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Amanda Smythers

@amandalsmythers.bsky.social

1.3K followers 1K following 150 posts

PhD, Analytical Chemistry • Postdoc in Spiegelman, Chouchani, & Gygi labs, Dana Farber Cancer Institute & Harvard Med School • #TeamMassSpec #Proteomics #MolecularMetabolism

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Amanda Smythers @amandalsmythers.bsky.social · Nov 9

Intro time!

My name is Amanda & I’m a postdoc & mass spectrometrist at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute & Harvard Med School. I’m co-advised by 3 PIs: Bruce Spiegelman, Steve Gygi, & Ed Chouchani. My primary work is finding novel implementations of mass spec proteomics for biological discovery. 1/

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Amanda Smythers @amandalsmythers.bsky.social · Jul 6

Same. My kid is at sleep away camp right now and it’s hard to not jump in the car and go get her.

Amanda Smythers @amandalsmythers.bsky.social · May 29

I’m sad to share that my father died yesterday after a 5 month battle with pancreatic cancer.

It’s a horrific disease. So grateful for my colleagues at the @danafarber.bsky.social for helping me through this process.

www.cunninghamfuneralhome.net/obituaries/M...

Obituary information for Mark Allan White

View Mark Allan White's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

www.cunninghamfuneralhome.net

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Reposted by Amanda Smythers

US HUPO @us-hupo.org · May 26

Don't Miss Out - TOMORROW - it's an interactive proteomics seminar series!

The CNPN x US HUPO Spotlight Series Webinar brings you cutting edge proteomics research from leading Canadian and US scientist.

Register NOW: ow.ly/lSY150VNhpI

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Reposted by Amanda Smythers

Pete Buttigieg @petebuttigieg.bsky.social · May 23

America cannot long remain free, nor first among nations, if it becomes the kind of place where universities are dismantled because they don't align politically with the current head of the government.

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Amanda Smythers @amandalsmythers.bsky.social · May 23

Rough time in our house as we said goodbye to our cat yesterday. 12 years was not nearly enough.

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Amanda Smythers @amandalsmythers.bsky.social · May 21

Busy couple of days! Kiddo scored her first goal in Boston, me and the hubs saw Tina Fey and Amy Poehler on tour, and Jewish heritage night at the Sox marked the coldest baseball game of my life 😅 Just a quintessential New England weekend 🤣

Reposted by Amanda Smythers

Cathy Gao-Howard MD MS @catgaohow.bsky.social · May 18

Northwestern has not received any NIH funds since March. No written communication about why or what can be done. Thank you Ben Singer for raising awareness at #ATS2025

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Reposted by Amanda Smythers

Sam Wang @samwang.bsky.social · May 17

This is completely false. Even the largest university endowment cannot sustain large-scale scientific research.

In my 25 years at my school, the most monumental research fund drive raised $325M in *total*. Federal research here costs $200M per *every year*.

This is an extinction-level event.

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Amanda Smythers @amandalsmythers.bsky.social · May 13

I assume there will be pretty angry QQQ users soon…

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Reposted by Amanda Smythers

Chris Ashwood @cashwood.proteaglyco.com · May 13

Disappointing to see, across both parties.
Sciex is no longer providing funding for Skyline/Proteowizard as part of the multi-vendor agreement to keep Skyline supported across all major vendors.
I can see the arguments from both sides, just a shame it's resulted in this.

Transcribed text:
Skyline Targeted Mass Spec Environment

Dear Skyline Users,

I would like to thank Agilent, Bruker, Shimadzu, Thermo Fisher, and Waters for their continued funding support for the Skyline project this year. This industry/government/university partnership allows all of us to maximize the value of our efforts to provide better mass spectrometry tools to the field. In the current federal funding environment, industry support is critical to maintain our work.

Some instrument vendors, such as SCIEX, have not invested in the Skyline project this year. As a public university, we are limited in how we can support the private sector under state law. We paused our work in Skyline and ProteoWizard on support for SCIEX instruments to remain in compliance with state law. While we hoped SCIEX would resume its funding support of the Skyline project for use with their instruments, and respect their decision not to provide funding, we cannot continue our work to support SCIEX in Skyline or ProteoWizard without SCIEX funding. We have informed the ProteoWizard Foundation of this development.

As always, we look forward to seeing many of you at ASMS or our Skyline course at UW this summer. We thank all of you for your continued support.

Brendan MacLean,

Skyline Project Lead

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Amanda Smythers @amandalsmythers.bsky.social · May 11

Lucky 13 in the books today. ✨ Kiddo had a sleepover so we could enjoy this “hidden” cafe in Beacon Hill with enough champagne to give me proper rosy cheeks 🥰🥂

Reposted by Amanda Smythers

Alt NIH Bluesky 🧪 @altnih4science.bsky.social · May 9

Now they are gutting NSF. This is radical destruction.

The Trump goal is to end scientific research in America. Our sense is that few people, even inside the government, have actually grappled with this reality.

Exclusive: NSF faces radical shake-up as officials abolish its 37 divisions

Changes seen as a response to presidential directives on what research to fund

www.science.org

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Reposted by Amanda Smythers

Carolyn Bertozzi @carolynbertozzi.bskyverified.social · May 6

The current administration’s narrative that Harvard (and all universities) feel “entitled” to federal dollars misleads the public. Nor are these funds a “privilege” 1/n

Yamuna Krishnan @krishnanyamuna.bsky.social · May 6

Harvard may have a lot of issues, but none of the accusations in this acid-tripping letter are it. Don't know whether to laugh or cry as I watch monkeys tear up pearl strings.

Eric Columbus @ericcolumbus.bsky.social · May 6

🚨🚨 Deranged letter from Education Secretary Linda McMahon to Harvard’s president, cutting off federal funding for any new grants.

Worth reading in full. It is NUTS.

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Reposted by Amanda Smythers

Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · May 6

FWIW, NIH had already silently barred Harvard and four other schools from receiving funds — and agency staff were forbidden from telling applicants and grantees about it.

bsky.app/profile/maxk...

Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · Apr 18

Per source, NIH has been instructed to hold off from issuing ALL awards to Harvard, Cornell, Columbia, Brown, and Northwestern (including med schools)

Agency staff have also been instructed to not speak about this funding freeze to grantees and applicants

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Amanda Smythers @amandalsmythers.bsky.social · May 6

Existing grants are frozen, too. 😩

Amanda Smythers @amandalsmythers.bsky.social · May 5

These are truly unprecedented times for science, & I know several community members facing job loses. It would be incredibly helpful for those hiring in proteomics to post to our US HUPO job board so we can help our colleagues find new positions.

Please share!

us-hupo.org/US-HUPO-Job-...

US HUPO - Job Board

us-hupo.org

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Amanda Smythers @amandalsmythers.bsky.social · Apr 27

So excited to see this work!

ProteomicsNews (Ben Orsburn) @proteomicsnews.bsky.social · Apr 27

MY UNIVERSITY WILL DO PROTEOMICS (by LCMS) on 1 MILLION PEOPLE - LONGITUDINALLY?? proteomicsnews.blogspot.com/2025/04/pitt...

Pitt announces plans to do Proteomics /multi-omics of 1 MILLION PEOPLE!

My new home is planning to do deep mult-omics - proteomics by MASS SPECTROMETRY - of ONE MILLION PEOPLE! The 12 hour launch event appears...

proteomicsnews.blogspot.com

Amanda Smythers @amandalsmythers.bsky.social · Apr 22

Poor kiddo understands the bread of affliction has consequences!! 😅

Amanda Smythers @amandalsmythers.bsky.social · Apr 21

My stomach (and heart) is satisfied ♥️

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Amanda Smythers @amandalsmythers.bsky.social · Apr 20

Made a reservation at an Italian restaurant to break Passover tonight. I neeeeed noodles. No idea how my kiddo can do stuff like this- I feel like my stomach is full of matzah shaped boulders!

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Reposted by Amanda Smythers

Nick Riley @nmriley.bsky.social · Apr 18

I still can't quite believe I am included in the 2025 Searle Scholars cohort. Feeling especially thankful for all who have supported me. I am most excited about the science @riley-research.bsky.social gets to pursue and the support this award provides for my group

searlescholars.org/2025/04/14/s...

SEARLE SCHOLARS PROGRAM NAMES 15 SCIENTISTS AS SEARLE SCHOLARS FOR 2025

Members of the new class of Searle Scholars pursue ground-breaking research in chemistry and the biomedical sciences. Each receives an award of $300,000 in flexible funding to support his, her, or …

searlescholars.org

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Reposted by Amanda Smythers

Jonathan Lambert @jonlambert.bsky.social · Apr 18

Hearing from sources that grant terminations are starting now, likely targeting grants aimed at broadening participation of underrepresented groups in science.... which congress explicitly asks NSF grants to do.

Jonathan Lambert @jonlambert.bsky.social · Apr 18

NSF killing broader impacts as they've been practiced.

"efforts should not preference some groups at the expense of others ... projects with more narrow impact limited to subgroups of people based on protected class or characteristics do not effectuate NSF priorities."
www.nsf.gov/updates-on-p...

Updates on NSF Priorities

www.nsf.gov

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Reposted by Amanda Smythers

Malinda Lo @malindalo.bsky.social · Apr 14

Harvard redid its whole homepage to push back against the administration’s demands. I mean, this is just a website but I think it’s kind of a great PR move: www.harvard.edu

Harvard University

Harvard University is devoted to excellence in teaching, learning, and research, and to developing leaders who make a difference globally.

www.harvard.edu

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Amanda Smythers @amandalsmythers.bsky.social · Apr 14

Very glad that Harvard will fight. History is not kind to those who give up their rights freely.

Amanda Smythers @amandalsmythers.bsky.social · Apr 13

I hope everyone celebrating has a wonderful Passover! We are praying for an end to warfare, our hostages to return, and injustice to end- in the US and elsewhere. Grateful to be with family and to enjoy these traditions with my kiddo.