Sonali Majumdar
@sonali-m-19.bsky.social
400 followers 430 following 110 posts
Scientist, Immigrant, Asst. Dean @Princeton| Upcoming book: Thriving as an International Scientist (UC Press) |former: #PhDPlus @UVA, RNAs @MSKCC & @UGA
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sonali-m-19.bsky.social
Folks in US and Canada can place online pre-orders of my book 'Thriving as an International Scientist (out in Fall 2025, @ucpress.bsky.social) Save 30% on UC Press site (use promo code UCPSAVE30).

First guide to foreground needs of international STEM PhDs.

www.ucpress.edu/books/thrivi...
sonali-m-19.bsky.social
Got the first hardcover of my book Thriving As An International Scientist (@ucpress.bsky.social, out Oct 28)! 🎉

What began as an awkward office pic request turned into a photoshoot by colleagues on Princeton's iconic Clio Hall with Morrison Hall (named after Toni Morrison) in the background.
sonali-m-19.bsky.social
such a pleasant and earnest vibe in these deeply cynical and dark times
zohrankmamdani.bsky.social
New York City, I can see a future with you. And it’s one we can afford.

Our new ad just aired during The Golden Bachelor.
sonali-m-19.bsky.social
Between this and the Huntington gene therapy news, the universe is healing.. Amid the general awfulness...Yay science!
Reposted by Sonali Majumdar
mclem.org
You've likely seen the new $100,000 penalty on high-skill immigrant workers.

Here's the next, separate bomb the White House is dropping on high skill immigration, to be officially published *tomorrow*.

tl;dr: Most H-1Bs now inaccessible for entry-level jobs, e.g. new grads from US universities.
public-inspection.federalregister.gov
sonali-m-19.bsky.social
In a 3-year journey into 🌍 of publishing, I learned about writing in a new genre, promotions and media literacy and even building a website from scratch- sonalimajumdar.com

🙏 to early praise and encouragement from Fanta Aw, @itaiyanai.bsky.social , Keith Yamamoto & Leonard Cassuto 2/2.
Sonali Majumdar, phD
My non-linear career in healthcare, scientific research and academic administration is undeterred by restrictive systems
sonalimajumdar.com
sonali-m-19.bsky.social
🎉 My first book, Thriving as an International Scientist (@ucpress.bsky.social), is out on Oct 28. Can’t wait to share with 🌍. This is the first career guidebook for international grad students, postdocs in the US and their mentors.

Consider pre-ordering (30% off on UC Press site (flyer)
1/2
Thriving as an International Scientist, Order online on UC PRESS site (30% off with code UCPSAVE30)
Reposted by Sonali Majumdar
tressiemcphd.bsky.social
I said something last week that is more broadly applicable today:

Calling for empathy is not neutral or apolitical when only one group of people have been socialized and brutalized into having empathy.
sonali-m-19.bsky.social
This campaign keeps getting better every time I think they can't top their last video.. So creative..
zohrankmamdani.bsky.social
"How Are the Very Rich Feeling About New York’s Next Mayor?"

A Dramatic Reading of The Recent New York Times Dispatch from the Hamptons.

Presented by The Gilded Age's Morgan Spector.
Reposted by Sonali Majumdar
jfallows.bsky.social
Statement tonight from Alan Garber, 31st president of Harvard.

Good for him. Good for Harvard. Good for standing up to defend "core values of American higher education."

And (again) what about all those "Harvard about to cave" stories?

Main point: Worth reading what Garber says.
Statement from Alan Garber about ruling affirming "core principles of American higher education."
Reposted by Sonali Majumdar
sonali-m-19.bsky.social
Little T is growing up too fast.. I need to visit soon to meet his sister..
sonali-m-19.bsky.social
Brutal!
Glass houses, stones, and all
sonali-m-19.bsky.social
ran HUD for 4 years and confusing rent-stabilized and rent controlled?
I mean the bar is low in 2025, but still..
Reposted by Sonali Majumdar
carnage4life.bsky.social
Multiple times this year I’ve had coffee with fellow immigrants who grew up in corrupt third world countries and the shared sentiment has been that Americans don’t understand how bad things are going to get.
Reposted by Sonali Majumdar
elizabethjacobs.bsky.social
We are on a bullet train to the end of US science, and possibly the country as a whole, when political appointees are reviewing every scientific grant submitted to NIH to determine if The Regime finds the science acceptable.
sonali-m-19.bsky.social
thought I was getting numb to the daily spate of moronic & devastating decisions but today, I am angry..

decades of RNA research got us to this point, where RNAs could be effective vaccines against retrovirus and even cancer therapies.. other parts of the world have to sustain the momentum
sonali-m-19.bsky.social
Scientists have their own yardsticks for signaling US will behind on overall scientific research eminence..

This is the one for me- giving up on mRNA vaccines and RNA-based therapies at this juncture will decelerate biomedical research advancements & biotech competitiveness.
ericmgarcia.bsky.social
Release from HHS: HHS will wind down its development of the mRNA vaccine development activities under the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).
HHS Winds Down mRNA Vaccine Development Under BARDA

 

WASHINGTON, DC—AUGUST 5, 2025—The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced the beginning of a coordinated wind-down of its mRNA vaccine development activities under the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), including the cancellation and de-scoping of various contracts and solicitations. The decision follows a comprehensive review of mRNA-related investments initiated during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

 

“We reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “BARDA is terminating 22 mRNA vaccine development investments because the data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu. We’re shifting that funding toward safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate.”
Reposted by Sonali Majumdar
moreperfectunion.bsky.social
DuPont has reached a landmark deal with New Jersey where the company will pay over $2 billion to remedy "forever chemical" contamination across the state.
sonali-m-19.bsky.social
International scientists are force multipliers we increase productivity, scientific advancements and economic output overall. Decrease in international enrollment in STEM programs also correlates to decrease in domestic enrollment. 3/3
sonali-m-19.bsky.social
..to highlight careers of international scientists amid a dated and restrictive immigration system, and the creativity and courage it takes to design dynamic careers nevertheless.

@mclem.org dispelled the zero sum notion that international scientists deprive U.S. citizens off opportunities..2/3
sonali-m-19.bsky.social
Served as a panelist at @nationalacademies.org Reimagining STEMM Grad Ed and postdoc yesterday to discuss 'What if International Students and Postdoctoral Scholars Stopped Coming to the United States?'

I drew from my book 'Thriving As An International Scientist' @ucpress.bsky.social .. 1/3