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Justin Kumar @flyeyelab.bsky.social · 22d

Very proud of former Kumar lab PhD student, Alison Ordway, for receiving a K99 award from the National Eye Institute on her work describing photoreceptor patterning in Drosophila and mosquito compound eyes. Keep your eyes out for Alison when she goes out on the job market.

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Reposted by Justin Kumar

Soni Lacefield @lacefieldlab.bsky.social · Aug 29

Check out our new manuscript on biorxiv on the role of MOS in mammalian oocyte meiosis: www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...
With @schindlerlab.bsky.social @giselacairobaza.bsky.social @muhammad-haseeb.bsky.social

A persistent intracellular bridge and cell cycle misregulation enable polar body cell divisions and tumor formation in Mos-deficient eggs

Mammalian female meiosis is uniquely regulated to produce a developmentally competent egg capable of supporting embryogenesis. During meiosis I, homologous chromosomes segregate, with half extruded in...

www.biorxiv.org

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Justin Kumar @flyeyelab.bsky.social · Aug 27

Great department with fantastic colleagues!

Soni Lacefield @lacefieldlab.bsky.social · Aug 27

My department at Dartmouth Medical School is hiring a tenure-track Assistant Professor. We are looking broadly for a biochemist or cell biologist. Please share this add! apply.interfolio.com/171438
@dartmouthbcb.bsky.social @futurepislack.bsky.social

Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio

apply.interfolio.com

Justin Kumar @flyeyelab.bsky.social · Aug 26

The lab kicked off the start of the fall semester at Indiana University by having lunch at Lennie's Brewpub.

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Justin Kumar @flyeyelab.bsky.social · Aug 22

As my laboratory begins its 24th year at Indiana University I am grateful to all of the past and present PhD students, research associates, and postdoctoral fellows that have joined me in my quest to discover how the compound eye of Drosophila develops.

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Reposted by Justin Kumar

Soni Lacefield @lacefieldlab.bsky.social · Aug 15

Just finished teaching another year of CSHL Yeast Genetics and Genomics with a fantastic group of students as usual! @cshlcourses.bsky.social

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Justin Kumar @flyeyelab.bsky.social · Aug 8

Hope all of you tenure stuff goes smoothly

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Justin Kumar @flyeyelab.bsky.social · Aug 6

Thank you!

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Justin Kumar @flyeyelab.bsky.social · Aug 5

My lab's newest research paper on the Drosophila eye is published in Development today. Thanks to the editorial staff for writing a research highlight and interviewing us about our work.

journals.biologists.com/dev/article-...

Differential regulation of eye specification in Drosophila by Polycomb Group epigenetic repressors

Highlighted Article: Distinct gene sets are differentially expressed in response to the knockdown of Polycomb Group (PcG) members, suggesting that multiple avenues may exist for the eye to be transfor...

journals.biologists.com

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Justin Kumar @flyeyelab.bsky.social · Jul 17

To all of my university faculty friends, as tenure and promotion season is just around the corner I thought I would share a little academic humor with you. Enjoy!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNih...

Associate Professor means "less than"

YouTube video by Marty Jencius

www.youtube.com

Justin Kumar @flyeyelab.bsky.social · Jul 11

Happy to have had high school students Robyn Pate and Joy Sweeny (front row) spend the week with us learning about my lab and Drosophila eye development. Thanks to graduate students Ren Wilson and Mie Kusupholnand for serving as their research mentors.

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Justin Kumar @flyeyelab.bsky.social · Jul 4

Haha

Justin Kumar @flyeyelab.bsky.social · Jul 4

Happy 4th of July from the Kumar lab!

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Justin Kumar @flyeyelab.bsky.social · Jun 12

A portion of my lab took a break from their experiments and joined me at our local Strawberry Shortcake Festival in Bloomington, Indiana.

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Reposted by Justin Kumar

Soni Lacefield @lacefieldlab.bsky.social · Jun 9

Super excited to post our new publication on the role of MOS/MAPK signaling in maintaining the egg transcriptome. Great collaboration with Britt Goods lab! rep.bioscientifica.com/view/journal...

rep.bioscientifica.com

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Justin Kumar @flyeyelab.bsky.social · Jun 1

Very late in posting...many thanks to my friend and host Markus Friedrich for an awesome visit to the Departments of Biological Sciences and Ophthalmology at Wayne State University. Great catching up with an old friend, talking science, and presenting our newest story on Drosophila eye development.

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Justin Kumar @flyeyelab.bsky.social · May 21

Me too!

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Justin Kumar @flyeyelab.bsky.social · May 5

Congrats on the awesome score!!!!!!

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Justin Kumar @flyeyelab.bsky.social · Mar 29

Super excited that my superstar friend Soni Lacefield @lacefieldlab.bsky.social is a AAAS fellow! See how her creative research is making an impact on our understanding of meiosis and infertility.

geiselmed.dartmouth.edu/news/2025/so...

Soni Lacefield Named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

Soni Lacefield, PhD, a professor of biochemistry and cell biology at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine, has been named a 2025 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (…

geiselmed.dartmouth.edu

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Justin Kumar @flyeyelab.bsky.social · Feb 21

Another awesome paper from the Lacefield lab @lacefieldlab.bsky.social

Soni Lacefield @lacefieldlab.bsky.social · Feb 21

Check out our super cool paper on aneuploidy in cells lacking Bub3. Congratulations to fantastic student Pallavi Gadgil and alum Olivia Ballew. journals.plos.org/plosgenetics...

Aneuploidy of specific chromosomes is beneficial to cells lacking spindle checkpoint protein Bub3

Author summary Accurate chromosome segregation is crucial for the proper development of all living organisms. Errors in chromosome segregation can lead to aneuploidy, characterized by an abnormal numb...

journals.plos.org

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Justin Kumar @flyeyelab.bsky.social · Feb 15

Hope your lab had a great Valentine's Day!

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Justin Kumar @flyeyelab.bsky.social · Feb 7

Great opportunity to work with an incredible mentor and scientist!

Ryan MacDonald @macdonaldlab.bsky.social · Feb 7

We’re hiring a new research fellow. Come join us in London to study glial cells in the ageing retina using killifish as a model. www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...

UCL – University College London

UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).

www.ucl.ac.uk

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Justin Kumar @flyeyelab.bsky.social · Feb 5

Kumar lab - very lucky to be exploring the world of eye development with these amazing researchers!

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Reposted by Justin Kumar

Soni Lacefield @lacefieldlab.bsky.social · Jan 31

Feeling very lost today with the news of the passing of my undergrad advisor Scott Hawley. He had a huge impact on the field and on me personally. He was the first person to see me as a scientist and gave me the confidence to apply to grad school. I am so grateful to be a part of his legacy.

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Justin Kumar @flyeyelab.bsky.social · Jan 26

It was finally warm enough here in Bloomington to spend some time in the backyard taking pictures. Look who showed up!

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