Mike Grillo
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mikegrillo.bsky.social
Mike Grillo
@mikegrillo.bsky.social
Associate Professor at Loyola University Chicago. Plant evolutionary genetics, plant-microbe interactions, evolutionary ecology. https://grillolab.weebly.com
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Happy to share some good news! March has been a big month for me. I got tenure (thanks letter writers!!) and was awarded a NSF CAREER grant to study the genetics and evolution of plant-microbiome interactions. I'll be recruiting MS students and a postdoc.

www.luc.edu/cas/about/ne...
Michael Grillo Awarded $1.1. Million NSF CAREER Grant: Loyola University Chicago
Michael Grillo, assistant biology professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, was awarded a $1.1 million NSF CAREER grant to advance his research on microbiomes.
www.luc.edu
Reposted by Mike Grillo
Applications due Monday for the T. H. Huxley Award, which recognizes high-quality evolution education resources! The recipient will have the opportunity to attend and present their work at the NABT meeting in October or #Evol2026 in June. Apply today! bit.ly/2kP2pPM
Society for the Study of Evolution
Site description
bit.ly
January 30, 2026 at 9:07 PM
Reposted by Mike Grillo
Join us at the Evolutionary Biology Centre at Uppsala University. We’re searching for an Assistant Professor in Biology. www.uu.se/en/about-uu/...
January 28, 2026 at 8:28 PM
Reposted by Mike Grillo
If you have developed outreach/education resources and want to get the word out— @sse-evolution.bsky.social has a deadline coming up for funding to present at an education focused session/conference. Grad students and Postdocs are very welcome to apply! evolutionsociety.org/index.php?mo...
Thomas Henry Huxley Award
Site description
evolutionsociety.org
January 29, 2026 at 2:21 AM
Students in my CURE @loyolachicago.bsky.social have been busy setting up their experiments comparing microbiome interactions between native and invasive legumes. It's single digits outside here in Chi-beria but feels like spring in our rooftop greenhouse!
January 28, 2026 at 10:02 PM
Please consider applying for the Huxley Award if you have developed evolution teaching or outreach resources. I'm on the award committee and happy to answer any questions.
The T. H. Huxley Award recognizes an outstanding evolution education resource and provides funding for the awardee to attend the Evolution or NABT conference to present their work! Apply by February 2nd: bit.ly/2kP2pPM
January 28, 2026 at 7:25 PM
Reposted by Mike Grillo
What can trees teach us about history and legacy?🌳In an exclusive PEOPLE essay, Beronda Montgomery, ASPB Fellow, reflects on how trees bear witness to Black history, memory, and survival. people.com/beronda-mont...

#PlantScience
Trees Connect Us with Our Ancestors. 'When Trees Testify' Explores the Powerful Link (Exclusive)
"We don’t have to just live with the memories of our ancestors," writes author Beronda L. Montgomery in an exclusive essay for PEOPLE in advance of her new book 'When Trees Testify,' out Jan. 20. "We ...
people.com
January 21, 2026 at 8:07 PM
Reposted by Mike Grillo
The National Science Foundation sign on our Eisenhower Av building is now gone.

The NSF mural in the foyer is removed and torn off in sheets.

We were supposed to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the agency in May 2025. That never happened.
January 18, 2026 at 2:00 AM
I had a great time presenting at the Plant and Animal Genome conference and visiting with so many awesome folks. Lots of cool science! #PAG33
January 12, 2026 at 9:01 PM
Reposted by Mike Grillo
The window for #application to our TBS grants closes Jan 15, so don't forget, and don't miss it! Get those applications in soon - we have #grants for undergrads, masters and PhD students alike to fund research, training and symposia! Apply here: www.torreybotanical.org/grants-awards/

🧪🌎🌿🍄🌾 #botany
January 5, 2026 at 8:58 PM
Reposted by Mike Grillo
Call for manuscript submissions for a new special issue in Environmental and Experimental Botany entitled "Ecophysiology of metal and metalloid hyperaccumulator plants".

Submission deadline is 1 August 2026

www.sciencedirect.com/special-issu...
January 5, 2026 at 12:02 PM
Reposted by Mike Grillo
Come and join me and my colleagues at the Department of Biology, #LundUniversity in #sweden! We have am open position as Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor in Biodiversity.

Apply here no later than February 11 2026:

https://lu.varbi.com/en/what:job/jobID:848749/type:job/where:4/apply:1
Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor in Biodiversity
The Department of Biology was established in 2010 through the merger of the Departments of Ecology, Cell and Organism Biology, Biological Undergraduate Education, and the Biological Museums. The depar
lu.varbi.com
December 20, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Happy new year from northern Michigan.
January 3, 2026 at 1:19 AM
Reposted by Mike Grillo
Nice review! Mutants with altered root development produce distinct exudate profiles, ultimately reshaping their microbial communities. These observations collectively indicate that genetic variation or the genotype of the plant ultimately constrains the metabolic capacity.
December 31, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Of course I get asked to review a paper during the holidays....
December 31, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Reposted by Mike Grillo
New Job opportunity at the University of Georgia Department of Entomology! Come work a dream job in beautiful Athens!
www.ugajobsearch.com/postings/463...
Assistant Professor: Insect Ecologist
The Department of Entomology at the University of Georgia invites applications for a tenure-track position (9-months) in insect ecology, to be based on the Athens campus at the Assistant Professor ran...
www.ugajobsearch.com
December 30, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Reposted by Mike Grillo
Our plant-focused REU program, led by Prof Nagel, is open for applications, please forward to undergrads and reskeet etap.nsf.gov/award/7573/o... 🌱 🧪
NSF Education & Training Application | ETAP
etap.nsf.gov
December 8, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Reposted by Mike Grillo
@invam.bsky.social collection, prairies, and AMF all featured in the awesome article

Defunding fungi: US’s living library of ‘vital ecosystem engineers’ is in danger of closing www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Defunding fungi: US’s living library of ‘vital ecosystem engineers’ is in danger of closing
These fungi boost plant growth and restore depleted ecosystems, but federal funding for a library housing them has been cut – and it may be forced to close
www.theguardian.com
December 26, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Reposted by Mike Grillo
Billionaire-backed Episteme aims to free research from bureaucracy. History shows that’s a tall task. https://scim.ag/3MXso70
Bell Labs 2.0? Silicon Valley bets on science with no strings attached
Billionaire-backed Episteme aims to free research from bureaucracy. History shows that’s a tall task
scim.ag
December 24, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Reposted by Mike Grillo
Carlson et al. build a mathematical model considering how genotype-by-environment interactions can maintain variation and parametrize their model to test its applicability to real mutualisms.

Read now ahead of print!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
How Genotype-by-Environment Interactions Can Maintain Variation in Mutualisms | The American Naturalist
Abstract Coevolution requires reciprocal genotype-by-genotype (G × G) interactions for fitness, which occur when the fitness of a genotype in one species depends on the genotype it interacts with in a...
www.journals.uchicago.edu
December 24, 2025 at 12:50 AM
Reposted by Mike Grillo
The 2026 Guarda Summer Course in Evolutionary Biology is now accepting applications. Amazing place, amazing course, amazing opportunity for early grad students.

tb.ethz.ch/education/gu...
Summer school:<br> Evolutionary Biology in Guarda
Information about the annual summer school Evolutionary Biology in Guarda
tb.ethz.ch
December 10, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Reposted by Mike Grillo
It's in print! My opinionated dive into the definition of "coevolution" is officially out in the December issue of @journal-evo.bsky.social

doi.org/10.1093/evol...
Don't ask “when is it coevolution?”—ask “how?”
Abstract. Coevolution has come to be widely understood as specific, simultaneous, reciprocal adaptation by pairs of interacting species. This strict-sense
doi.org
December 9, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Reposted by Mike Grillo
#TansleyReview: Unraveling complexity in #ClimateChange effects on beneficial plant–microbe interactions: mechanisms, resilience, and future directions

Afkhami et al.
👇

📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

#LatestIssue #PlantScience
December 6, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Reposted by Mike Grillo
The UC Davis Ecology and Evolution in Working Landscapes REU provides undergrads with research experience in ecology and evolution in natural and managed landscapes. Apply now through Feb 15 via etap.nsf.gov

Contact me or @clhom.bsky.social for questions!
Ecology, Evolution, and Working Landscapes
ecoevoreu.ucdavis.edu
December 5, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Reposted by Mike Grillo
​The @mortonarboretum.bsky.social NSF REU program ​is open for summer 2026! $7500 stipend + housing / travel. Apply by 31 Jan 2026 and share with your networks!

Details at ​​https://mortonarb.org/science/opportunities-in-science/research-experiences-for-undergraduates-program/
December 4, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Reposted by Mike Grillo
I'm hiring a full time fixed-term 1yr lab tech to assist with field and greenhouse projects related to floral evolution and plant reproductive ecology. Please share! Ideal start date early 2026.

jobs.clemson.edu/psc/ps/JOBS/...
November 24, 2025 at 8:17 PM