Noah Bressman, PhD
@noahwithfish.bsky.social
4.5K followers 400 following 490 posts
I LOVE fish! Fish biologist, angler, artist, science policy adviser, #SciComm. Amphibious fish, invasive species, biomechanics, functional morphology, behavior, ecology, fisheries. Assistant Professor of Physiology @ Salisbury University. He/him. AuDHD 🐡🎣🐟
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noahwithfish.bsky.social
Please share! For Disability Pride Month, we are seeking neurodivergent academic faculty, instructors, & researchers at all levels to participate in a brief anonymous survey about their work experiences, coping strategies, & well-being. For info, go to: salisbury.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
noahwithfish.bsky.social
Referencing Ictalurus furcatus, invasive blue catfish, using the poetic shortened version of “Sic Semper Tyrannis” to envoke a saying that sort of means “Thus always I cause death to blue catfish”, since my lab researches and removes these fish
Reposted by Noah Bressman, PhD
lars-brudvig.bsky.social
Apply to become the next MSU EEB Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow!

These are two year positions with research stipend, working with 2+ MSU EEB faculty. Applications due 10 November 2025. More here:

eeb.msu.edu/initiatives/...
Postdoctoral Fellowship - Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior
eeb.msu.edu
noahwithfish.bsky.social
After playing with some options amongst the students in my lab, I have finally developed a lab logo! Prepare for our merch line featuring it on shirts, hats, sneakers, guitar picks, NFTs, bibles, steaks, wine, golf courses, and more!
noahwithfish.bsky.social
Anyone here currently doing invasive fish work in NC, particularly in central NC? I’ve got some people that caught an Amazon red-tailed catfish and have it alive in a tank. If I was still in that area, I’d be right over there, but alas, I’m not
noahwithfish.bsky.social
What is something that could be taken wildly out of context by someone who didn’t know you were a scientist? 🧪 I’ll start with this note I just found in my pocket.
A note that says “6 pm, 15 brains weird females, 15 normal”
noahwithfish.bsky.social
I have my Vertebrates students read excerpts from Jane Goodall’s field notes as great examples of natural history observations that can lead to asking important research questions & discoveries. Passion for the natural world, attention to detail, & a curious mind are a powerful combination. RIP🦍 🦧 🐒
Jane Goodall, primatologist and ambassador for wildlife, dies at 91 — National Geographic
Through her groundbreaking work with chimps in Africa, Goodall helped people understand that animals are sentient and intelligent.
apple.news
noahwithfish.bsky.social
Long story short, loricariid (suckermouth) catfishes living in fast flowing, rocky rivers have thick, collagenous lips compared to those in slow-flowing, muddy rivers, which helps them hold under the flow. Sometimes, art can lead to science instead of the other way around… #SciComm
noahwithfish.bsky.social
This project had absolutely nothing related to any of the research I was doing at the time during my PhD (or even now), but sometimes a research question comes so naturally, like “why won’t the lips clear?” that you can’t resist finding out the answer (with the help of collaborators)…
Reposted by Noah Bressman, PhD
jbyoder.org
New today: We're petitioning NSF to revert GRFP eligibility criteria to last year's terms, to avoid pulling the rug out from under the earliest of early-career scientists who had every reason to think they'd be able to apply this year. Sign and spread the word!

laurenkuehne.github.io/grfpChanges/
noahwithfish.bsky.social
Especially changing this up on such short notice
noahwithfish.bsky.social
Yeah I think that’s how it’s going to have to be. But the fact that a first year PhD student who has an MS can’t apply is insane
noahwithfish.bsky.social
Having been funded by an NSF GRFP, it can make a huge impact on your graduate experience and ultimately your career. Even applying is helpful because it really gets you thinking about the big picture stuff when creating your proposal, but now less people will do that. Science is in bad shape…
noahwithfish.bsky.social
These changes pretty much mean that if you enroll in an MS program, you will never get the NSF GRFP. The GRFP more typically covers PhD projects than MS because they cover 3 years of funding, so you are already less likely to get it for an MS project, but now you can’t apply if you have an MS…
pratted.bsky.social
Announcing such a major change to NSF GRFP this late in the cycle is incredibly cruel. 2nd yr students (mine included) have been working so hard on their proposals despite ongoing uncertainty. They are driven and passionate about being outstanding scientists and helping those coming up behind them.
This means individuals in the following statuses at the time of application are eligible:

    Undergraduate in the final (senior) year of a bachelor’s degree program
    Bachelor’s degree-holder with NO enrollment in a graduate degree program (non-degree graduate coursework allowed)
    Individual enrolled in a joint bachelor’s-master’s degree program with at least three undergraduate years completed  
    First-year graduate student in their first graduate degree program with less than one academic year completed in the degree program (according to institution’s academic calendar)
        Individuals enrolled in joint bachelor’s-master’s degree programs are considered graduate students. For GRFP, joint bachelor’s-master’s degrees are defined as degrees concurrently pursued and awarded.
        Not be a current NSF employee.

Applications that do not meet eligibility requirements will be returned without review as being ineligible for a fellowship.
Reposted by Noah Bressman, PhD
isog.bsky.social
Completely shattered.’ Changes to NSF’s graduate student fellowship spur outcry
The announcement comes months later than usual, leaving many would-be applicants stranded
25 SEP 2025
By KATIE LANGIN 🧪

www.science.org/content/arti...
‘Completely shattered.’ Changes to NSF’s graduate student fellowship spur outcry
The announcement comes months later than usual, leaving many would-be applicants stranded
www.science.org
Reposted by Noah Bressman, PhD
sicb.bsky.social
#SICB er @noahwithfish.bsky.social wants to share this job:
"Applicants must hold a #PhD. in a relevant area of #Biological #Sciences or closely related #science and must provide evidence of potential for excellence in #teaching and #research."
read in full

www.higheredjobs.com/institution/...
noahwithfish.bsky.social
Thanks! He did a fantastic job and was perhaps the most gentle tattoo artist I’ve had yet. My leg doesn’t really hurt at all
noahwithfish.bsky.social
This played a big roll in kicking off my lab’s invasive species research program. Thanks Max Murphy for the awesome tattoo! Here’s a blog about the find while our study is on its way to publication: blog.nature.org/2022/01/25/b...
Big Gulp: Blue Catfish Eats Wood Duck
Blue catfish are known to eat just about anything. Including, apparently, at least one entire wood duck. Whole.
blog.nature.org
noahwithfish.bsky.social
My newest tattoo is based on the first field excursion of my lab at SU when I started it up in 2021. As part of my MS student Zach Crum’s thesis project on the diet of invasive blue catfish, we collected some big fish. Literally the first one cut (47 pounder) had a whole wood duck in its stomach 🐟🐡🦆
Reposted by Noah Bressman, PhD
giantmolecular.cloud
It seems the GRFP solicitation is FINALLY released (like 5 minutes ago)! Due dates have also been pushed back, thankfully! 🧪 🔭

www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
www.nsf.gov
noahwithfish.bsky.social
It’s not everyday that I wake up and the first email I get is “is this a fossilized walrus or mammoth tusk/skull fragment that we caught in a clam dredge?” The answer was walrus for those wondering
Reposted by Noah Bressman, PhD
whysharksmatter.bsky.social
We have a little more than $800 to go to reach our goal!

Help the The Natural History Society of Maryland fund their new shark science and conservation exhibit, which I'm working with them to design! 🧪🦑🌎🦈

www.southernfriedscience.com/help-support...
www.southernfriedscience.com