Dr. Sara L Middleton
@saralilplants.bsky.social
Open Science Coordinator 👐🏾 | PhD in plant trait ecology @ Oxford Uni 🌱 | Editorial Board @plantperspectives.bsky.social 🌿 | Founder & Filmmaker 🎥 | 💚 Fabaceae, Crinoids, Outreach | AuDHD | She/her. Own views
saralilmiddleton.com
saralilmiddleton.com
Pinned
Aloe there 👋🏽
Here is a starter pack with Black researchers, practitioners & orgs working with plants in the broadest sense (botany, forestry, plant ecology, crop science, herbaria, botanic gardens)
Hoping this will help set seed for a nurturing community!
Reply 🔽 to be added
go.bsky.app/7Gn2NCb
Here is a starter pack with Black researchers, practitioners & orgs working with plants in the broadest sense (botany, forestry, plant ecology, crop science, herbaria, botanic gardens)
Hoping this will help set seed for a nurturing community!
Reply 🔽 to be added
go.bsky.app/7Gn2NCb
Reposted by Dr. Sara L Middleton
A new fossil fungus discovered in Scotland shows evidence of plants and fungi sharing nutrients to survive on land.
The fossil, more than 400 million years old, offers hints about the origin of one of the greatest partnerships in the history of life on Earth.
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...
The fossil, more than 400 million years old, offers hints about the origin of one of the greatest partnerships in the history of life on Earth.
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...
Ancient fossil reveals how plants and fungi first developed on land | Natural History Museum
A new fossil fungus discovered in Scotland shows evidence of plants and fungi sharing nutrients to survive on land.
www.nhm.ac.uk
November 20, 2025 at 3:35 PM
A new fossil fungus discovered in Scotland shows evidence of plants and fungi sharing nutrients to survive on land.
The fossil, more than 400 million years old, offers hints about the origin of one of the greatest partnerships in the history of life on Earth.
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...
The fossil, more than 400 million years old, offers hints about the origin of one of the greatest partnerships in the history of life on Earth.
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...
I have rotating special interests, but the solid subjects I can infodump are plants (particularly legumes), colonial history of (plant) science, equitable scholarship and neurodiversity.
Stop using chatgpt adopt an autistic with special interests TODAY this deal wont last forever mostly cause they get overstimulated pretty fast but hey great for the environment amirite
November 14, 2025 at 8:47 AM
I have rotating special interests, but the solid subjects I can infodump are plants (particularly legumes), colonial history of (plant) science, equitable scholarship and neurodiversity.
A first for me and @geologyjohnson.bsky.social to see trilobites in the wild. Look at the beautiful preservation 😍
Rocks likely heterolithic limestone with black shake and chert interbeds from late Devonian-early Carboniferous from southern Belgium.
#FossilFriday
Rocks likely heterolithic limestone with black shake and chert interbeds from late Devonian-early Carboniferous from southern Belgium.
#FossilFriday
November 14, 2025 at 8:14 AM
A first for me and @geologyjohnson.bsky.social to see trilobites in the wild. Look at the beautiful preservation 😍
Rocks likely heterolithic limestone with black shake and chert interbeds from late Devonian-early Carboniferous from southern Belgium.
#FossilFriday
Rocks likely heterolithic limestone with black shake and chert interbeds from late Devonian-early Carboniferous from southern Belgium.
#FossilFriday
Reposted by Dr. Sara L Middleton
My students have set up a petition to persuade the University of Nottingham not to close our Plant Biology BSc course
c.org/VPhzVVrHPS
Please consider signing
c.org/VPhzVVrHPS
Please consider signing
November 8, 2025 at 12:46 PM
My students have set up a petition to persuade the University of Nottingham not to close our Plant Biology BSc course
c.org/VPhzVVrHPS
Please consider signing
c.org/VPhzVVrHPS
Please consider signing
Plant mood: the emotionally withered looking black bean
Peeps waiting for an email/peer review/work from me thanks for your patience, there's a lot going on right now. I will respond when I can. I’m also taking time away from here for a bit. Like this perennial black bean, I will resurface again 🖤
Peeps waiting for an email/peer review/work from me thanks for your patience, there's a lot going on right now. I will respond when I can. I’m also taking time away from here for a bit. Like this perennial black bean, I will resurface again 🖤
September 16, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Plant mood: the emotionally withered looking black bean
Peeps waiting for an email/peer review/work from me thanks for your patience, there's a lot going on right now. I will respond when I can. I’m also taking time away from here for a bit. Like this perennial black bean, I will resurface again 🖤
Peeps waiting for an email/peer review/work from me thanks for your patience, there's a lot going on right now. I will respond when I can. I’m also taking time away from here for a bit. Like this perennial black bean, I will resurface again 🖤
Lovely assemblage of early carboniferous crinoids seen on the paving slabs in Leuven train station in Belgium 🤩
#FossilFriday
#FossilFriday
September 5, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Lovely assemblage of early carboniferous crinoids seen on the paving slabs in Leuven train station in Belgium 🤩
#FossilFriday
#FossilFriday
Reposted by Dr. Sara L Middleton
🏞️𝐅𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡?
Our new study looked at fieldwork policies and risk assessments from 90 UK universities offering environmental science courses.
The results are eye-opening:
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Our new study looked at fieldwork policies and risk assessments from 90 UK universities offering environmental science courses.
The results are eye-opening:
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Improving university policies and risk assessment to support inclusive fieldwork in environmental sciences
Among 90 UK higher education institutions, there was patchy mention of protected and other identity-related characteristics in fieldwork policy and risk assessments, and very limited consideration of....
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
September 4, 2025 at 7:48 AM
🏞️𝐅𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡?
Our new study looked at fieldwork policies and risk assessments from 90 UK universities offering environmental science courses.
The results are eye-opening:
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Our new study looked at fieldwork policies and risk assessments from 90 UK universities offering environmental science courses.
The results are eye-opening:
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by Dr. Sara L Middleton
Publication alert 🚨 doi.org/10.1111/mec.... Our new study in Molecular Ecology shows dwarf birch genetic diversity has been shaped by shifting ice sheets and climate transitions over the last 2.6 million years. This history may hold clues to how tundra shrubs face today’s rapid climate change ❄️🌱🧬🌡️
September 2, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Publication alert 🚨 doi.org/10.1111/mec.... Our new study in Molecular Ecology shows dwarf birch genetic diversity has been shaped by shifting ice sheets and climate transitions over the last 2.6 million years. This history may hold clues to how tundra shrubs face today’s rapid climate change ❄️🌱🧬🌡️
Reposted by Dr. Sara L Middleton
#InvertFest Neverita duplicata as requested by @joxter.bsky.social it was difficult to find a good picture of the live animal.
See pinned comment if you want to request a critter for the August Invert Fest
See pinned comment if you want to request a critter for the August Invert Fest
August 27, 2025 at 8:13 AM
#InvertFest Neverita duplicata as requested by @joxter.bsky.social it was difficult to find a good picture of the live animal.
See pinned comment if you want to request a critter for the August Invert Fest
See pinned comment if you want to request a critter for the August Invert Fest
Y'all tell me why I'm seeing toothpaste costing 24 great british pounds in the supermarkets!?
Prices are out of hand 😱
Prices are out of hand 😱
August 27, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Y'all tell me why I'm seeing toothpaste costing 24 great british pounds in the supermarkets!?
Prices are out of hand 😱
Prices are out of hand 😱
Woooo go Vigdis 👏🏾
Alt text for quoted image: screen shot of the IPCC website showing the page for the seventh assessment report. The background shows a nighttime city scape of skyscrapers enveloped in cloud/smog.
Alt text for quoted image: screen shot of the IPCC website showing the page for the seventh assessment report. The background shows a nighttime city scape of skyscrapers enveloped in cloud/smog.
Our own Vigdis Vandvik will be Coordinating Lead Author on the upcoming seventh #IPCC report, co-leading the chapter on climate change, #biodiversity, #ecosystems and ecosystem services on land and in freshwater. A big, challenging, and very exciting task! @vvandvik.bsky.social
shorturl.at/07NJf
shorturl.at/07NJf
August 27, 2025 at 7:11 AM
Woooo go Vigdis 👏🏾
Alt text for quoted image: screen shot of the IPCC website showing the page for the seventh assessment report. The background shows a nighttime city scape of skyscrapers enveloped in cloud/smog.
Alt text for quoted image: screen shot of the IPCC website showing the page for the seventh assessment report. The background shows a nighttime city scape of skyscrapers enveloped in cloud/smog.
Reposted by Dr. Sara L Middleton
Devil’s-bit scabious and Common knapweed, Kilmory, Arran. #WildflowerHour
August 24, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Devil’s-bit scabious and Common knapweed, Kilmory, Arran. #WildflowerHour
Reposted by Dr. Sara L Middleton
We are incredibly excited & proud: our first publication is out in eLIFE!
"Making conferences in the plant sciences more inclusive through community recommendations"
elifesciences.org/articles/106...
This project was a team effort involving contributors from seven professional societies. #PlantSci
"Making conferences in the plant sciences more inclusive through community recommendations"
elifesciences.org/articles/106...
This project was a team effort involving contributors from seven professional societies. #PlantSci
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Making conferences in the plant sciences more inclusive through community recommendations
The ROOT & SHOOT project in the plant sciences has produced guidelines to help scientific societies organize conferences that are more inclusive and offer more supportive environments to all attendees...
elifesciences.org
August 20, 2025 at 5:21 PM
We are incredibly excited & proud: our first publication is out in eLIFE!
"Making conferences in the plant sciences more inclusive through community recommendations"
elifesciences.org/articles/106...
This project was a team effort involving contributors from seven professional societies. #PlantSci
"Making conferences in the plant sciences more inclusive through community recommendations"
elifesciences.org/articles/106...
This project was a team effort involving contributors from seven professional societies. #PlantSci
Reposted by Dr. Sara L Middleton
🌍 Glad to see our paper out!
How researchers in developing countries & other resource-constrained contexts (can) practice #OpenScience, with free tools, training, success stories, & more.
🔓 doi.org/10.1177/2515...
🛠 osf.io/gu7v4
More in this thread by @hcp4715.bsky.social 👇 #AcademicSky #PsychSky
How researchers in developing countries & other resource-constrained contexts (can) practice #OpenScience, with free tools, training, success stories, & more.
🔓 doi.org/10.1177/2515...
🛠 osf.io/gu7v4
More in this thread by @hcp4715.bsky.social 👇 #AcademicSky #PsychSky
August 20, 2025 at 11:12 AM
🌍 Glad to see our paper out!
How researchers in developing countries & other resource-constrained contexts (can) practice #OpenScience, with free tools, training, success stories, & more.
🔓 doi.org/10.1177/2515...
🛠 osf.io/gu7v4
More in this thread by @hcp4715.bsky.social 👇 #AcademicSky #PsychSky
How researchers in developing countries & other resource-constrained contexts (can) practice #OpenScience, with free tools, training, success stories, & more.
🔓 doi.org/10.1177/2515...
🛠 osf.io/gu7v4
More in this thread by @hcp4715.bsky.social 👇 #AcademicSky #PsychSky
Regular reminder to authors to please acknowledge and cite people who have contributed to your work. Yet again I find a paper that I collected data for and I’m not acknowledged. 🧪
Also see our recent paper that provides a toolkit for more just and equitable citation practices👇🏽
🔗 osf.io/qjecy_v3
Also see our recent paper that provides a toolkit for more just and equitable citation practices👇🏽
🔗 osf.io/qjecy_v3
August 20, 2025 at 7:57 AM
Regular reminder to authors to please acknowledge and cite people who have contributed to your work. Yet again I find a paper that I collected data for and I’m not acknowledged. 🧪
Also see our recent paper that provides a toolkit for more just and equitable citation practices👇🏽
🔗 osf.io/qjecy_v3
Also see our recent paper that provides a toolkit for more just and equitable citation practices👇🏽
🔗 osf.io/qjecy_v3
Reposted by Dr. Sara L Middleton
Science friends, life is difficult now, but please still try to peer review papers if you can.
I'm the editor handling a paper that just had it's 43rd person decline to review. We may have to reject it because no one is willing to review it, which sucks for the authors.
I'm the editor handling a paper that just had it's 43rd person decline to review. We may have to reject it because no one is willing to review it, which sucks for the authors.
August 13, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Science friends, life is difficult now, but please still try to peer review papers if you can.
I'm the editor handling a paper that just had it's 43rd person decline to review. We may have to reject it because no one is willing to review it, which sucks for the authors.
I'm the editor handling a paper that just had it's 43rd person decline to review. We may have to reject it because no one is willing to review it, which sucks for the authors.
Reposted by Dr. Sara L Middleton
Do you want to go to grad school in #paleontology 🦖, #geology ⚒️, or #biology🧪?
Join the @societyofvertpaleo.bsky.social Graduate School Application Prep Group! We’ll walk you through the application process in weekly workshops.
Sign up with this form! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Join the @societyofvertpaleo.bsky.social Graduate School Application Prep Group! We’ll walk you through the application process in weekly workshops.
Sign up with this form! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
August 13, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Do you want to go to grad school in #paleontology 🦖, #geology ⚒️, or #biology🧪?
Join the @societyofvertpaleo.bsky.social Graduate School Application Prep Group! We’ll walk you through the application process in weekly workshops.
Sign up with this form! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Join the @societyofvertpaleo.bsky.social Graduate School Application Prep Group! We’ll walk you through the application process in weekly workshops.
Sign up with this form! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Open Science peeps, we need to have a conversation about the platforms we use in relation to socially responsible research given the sort of power dynamics and equity issues we see playing out.
See recent news about GitHub 👇🏽
www.theverge.com/news/757461/...
See recent news about GitHub 👇🏽
www.theverge.com/news/757461/...
GitHub just got less independent at Microsoft after CEO resignation
GitHub will be part of Microsoft’s AI engineering team
www.theverge.com
August 12, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Open Science peeps, we need to have a conversation about the platforms we use in relation to socially responsible research given the sort of power dynamics and equity issues we see playing out.
See recent news about GitHub 👇🏽
www.theverge.com/news/757461/...
See recent news about GitHub 👇🏽
www.theverge.com/news/757461/...
Reposted by Dr. Sara L Middleton
“This paper unpacks the concept of citation politics and its role in sustaining epistemic hierarchies within scholarly communities.”
osf.io/qjecy_v2
osf.io/qjecy_v2
August 2, 2025 at 3:55 PM
“This paper unpacks the concept of citation politics and its role in sustaining epistemic hierarchies within scholarly communities.”
osf.io/qjecy_v2
osf.io/qjecy_v2
Reposted by Dr. Sara L Middleton
Happy #FossilFriday and #FernFriday ! This beautiful fossil leaf belongs to a #fern that was growing in what is now southern France during the late Carboniferous, about 300 million years ago 🌿⛏️
#paleobotany #fossil #botany
#paleobotany #fossil #botany
August 1, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Happy #FossilFriday and #FernFriday ! This beautiful fossil leaf belongs to a #fern that was growing in what is now southern France during the late Carboniferous, about 300 million years ago 🌿⛏️
#paleobotany #fossil #botany
#paleobotany #fossil #botany
Reposted by Dr. Sara L Middleton
I can never understand why efforts to improve peer review don’t learn from the decades of educational research about how to do good, robust, constructive assessment and feedback.
What would happen if we treated peer review as pedagogy?
New in @wonkhe.bsky.social
wonkhe.com/blogs/peer-r...
What would happen if we treated peer review as pedagogy?
New in @wonkhe.bsky.social
wonkhe.com/blogs/peer-r...
Peer review is broken, and pedagogical research has a fix
The lessons of decades of research into assessment and feedback haven’t tracked across into the practice of peer review. Madeleine Pownall wonders why not The lessons of decades of research into asses...
wonkhe.com
August 1, 2025 at 6:01 AM
I can never understand why efforts to improve peer review don’t learn from the decades of educational research about how to do good, robust, constructive assessment and feedback.
What would happen if we treated peer review as pedagogy?
New in @wonkhe.bsky.social
wonkhe.com/blogs/peer-r...
What would happen if we treated peer review as pedagogy?
New in @wonkhe.bsky.social
wonkhe.com/blogs/peer-r...
Reposted by Dr. Sara L Middleton
Congratulations Dr Middleton. I'm very proud of bae. There were many hurdles during her PhD, but she beat them all. @saralilplants.bsky.social
July 29, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Congratulations Dr Middleton. I'm very proud of bae. There were many hurdles during her PhD, but she beat them all. @saralilplants.bsky.social
Reposted by Dr. Sara L Middleton
Appreciating this intersection between botany and pride in Palm Springs--pride for prickly plant people, perhaps? That would fit me.
#Botany2025 #PrideInSTEM
#Botany2025 #PrideInSTEM
July 29, 2025 at 3:48 AM
Appreciating this intersection between botany and pride in Palm Springs--pride for prickly plant people, perhaps? That would fit me.
#Botany2025 #PrideInSTEM
#Botany2025 #PrideInSTEM
Reposted by Dr. Sara L Middleton
Yesterday we led a workshop at @cpeg-cpb25.bsky.social on “Building open data science skills in paleobiology and ecology”. Huge thanks to everyone involved for making the workshop so successful and fun! 🤩
July 28, 2025 at 7:42 AM
Yesterday we led a workshop at @cpeg-cpb25.bsky.social on “Building open data science skills in paleobiology and ecology”. Huge thanks to everyone involved for making the workshop so successful and fun! 🤩
Hello plant functional trait peeps 👋🏽 🧪 🌱
See this opportunity to submit to special feature in Journal of Ecology
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/...
See this opportunity to submit to special feature in Journal of Ecology
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/...
July 28, 2025 at 9:09 AM
Hello plant functional trait peeps 👋🏽 🧪 🌱
See this opportunity to submit to special feature in Journal of Ecology
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/...
See this opportunity to submit to special feature in Journal of Ecology
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/...