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Dr. Riley Pizza

@rileypizza.bsky.social

1.6K followers 180 following 140 posts

Postdoc at Arizona State University || Equitable teaching practices & Restoration Seed Sourcing|| PhD Michigan State University || M.S University of Minnesota Duluth || 🏳️‍⚧️They/Them🏳️‍⚧️

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Dr. Riley Pizza @rileypizza.bsky.social · Mar 10

I am thrilled to announce that I have accepted a postdoc offer to work with Dr. Sara Brownell at Arizona State University on a project to understand the challenges faculty face when implementing accommodations for students with disabilities. Excited to dig deeper into Biology Education research!🧪🏫♿

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Dr. Riley Pizza @rileypizza.bsky.social · 18h

Yep! Ran into this issue last week actually. We went around in circles for about 30 minutes before I spent 20 minutes figuring it out. When I shared the correct code with chatGPT it was like "Oh yes that way also works" but what it was spitting out was NOT the same!

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Dr. Riley Pizza @rileypizza.bsky.social · 18h

This is fascinating! As someone who has used chatGPT to troubleshoot complex code, it usually gives me code that runs, but does NOT do what I want, and it cannot figure out how to provide that (despite providing explicitly clear prompts). It's usually faster for me to figure it out myself.

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Reposted by Dr. Riley Pizza

Mike Grillo @mikegrillo.bsky.social · 23h

I am hiring a postdoc to examine the genomic and evolutionary basis of plant microbiome variation in legumes. There are opportunities to gain teaching experience. Chicago is a great city to live in! Please help spread the word.
share.google/gukbzS1zdIx6...

Postdoctoral Researcher in Plant Evolutionary Genomics

The postdoctoral researcher will work in Dr. Michael Grillo’s plant evolutionary genetics lab. The goal of this research project is to understand the genomic basis of plant-microbiome variation in leg...

share.google

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Reposted by Dr. Riley Pizza

bioRxiv Plant Bio @biorxiv-plants.bsky.social · 4d

Seed vernalization and gibberellic acid interact to affect life cycle type in facultative winter annual Canadian horseweed (Erigeron canadensis) https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.06.680458v1

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Reposted by Dr. Riley Pizza

Jess McLaughlin, PhD (they/them) @jfmclaughlin92.bsky.social · 17d

Holy shit, this is a huge deal

James Harvey @keepof4worlds.bsky.social · 17d

Wonderful news. A salutary reminder of the absolute benefits of scientific progress, and the absolute evil of conspiracist bollocks.

Huntington's disease successfully treated for first time www.bbc.com/news/article...

Huntington's disease successfully treated for first time

One of the most devastating diseases finally has a treatment that could transform lives, tearful doctors tell BBC

www.bbc.com

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Dr. Riley Pizza @rileypizza.bsky.social · 25d

Grad school is HARD. Feels like everyone else has it together—but newsflash: everyone struggles, even your PI! These faculty interviews discussing their grad school struggles made me feel less alone. Share these with your cohort and be nicer to yourself 🧪🌿🎓
risecenter.asu.edu/fail-safe

Fail Safe Science | RISE Center

risecenter.asu.edu

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Reposted by Dr. Riley Pizza

Casey terHorst @ecoevolab.bsky.social · Sep 8

The GRFP lives!! (due end of October)
www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

www.nsf.gov

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Reposted by Dr. Riley Pizza

Justin Luong, PhD 🏳️‍🌈🌾 @justinluong.com · Aug 27

We know diversity = more ideas, novelty, advancement and desirable outcomes but how do we recruit and retain diversity? In our paper, me and other LGBTQ+ restoration ecologists outline issues and solutions to retaining and supporting queer ecologists
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Inclusive restoration: ten recommendations to support LGBTQ+ researchers in restoration science

Scientists who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or members of other marginalized sexual orientations and gender identities (LGBTQ+) face serious disparities compared to their n...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Dr. Riley Pizza @rileypizza.bsky.social · Aug 26

Almost 6 years ago I submitted my first manuscript--it took me about a year and a half to go from cleaned data to finished draft. Today, I finished a manuscript draft in a new-to-me system in under 4 months. Progress is wild y'all--motivation for anyone struggling to write for the first time🧪🌱

Reposted by Dr. Riley Pizza

NPR @npr.org · Aug 22

Emotion cemented Jepsen as a niche star and was acclaimed for its sense of drama and unabashed schmaltz. It's also a trove of songs about one particular emotion less associated with her cutesy image.

10 years later, it's still a joy to fall into Carly Rae Jepsen's 'Emotion'

Emotion cemented Jepsen as a niche star and was acclaimed for its sense of drama and unabashed schmaltz. It's also a trove of songs about one particular emotion less associated with her cutesy image.

n.pr

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Dr. Riley Pizza @rileypizza.bsky.social · Aug 14

Happening in 20 minutes! #ESA2025

Dr. Riley Pizza @rileypizza.bsky.social · Aug 10

And come see my talk thursday morning about whether seed sourcing could be a tool to build resiliency into native plant restorations

Reposted by Dr. Riley Pizza

Jalene LaMontagne @jalene-lamontagne.bsky.social · Aug 10

I'm giving a talk on Monday at #ESA2025, in the OOS about #phenology "Beyond Budburst" (3:30-5:00pm), organized by Luke McCormack & Christy Rollinson. There's a great list of speakers. I'm presenting at 4:30pm.
Room: Hilton Key 8

🚨 NOTE: Individual talk times within the session were updated today!

OOS 05 - Beyond Budburst–Connecting Phenological Transitions Among Tissues and Times in Woody Plants
Monday, August 11 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM EDT

Hilton Key 8
Session Type: Organized Oral Session

Presentations
OOS 05-01 - Seasonal underground phenology of ectomycorrhizal fungi varies by group and host tree traits
Monday, August 11, 2025 at 3:30 PM – 3:45 PM EDT
Presenting Author - Nicholas Medina

OOS 05-02 - Genetic structure across a poplar hybrid zone will cause variation in phenological responses to a warming climate
Monday, August 11, 2025 at 3:45 PM – 4:00 PM EDT
Presenting Author - Alayna Mead

OOS 05-03 - Aridity decouples carbon assimilation and growth in temperate deciduous oaks
Monday, August 11, 2025 at 4:00 PM – 4:15 PM EDT
Presenting Author - Mukund Palat Rao

OOS 05-04 - Cold hardiness connects bud development in the summer and fall with budbreak in the spring
Monday, August 11, 2025 at 4:15 PM – 4:30 PM EDT
Presenting Author - Al Kovaleski

OOS 05-05 - Phenology of tree reproduction; environmental cues and vetos
Monday, August 11, 2025 at 4:30 PM – 4:45 PM EDT
Presenting Author - Jalene LaMontagne

OOS 05-06 - Macrophenology: expanding the taxonomic and geographic scope of phenology research using volunteer- and network-collected observations
Monday, August 11, 2025 at 4:45 PM – 5:00 PM EDT
Presenting Author - Amanda Gallinat

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Dr. Riley Pizza @rileypizza.bsky.social · Aug 10

And come see my talk thursday morning about whether seed sourcing could be a tool to build resiliency into native plant restorations

Dr. Riley Pizza @rileypizza.bsky.social · Aug 10

I'm heading to #esa2025 and I am on the job market! Looking for academic positions at SLACs and PUI's broadly where I could share my love of restoration ecology with undergrads in the classroom and in the lab! Send me your leads, or learn more about me from my website

rpizza94.github.io/RileyPizza/

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Dr. Riley Pizza @rileypizza.bsky.social · Aug 10

Update, i got moved to Thursday afternoon 😭 come see me anyway though!

Dr. Riley Pizza @rileypizza.bsky.social · Jun 24

Not me getting the optimal time to present at ESA this year (First day in the afternoon)!!!

a woman stands in front of a crowd with the words this is what dreams are made of

ALT: a woman stands in front of a crowd with the words this is what dreams are made of

media.tenor.com

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Dr. Riley Pizza @rileypizza.bsky.social · Jul 1

That is, in fact, the correct answer 👏

Dr. Riley Pizza @rileypizza.bsky.social · Jul 1

Okay, I'll ACTUALLY be done with MSU once I do one last set of field surveys! follower question: What do y'all think is the best prairie grass? ((fyi there is only one correct answer))

Prairie Grasses and forbs inside a 1x1m quadrat made of PVC

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Dr. Riley Pizza @rileypizza.bsky.social · Jun 27

And that's a wrap! It's been an amazing 5yrs at MSU. I've been so lucky to have had an amazing advisor in @lars-brudvig.bsky.social, a super supportive lab, and an abundance of beautiful prairies. Not goodbye, just see you later! Go green!💚🤍

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Dr. Riley Pizza @rileypizza.bsky.social · Jun 24

Not me getting the optimal time to present at ESA this year (First day in the afternoon)!!!

a woman stands in front of a crowd with the words this is what dreams are made of

ALT: a woman stands in front of a crowd with the words this is what dreams are made of

media.tenor.com

Reposted by Dr. Riley Pizza

Emily Josephs @emjo.bsky.social · Jun 12

Hey, Miles' @milesroberts.bsky.social beautiful paper showing that sequence diversity missed by standard methods contributes to Lewontin's paradox is officially published in @evolletters.bsky.social. academic.oup.com/evlett/advan...

k-mer-based diversity scales with population size proxies more than nucleotide diversity in a meta-analysis of 98 plant species

Abstract. A key prediction of neutral theory is that the level of genetic diversity in a population should scale with population size. However, as was note

academic.oup.com

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Dr. Riley Pizza @rileypizza.bsky.social · Jun 7

My name is Riley (they/them), and I'm a tall grass prairie restoration ecologist and STEM Ed researcher! My random fact is that I currently live in Lansing michigan, and it's the furthest I've ever lived from a great lake!

A person in a yellow fireproof jumpsuit, beige gloves, and sunglasses giving the camera a thumbs up as a prescribed burn happens in the background

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Reposted by Dr. Riley Pizza

Data Nuggets @datanuggets.bsky.social · Jun 3

Though our recent #NSF grant was terminated, the @datanuggets.bsky.social program still continues through support from the @kbslter.bsky.social and other sources! We're searching for future funding opportunities and will continue to help share authentic datasets and science stories with students!

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Reposted by Dr. Riley Pizza

Owen Barcala @obarcala.bsky.social · May 26

It's also a misunderstanding of what the grants are for. It's not a billion dollar donation, Harvard won the grants to do specific research that it is in a relatively unique position to do. Trade schools aren't going to be able to take over, eg, Harvard's cancer immunotherapy research.

Max Kennerly @maxkennerly.bsky.social · May 26

FYI to media outlets, you're misleading your readers if you repeat this at face value.

There's no lawful way for him to redirect these grants elsewhere. It's a lie to distract from how the GOP budget guts educational funding, including Pell Grants at trade schools.

@realDonaldTrump

I am considering taking Three Billion Dollars of Grant Money away from a very antisemitic Harvard, and giving it to TRADE SCHOOLS all across our land. What a great investment that would be for the USA, and so badly needed!!!

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Dr. Riley Pizza @rileypizza.bsky.social · May 20

Teaching at the University of Michigan's biological station for a month--so excited to be enjoying beautiful sunsets every night and doing place-based education 🥰

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Reposted by Dr. Riley Pizza

Emily Josephs @emjo.bsky.social · May 2

Lots of gloom this week but I'm so excited to be celebrating new Drs Pizza & Roberts with @lars-brudvig.bsky.social @rileypizza.bsky.social @milesroberts.bsky.social

Four smiling scientists in graduation robes.

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