Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Keely Brown

Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 12d

New: After a long wait, the GRFP solicitation is live! Deadlines have been extended to early November, so applicants have a bit over a month to submit. www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

www.nsf.gov

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Keely Brown @keelybrownphd.bsky.social · 29d

Check out our new paper led by Dr. Alicia Foxx detailing the goals of the New Roots for Restoration Biological Integration Institute, which is focused on understanding natural and agricultural perennial plants 🥳

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

New Roots for Restoration: Building a foundation for interdisciplinary work in plant organismal biology and ecology to advance restoration in natural and agricultural ecosystems

Soils are globally degraded due in part to conventional agriculture and wildland conversion. To address the global challenge of soil degradation, we formed an interdisciplinary, cross-institutional c....

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Keely Brown @keelybrownphd.bsky.social · Sep 5

P2P provides training and career development for folks looking to transition to plant biology. I'm currently mentoring one of this year's Fellows, so feel free to reach out if you have questions about this incredible program!

Botanical Society of America @botsocamerica.bsky.social · Sep 5

Applications for the 2026 Pivot to Plants Fellows Program at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center are now open.

Location: St. Louis, MO
Application Deadline: October 15, 2025
Dates: Jan. 5, 2026 – Dec. 23, 2026
Estimated Stipend: $37,275

Learn more: www.danforthcenter.org/our-work/edu...

Pivot to Plants: Training Program for Plant and Data Science | Danforth Plant Science Center

The Pivot2Plants Fellows Program is a 1-year training program for people interested in pivoting to a career in plant science or data science but have limited research experience.

www.danforthcenter.org

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Reposted by Keely Brown

Botanical Society of America @botsocamerica.bsky.social · Sep 5

Applications for the 2026 Pivot to Plants Fellows Program at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center are now open.

Location: St. Louis, MO
Application Deadline: October 15, 2025
Dates: Jan. 5, 2026 – Dec. 23, 2026
Estimated Stipend: $37,275

Learn more: www.danforthcenter.org/our-work/edu...

Pivot to Plants: Training Program for Plant and Data Science | Danforth Plant Science Center

The Pivot2Plants Fellows Program is a 1-year training program for people interested in pivoting to a career in plant science or data science but have limited research experience.

www.danforthcenter.org

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Reposted by Keely Brown

Paulyn Cartwright @pcart.bsky.social · Aug 30

Good news! KU's IRACDA program was reinstated! We are now taking applications for postdocs. Please spread the word.

sjobs.brassring.com/TGnewUI/Sear...

Postdoctoral Researcher - University of Kansas - Job Details

Job Details: The IRACDA Program at the University of Kansas (KU) is accepting applications for postdoctoral scholarships. W

sjobs.brassring.com

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Reposted by Keely Brown

Stephen I Wright @stepheniwright.bsky.social · Aug 27

Please share broadly: I am looking for a postdoctoral fellow to work on a collaborative project on the temporal population genomics of invasive Capeweed (using contemporary and herbarium genomics), with ‪‪@shaky-dingo.bsky.social‬ and colleagues

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Andrea Case @andreacase.bsky.social · Aug 20

Please share — Michigan State Plant Biology is searching for an Herbarium Director! Tenure stream, open rank faculty position balancing research, teaching, service, and admin responsibilities. Join us! Reach out to me or @emjo.bsky.social with questions!

plantbiology.natsci.msu.edu/job-postings...

plantbiology.natsci.msu.edu

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John Logsdon @johnlogsdon.bsky.social · Aug 14

1) Are you an Assistant Professor studying evolutionary biology?

2) Are you in the US?

3) Would you like to give a research seminar in Iowa?

4) Are you available to travel September 4-6?

If you can answer YES x4, please DM me ASAP, or comment below.

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Reposted by Keely Brown

David Lowry @davidlowry.bsky.social · Aug 14

New paper out of the lab today: “Gene Expression Divergence Between Locally Adapted Inland Annual and Coastal Perennial Ecotypes of Mimulus guttatus Across Developmental Stages” onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Gene Expression Divergence Between Locally Adapted Inland Annual and Coastal Perennial Ecotypes of Mimulus guttatus Across Developmental Stages

The action of natural selection across heterogeneous natural landscapes drives local adaptation and the formation of plant ecotypes, the precursors to new species. Plant ecotypes typically differ sig...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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PlantEvolution 🌱🌾 @plantevolution.bsky.social · Aug 10

Wonderful (and humble) essay on mentorship by Brandon Gaut, on occasion of Brandon receiving the inaugural Mentorship Award of @genetics-gsa.bsky.social. I hope this will be widely read!

academic.oup.com/genetics/art...

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New Phytologist @newphyt.bsky.social · Aug 8

#Viewpoint: Measuring #NaturalSelection on the transcriptome

John R. Stinchcombe & John K. Kelly 👇

📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

#LatestIssue

Schematic depicting the mapping from genotype to fitness.

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Keely Brown @keelybrownphd.bsky.social · Aug 1

"What you do for your mentees, do because it's right" - absolutely, and something I needed to be reminded of after a tough REU cohort

Elinne Becket, PhD @bielleogy.bsky.social · Aug 1

At a symposium where I'm one of the only PUI faculty and I've just been playing therapist to super kind and well-meaning R1 faculty to get them to not 👏take👏mentee👏behavior👏personally👏. 1/n

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Amanda Moehring @flybehaviour.bsky.social · Jul 8

I'm recruiting a US PhD student to come to Canada to work on the genetic and neural basis of female mating behaviour. Fellowship of ~$40k per year. Contact me if interested in submitting an application. Details of eligibility here!
grad.uwo.ca/finances/wes...

US-CAN Doctoral Excellence Award

Western University, in vibrant London, Ontario, delivers an academic and student experience second to none.

grad.uwo.ca

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Keely Brown @keelybrownphd.bsky.social · Jul 4

So at least we'll have that to look forward to

derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · Jul 4

on the last day of the United States, when this country has finally descended into civil war, i will do a thread on how to dress for summer

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Chris Fiscus @fiscuscj.bsky.social · Jun 25

Excited to share our new paper in @molbioevol.bsky.social , led by @galenm.bsky.social !!! We show that mutations affecting RNA secondary structure in *Arabidopsis thaliana* are shaped by selection and linked to gene expression and the environment.
🔗 academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...

Quantifying the Evolution of SNPs That Affect RNA Secondary Structure in Arabidopsis thaliana Genes

Abstract. Single-stranded RNA molecules can form intramolecular bonds between nucleotides to create secondary structures. These structures can have phenoty

academic.oup.com

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American Society of Plant Biologists @aspbofficial.bsky.social · Jun 14

📣#PlantBio2025 daily highlight: Phenomics/Whole Plant Concurrent Session!🌱https://buff.ly/QRYD1aC

#plantscience

Image Text: Phenomics/Whole Plant. Tuesday, July 29, 2025. 1:30 PM - 3:15 PM. Courtney Leisner, Masatsugu Toyota, David Horvath, and Anna Casto. Virginia Tech | Saitama University | USDA-ARS-ETSARC | Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

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Chenxin Li, PhD @chenxinli2.bsky.social · Jun 14

I can’t get over this looming fear for my career. I was optimistic pre-2025. Now I can’t stop thinking about how many scientists of my generation will have to give up on science within a few years.

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Chris Fiscus @fiscuscj.bsky.social · May 27

Our work on the landscape genomics of *Vitis arizonica* is now published in @newphyt.bsky.social !!!

Big thanks to Jonás Aguirre-Liguori, Garren Gaut, and Brandon Gaut (all sadly not on bsky) for making this possible!

Mutational load and adaptive variation are shaped by climate and species range dynamics in Vitis arizonica

Genetic load can reduce fitness and hinder adaptation. While its genetic underpinnings are well established, the influence of environmental variation on genetic load is less well characterized, as i.....

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Chris Fiscus @fiscuscj.bsky.social · May 17

Absolutely thrilled to see Dr. Brandon Gaut receive the inaugural @genetics-gsa.bsky.social Mentorship Award! 🏆🎉

Brandon brings humanity back to science, supports inclusive training, and pushes back on the publish-or-perish culture. So well deserved—congrats! 👏🙌

genestogenomes.org/distinguishe...

Distinguished professor proves effective mentorship is both art and science

For the inaugural recipient of the Genetics Society of America Mentorship Award Dr. Brandon Gaut, leading a lab is not only scientific but personal.

genestogenomes.org

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Reposted by Keely Brown

Donald Danforth Plant Science Center @danforthcenter.bsky.social · May 15

Team BioQumulate is up next! Their Big Idea looks to plants to remove contaminants from unusable soil and toxic sites. Tune in to hear from @keelybrownphd.bsky.social, Anna Castro, and Josh Sumner: www.danforthcenter.org/live/
#BigIdeas2025

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Paula Adams, PhD @peadams.bsky.social · Apr 19

My NSF postdoctoral fellowship was one of the grants terminated yesterday. Devastating is an understatement. Thankful for a supportive admin with a plan to support me for now.

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Brady Lab @bradylabs.bsky.social · Apr 19

We have a postdoc position that just opened up in the Brady lab on reprogramming tomato root system architecture in response to changes in nutrient availability - please consider applying! recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07095

Postdoctoral Researcher- Brady Lab

University of California, Davis is hiring. Apply now!

recruit.ucdavis.edu

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Keely Brown @keelybrownphd.bsky.social · Apr 15

It may not mean much, but having been one of your students, I can say it meant a lot knowing that you cared!

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Kelly Sheppard (he/him/his) @kstrna62.bsky.social · Apr 5

Fight for the NEH like you would for NIH and NSF. The attack on one is an attack on all. Solidarity is required and needs to include K-12 educators and staff. The Trump administration is waging war against learning on multiple fronts.

AAUP @aaup.org · Apr 4

DOGE has now turned its sights on a small agency that provides support for community programs in every state. The National Endowment for the Humanities, which funds museums, historic sites, libraries, educators and media outlets across the country, has been told to slash staff by 70-80 percent.🧵

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Elinne Becket, PhD @bielleogy.bsky.social · Apr 2

Now 4 of my students have lost their scholarships/stipends mid-degree. Fuck everything. I'm so pissed off and heartbroken for them.

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