Joy Franco, PhD
@engineeringjoy.bsky.social
Sensory neuroscientist and biomeasurements engineer obsessing over calcium regulation in neurons and therapies for sensorineural hearing loss. NIH DSPAN fellow. NIA K00 Awardee. Bike racer. About me -> Neurojoy.net
Part of why I was commuting on Furiosa was because I had retired her from racing but still loved the way she rode. She’s one of the funnest bikes I’ve ever owned and as weird as it sounds, I felt happy every single time I started my commute b/c of her. Would 100% take her back no questions asked.
February 6, 2026 at 12:53 AM
Part of why I was commuting on Furiosa was because I had retired her from racing but still loved the way she rode. She’s one of the funnest bikes I’ve ever owned and as weird as it sounds, I felt happy every single time I started my commute b/c of her. Would 100% take her back no questions asked.
Boston - pls be on the lookout for my bike that was stolen from this exact rack on Longwood Ave today. 2021 Specialized Diverge Expert Carbon, size 52 cm, raspberry and blk with studded tires.
Yes I know it’s too nice for commuting but ya know, we ride what we got and I spend a lot of time commuting
Yes I know it’s too nice for commuting but ya know, we ride what we got and I spend a lot of time commuting
February 6, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Boston - pls be on the lookout for my bike that was stolen from this exact rack on Longwood Ave today. 2021 Specialized Diverge Expert Carbon, size 52 cm, raspberry and blk with studded tires.
Yes I know it’s too nice for commuting but ya know, we ride what we got and I spend a lot of time commuting
Yes I know it’s too nice for commuting but ya know, we ride what we got and I spend a lot of time commuting
Any recommendations for a hematologist in the oncology department at Stanford who excels in bed side manner? Need a very sensitive MD or at least someone who won’t express surprise or disbelief when their patient is crying.
February 2, 2026 at 1:22 PM
Any recommendations for a hematologist in the oncology department at Stanford who excels in bed side manner? Need a very sensitive MD or at least someone who won’t express surprise or disbelief when their patient is crying.
I don’t regret doing a postdoc in Boston but a little foresight into the weather when experiment planning MAY have saved me some trouble 🥶
Celebrating a successful day in lab thanks to my amazing labmates @cynthiamoncadareid.bsky.social @yichiahuang.bsky.social 🫶
#SequencingScienceSisters
Celebrating a successful day in lab thanks to my amazing labmates @cynthiamoncadareid.bsky.social @yichiahuang.bsky.social 🫶
#SequencingScienceSisters
January 27, 2026 at 9:39 PM
I don’t regret doing a postdoc in Boston but a little foresight into the weather when experiment planning MAY have saved me some trouble 🥶
Celebrating a successful day in lab thanks to my amazing labmates @cynthiamoncadareid.bsky.social @yichiahuang.bsky.social 🫶
#SequencingScienceSisters
Celebrating a successful day in lab thanks to my amazing labmates @cynthiamoncadareid.bsky.social @yichiahuang.bsky.social 🫶
#SequencingScienceSisters
If you could have any science super power what it would it be?
I’ll start: knowing exactly how long something will ACTUALLY take to achieve.
I’ll start: knowing exactly how long something will ACTUALLY take to achieve.
January 26, 2026 at 11:35 PM
If you could have any science super power what it would it be?
I’ll start: knowing exactly how long something will ACTUALLY take to achieve.
I’ll start: knowing exactly how long something will ACTUALLY take to achieve.
Sending tremendous thanks to everyone working hard to clear the snow tonight 💓💓💓
January 25, 2026 at 11:41 PM
Sending tremendous thanks to everyone working hard to clear the snow tonight 💓💓💓
On the idea of leaving academic research: one of the hardest ideas for me to grapple with is stepping away from the science that I love. I’ve spent years focusing on a carefully chosen topic. The (potentially false) idea is that I can’t find a TT job, I have to give up that study & that hurts…
January 24, 2026 at 1:10 PM
On the idea of leaving academic research: one of the hardest ideas for me to grapple with is stepping away from the science that I love. I’ve spent years focusing on a carefully chosen topic. The (potentially false) idea is that I can’t find a TT job, I have to give up that study & that hurts…
Your written protocols and lab notebooks are a love letter to your future self (whether it’s you or a future lab member). Please be kind. Here are some critical things I have frequently noticed missing: (feel free to add yours in thread 🧵)
January 21, 2026 at 9:21 PM
Your written protocols and lab notebooks are a love letter to your future self (whether it’s you or a future lab member). Please be kind. Here are some critical things I have frequently noticed missing: (feel free to add yours in thread 🧵)
Has anyone started putting together statistics on this year’s TT job search? I learned an expression about a certain event having the same probability of occurring as a turtle sticking its head in a yoke that’s floating in the sea and it’s giving strong TT job search vibes.
January 21, 2026 at 2:05 AM
Has anyone started putting together statistics on this year’s TT job search? I learned an expression about a certain event having the same probability of occurring as a turtle sticking its head in a yoke that’s floating in the sea and it’s giving strong TT job search vibes.
The point of waking up early isn’t do that you can start work early.
It’s so that you can have a nice morning before going to work.
It’s so that you can have a nice morning before going to work.
January 20, 2026 at 1:47 AM
The point of waking up early isn’t do that you can start work early.
It’s so that you can have a nice morning before going to work.
It’s so that you can have a nice morning before going to work.
No one even bike commutes in the winter.
Just so grateful for these studded tires making my winter commute that much easier.
Just so grateful for these studded tires making my winter commute that much easier.
January 19, 2026 at 3:19 PM
No one even bike commutes in the winter.
Just so grateful for these studded tires making my winter commute that much easier.
Just so grateful for these studded tires making my winter commute that much easier.
Like many other postdocs who faced endless rejection after endless effort, I’m finally parting with the attachment to the TT job path. Please send thoughts and prayers — or just share practical advice that might inspire other ways of looking at future career prospects 💓🙏💓 …
tinkerbell from peter pan is dancing in front of a mirror with the words what freedom feels like .
ALT: tinkerbell from peter pan is dancing in front of a mirror with the words what freedom feels like .
media.tenor.com
January 15, 2026 at 4:38 PM
Like many other postdocs who faced endless rejection after endless effort, I’m finally parting with the attachment to the TT job path. Please send thoughts and prayers — or just share practical advice that might inspire other ways of looking at future career prospects 💓🙏💓 …
On rejection in academia, for those dealing with it — like me: it’s not easy to keep going in the face of rejection. It is easy to feel like a “failure” and normal to worry about “if not this then what next?” Nothing can change the pain, but I hope you can at least be proud of yourself for trying.
two cartoon characters with hearts on their heads
ALT: two cartoon characters with hearts on their heads
media.tenor.com
January 4, 2026 at 7:47 PM
On rejection in academia, for those dealing with it — like me: it’s not easy to keep going in the face of rejection. It is easy to feel like a “failure” and normal to worry about “if not this then what next?” Nothing can change the pain, but I hope you can at least be proud of yourself for trying.
Was inspired to break my Bluesky silence so that I could share my awesome new book (thx to my wonderfully generous lab mate) with @christlet.bsky.social — this is a fun language challenge for me!
January 4, 2026 at 7:17 PM
Was inspired to break my Bluesky silence so that I could share my awesome new book (thx to my wonderfully generous lab mate) with @christlet.bsky.social — this is a fun language challenge for me!
Are you working on #CancerNeuroscience and presenting at #SfN? Let me know! I want to come see your talk or poster and the app is really not helpful for locating your info 🤓. Drop it in 🧵 please 🙏
November 15, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Are you working on #CancerNeuroscience and presenting at #SfN? Let me know! I want to come see your talk or poster and the app is really not helpful for locating your info 🤓. Drop it in 🧵 please 🙏
Who all is presenting at @sfn.org ?! 💁♀️ I’m getting excited about seeing the community & want to start bookmarking sessions! Add your info in 🧵 pls 😇
#Science #Neuroscience #SfN2025
#Science #Neuroscience #SfN2025
November 9, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Who all is presenting at @sfn.org ?! 💁♀️ I’m getting excited about seeing the community & want to start bookmarking sessions! Add your info in 🧵 pls 😇
#Science #Neuroscience #SfN2025
#Science #Neuroscience #SfN2025
@sfn.org virtual posters are live starting today, including mine! I’m presenting this work in the Aging: Models & Mechanisms nanosymposium &, thanks to being awarded a TPDA, at the Early Career Poster Session. But you can also check it out online before your SfN schedule gets packed. See you there!
November 6, 2025 at 10:22 AM
@sfn.org virtual posters are live starting today, including mine! I’m presenting this work in the Aging: Models & Mechanisms nanosymposium &, thanks to being awarded a TPDA, at the Early Career Poster Session. But you can also check it out online before your SfN schedule gets packed. See you there!
I love how my entire sense of what is "warm" is based on how C. elegans would respond.
(things I think of while setting my thermostat in a country that uses Celsius instead of Fahrenheit)
(things I think of while setting my thermostat in a country that uses Celsius instead of Fahrenheit)
November 5, 2025 at 1:36 PM
I love how my entire sense of what is "warm" is based on how C. elegans would respond.
(things I think of while setting my thermostat in a country that uses Celsius instead of Fahrenheit)
(things I think of while setting my thermostat in a country that uses Celsius instead of Fahrenheit)
@dropbox.com "See Version History" has now saved me so much, and is so easy to use, that I have to give it a public vote of support. 🗳️
November 5, 2025 at 7:45 AM
@dropbox.com "See Version History" has now saved me so much, and is so easy to use, that I have to give it a public vote of support. 🗳️
Very grateful to @icfo.eu MINDLAB workshop organizers for inviting me to share my research & visit the institute. I may have gone more bio for my postdoc, but my love of engineering has yet to fade & my passion for photons grows with every experiment. Feeling very inspired by this community 🔬 💗
November 4, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Very grateful to @icfo.eu MINDLAB workshop organizers for inviting me to share my research & visit the institute. I may have gone more bio for my postdoc, but my love of engineering has yet to fade & my passion for photons grows with every experiment. Feeling very inspired by this community 🔬 💗
It was such a Happy Halloween. Elated that, thanks to an awesome team effort, the Goodrich Lab took home the win in the "Super Scientist" category for our "Gourdier Transform." The best part was getting to see others in the depart share the excitement for our science.
#CochleaLove #AuditoryScience
#CochleaLove #AuditoryScience
October 31, 2025 at 11:26 PM
It was such a Happy Halloween. Elated that, thanks to an awesome team effort, the Goodrich Lab took home the win in the "Super Scientist" category for our "Gourdier Transform." The best part was getting to see others in the depart share the excitement for our science.
#CochleaLove #AuditoryScience
#CochleaLove #AuditoryScience
Even after 18 yrs of bike racing, it never ceases to amaze me what the human heart 🫀 can achieve. Oh, I guess I should also say thanks 🫁 .
October 19, 2025 at 10:45 PM
Even after 18 yrs of bike racing, it never ceases to amaze me what the human heart 🫀 can achieve. Oh, I guess I should also say thanks 🫁 .
It’s not easy coming back from vacationing in the best parts of Europe, but Boston’s automnal beauty certainly softens the blow.
October 15, 2025 at 12:48 PM
It’s not easy coming back from vacationing in the best parts of Europe, but Boston’s automnal beauty certainly softens the blow.
Reposted by Joy Franco, PhD
Folks whose jobs, postdocs or grad school fellowships or applications were cut short--drop them a line
Lost Science is a new NYT series of accounts from scientists who have lost their jobs or funding. You can send your story to the Times here www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/c...
October 11, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Folks whose jobs, postdocs or grad school fellowships or applications were cut short--drop them a line