Once upon a time I just admired nudis and sea slugs. But it was not enough. Now apparently I'm creating an R package to celebrate their colour palettes? 😅 First up, my Sydney fave, Hypselodoris bennetti. #rstats #nudibranch #dataviz 🦑🐙🧪 #marinelife #invertebrates

New Preprint 📢 from our team 🔎 Critical assessment of #intratumor and #low #biomass #microbiome using #longread sequencing Some studies suggest bacteria 🦠 live inside tumors and influence cancer treatment. But there’s also been a major #debate: in these very​ low-microbe tissue samples, how much 1/

Ever wondered if your favorite bacteria 🧫🦠 produce exopolysaccharides? You can now easily check that with epsSMASH, our new bioinformatic tool built on the antiSMASH framework. It detects both known and novel exoPS BGCs. Check out and share the preprint! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

epsSMASH uncovers exopolysaccharide biosynthetic gene clusters in environmental and human microbiomes

Biofilms represent the default mode of bacterial life in natural and built environments, with extracellular polysaccharides (exoPS) serving as essential structural and functional components of the bio...

biorxiv.org

This is a really cool PhD position (with Nordic salary) between University of Copenhagen and us at the MFRI in Iceland. Come work with us and feel free to dm me with any questions about life in Iceland, moving here, etc. employment.ku.dk/phd/?show=15...

PhD fellowship in Diversity, Ecology and Effects of Toxigenic Marine Microalgae

employment.ku.dk

We are hiring! If you're interested in exploring the #biogeography of #prokaryotes using #genomics and #metagenomics, are interested in biology and geographic information systems, and are passionate about #OpenScience, this is for you! New PhD and PostDoc positions in my lab at Aalborg University

We are organizing a conference on environmental biofilms and EPS in Aalborg, Denmark in April 2026 🦠🧫🧬 All biofilm and EPS enthusiasts should consider to join.👩‍🔬👨‍🔬 Please share this invitation with your scientific networks and here! Abstract submission is open until December 8. www.eps26.bio.aau.dk

Conference: Environmental biofilms: matrix composition, properties and applications

Conference: Environmental biofilms: matrix composition, properties and applications

eps26.bio.aau.dk

New Phaeobacter species are now out! 🦠🔬 We found two new species - I am especially fascinated by the really, really long cells P. cretensis makes, something we have never seen in Phaeobacter before! Please comment your thoughts about why that is 🤔 1/2 www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour...

Preparing to apply to PhDs in the US as an international student is… confusing. 😵‍💫 If anybody wants to share their academic CV or take a look at mine, let me know!

The 2025-26 Eco-Evo job list is out. Good luck to those applying! docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

ecoevojobs.net 2025-26

docs.google.com

There's this trope that you have to be so into your PhD topic that you live and breathe it and can't possibly stop thinking about it, so here's your regular reminder that passion is good, but burnout isn't. It's okay and recommended to take breaks, enjoy the weekend, and treat a PhD like a job.

Come work with us! If you work with ocean acidification and are interested in living in Iceland (Reykjavík area), please consider applying! Shoot me a message if you have any questions about life in Iceland, relocating or similar. www.researchgate.net/job/1025279_...

EXPERT ON THE EFFECTS OF OCEAN ACIDIFICATION ON MARINE ECOSYSTEMS at Marine and Freshwater Research Institute in Hafnarfjörður, ICELAND

Aug 14, 2025 | The Marine Research Institute is looking for an ambitious individual for a temporary specialist position for 2 years. The position involves... | NEW JOB

researchgate.net

Modern-Day Oracles or Bullshit Machines? Jevin West (@jevinwest.bsky.social) and I have spent the last eight months developing the course on large language models (LLMs) that we think every college freshman needs to take. thebullshitmachines.com

INTRODUCTION

thebullshitmachines.com

Huge thanks to my sister for helping put these together.

You hear about our successes a lot on here, but I don't talk enough about the rejections. As of today, 10 out of the 12 grants members of our lab put in this year didn't get up. Most grants were led by early-career researchers in/with our team as a way for them to lead independent programs. 1/3

Metabolomics folks / mass spectrometrists, are you looking for a cool postdoc opportunity? Dr. Anitra Ingalls @ the Univ. of Washington is hiring a postdoc to work with an international team (including yours truly) on the metabolites of marine critters. Come work with us! apply.interfolio.com/150110

Hey, science followers! I need some help locating an outside source for a story about photosynthesis in near total darkness. Are you someone who studies photosynthesis, phytoplankton, and their relationship with light? reply here or shoot me an email (aelbein at gmail) Thanks! 🧪🌿

Readvertising this for the new protist lovers out there. Use #protistsonsky

New article out in mSystems! 🎉📜 I am so proud of this one and the data we obtained, linking microalgal microbiome compositions to potential functionality and to specific hosts🦠 Thank you to co-authors Eva Sonnenschein, Paul Kempen, Mikkel Bentzon-Tilia and Lone Gram journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

Impact of host species on assembly, composition, and functional profiles of phycosphere microbiomes | mSystems

As the main primary producers of the oceans, microalgae serve as cornerstones of the ecosystems they are part of. Additionally, they are increasingly used for biotechnological purposes such as the pro...

journals.asm.org

ICYMI, my EMBL seminar was recorded 🙏 It's not a research talk -- it's a mini course on different statistical paradigms and choosing what to estimate in HTS microbiome study. Check it out! (If you like, no pressure, srsly ❤️) www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvT3...

Statistical thinking for microbial ecology

Most microbial ecologists understand the importance of rigorous statistical analysis for conducting a replicable study. However, formal courses in the statis...

youtube.com

Student creative algae / seaweed projects taking shape! Tasked with teaching, inspiring others as a way to share what they’ve learned about algae beyond the classroom. Best part of the semester! 🧪🦑

Exactly one week ago, I defended my PhD! I am now officially #PhDone which is why I look so happy here 🎉🦠 I have also been sleeping extremely well since, so to any PhDs in the last phase out there - you can do it, and I promise it will feel amazing on the other side! 💪

A COVID-shutdown-inspired bioinformatics project of ours just got published! 🎉 (I mean it's been on biorxiv forever, but.)

Frontiers | Biogeographic distribution of five Antarctic cyanobacteria using large-scale k-mer searching with sourmash branchwater

<p>Cyanobacteria form diverse communities and are important primary producers in Antarctic freshwater environments, but their geographic distribution pattern...

frontiersin.org

I have travel, room, and board for an art student interested in spending 10 weeks at Friday Harbor Labs this spring. Our awardee could not make it. Apply here, decision Monday: fridayharborlabs.wufoo.com/forms/x1c6oi... 🐡

radEmu is here! ❤️🐦📈🔥 The StatDivLab's best differential abundance method yet! arxiv.org/abs/2402.05231

Estimating Fold Changes from Partially Observed Outcomes with Applications in Microbial Metagenomics

We consider the problem of estimating fold-changes in the expected value of a multivariate outcome that is observed subject to unknown sample-specific and category-specific perturbations. We are motivated by high-throughput sequencing studies of the abundance of microbial taxa, in which microbes are systematically over- and under-detected relative to their true abundances. Our log-linear model admits a partially identifiable estimand, and we establish full identifiability by imposing interpretable parameter constraints. To reduce bias and guarantee the existence of parameter estimates in the presence of sparse observations, we apply an asymptotically negligible and constraint-invariant penalty to our estimating function. We develop a fast coordinate descent algorithm for estimation, and an augmented Lagrangian algorithm for estimation under null hypotheses. We construct a model-robust score test, and demonstrate valid inference even for small sample sizes and violated distributional assumptions. The flexibility of the approach and comparisons to related methods are illustrated via a meta-analysis of microbial associations with colorectal cancer.

arxiv.org

We have a 3-year PDRA position available of evolution of symbiosis using RNAi and experimental evolution to understand the mechanisms and architecture of host control in the Paramecium-Chlorella photosymbiosis. Collab with Tom Richards and Dunc Cameron www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...

"I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops." - Stephen Jay Gould

Natural product researchers, do you first hear about conferences when your PI says "I'll be gone next week"? Here's a list of upcoming events for those who work on secondary/specialized metabolites, along with their deadlines: tinyurl.com/NP-events Thanks to those who have submitted events!

Natural Products Conferences, Symposia, and Workshops

Upcoming events This is a list of upcoming conferences, symposia, and workshops that may be of interest to researchers working on natural products (particularly secondary/specialized metabolites) Sub...

tinyurl.com

Some new jobs listed on our opportunities page. 🧪🔬Looking for a PhD position, Postdoc position or Curator position in diatoms or algae? Look no further! Positions in France, Germany, Portugal and the UK... isdr.org/opportunities/

My new video is out: How to find a great lab for your postdoc! This video had been requested, and I hope I succeeded in providing you with a systematic way to pick a great lab to host your postdoctoral research. #AcademicSky youtu.be/YiDYbjyDilU

How to pick a great host lab for your postdoc #postdoctoralresearch #postdoc

Picking a great lab for your postdoc is crucial for your success in academia. In this video I go through the process of identifying the host lab(s) for you!#...

youtu.be