Fiona J Whelan
@whelanfj.bsky.social
1.9K followers 1.1K following 240 posts
Senior Lecturer, Lister Prize Fellow, & UKRI Future Leaders Fellow at U of Manchester. Bioinf, microbes, evol bio, running, cycling, & pub chats. she/her 🇨🇦.
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Reposted by Fiona J Whelan
mermanchester.bsky.social
This weeks seminars from PhD students Maisie Czernuszka and Victor Carneiro da Cunha Martirelli!

Special thank you to @microbesng.bsky.social for sponsoring refreshments!
Title slide of Maisies seminar on engineering phages. Victors title slide on electricity and Ecoli
Reposted by Fiona J Whelan
mermanchester.bsky.social
Great MERMan seminar today from NSERC PhD visiting researcher @simonjeanneau.bsky.social from @usherbrooke.bsky.social ! Also our first seminar with refreshments sponsored by @microbesng.bsky.social , many thanks for the productive chats over nibbles! 🍪 🧪
Simon next to his title slide. If I was a better Canadian, this alternative text would be in French too. :(
whelanfj.bsky.social
Amazing talk from @cathnoakes.bsky.social at a @ukri.org Future Leaders networking event today. It is inspiring to hear the career journey of someone so humble and approachable. Prof Noakes, thank you for taking the time to share your career journey with us!
Reposted by Fiona J Whelan
rachelmwheatley.bsky.social
Delighted to share that I’ve been awarded a Future Leaders Fellowship to investigate the impact of microbial interactions on antimicrobial resistance evolution 🎉 🧫 really grateful for this investment in my lab and excited to start my fellowship in Jan’26!

www.ukri.org/news/ukri-an...
UKRI announces winners of £120 million Future Leaders Fellowships
Research into the causes of lung cancer and Alzheimer’s disease are among 77 projects to be funded by UKRI’s Future Leaders Fellowships.
www.ukri.org
Reposted by Fiona J Whelan
mermanchester.bsky.social
Two great talks today from MERMan PhD students @mattjago.bsky.social (mutation spectrum) and @amarquiegui98.bsky.social (bioremediation by microbial communities)
Reposted by Fiona J Whelan
bugsinyourguts.bsky.social
If you are UK-based and working on any aspect of microbiomes (human, plant, insect, soil, animal, ...), please do sign up to Microbiome-Net for details of networking, funding and training opportunities.

forms.office.com/pages/respon...
whelanfj.bsky.social
Amazing poster session last night from this year's Lister summer students!
thelisterinstitute.bsky.social
And special mentions to all our summer students. The cloisters were quite the setting for our evening poster session. Projects from across biomedical disciplines, shared with panache!

If you're looking for stellar PhD students with impressive research experience... Here they are ⤵️
Reposted by Fiona J Whelan
thelisterinstitute.bsky.social
Can't wait to welcome everyone! Always such a brilliant buzz as people and ideas connect
whelanfj.bsky.social
Hope you manage to stay dry, see you soon! ☔️ 🌧️
whelanfj.bsky.social
Currently hiding from a thunderstorm in a cozy Oxford pub, reading a stellar student report, while on my way to the annual Lister Fellows meeting…. feeling very privileged to have this job!

@thelisterinstitute.bsky.social
Image of an iPad showing text and a half finished pint of ale in a pub setting.
Reposted by Fiona J Whelan
exposomeimmunology.bsky.social
🎓 6x fully-funded 4-year PhD studentships 🎓

We are recruiting our first cohort of PhD students to start Oct 2026.

Students will shape their own projects within supervisory teams spanning the universities of Manchester & Oxford.

www.findaphd.com/phds/program/mrc-core-in-exposome-immunology/?p6899
FindAPhD : MRC CoRE in Exposome Immunology at The University of Manchester
Apply for a PhD: MRC CoRE in Exposome Immunology at The University of Manchester
www.findaphd.com
Reposted by Fiona J Whelan
microbiologysociety.org
Join us for Annual Conference 2026!

Abstract submission and registration are open for the UK’s largest annual gathering of microbiologists.
Held in Belfast, UK, this year’s Conference also features two-day attendance tickets.
Visual description: Features a background image of Belfast City Hall at night. Text reads 'Annual 2026 Conference' and 'ICC Belfast, UK 13 - 16 2026'. Features the 'Get Involved' logo, as well as the 'Microbiology Society' logo and 'visit Belfast' logo.
whelanfj.bsky.social
Come do your PhD as part of this amazing new network of scientists! Please feel free to get in touch with any questions. @exposomeimmunology.bsky.social
whelanfj.bsky.social
Absolutely amazing inaugural Professorship lecture from @hepworth-lab.bsky.social today! So well delivered, and so well deserved. 👏

Can’t wait to see what’s next, Matt!
Matt with title slide reading “my journey to deciphering immunity in mucosal barrier tissues”
Reposted by Fiona J Whelan
mermanchester.bsky.social
MERMan seminars are back! Last week, @zahraaalbaqsami.bsky.social presented her #Thermophiles2025 talk which generated a lot of buzz & Qs from the group!
The title slide of Zahraa's talk: Do mutation rates in a thermophile constrain adaptation to different temperatures?
Reposted by Fiona J Whelan
microbiologysociety.org
There’s still time to sign up for the next AMR in Focus webinar, ‘AMR surveillance to policy’, taking place on 8 September 13:00 BST.

Register now: microb.io/AMRinFocus-S...
Visual description: Graphic shows a turquoise and yellow background, with a text box that features the 'AMR in Focus' logo. Text reads 'AMR surveillance to policy. Free virtual seminar. 8 September 2025, 13:00 BST'. The 'Knocking Out AMR' logo features in a circle in the right-hand corner.
Reposted by Fiona J Whelan
itaiyanai.bsky.social
New review 🔥 Single-cell RNA-Seq has been revolutionary for studying eukaryotic cells and now it's time for it to do the same for microbes! We describe the technology for single-bacterium RNA-Seq & the questions now studied using it.🧵⬇️
science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@andrewpountain.bsky.social
Reposted by Fiona J Whelan
microbiologysociety.org
In case you missed it! 🫵

This September and October, sign up for our upcoming AMR in Focus webinars. From Surveillance to Policy to Transitioning from Academia to Industry, our AMR in Focus webinar series showcases the latest developments in AMR.
Sign up now: microb.io/AMR-in-Focus #KnockingOutAMR
Graphic that features a background of a large turquoise circle set on a purple background with yellow circular outlines. Main turquoise overlay banner reads 'AMR in Focus. Free virtual seminar series. See what's on and register now'. Knocking out AMR logo features top-left and Microbiology Society features bottom-right.
Reposted by Fiona J Whelan
Another PDRA position! Join our team exploring how the mammalian immune system shapes microbiome ecology & evolution, and vice versa. In collaboration with @hepworth-lab.bsky.social funded by the @wellcometrust.bsky.social

www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...
Research Associate in Microbial Ecology:Oxford Road
www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk
Reposted by Fiona J Whelan
microbiologysociety.org
Microbiology Outlooks provides a new platform for impactful reviews and perspectives across all areas of microbiology and intersecting fields. Submit your manuscript or proposal to help shape the field of microbiology. Find out more: microb.io/MOutsJournal
Graphic shows Microbiology Outlooks cover and invites people to submit their reviews and perspectives
whelanfj.bsky.social
Omg that hashtag is amazing!