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Ashley Albright

@aralbright.bsky.social

610 followers 280 following 100 posts

i like weird cells and i cannot lie #stentor #NIHMOSAIC K99/R00 #FirstGen postdoc - @wallaceucsf.bsky.social‬ | NIH #IRACDA Scholar | PhD - Berkeley w/ Mike Eisen | UG UNC Bio

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Ashley Albright @aralbright.bsky.social · Dec 2

If you like Wallace's blue-torial (what are we calling the tweetorial equivalent over here btw) and are going to ASCB, look out for my talk Tues. Dec 17th on how the microtubule cytoskeleton dictates RNA regionalization in Stentor!

#cellbio2024 #stentor #protist #NIHMOSAIC

Wallace Marshall @wallaceucsf.bsky.social · Dec 2

Where does pattern come from inside cells? in this revised preprint, @aralbright.bsky.social
Shows that regionalization of mRNA in a Stentor cell depends on dynein motors and the microtubule cytoskeleton
doi.org/10.1101/2023...

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Reposted by Ashley Albright

Kate Cavanaugh @katecavanaugh.bsky.social · 8d

See this? This = implanting mouse embryo. Usually this happens inside its mother and is invisible to us, but we can actually watch implantation ex vivo with the hope of understanding why implantation goes awry in embryos of older women. A 🧵...

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Ashley Albright @aralbright.bsky.social · 25d

when you and your friend @dnamystrom.bsky.social both win awards from @ascbiology.bsky.social MBoC you celebrate with hot pot and nails that match your shirt 😍💅

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Reposted by Ashley Albright

MagnoliaBouton @magnoliabouton.bsky.social · 26d

Sharing stories matters. If you’ve faced grant terminations, funding delays, loss of research jobs, etc., your voice is needed. Help show the real impact of NIH funding interference - tell your story so we don’t lose innovation, cures, and hope for the future. www.27unihted.org/biohealthbeats

Biohealth Beats — 27 UNIHTED

www.27unihted.org

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Ashley Albright @aralbright.bsky.social · 29d

Mega shout out to all of the authors, Wallace again for making science so fun, MBoC, and @ascbiology.bsky.social for supporting the #NIHMOSAIC program and science funding in general :)

Ashley Albright @aralbright.bsky.social · 29d

I am so grateful to have the opportunity to work with Vincent and @wallaceucsf.bsky.social in the first place, but I am so happy that Vincent and I were awarded Paper of the Year at MBoC 🤩

www.ascb.org/society-news...

ASCB and MBoC Announce 2025 Paper of the Year Award Winners - ASCB

ASCB and its research journal, Molecular Biology of the Cell (MBoC), are proud to recognize the outstanding scientific achievements of early career researchers through the 2025 Paper of the Year Award...

www.ascb.org

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Reposted by Ashley Albright

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · Sep 9

Here is a word cloud of the words that were missing from the noncompetitive renewal awards but had been present in the parent award.

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A word cloud with dominant words "equity", "disparity", "diverse", and similar words.

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Reposted by Ashley Albright

Ben Larson @blarson.bsky.social · Aug 26

What could be more exciting than watching Euplotes scurry around under the microscope? How about adding some raptorial predation by supergiant cannibal cells?

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Video by Vittorio Boscaro.

1/n

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Reposted by Ashley Albright

MagnoliaBouton @magnoliabouton.bsky.social · Aug 25

Listed are some of the many NIH research training programs that were terminated! Together, these programs supported thousands of trainees, whose careers are now in limbo. Such a great loss for discovery and innovation. We must protect our next generation of scientists!
#HandsOffNIH #ProtectScience

27 UNIHTED @27unihted.bsky.social · Aug 23

We LOVE our trainees ! From @nihvigils.bsky.social today ❤️❤️

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Reposted by Ashley Albright

Colette Delawalla @cdelawalla.bsky.social · Aug 23

As one can imagine, I have some thoughts. Here’s a thread no one asked for:

1. SCIENCE IN THE US IS POLITICAL. No matter how much you want to ignore that fact, it is supported by taxpayer dollars and is therefore, political by nature.

2. BUT it has had bipartisan support for decades, which…

The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · Aug 23

For some scientists fighting partisan attacks, the goal is to defend their work from political interference. But in retaliating, @katherinejwu.com reports, they also run the risk of advancing the narrative that they want to fight.

Scientists Are Caught in a Political Trap

Fighting back against the Trump administration means they start to look more like activists.

bit.ly

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Reposted by Ashley Albright

Erica Rodriguez, PhD @ericarodriguez.bsky.social · Aug 23

I have certainly lost a lot of hope in this process, but it is nice to see some people are still advocating for us. Thanks @jeremymberg.bsky.social

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · Aug 23

I just sent this email to Director Bhattacharya and am sending him a hard copy by registered mail.

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August 22, 2025

Dear Director Bhattacharya:

I write to you regarding your plans after the Supreme Court ruling yesterday. As you know, the Supreme Court did allow a stay on the required grant reinstatements based on a controversial jurisdictional issue but also found that the grant termination processes used were likely illegal.

I know you are deeply concerned about public trust in NIH. I hope that you understand that proceeding to fail to reinstate or to re-terminate grants that had been found to have been illegally terminated will not increase the public trust in NIH. This would also be substantially damaging to science.

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Ashley Albright @aralbright.bsky.social · Aug 23

I am one of these faces.

I certainly do feel like my life has been turned upside down multiple times this year, but I will always love my #NIHMOSAIC family and I am so glad we have people like @jeremymberg.bsky.social fighting for us ❤️

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · Aug 23

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These are real early career scientists, many of whom have had their careers and lives turned upside down by arbitrary and capricious grant terminations. They received their K99/R00 awards through a highly competitive program with no set-aside funds. I show a dare I-say mosaic below with ~1/4 of the MOSAIC scholars to depict what is at risk.

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Reposted by Ashley Albright

adelaide tovar @adel-aide.bsky.social · Aug 21

Throughout this whole saga, I’ve felt the collective agony of being in constant contact with other MOSAIC scholars facing the same shitty fate. I don’t want to downplay the deep solidarity/support, but what I feel most acutely is the wave of grief crashing over hundreds of early-career scientists.

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Reposted by Ashley Albright

Wallace Marshall @wallaceucsf.bsky.social · Aug 12

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Ashley Albright @aralbright.bsky.social · Jul 10

😭 you’re super inspiring!

Reposted by Ashley Albright

Alex Long @alexandralong.bsky.social · Jul 10

Really important article in the NY Times today about cuts to NIH diversity grants, featuring a profile of Ashley Albright @aralbright.bsky.social who is an amazing and super inspiring cell biology postdoc whose K99 was prematurely terminated.

Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽 @needhibhalla.bsky.social · Jul 10

“If you cut out these diversity measures, you're going to make science full of people that are very elite…Full of people who have grown up with a large amount of privilege, who were able to work in a lab in high school because their dad was a prof at Cornell.” 🧪

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/10/u...

How Trump’s D.E.I. Cuts Are Hurting Rural White Americans Too

www.nytimes.com

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Ashley Albright @aralbright.bsky.social · Jun 27

I do know they like duckweed but I’m always curious about wild Stentor and where people find them 😊

Ashley Albright @aralbright.bsky.social · Jun 26

... but did you look for any Stentor among the duckweed?

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Reposted by Ashley Albright

eartha mae @endoeartha.bsky.social · Jun 26

Still waiting... www.science.org/content/arti...

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Reposted by Ashley Albright

MwahahahahahadScientist @mads100tist.bsky.social · Apr 22

Read preprints. Cite preprints. Email people and tell them you loved their preprint. Email people you hated their preprint. Embrace preprints, preprints are good.

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Ashley Albright @aralbright.bsky.social · Apr 9

I’ll say that yesterday wasn’t necessarily the happiest birthday I’ve ever had, but I love the solidarity from my friends and @uaw4811.bsky.social

Thank you UAW and thank you to the person that captured this photo of my sign at the rally ❤️

A line of members of UAW4811 are carrying a union banner for the 48,000 academic workers in the University of California. Behind this line, a sign reads “Today is my birthday. I want my K99… and some cake.”

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Ashley Albright @aralbright.bsky.social · Apr 4

To say I’m devastated to lose what I’ve worked SO hard for is an understatement, but I am trying to remind myself of how grateful I am for the community I got from it.

❤️ you ASCB and friends

American Society for Cell Biology @ascbiology.bsky.social · Apr 3

The termination of the NIH MOSAIC program is a critical loss. As one of the 5 societies supporting MOSAIC scholars, ASCB remains dedicated to supporting early-career scientists & broadening the biomedical workforce. We'll continue our mentorship & development efforts through the end of the grant.

ASCB Responds to the NIH’s Termination of the MOSAIC Program - ASCB

As one of the five scientific societies funded to provide professional development support through the NIH Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) program, th...

www.ascb.org

Reposted by Ashley Albright

Chrystal Starbird @drstarbird.bsky.social · Apr 3

I have heard the final goal for overall cuts (external and internal) is higher than this. What are we doing to prepare? It’s clear that most places are not about fighting back, so I hope you have a plan to protect your people and the research that you’ve indicated is critical your mission.

Usha Lee McFarling @usha.bsky.social · Apr 3

More NIH cuts. It never stops. By @mmolteni.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2025/04/03/n...

Trump administration orders NIH to eliminate $2.6 billion in federal contracts

At a chaotic time, the NIH is given a deadline of April 8 to make a 35% cut in services that may include specimen storage, genetic counseling, and administration.

www.statnews.com

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Ashley Albright @aralbright.bsky.social · Mar 6

Thank you! I can’t take credit for the design (hi @christineliu.art), but I can take credit for the quote… it’s an Ashley original 🙂

Ashley Albright @aralbright.bsky.social · Mar 6

I'm ready to stand up for science and make jokes at @mbeisen.bsky.social's expense at the same time with these buttons 😈

A picture of three buttons that say:
1. algae for equality
2. Hey Elon, Are you C. elegans? Because you can go fuck yourself
3. You can't spell felon without Elon

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Ashley Albright @aralbright.bsky.social · Mar 5

@wallaceucsf.bsky.social i made you a chlamy 🙂🟢