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Meredith Schmehl, PhD

@meredithschmehl.com

520 followers 830 following 330 posts

Neuroscientist supporting #OpenScience @HHMI.org Connecting science & society through #SciPol, #SciComm, & community building for a more equitable & informed future Past: 📢 Comms @ National SciPol Network 🧠 Ph.D. @DukeBrain.bsky.social 🧬 B.S. x2 @CMU.edu

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Meredith Schmehl, PhD @meredithschmehl.com · Mar 1

One of my biggest frustrations as someone who is frequently labeled by others as a “scicommer” is that people tend to see communication as the end goal, rather than a means to a broader end.

If #SciComm isn’t rooted in policy, advocacy, and meaningful community engagement…what is the point?

Jess Hardie @jesshardie.bsky.social · Mar 1

I am pretty tired of this argument. Journal articles and books are sometimes not widely accessible (although some are), but academics speak much more often to the public now, through the media, op eds, trade books, and public lectures, than in the past and anti-intellectualism has grown.

Rory @roryreckons.bsky.social · Feb 23

The failure of academia to explain things in layperson terms (up until some efforts recently) is one of the reasons for anti-intellectualism.

When you make science inaccessible, people will opt for those who sell easier solutions.

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Reposted by Meredith Schmehl, PhD

Janelia Research Campus @hhmijanelia.bsky.social · Aug 26

📢We're #hiring Group Leaders!

Apply to lead a lab at Janelia & advance biology using theory, computational modeling & machine learning.

🔹5-year renewable appointment
🔹Pioneer new tools & approaches
🔹Collaborate across disciplines

Apply by Nov. 4👉 https://janelia.link/groupleader

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Meredith Schmehl, PhD @meredithschmehl.com · Aug 12

Also agreed! If authors are deciding when to publish, as they are in the case of preprints, there is likely also room to decide that certain papers/outputs don’t need formal peer review. Ideally there would be room for both transparent peer review and standalone outputs that don’t need that process.

Meredith Schmehl, PhD @meredithschmehl.com · Aug 12

Whether those peer review coordinators should be journals, preprint review services, or something else...is a question that can only be answered with broader conversations. But the conversation starts with the question of how we ensure we aren't only seeing peer reviews of pre-curated content.

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Meredith Schmehl, PhD @meredithschmehl.com · Aug 12

A more transparent model might make all outputs accessible (i.e., open access articles, preprints) while also having service providers that coordinate peer review and ensure the outputs of peer review (i.e., reviews, author responses) are made accessible. More science discourse out in the open.

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Meredith Schmehl, PhD @meredithschmehl.com · Aug 12

eLife is a good step, but they still only publish what they review.

There's an opportunity to consider whether peer review and curation for publishing must be linked. Preprints open doors to transparent review without curation, but this means thinking differently about how review occurs.

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Meredith Schmehl, PhD @meredithschmehl.com · Aug 12

Agreed! No intent to diminish the role of journals as a coordinator of peer review.

But when the coordinators of peer review are also the deciders of which papers (and, therefore, which peer reviews) get seen, we end up with biased curation - no insight into what is reviewed but not published.

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Meredith Schmehl, PhD @meredithschmehl.com · Aug 11

Plus services like @prereview.bsky.social which decouple the peer review process from journals altogether! HHMI has supported this model for many years (doi.org/10.1371/jour...), and we have some new ideas - can’t say more just yet 🙂

A proposal for the future of scientific publishing in the life sciences

This Perspective article proposes new practices for scientific publishing that align better with today's digital environment than do legacy practices.

doi.org

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Reposted by Meredith Schmehl, PhD

eLife @elife.bsky.social · Aug 11

Want to try your hand at science communication but don’t know where to start?

We’ve put together seven tried and tested tips for communicating preprinted research with suggestions and resources that can help you on social media and beyond! #SciComm buff.ly/DLuopWU

Image of a person using a laptop to scroll the eLife twitter page

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Reposted by Meredith Schmehl, PhD

HHMI @hhmi.org · Aug 5

🚨 Attention early-career scientists! 🚨

Become a Theory Fellow at Janelia and use computation & theory to tackle biological problems.

✅ Three-year appointment
✅ Collaboration across scientific disciplines
✅ Dynamic research environment

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Reposted by Meredith Schmehl, PhD

HHMI @hhmi.org · Aug 6

HHMI Chief of Strategic Initiatives Bodo Stern writes in the LSE Impact of Social Sciences Blog about Nature's recent decision to publish peer review reports. "True transparency in peer review must begin at the outset," he writes, "not as an afterthought to editorial gatekeeping."

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Meredith Schmehl, PhD @meredithschmehl.com · Aug 11

"Open peer review of preprints is not just a tool for transparency – it is a way to accelerate scientific progress."

Proud to be a part of the HHMI Open Science Strategy team, where creating a more transparent & equitable science ecosystem is our mission every day!

blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsoci...

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Reposted by Meredith Schmehl, PhD

HHMI @hhmi.org · Aug 7

Congratulations 2025 Gilliam Fellows and Advisors! 🎉

The Gilliam Fellows Program launches promising PhD students into impactful scientific research careers while fostering inclusive training environments.
Through this program, HHMI supports both graduate students and their faculty thesis advisors.

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Reposted by Meredith Schmehl, PhD

Orthanc @orthanc.nz · Aug 9

Ons thing that's really bugging me about the "PhD level intelligence" is that a PhD isn't a measure of intelligence, it's a measure of commitment to study and specialisation in a narrow field (and opportunity to do so).

"PhD level intelligence" isn't really a meaningful phrase

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Reposted by Meredith Schmehl, PhD

Dr. Johnathan Flowers, Blade Wielding Bisexual (Lordean arc) @shengokai.blacksky.app · Aug 9

Something that I have been thinking about with attribution of "PhD level intelligence" or "PhD level expertise" to a machine is that it reflects an increasing trend among these AI bros and their sycophants to want the products of highly skilled training without actually doing any of the work.

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Reposted by Meredith Schmehl, PhD

Dr. Johnathan Flowers, Blade Wielding Bisexual (Lordean arc) @shengokai.blacksky.app · Aug 9

Describing intelligence as a capacity, or a skill, means that it can be developed and taught: it's not something that one just has. PhD level intelligence represents the highly refined skills of PhDs to see what is in light of what can be, which is ultimately necessary to do the dissertation.

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Reposted by Meredith Schmehl, PhD

Neuromatch @neuromatch.bsky.social · Jul 17

We're gathering insights on how basic scientists think about public engagement, what barriers they face, & what kind of support would make it easier.

👉 Take a few minutes to share your thoughts before 3 Aug: airtable.com/appIOiMGYFhF...

#BasicScience #OpenScience #LabLife #AcademicChatter

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Meredith Schmehl, PhD @meredithschmehl.com · Jul 4

Thanks to @civicscimedia.bsky.social for featuring me in this story about how neuroscientists from students to professionals have centered public engagement in their work! Always glad to share my journey & inspire the next generation of #CivicScience advocates:
civicsciencemedia.org/3-early-care...

3 early career neuroscientists share their journeys in public engagement

“Hi, I’m a neuroscientist and I study poop.” Monica Tschang, a third-year PhD candidate at the University of Washington, often begins by saying this when speaking at public engagement events. […]

civicsciencemedia.org

Reposted by Meredith Schmehl, PhD

Liz Neeley @lizneeley.bsky.social · Jul 1

We cannot scicomm our way out of this, part …I-don’t-know-I’m-tired-of-counting

Christian Elliott @christianelliott.me · Jun 30

NASA just won an Emmy for our live broadcast of the total solar eclipse last year. We produced a documentary film about the James Webb Space Telescope that's out in theaters and on Netflix. We have podcasts, we write feature stories. People wear the agency logo on t-shirts. We're still getting cut.

Michael Hobbes @michaelhobbes.bsky.social · Jun 30

You hear this a lot on the left but it isn't true. USAID did not "fail to tell its story to Americans," the right targeted the agency with lies and misinformation.

Ultimately this narrative turns conservative attacks into even more calls for the left to reform.
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/29/o...

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Reposted by Meredith Schmehl, PhD

Issues in Science and Technology @issuesinst.bsky.social · Jun 18

What does a career in #sciencepolicy look like? Our podcast series “Science Policy IRL” explores just that, from all kinds of angles: on Capitol Hill, at the White House, in academia, in industry, at federal agencies, and much more. Explore: issues.org/category/the... #scipol #sciencejobs #science

Science Policy IRL Archives

This new podcast series explores what science policy is and how it gets done by speaking to people who have built careers in it.

issues.org

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Reposted by Meredith Schmehl, PhD

ACLU @aclu.org · Jun 16

BREAKING: A federal judge reversed National Institutes of Health's terminations of hundreds of critical research grants that were canceled because of their alleged connection to disfavored topics, including diversity, equity, inclusion, and gender identity.

This is a major win for public health.

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Reposted by Meredith Schmehl, PhD

Matt Clancy @mattsclancy.bsky.social · Jun 17

What’s the return on government support for R&D?

To try to get a credible answer, Open Philanthropy and the Sloan Foundation are committing up to $1 million to trying something new: we call it a Pop-Up Journal.

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Reposted by Meredith Schmehl, PhD

Nature @nature.com · Jun 16

From today, all new submissions to Nature that are published will be accompanied by referees’ reports and author responses — to illuminate the process of producing rigorous science

https://go.nature.com/4kIRR01

Transparent peer review to be extended to all of Nature’s research papers

From today, all new submissions to Nature that are published will be accompanied by referees’ reports and author responses — to illuminate the process of producing rigorous science.

go.nature.com

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Reposted by Meredith Schmehl, PhD

Luciana Machado @machadolac.bsky.social · Jun 16

📢 Big move toward transparency: All @nature.com research articles will now include published peer review reports and author responses.
#openscience #researchintegrity #peerreview #transparency
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Transparent peer review to be extended to all of Nature’s research papers

From today, all new submissions to Nature that are published will be accompanied by referees’ reports and author responses — to illuminate the process of producing rigorous science.

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Meredith Schmehl, PhD

Continuous Science Foundation @continuous.foundation · Jun 16

In May we hosted a convergence in Banff, Canada. The group gathered to ask better questions of science communication. Not just what’s broken?—but what could be?

We surfaced stories, tools, and a hunger for something more open, more connected.

articles.continuousfoundation.org/articles/ban...

Continuous Science Foundation Workshop — Banff 2025

In May 2025, a diverse group of researchers, funders, technologists, and advocates gathered in Banff to reimagine the future of scientific communication. Through case studies, system mapping, storytel...

articles.continuousfoundation.org

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Reposted by Meredith Schmehl, PhD

The Sick Times @thesicktimes.org · May 29

Disability advocates in Illinois are working to enshrine the right to wear masks. Here's how they got this far — and a blueprint for how others can work to ban mask bans in their state. bit.ly/43MYLvb

Collage graphic showing cut-outs of people wearing KN95 masks. The text reads, “The Sick Times. Illinois could become the first state in the country to ban mask bans. Here’s how we created the bill to do it. By Megan E. Doherty.”

"Enshrining the right to wear protective medical equipment, such as N95s, is essential for protecting vulnerable populations, including the disabled, the immunocompromised, low-wage workers, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals, older adults, and people who are pregnant. It would also help protect anyone from developing chronic disease, since anyone can be affected by Long COVID." - Megan E. Doherty, Co-founder of Care Not COVID Chicagoland

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