I can’t even … or indeed I can. I was recently invited to write a Featured Review for Plant Disease and I declined because it was a bunch of nonsense AI generated … well it was accepted and is now online …
Come to Bochum 🌱 — we’d love to host all #plantscience peeps!
From biotic interactions 🦠 to #proteostasis ♻️ and development 🌿, there’s something for everyone. Looking forward to inspiring science & great conversations ✨
More info here: botanik-tagung.de
This is not about resisting new tools. It’s about responsibility. If we lose rigor and accountability in peer review, we risk weakening the foundation of scientific credibility.
We should not normalize this. It needs to be called out!
We all know how difficult publishing already is. Adding layers of vague, artificial feedback that dictate how we should write, or even what experiments we should do, without even reading or understanding the work only makes things worse.
Today, my group experienced this directly. What is frustrating is not just the review itself, but what it represents. This came from a highly respected journal.
Peer review is supposed to be thoughtful, rigorous, and carried out by experts who engage with the work. Lately, that’s not always what it feels like. We are being “ChatGPT-reviewed” not “peer-reviewed”.
Postdoctoral Scholar position in the Coaker group University of California, Davis We are seeking a Postdoctoral Scholar to join our research program focused on immune receptor engineering and spatial analyses of plant pathogens interactions using computational and imaging approaches. The position will involve integration of molecular, imaging, and computational approaches. Relevant publications from the laboratory include Nature Plants (2025, PMID: 40721669), Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2024, PMID: 38814867), and Cell Reports (2023, PMID: 37342910). https://www.coakerlab.org/ Qualifications: • Ph.D. in plant biology, molecular biology, genetics, computational biology, or a related field • Strong background in genomics and/or computational biology • First author publications in peer-reviewed journals • Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary environment • Experience in plant innate immunity is preferred Application Instructions: The position is initially available for two years, with the possibility of extension based on performance and funding. Salary is based on the University of California postdoctoral salary scale (https://www.ucop.edu/academic-personnel-programs/_files/2025-26/represented-oct-2025-scales/t23.pdf). The salary range for this position is $69,073-$82,836 US Dollars/year. Review of applications will begin June 1, 2026 and will continue until the position is filled. Please submit a CV, a brief statement of research interests (~1 page), and contact information for three references to glcoaker@ucdavis.edu. The research statement should describe your previous work, how your expertise aligns with ongoing research in the lab, and potential future research directions.
We are hiring! We’re excited to recruit a postdoc to our lab at UC Davis to work on plant immune engineering and single-cell analyses of plant pathogen interactions. Apply by June 1. Please repost. www.coakerlab.org/postdoctoral...
🏳️🌈🌱Member Spotlight Alert! Dr. Ernesto da Silva recently published his work in microbial phytopathology demonstrating the causal agents of Cercospora Leaf Blight! 🌱 🏳️🌈
Oh my! Hahaha
In Quebec rain 🥲
Again???
Amazing Prize lecture from @lindsaybroadbent.bsky.social on her outreach work, including during the covid pandemic. I’m particularly moved by Lindsay’s focus on the importance of having a diversity of scientists who communicate with the public.
Congrats, Lindsay, very well deserved. #microbio26
Happy to see this out!
Congratulations Abdalmenem and Jose Luis 👏
This work was only possible thanks to Fonds de recherche du Québec and Palestine Academy for Science & Technology (PalAST) support! More coming soon!
apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/...
Now underway in Hall 2A: “Celebrating and promoting actions advancing equality, diversity and inclusion”, showcasing initiatives and practical steps to build a more inclusive and representative microbiology community. Read the blog here: https://microb.io/4mnraQc
#Microbio26
Queer and trans microbiologists can often work in isolation; join us at the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Prize Lecture to hear how the Pride in Microbiology (PiM) Network was created to change that.
Read more: https://microb.io/4sYAUTy
#Microbio26
What a wonderful start to @microbiologysociety.org #microbio26 with an interactive session on celebrating & promoting actions advancing #EDI followed by @prideinmicro.bsky.social lecture on From visibility to belonging. Its been wonderful to see this network grow. Read more here: microb.io/4mnraQc
Starting my journey to Belfast this evening and finalizing our talk:
🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈 So so so looking forward to sharing the vision of @prideinmicro.bsky.social with @microbiologysociety.org at #Microbio26 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
A warm congratulations to the 2026 Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Prize Winner, the Pride in Microbiology Network!
#Microbio26
Thank you @whelanfj.bsky.social !
@landongetz.bsky.social killed it! Beautiful presentation and can’t wait to see what’s next for @prideinmicro.bsky.social 🎉
Absolutely stellar start to #Microbio26 with the EDI prize lecture to @prideinmicro.bsky.social ! Well done and so well deserved @landongetz.bsky.social @edelplopez.bsky.social @bfrancescol.bsky.social 👏
Ashish interview Pride in Microbiology
On my way to Belfast for @microbiologysociety.org 2026!
Very proud of what we have achieved with @prideinmicro.bsky.social 👏
Read the full interview here: microbiologysociety.org/resource/mee...
Preprint alert 🚨 (1/10) 🧵
𝘈𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘨𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘹 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺:
It can promote resistance, susceptibility, or restrict cell death 🤯
So what is its actual role?
We show it acts as a spatial organizer of immunity across cell types 🌱🦠 #proteostasis
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Edel and Jose Luis
Jose Luis PhD
Methodology
Single cell clubroot coming!
Jose Luis successfully passed his PhD proposal 🎉
Is like if she forgets she works on the x files 😂 weird no resin stuff hahah
😂😂😂
Luckily is Friday already 😟
🚨 New episodes out from EdeLab & Research Explained!
We’re excited to share our latest episode, where we highlight a brand-new preprint from the lab 📄: doi.org/10.64898/202...
🇬🇧: open.spotify.com/episode/5RmH...
🇫🇷: open.spotify.com/episode/4tpV...
🇪🇸: open.spotify.com/episode/4oUo...
cpver book
my chapter
Très heureux d’avoir contribué à ce beau livre d’anecdotes scientifiques, 'Pépites mathématiques et scientifiques', avec un chapitre consacré aux sciences végétales, le seul du livre, mettant en lumière une histoire clé : la théorie du gène pour gène de Flor 💚
www.septembre.com/collections/...
Noooooo
Responding to ChatGPT-generated “peer reviews” is so frustrating!
Student: so why exactly today and Monday we don’t work?
Me: please see this educational material by professor Gaga
youtu.be/wagn8Wrmzuc?...