸📢Registration is OPEN! The registration portal for #GARD26 is now open! 🐓Early bird In-Person registration ends March 15 🐣Early bird Virtual registration ends May 15 For more information on deadlines and registration, take a look at our website: utconferences.eventsair.com/third-gard-c...

Calling all herpers, ecologists, & #conservation researchers! 🧪🌏 🌟Join us in Knoxville! #GARD26 #microbiology #disease #herpetology #ecology

GARD conference 2026@gardconference.bsky.social · 7mo ago

✨APPLY NOW! ✨ 🗓️ Less than a month left to submit your abstract for #GARD26 🧪🌏 🦎 Present your research as a talk or poster! 🐍 Learn the latest re: #amphibian and #reptile #disease! 🦠 Network with academics & #conservation professionals!

🧪🧬🌎

GARD conference 2026@gardconference.bsky.social · 8mo ago

✨Reminder✨🐸🦎🐢 Don’t forget to submit your abstract for #GARD26 by Feb 1! We are looking for posters & oral presentations from all career stages! #herpetology #conservation #amphibian #reptile #diseaseecology

We want to hear about your research! Spread the word and apply by Feb 1, 2026 🌎🐸🦠

GARD conference 2026@gardconference.bsky.social · 9mo ago

✨Call for Abstracts is OPEN✨ Exciting news: We are now accepting submissions for #GARD26 presentations! We have many formats and topics. Apply now using our template & share this post with all your #amphibian & #reptile focused colleagues 🦎🐍🐢🐸 utconferences.eventsair.com/third-gard-c...

Come be my colleague! Our college at RIT 🐅 has recently secured funding for four new professorships including one in #ecology & #evolution thanks to @simonsfoundation.org! ✨🧬🎉🧪🌎 www.rit.edu/news/simons-...

Simons Empire Faculty Fellowship to fund four College of Science positions

RIT’s College of Science will receive funding from the Simons Empire Faculty Fellows program for four junior tenure-track faculty positions.

rit.edu

Are you a researcher studying amphibian & reptile disease? We want to hear about your research! Come join us at #GARD26 in Knoxville 🌎 Please share! #conservation #herpetology

GARD conference 2026@gardconference.bsky.social · 9mo ago

🚨Two days remaining!🚨 Travel grant applications for #GARD26 are due Nov. 1st! Great opportunities for student/early career funding and/or for researchers coming from far away! Apply now! 🐸🦠🐍🐢🌍🦎 #amphibian #reptile #disease #ecology utconferences.eventsair.com/third-gard-c...

Applications for travel grants to #GARD26 are due Nov. 1st! We encourage diverse participation especially by those with limited financial resources and early career researchers. Join us in Knoxville! 🐸🐍🐢🌎 Apply: utconferences.eventsair.com/third-gard-c... #herpetology #amphibian #reptile

For thousands of years, humans have harnessed microbes to ferment beer and bread. But ecologist Rob Dunn asks: Who’s really in charge of this relationship? buff.ly/BZyFzN6

🌍 Languages of Life | Línguas da Vida | Bahasa Kehidupan 🗣️🌱 Biodiversity doesn’t speak only English. 🌳🐒 If species cross borders, our words should too. New paper in @ConLetters : why saving life also means using more languages 🔗https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/conl.13139

Please share with anyone who cares about NSF support for graduate students and take 30 seconds to sign and leave a comment. The deadline for the 2025 Graduate Research Fellowship Program is about one month away and literally no one can apply. #NSFGRFP jasonjwilliamsny.github.io/grfp2025/

An update to the Zoo Sphere of Influence model was recently published in the Biological Conservation journal (tinyurl.com/zoosphere) This model, first conceived in 2023, originally set out to replace the 50-year-old perception of zoos and aquariums... 🌎1/4

My amazing @ritscience.bsky.social student, Emma, attended Princeton EEB scholars program last week. So proud of her! She is looking for #PhD programs this cycle so if you are looking for a student that can bridge field, lab, and computational biology… she is the PERFECT person for your lab! 👩🏼‍🔬🧬✨