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Lindsey R. F. Backman

@lbackman.bsky.social

920 followers 600 following 92 posts

Whitehead Fellow and PI at Whitehead Institute | Exploring how human microbiome anaerobes cope with oxidative stress | Chemistry PhD at MIT, Chemistry BS at UF | she/her | Opinions are my own

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Lindsey R. F. Backman @lbackman.bsky.social · Nov 26

Brief intro to the Backman lab at @whiteheadinstitute.bsky.social:

The anaerobic microbes in us and around us rely on oxygen-vulnerable chemistry… but how do they perform this chemistry in a world full of oxygen, much less in the presence of stronger oxidants? We think about this question everyday!

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Lindsey R. F. Backman @lbackman.bsky.social · Jul 1

My best friend from childhood visited my lab with her kids today. One of her sons asked if lava is ever involved in my experiments… I disappointedly had to say no… not yet 😂🫠

Lindsey R. F. Backman @lbackman.bsky.social · Jun 23

Woke up to a note I had apparently written on my phone in the middle of the night that just said “think about solubility”. I do know what I was trying to troubleshoot, but I love that my subconscious self thought that was an important, helpful note. Maybe I’ll just “think about solubility” today.

Reposted by Lindsey R. F. Backman

Carolyn Bertozzi @carolynbertozzi.bskyverified.social · Jun 19

www.kpbs.org/podcasts/kpb...

Nobel laureate on how Trump's cuts are hurting science

Neuroscientist, biologist and 2021 Nobel Prize winner Ardem Patapoutian joined Midday Edition to talk about how the Trump administration's effort to cut back on science spending is impacting researche...

www.kpbs.org

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Lindsey R. F. Backman @lbackman.bsky.social · Jun 19

But actually, the new way to evade federal hyperfocus on all bacterial research… we’re not studying microorganisms, we’re studying natµre… much less scary, you’re onto something

Reposted by Lindsey R. F. Backman

Mala Radhakrishnan @atomicromances.bsky.social · Jun 11

CHEMISTS
We experiment, muse, observe interactions
(...and constantly work to achieve a reaction!).

POETS
We experiment, muse, observe interactions
(...and constantly work to achieve a reaction!).

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Reposted by Lindsey R. F. Backman

Carolyn Bertozzi @carolynbertozzi.bskyverified.social · Jun 9

I urge others to similarly support our patriots at NIH who use their training and talents to improve human health and position the US as the world’s leader in biomedical discovery, innovation and technology development 🙏

Stanford AAUP @stanfordaaup.bsky.social · Jun 9

Stanford's professor and Bethesda Declaration signatory @carolynbertozzi.bskyverified.social notes that the declaration “represents the voices of the highly trained Americans at NIH who want to serve their country and steward the biomedical enterprise.” 🧪

www.science.org/content/arti...

NIH staff and biomedical community sound alarm about agency politicization, funding slowdown

In test of NIH director’s support of dissent, NIH staff sign Bethesda Declaration urging reversal of grant cuts and freezes

www.science.org

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Elizabeth Villa @thevillalab.bsky.social · Jun 10

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Lindsey R. F. Backman @lbackman.bsky.social · May 26

As a structural biologist starting her independent lab, this is an exciting rite of passage 🤩

SBGrid Consortium @sbgrid.bsky.social · May 26

New Member Alert: @lbackman.bsky.social from @whiteheadinstitute.bsky.social joined SBGrid in April. Welcome!!

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Lindsey R. F. Backman @lbackman.bsky.social · May 23

A colleague said something today that really conveyed how I was feeling… they expressed how, not only does everything feel so overwhelming right now, but even the moments that would typically be celebrated and give us motivation and purpose, feel too heavy at this moment. These are bizarre times.

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Harmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · May 22

This is scary.
Especially that someone who does not know the meaning of habeus corpus or due process is allowed to wield so much power.
These are not ‘the best people’.

Tyler Kingkade @tktk.bsky.social · May 22

NEW: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem tells Harvard if they want to enroll international students this fall, then they have 72 hours to turn over **all audio and video footage of any protest activity involving international students** from the past 5 years

www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...

Trump administration ends Harvard's ability to enroll international students

The Department of Homeland Security called the move "a warning to all universities."

www.nbcnews.com

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Reposted by Lindsey R. F. Backman

Ed Boyden @eboyden3.bsky.social · May 22

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Tami Lieberman @contaminatedsci.bsky.social · May 1

Do people in the same household share strains when they have the same species?

How many cells transmit when a strain is shared?
Can strain composition be dynamic when species composition is stable?

We answer these and related questions for the facial skin microbiome in our latest paper.

🧵[1/10]

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Cathy Drennan @drennanlab.bsky.social · Apr 29

Congratulations Yukiko. So well deserved.

Whitehead Institute @whiteheadinstitute.bsky.social · Apr 29

Congratulations to Whitehead Institute Member Yukiko Yamashita, who has been elected as a member to the National Academy of Sciences! www.nasonline.org/news/2025-na... @nasonline.org

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Joe Katz @joekatz45.bsky.social · Apr 22

At least 28 Florida State University students experienced their *second* mass shooting last week - they were at Parkland.

They've written an open letter to Ron DeSantis against campus carry and attempts to lower the gun purchase age and for a stronger safe storage law and mental health services.

PUBLIC: Governor DeSantis from Parkland/FSU Students

Governor DeSantis, We are students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and Florida State University. Two campuses terrorized by deadly shootings. Two communities forever shaped by a crisis your...

docs.google.com

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Lindsey R. F. Backman @lbackman.bsky.social · Apr 19

Spending the weekend in Cape Cod with my parents, but we found a way to be part of today’s #HandsOff protests! Provicetown’s official rally isn’t until Monday, but we joined a small but passionate group today at their town hall.

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Lindsey R. F. Backman @lbackman.bsky.social · Apr 15

@drennanlab.bsky.social how has it been 3 years?! 😭

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Lindsey R. F. Backman @lbackman.bsky.social · Apr 15

I defended my PhD thesis 3 years ago… it’s surreal to now be leading my own academic team. Times in science are bizarre and hard… the bacterial chemistry we’re studying is also bizarre, yet fun. I’m grateful to sometimes escape the stress of the world by focusing on how cool nature and microbes are.

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Cathy Drennan @drennanlab.bsky.social · Apr 5

Fred Greene was very kind to me when I started my faculty position at MIT Chemistry in 1999. He made me feel welcome and I will always appreciate that.

MIT Department of Chemistry @mitchemistry.bsky.social · Apr 4

We are saddened by the recent loss of Fred Greene, professor emeritus and physical organic chemist. A member of our community for over 40 years, he was a beloved professor and mentor, celebrated for his lasting impact on generations of chemists.

chemistry.mit.edu/chemistry-ne...

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Lindsey R. F. Backman @lbackman.bsky.social · Apr 5

Before and after… Time for a spring haircut for our unique chihuahua/poodle/yorkie mutt, Lumo ❤️🌸🌼🌱

Reposted by Lindsey R. F. Backman

Tami Lieberman @contaminatedsci.bsky.social · Apr 4

Job opportunity in SF to work at a small startup with the first PhD graduate of the Lieberman Lab!

Jacob Baker @microjacob.bsky.social · Apr 4

Taxa is hiring! We're looking for a Computational Biologist to spearhead the analysis of massive genomic datasets for our flagship probiotics. Exciting science, great team, and transparent compensation. Apply here 👇

Taxa hiring Computational Biologist in San Francisco, CA | LinkedIn

Posted 4:13:15 PM. The OpportunityWe are looking for a talented Computational Biologist to spearhead the analysis of…See this and similar jobs on LinkedIn.

www.linkedin.com

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Cathy Drennan @drennanlab.bsky.social · Apr 4

I am right there with you Krystle - the cancellation of MOSAIC started me crying in my office. Programs that support young scientists in the US are all being cancelled. It is heartbreaking.

Krystle J McLaughlin @biophyskrys.bsky.social · Apr 3

Yesterday's announcement canceling MARC, PREP, IMSD & IRACDA finally broke me. Spent most of the morning in my office crying. I think I'd been clinging to a glimmer of hope, but as an IRACDA alum,watching the the scale of loss for young scientists was heartbreaking. 🧪
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/03/o...

Opinion | The Uncertain Fate of the Young American Scientist

Young researchers are choosing between staying in science and staying in the United States.

www.nytimes.com

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Lindsey R. F. Backman @lbackman.bsky.social · Apr 4

Today marks 2 years since I got my lab space. Being a new PI isn't easy, especially during these times... but my lab has grown, I've written many grants, and we've had some of the most exciting discoveries of my life that we are only on the cusp of exploring. Times are hard, but we are persisting.

Reposted by Lindsey R. F. Backman

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · Apr 1

You look at science (or at least talk of it) as some sort of demoralizing invention of man, something apart from real life, and which must be cautiously guarded and kept separate from everyday existence. But science and everyday life cannot and should not be separated.

Rosalind Franklin (to father)

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Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · Mar 30

1. Another Friday afternoon massacre of sorts:

NIH just rescinded its Scientific Integrity Policy.

h/t @lizborkowski.bsky.social

NOT-OD-25-080: Rescission of the Final Scientific Integrity Policy of the National Institutes of Health

NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts: Rescission of the Final Scientific Integrity Policy of the National Institutes of Health NOT-OD-25-080. OD

grants.nih.gov

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SmithLabUMBC @smithlabumbc.bsky.social · Mar 28

Our 28-yr U-RISE/MARC NIH grant that has served over 500 students and made us one of the top institutions producing African American students who go on to receive MD/PhDs in the United States was just cancelled yesterday. What a unnecessary and tragic end to such an impactful program...

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