Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Meike van der Heijden

@meikeesther.bsky.social

2.1K followers 1.4K following 430 posts

Thinking about work, life, and balance. Looking for answers in the cerebellum. Assistant Professor @ Virginia Tech www.vanderheijdenlab.com

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Meike van der Heijden @meikeesther.bsky.social · Jul 10

A podcast about my work, my life, and balance… the things I think about a lot:

@fralinbiomed.bsky.social

news.vt.edu/articles/202...

'Big Science, Small Pod' podcast: How does a brain even happen?

Neuroscientist Meike van der Heijden of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC explains how understanding childhood brain development could guide treatments for movement disorders.

news.vt.edu

1 9

Reposted by Meike van der Heijden

Eugene Vinitsky 🍒 @eugenevinitsky.bsky.social · 4h

Got jobs
Made IRL friends
Read a lot of good papers
Saw some good jokes.
Got a lot more comfortable talking about my work in public.

There’s a reason I want to rescue this

Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · 17h

Has anything great happened in your life because of social media?

2 2 46

Reposted by Meike van der Heijden

Sweta Agrawal @hokuba.bsky.social · 7d

The Agrawal lab is moving! This January we will be setting up shop at #UBC in Vancouver, in the department of #Zoology! We are actively recruiting at all levels, especially masters and PhD students. These position are #funded! Please send anyone interested my way!

10 32 80

Meike van der Heijden @meikeesther.bsky.social · 9d

When you spent a lot of time on your slide deck for a talk and then dream the night before that you started a completely wrong presentation.
OK nerves, take a backseat please.

Meike van der Heijden @meikeesther.bsky.social · 9d

Been really loving the public transport in Philly. But you better don’t travel with a stroller (can’t even imagine what it’d be like with a wheelchair).

1 1

Reposted by Meike van der Heijden

NPR @npr.org · 12d

Medical scholars say efforts to find a singular cause for autism has historically led to scrutinizing parents and fueling stigma.

Trump's Tylenol warning echoes past misconceptions about mothers and autism

Medical scholars say, efforts to find a singular cause for autism has historically led to scrutinizing parents and fueling stigma about autism

n.pr

35 140 670

Reposted by Meike van der Heijden

NIH Vigils @nihvigils.bsky.social · 12d

While this administration holds a theatrical press conference spreading alarmist disinformation about autism and Tylenol, it’s also quietly telling physicians to ignore what they say.

This is just an FYI that this is the communication that was sent out to physicians in the U.S. about the acetaminophen-autism "announcement" this week. This letter might as well have stated ...

This is just an FYI that this is the communication that was sent out to physicians in the U.S. about the acetaminophen-autism "announcement" this week. This letter might as well have stated “We don’t ...

www.linkedin.com

15 110 250

Meike van der Heijden @meikeesther.bsky.social · 12d

So proud of Alyssa Lyon passing her prelim exam today.
She joined my lab for a rotation when it was quite empty. She helped build the lab while also building an exciting project.
Today, she got six enthusiastic thumbs up from her committee, a big vote of confidence that she’s actually doing it!

Reposted by Meike van der Heijden

Sam Wang @samwang.bsky.social · 13d

I spoke extensively with the Crimson reporter. She understood the strength of the evidence, and it shows.

Odds ratios can be eye-glazing, but let's just say that when 2.5 million kids are studied, and it's still not possible to detect added risk from taking acetaminophen...there's no added risk.

Kieran Healy @kjhealy.co · 13d

Good job, mate. Top notch. www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...

Harvard’s Public Health Dean Was Paid $150,000 to Testify Tylenol Causes Autism | News | The Harvard Crimson

Harvard School of Public Health Dean Andrea A. Baccarelli received at least $150,000 to testify against Tylenol’s manufacturer in 2023 — two years before he published research used by the Trump admini...

www.thecrimson.com

11 330 1.1K

Meike van der Heijden @meikeesther.bsky.social · 14d

“Wait a minute, there’s patterns on the other side of life as well.”

Such a cool write-up about Sarah's work on normal aging in the cerebellum!

www.the-scientist.com/aging-brains...

Aging Brains Show Stripes of Cell Death

Purkinje cells, the neurons of the cerebellum, appear to die in an organized pattern, overturning previous beliefs that neurodegeneration occurs homogenously.

www.the-scientist.com

2 8

Reposted by Meike van der Heijden

Mari Sosa @marisosa.bsky.social · 16d

The Sosa Lab website is now live!
www.sosaneurolab.com

We will be seeking a postdoctoral researcher to join the growing team! If you are a rodent neuroscientist and interested in doing systems neuro work in the mountains 🏔️, please check out the "Join" page.

Sosa Lab

www.sosaneurolab.com

37 88

Meike van der Heijden @meikeesther.bsky.social · 21d

Can one even science out loud without gesturing louder?

1 5

Reposted by Meike van der Heijden

Laura Seeholzer @lauraseeholzer.bsky.social · 23d

I'm excited to share that I've started my lab @stanford.edu in the Neurobiology Department! neurobiology.stanford.edu/who-we-are/f...

#stanford #newPI #neuroscience

Faculty

neurobiology.stanford.edu

9 11 83

Meike van der Heijden @meikeesther.bsky.social · 22d

My unsolicited advice for postdocs looking to become faculty: learn how to write fast in short (and interrupted) increments.

Future you will thank you.

- signed assistant professor jealous of post-doc me having a full day a week for six months to write a single grant

3 1 26

Meike van der Heijden @meikeesther.bsky.social · 23d

Rooting for you 🌟

Reposted by Meike van der Heijden

eartha mae @endoeartha.bsky.social · 23d

First faculty app of the season submitted! here we go 🥹✨

(tell me about your tt neuro jobs, I wanna know)

7 5 72

Reposted by Meike van der Heijden

Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 24d

Yeah, everything is a nightmare, but I have not seen a single person complain about email signatures all year. So that’s one benefit to things being godawful. I embraced chaos and started using “best fishes”, which is objectivity asinine, & nobody even cares anymore because everything sucks so bad.

19 40 610

Reposted by Meike van der Heijden

Society for Developmental Biology @socdevbio.bsky.social · Sep 4

#Undergraduates #Postbacs @socdevbio.bsky.social is hosting a webinar Get Into Grad School September 21 at 3pm ET. Learn about doctoral programs, the key elements of a compelling grad school application, and the interview process. Register: bit.ly/3HFJ9BG

8 13

Reposted by Meike van der Heijden

Virginia Tech @virginiatech.bsky.social · Sep 8

One of the first brain regions affected by Alzheimer’s is the entorhinal cortex, which is critical for memory and navigation. 🧠

With new state support, @fralinbiomed.bsky.social researchers are investigating why it’s especially vulnerable.

Researchers investigate why memory circuits break down in Alzheimer’s disease

With support from the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Alzheimer’s and Related Diseases Research Award Fund, scientists Sharon Swanger and Shannon Farris will investigate the chemical culprits that contribu...

news.vt.edu

3 6

Reposted by Meike van der Heijden

Mark Blumberg @marksblumberg.bsky.social · 27d

The deadline for our open-area senior search is approaching. If you're looking for a new academic home and, perhaps, the security of a hard-money position, please consider applying.

Psychology at the University of Iowa @psychiowa.bsky.social · Aug 29

Our open-area senior faculty position is live. If you're interested, apply! If you know someone, let them know. Substantial startup and endowed position are part of the package. Learn more about our great department here: psychology.uiowa.edu. Come join us!

psychology.uiowa.edu/about/job-op...

Psychological and Brain Sciences | College of Liberal Arts and Sciences | The University of Iowa

Study the science behind behavior and cognition, learning and memory, and personality and emotion while developing research skills and preparing for success.

psychology.uiowa.edu

Reposted by Meike van der Heijden

Madhu Pai, MD, PhD @madhupai.bsky.social · Sep 7

Wow!

Covid vaccine development and delivery cost $79.4 billion, but the health and economic benefits of vaccination were valued between $4.83 trillion–$37.8 trillion.

A return on investment of $59.8–$475 per dollar invested!!

This is why vaccine equity matters!

www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...

The global return-on-investment of COVID-19 vaccines in the first year of the vaccination programme

COVID-19 vaccines played a critical role in reducing global health burden during the COVID-19 pandemic, but their rapid development required extraordinary effort. This study aims to evaluate their glo...

www.medrxiv.org

5 280 600

Reposted by Meike van der Heijden

Science News @scinews.bsky.social · Sep 7

Why would anyone want to be a scientist?

"Doing good science requires the utmost exertion of body, mind and spirit, yet is consistently filled with failure and rejection."

journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...

7 37 93

Reposted by Meike van der Heijden

Angie Rasmussen @angierasmussen.bsky.social · Sep 5

If you’re wondering how much of what RFK Jr said yesterday about vaccines was true—almost none of it was.

@FullerLab_UW is one of the most accomplished vaccinologists out there and her article is required reading to separate truth from falsehoods.

theconversation.com/how-rfk-jr-s...

How RFK Jr.’s misguided science on mRNA vaccines is shaping policy − a vaccine expert examines the false claims

Chaos at the CDC and the sharp move away from mRNA vaccines has public health experts alarmed.

theconversation.com

95 750 2K

Meike van der Heijden @meikeesther.bsky.social · Sep 3

Very grateful to be part of this wonderful institute!

Roanoke's biomedical institute, now an economic engine for the region, started 15 years ago with a single employee cardinalnews.org/2025/09/03/r...

Roanoke’s biomedical institute, now an economic engine for the region, started 15 years ago with a single employee

Today, hundreds of people contribute to the research conducted at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion. But even as it continues to grow, its leaders face growing conc…

cardinalnews.org

1 6

Meike van der Heijden @meikeesther.bsky.social · Sep 3

…Instead, it was serotonin, a different neurotransmitter that has not been as prominent in theories of Parkinson’s disease, opening a new view and potentially powerful scientific and clinical insight into this disease.”

Meike van der Heijden @meikeesther.bsky.social · Sep 3

“But when they looked closely — using refined tools and a model of how people formed expectations — it was not dopamine that best distinguished Parkinson’s from essential tremor…