Progress is uncertain. Funding is unlikely.
But we keep turning up because when you win, it is the best feeling in the world!📚

Like padwork, every round is “constructive.”
You adjust your stance, reframe your aims, and pretend you’re enjoying it.
Eventually, even Reviewer 2 starts sounding almost supportive.

Grant writing involves months of training, repeated blows to morale, and somehow you still thank your opponents in the acknowledgements. 🥊

Academic research and Muay Thai have more in common than you’d think. 🧵 #academicsky #muaythaisky #kickboxingsky

It was a great pleasure to chat to BBC radio Leicester about the work our group has been doing focused on respiratory virus research! #NIHR #AcademicSky #Infectionsky

What an incredible two days!

A huge thank you to everyone who came along - your enthusiasm made this event truly special.

We loved every moment of sharing science, sparking conversations, and creating memories together. Until next time!

@dp440.bsky.social @leicestersresearch.bsky.social

We’ve been reflecting on all the feedback from day 1 of Breathe: Speak Out - and it’s meant a lot to us.

Thank you to everyone who took part and shared their thoughts. Your responses are exactly why we’re here.

We’re looking forward to welcoming more of you today for day 2!

@dp440.bsky.social

📣 DAY 1 – We’re live!

Breathe: Speak Out kicks off today at the King Power Stadium!

Come explore how viruses spread in the home of LCFC.

🎟️ It’s FREE, fun, and open to all
📍 King Power Stadium, Leicester
🕙 We’re here till 3pm — don’t miss it!

@leicestersresearch.bsky.social @dp440.bsky.social

What an incredible first day! Thank you to everyone who joined us!

✨ Missed it? Don’t worry, we’re back tomorrow!

🕙 10am-3pm
📍 King Power Stadium, Leicester
🎟️ Free entry – register here for day two: www.tickettailor.com/events/nihrl...

@dp440.bsky.social @leicestersresearch.bsky.social

MUSICC will be at Breathe: Speak Out showcasing our beautiful vignette by @72kilos.bsky.social, along with some of our other engagement pieces.

Thanks to @dp440.bsky.social from MUSICC partner @uniofleicester.bsky.social for making this happen!

Register for a free ticket via the link below ⬇️

Less than a week to go, don’t forget to register for Breathe: Speak Out!

Step inside the story of how viruses spread, hear real-life experiences, and get hands-on with science.

👉 Book now: www.tickettailor.com/events/nihrl...

@leicestersresearch.bsky.social @dp440.bsky.social

From an ethnic minority or culturally diverse background? Your voice matters in shaping the future of health research.

Join us at BREATHE: SPEAK OUT — a free event at Leicester City FC’s King Power Stadium!

📆 Thursday July 31 and Friday August 1
🎟️ Book your free tickets here: tinyurl.com/tje9hs2r

Migrants Living in the United Kingdom and Their Perceptions of Participation in Health Research: A Mixed‐Methods Study Background Migrants' participation in health research is essential to give voice to their needs and inform evidence-based practice. We conducted a mixed-methods study with migrants living in Leicest...

10/10 Enhancing migrant participation in health research ensures more equitable and impactful outcomes. Let's build inclusive health research together! 📖Read more here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... #HealthEquity #COMBFramework #InclusiveResearch

9/10 Our findings highlight strategies for better migrant inclusion: provide multilingual materials, leverage community trust, minimize participant costs, and offer clear communication about research benefits.

8/10 Incentives help! Monetary incentives motivated participation, but many valued information gained and opportunities to enhance language skills or community connections more.

7/10 Altruism drove many migrants. They valued contributing to community health improvements and appreciated opportunities to voice their experiences.

7/10 Context and perceived risk influenced willingness: less invasive research (surveys, interviews) preferred over clinical trials involving new drugs or vaccines.

6/10 See Figure/ Percentages in the middle represent neutral answers (neither agree nor disagree); percentages on the right-hand side represent positive answers (agree or strongly agree); percentages on the left-hand side represent negative answers (disagree or strongly disagree).

5/10 TRUST was a central motivation. Trust in research processes, institutions, and individuals approaching migrants greatly impacted their willingness to participate.

4/10 OPPORTUNITIES also crucially shape participation. Costs (travel, childcare), competing needs (work, legal issues), healthcare experiences, and socio-cultural norms influenced migrants' research involvement.

3/10 CAPABILITY matters. Many migrants were unaware of health research, lacked proficiency in English, or struggled with technology. creating barriers to participation.

COM-B model

2/10 We used a mixed-methods approach: 119 migrants completed surveys, and 35 participated in focus groups/interviews. We applied the COM-B model to understand factors influencing their participation.

COM-B Framework.

2/10 We used a mixed-methods approach: 119 migrants completed surveys, and 35 participated in focus groups/interviews. We applied the COM-B model to understand factors influencing their participation.

🧵1/10 Migrants' voices are essential for inclusive health research, yet participation is often low. Our latest study explores what factors influence decision making around participation in research for migrants in Leicester, UK.
#MigrantHealth #ResearchInclusion

@lhiipdtp.bsky.social
@leicestersresearch.bsky.social
@wellcometrust.bsky.social
@uniofleicester.bsky.social
@lborouniversity.bsky.social l

It was a great honour to kick off the #NIHRLeicesterBRCHalfTime earliar this week. I always get anxious before speaking. How do I deal with this? Turn up early and pace around the stage and go through slides. That way when I give my talk, it feels like others are entering my space. #Academicsky

Transmission of transgenic mosquito-killing fungi during copulation - Scientific Reports Scientific Reports - Transmission of transgenic mosquito-killing fungi during copulation

🦟🍄 Can fungi STDs kill mosquitos

A new study shows transgenic mosquito-killing fungi can spread during mating – turning mosquitoes into agents of their own destruction.

🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

#SciComm #Malaria #VectorControl 🧪

Our global study on the state of trust in scientists is now out in Nature Human Behaviour! 🥳

With a team of 241 researchers, we surveyed 71,922 people in 68 countries, providing the largest dataset on trust in scientists post-pandemic 👇🧵https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-024-02090-5

🧵6/6
To recap, 2025 is your year on Bluesky if you:
✔ Post weekly with purpose
✔ Share research as a story, not a headline
✔ Ask questions
✔ Show the messy side of science

Tag a labmate. Bookmark this.
We’re just getting started.
#BlueskyScience #AcademicChatter #SciComm

Shattered Science: The Research Lost as Trump Targets NIH Funding The Trump administration cut research funding that sought cures for future pandemics, examined the causes of dementia and tried to prevent HIV transmission. More than 150 researchers shared with ProPu...

🧪 The NIH has terminated 1,450 grants, totaling over $750 million. This unprecedented move, justified by the administration as curbing 'wasteful spending,' impacts critical research in areas like pandemic preparedness, dementia, and HIV prevention.
#AcademicSky #MedSky