Kirsty MacLeod
@kjmacleod.bsky.social
Behavioural and evolutionary ecologist, lecturer in Bangor, Wales - sociality, stress, mostly in reptiles macleodlab.weebly.com
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
Every year around Thanksgiving, I see tons of grad students post heartbreaking messages on social media about how their loved ones don’t understand or support their decision to study what seems like something pointless or silly.
Perhaps my American Scientist essay can help!
🧪🌎🦑 #SciComm
Perhaps my American Scientist essay can help!
🧪🌎🦑 #SciComm
“Why Are We Funding This?”
Long-standing myths about “silly science” have contributed to the reckless slashing of government-supported research.
www.americanscientist.org
November 25, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Every year around Thanksgiving, I see tons of grad students post heartbreaking messages on social media about how their loved ones don’t understand or support their decision to study what seems like something pointless or silly.
Perhaps my American Scientist essay can help!
🧪🌎🦑 #SciComm
Perhaps my American Scientist essay can help!
🧪🌎🦑 #SciComm
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
At the BES, we believe cost should not be a barrier to publishing. We have outlined how you can use resources like funding, waivers and agreements – including our own BES waivers – that cover the fees for processing and publishing your research.
Find out more here👇
Find out more here👇
Publish open access with the BES - British Ecological Society
At the BES, we believe cost should not be a barrier to publishing. Find out how you can get your open access fees covered here.
f.mtr.cool
November 26, 2025 at 1:30 PM
At the BES, we believe cost should not be a barrier to publishing. We have outlined how you can use resources like funding, waivers and agreements – including our own BES waivers – that cover the fees for processing and publishing your research.
Find out more here👇
Find out more here👇
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
We’ve started the Thermal
Ecology Alliance! Go grab a cup of TEA and join the movement www.thermalecologyalliance.org/participation
Ecology Alliance! Go grab a cup of TEA and join the movement www.thermalecologyalliance.org/participation
www.thermalecologyalliance.org
November 26, 2025 at 9:31 AM
We’ve started the Thermal
Ecology Alliance! Go grab a cup of TEA and join the movement www.thermalecologyalliance.org/participation
Ecology Alliance! Go grab a cup of TEA and join the movement www.thermalecologyalliance.org/participation
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
The Thermal Ecology Alliance is growing rapidly and we are now at 51 countries! Join here: www.thermalecologyalliance.org/participation
November 26, 2025 at 9:04 AM
The Thermal Ecology Alliance is growing rapidly and we are now at 51 countries! Join here: www.thermalecologyalliance.org/participation
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
If you missed my talk but still want some tips for writing good code for scientists, my slides are here:
daxkellie.quarto.pub/a-guide-to-w...
All the links and references are there too in case you want to see more! 😀🧪🌏
#ESA2025 #rstats #quartopub
daxkellie.quarto.pub/a-guide-to-w...
All the links and references are there too in case you want to see more! 😀🧪🌏
#ESA2025 #rstats #quartopub
November 26, 2025 at 6:12 AM
If you missed my talk but still want some tips for writing good code for scientists, my slides are here:
daxkellie.quarto.pub/a-guide-to-w...
All the links and references are there too in case you want to see more! 😀🧪🌏
#ESA2025 #rstats #quartopub
daxkellie.quarto.pub/a-guide-to-w...
All the links and references are there too in case you want to see more! 😀🧪🌏
#ESA2025 #rstats #quartopub
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
*Guaranteed funding* PhD opportunity in my group. Work with damselflies, UN global biodiversity targets, genetic data, and NatureScot policy groups; the project will advance comparative population genetics and provide evidence feeding directly to policy. www.findaphd.com/phds/project....
QUARTILES DLA CASE: Genetic diversity and adaptation: Developing indicators for national and international policy at University of Aberdeen on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - QUARTILES DLA CASE: Genetic diversity and adaptation: Developing indicators for national and international policy at University of Aberdeen , listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:58 PM
*Guaranteed funding* PhD opportunity in my group. Work with damselflies, UN global biodiversity targets, genetic data, and NatureScot policy groups; the project will advance comparative population genetics and provide evidence feeding directly to policy. www.findaphd.com/phds/project....
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
🧵1/9 There are 35,000+ fish species, but we have formal social-behaviour classifications for a tiny fraction. Most knowledge lives in the experience of researchers, fishers, divers, aquarists, naturalists, and Indigenous communities, but almost none of it is centralised. So we built ShoalBase.org.
ShoalBase | Join, Explore, Contribute Now
ShoalBase offers a global database on fish social behaviour, supporting research, conservation, and ecology through community contributions and visual data mapping.
ShoalBase.org
November 25, 2025 at 1:11 PM
🧵1/9 There are 35,000+ fish species, but we have formal social-behaviour classifications for a tiny fraction. Most knowledge lives in the experience of researchers, fishers, divers, aquarists, naturalists, and Indigenous communities, but almost none of it is centralised. So we built ShoalBase.org.
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
3-year #PhD student #position open in my group @uniofjyvaskyla.bsky.social Finland on #gut #microbe- host communication in #birds. DL 20.12, start date in April2026. #microbiome #metabolomics #vesicles, please RT
ats.talentadore.com/apply/doctor...
ats.talentadore.com/apply/doctor...
Doctoral Researcher: Gut microbiome metabolism and molecular mechanisms mediating gut microbiome-host interactions?
A 3-year Doctoral Researcher position is available at the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Finland, in the group of Dr. Suvi Ruuskanen. The Doctoral Resear...
ats.talentadore.com
November 25, 2025 at 8:20 AM
3-year #PhD student #position open in my group @uniofjyvaskyla.bsky.social Finland on #gut #microbe- host communication in #birds. DL 20.12, start date in April2026. #microbiome #metabolomics #vesicles, please RT
ats.talentadore.com/apply/doctor...
ats.talentadore.com/apply/doctor...
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
Awesome study out now from @miaryras.bsky.social studying the impacts of winter warming on wall lizards! 🦎❄️🌡
New paper out now in @jexpbiol.bsky.social! Led by star PhD student @miaryras.bsky.social, we tested the effects of winter warming (a constant increase as well as fluctuating temps - see pic) on common wall lizard behaviour and physiology.
journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
November 25, 2025 at 9:03 AM
Awesome study out now from @miaryras.bsky.social studying the impacts of winter warming on wall lizards! 🦎❄️🌡
New paper out now in @jexpbiol.bsky.social! Led by star PhD student @miaryras.bsky.social, we tested the effects of winter warming (a constant increase as well as fluctuating temps - see pic) on common wall lizard behaviour and physiology.
journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
November 24, 2025 at 11:44 AM
New paper out now in @jexpbiol.bsky.social! Led by star PhD student @miaryras.bsky.social, we tested the effects of winter warming (a constant increase as well as fluctuating temps - see pic) on common wall lizard behaviour and physiology.
journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
What if we kissed.... 🥺👉👈 as a "non-agonistic interaction involving directed, intraspecific, oral-oral contact with some movement of the lips/mouthparts and no food transfer" ?
"we ... employ Bayesian phylogenetic methods to reconstruct the evolutionary history of kissing."
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
A comparative approach to the evolution of kissing
Kissing can be observed across the animal kingdom. This presents an evolutionary puzzle, since the fitness benefits of kissing are unclear. We use a n…
www.sciencedirect.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:39 PM
What if we kissed.... 🥺👉👈 as a "non-agonistic interaction involving directed, intraspecific, oral-oral contact with some movement of the lips/mouthparts and no food transfer" ?
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
PhD opportunity: MOVE
Details: blogs.reading.ac.uk/crocus-dla/c...
Deadline: 12/01/26
Supervisors: @shoalgroup.bsky.social, @inesfuertbauer.bsky.social, @wlallen.bsky.social, @nhcooper123.bsky.social, @marinapapa.bsky.social
Apply: blogs.reading.ac.uk/crocus-dla/p...
Details: blogs.reading.ac.uk/crocus-dla/c...
Deadline: 12/01/26
Supervisors: @shoalgroup.bsky.social, @inesfuertbauer.bsky.social, @wlallen.bsky.social, @nhcooper123.bsky.social, @marinapapa.bsky.social
Apply: blogs.reading.ac.uk/crocus-dla/p...
November 20, 2025 at 9:09 AM
PhD opportunity: MOVE
Details: blogs.reading.ac.uk/crocus-dla/c...
Deadline: 12/01/26
Supervisors: @shoalgroup.bsky.social, @inesfuertbauer.bsky.social, @wlallen.bsky.social, @nhcooper123.bsky.social, @marinapapa.bsky.social
Apply: blogs.reading.ac.uk/crocus-dla/p...
Details: blogs.reading.ac.uk/crocus-dla/c...
Deadline: 12/01/26
Supervisors: @shoalgroup.bsky.social, @inesfuertbauer.bsky.social, @wlallen.bsky.social, @nhcooper123.bsky.social, @marinapapa.bsky.social
Apply: blogs.reading.ac.uk/crocus-dla/p...
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
POV: you are a young woman celebrating a recent academic success
November 17, 2025 at 7:20 PM
POV: you are a young woman celebrating a recent academic success
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
literally tell me why puffin bills are like that, stop joking around, DON'T say thermodynamics man give me the real freaking reason
November 18, 2025 at 6:25 PM
literally tell me why puffin bills are like that, stop joking around, DON'T say thermodynamics man give me the real freaking reason
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
AI slop gracing the cover of Royal Society B. Not only in AI yellow but scientifically nonsensical. Come on. I'm certain human photographs and artworks were ignored to platform ... this.
November 18, 2025 at 10:49 AM
AI slop gracing the cover of Royal Society B. Not only in AI yellow but scientifically nonsensical. Come on. I'm certain human photographs and artworks were ignored to platform ... this.
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
Apply now for a NERC-funded PhD position with @andyradford.bsky.social & Patrick Kennedy at @bristolbiosci.bsky.social (with me as friendly 2nd supervisor down the road in @crab-exeter.bsky.social). Network cognition, cooperation, competition...what's not to like?
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Funded PhD NERC GW4+ DLTP - Social monitoring and manipulation of cooperative exchanges at University of Bristol on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - Funded PhD NERC GW4+ DLTP - Social monitoring and manipulation of cooperative exchanges at University of Bristol, listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com
November 17, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Apply now for a NERC-funded PhD position with @andyradford.bsky.social & Patrick Kennedy at @bristolbiosci.bsky.social (with me as friendly 2nd supervisor down the road in @crab-exeter.bsky.social). Network cognition, cooperation, competition...what's not to like?
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
**PhD opportunity @uniexecec.bsky.social** How is immunogenetic variation maintained in the wild?
Why are alleles that increase disease susceptibility maintained in populations, when natural selection should eliminate them?
Why are alleles that increase disease susceptibility maintained in populations, when natural selection should eliminate them?
November 15, 2025 at 6:48 PM
**PhD opportunity @uniexecec.bsky.social** How is immunogenetic variation maintained in the wild?
Why are alleles that increase disease susceptibility maintained in populations, when natural selection should eliminate them?
Why are alleles that increase disease susceptibility maintained in populations, when natural selection should eliminate them?
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
📖Cover Stories📖
📙Dr Lori Neuman-Lee shares the story behind the cover of Volume 29, Issue 11 of Functional Ecology, published in 2015!
🐍Lori discusses the challenges of snapping snakes in the field (and in the third trimester!) and her research journey since then
buff.ly/IycDaiM
🧪🌍
📙Dr Lori Neuman-Lee shares the story behind the cover of Volume 29, Issue 11 of Functional Ecology, published in 2015!
🐍Lori discusses the challenges of snapping snakes in the field (and in the third trimester!) and her research journey since then
buff.ly/IycDaiM
🧪🌍
Cover Stories: Dr. Lori Neuman-Lee
Dr. Lori Neuman-Lee, professor at Arkansas State University, discusses the story behind the cover for Volume 29, Issue 11 of Functional Ecology, published all the way back in 2015. Lori is a compar…
buff.ly
November 14, 2025 at 3:00 PM
📖Cover Stories📖
📙Dr Lori Neuman-Lee shares the story behind the cover of Volume 29, Issue 11 of Functional Ecology, published in 2015!
🐍Lori discusses the challenges of snapping snakes in the field (and in the third trimester!) and her research journey since then
buff.ly/IycDaiM
🧪🌍
📙Dr Lori Neuman-Lee shares the story behind the cover of Volume 29, Issue 11 of Functional Ecology, published in 2015!
🐍Lori discusses the challenges of snapping snakes in the field (and in the third trimester!) and her research journey since then
buff.ly/IycDaiM
🧪🌍
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
LGBTQ+ Journal Club is turning 1! 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈To celebrate, here's a bit about what we've been up to over the past year: a thread of interesting papers in queer biology (1/n) ⬇️🧵
November 11, 2025 at 11:54 AM
LGBTQ+ Journal Club is turning 1! 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈To celebrate, here's a bit about what we've been up to over the past year: a thread of interesting papers in queer biology (1/n) ⬇️🧵
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
🐞🧬🦅 join us for a PhD position researching how birds evolve resistance to prey toxins. If you’re excited about wild chemical arms races, we’d love to hear from you. @shabmohammadi.bsky.social @livuni-ives.bsky.social @livuni-ismib.bsky.social @mpi-ce.bsky.social
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
November 12, 2025 at 4:28 PM
🐞🧬🦅 join us for a PhD position researching how birds evolve resistance to prey toxins. If you’re excited about wild chemical arms races, we’d love to hear from you. @shabmohammadi.bsky.social @livuni-ives.bsky.social @livuni-ismib.bsky.social @mpi-ce.bsky.social
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
“Technology will save us!”
The technology:
The technology:
No no no begs every archivist. You are never going to be able to find anything. Please don’t start using emojis in file names. Who asked for this? What fresh hell is next?
November 12, 2025 at 3:43 PM
“Technology will save us!”
The technology:
The technology:
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
What is the most profitable industry in the world, this side of the law? Not oil, not IT, not pharma.
It's *scientific publishing*.
We call this the Drain of Scientific Publishing.
Paper: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Background: doi.org/10.1162/qss_...
Thread @markhanson.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy 👇
It's *scientific publishing*.
We call this the Drain of Scientific Publishing.
Paper: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Background: doi.org/10.1162/qss_...
Thread @markhanson.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy 👇
November 12, 2025 at 10:31 AM
What is the most profitable industry in the world, this side of the law? Not oil, not IT, not pharma.
It's *scientific publishing*.
We call this the Drain of Scientific Publishing.
Paper: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Background: doi.org/10.1162/qss_...
Thread @markhanson.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy 👇
It's *scientific publishing*.
We call this the Drain of Scientific Publishing.
Paper: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Background: doi.org/10.1162/qss_...
Thread @markhanson.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy 👇
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
Postdoc position(s) available!
Work on:
- Muskox movement ecology
- Ecosystem & carbon dynamics
These can be done back-to-back for someone keen on both topics or split into two separate roles.
📄 Full details in the attached flyer!
#AcademicJobs #PostdocPositions #Ecophysiology #EcologyJobs
Work on:
- Muskox movement ecology
- Ecosystem & carbon dynamics
These can be done back-to-back for someone keen on both topics or split into two separate roles.
📄 Full details in the attached flyer!
#AcademicJobs #PostdocPositions #Ecophysiology #EcologyJobs
November 12, 2025 at 10:45 AM
Postdoc position(s) available!
Work on:
- Muskox movement ecology
- Ecosystem & carbon dynamics
These can be done back-to-back for someone keen on both topics or split into two separate roles.
📄 Full details in the attached flyer!
#AcademicJobs #PostdocPositions #Ecophysiology #EcologyJobs
Work on:
- Muskox movement ecology
- Ecosystem & carbon dynamics
These can be done back-to-back for someone keen on both topics or split into two separate roles.
📄 Full details in the attached flyer!
#AcademicJobs #PostdocPositions #Ecophysiology #EcologyJobs
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
We're now using this scale as part of all assignment instructions.
Students can use AI in (some) assessments, but we would expect a higher level of insight in those.
Get them to save/include all prompts & outputs to show how they've extended the AI slop.
leonfurze.com/2024/08/28/u...
Students can use AI in (some) assessments, but we would expect a higher level of insight in those.
Get them to save/include all prompts & outputs to show how they've extended the AI slop.
leonfurze.com/2024/08/28/u...
Updating the AI Assessment Scale
Thanks for visiting! Before you read on, please make sure you visit our new website at https://aiassessmentscale.com/. It’s the new home for all of the AIAS related materials, publications, and resour...
leonfurze.com
November 11, 2025 at 5:16 PM
We're now using this scale as part of all assignment instructions.
Students can use AI in (some) assessments, but we would expect a higher level of insight in those.
Get them to save/include all prompts & outputs to show how they've extended the AI slop.
leonfurze.com/2024/08/28/u...
Students can use AI in (some) assessments, but we would expect a higher level of insight in those.
Get them to save/include all prompts & outputs to show how they've extended the AI slop.
leonfurze.com/2024/08/28/u...
Very cool to see this "Research Highlight" of our recent @animalecology.bsky.social paper that tested the potential for social buffering of maternal glucocorticoids in a facultatively social lizard. Grateful for this feature by Lange & Aracena! besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
Maternal glucocorticoid exposure drives social tolerance and growth with limited evidence for long‐term social buffering
Research highlight of MacLeod, K., Bouffet-Halle, A., Wapstra, E., Uller, T. and While, G. (2025). Maternal glucocorticoids have persistent effects on offspring social phenotype irrespective of oppor...
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 11, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Very cool to see this "Research Highlight" of our recent @animalecology.bsky.social paper that tested the potential for social buffering of maternal glucocorticoids in a facultatively social lizard. Grateful for this feature by Lange & Aracena! besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....