It's looking increasingly likely that I'll be hiring a 3-year computational pop-gen postdoc/PhD-level scientific programmer to start this Fall (2026). If you or someone you know is defending soon, and looking for a position, please DM/write to me! Thanks!
Registration is now open for #AOS26 from 3-7 August 2026 in Amherst, Mass. Join us! Discounted early-bird registration rates end on 31 May 2026.
Details: meeting.americanornithology.org/participate/...
As our university is undergoing restructuring, its partnership with the natural history museum where I work, the Academy of Natural Sciences, is in jeopardy. If you value the involvement of science museums in the community, please consider checking out this petition. c.org/Db5WKdZSQ8
Thanks for your insights, Natalie, especially the divide-and-conquer approach. We were a bit scared to take turns leaving in the early days, but it's slowly getting better. Still feels like survival mode at one month, but reassuring to hear it gets easier. Really appreciate the encouragement.
One month into parenthood and I finally understand why everyone says it changes everything. Haven’t really been able to work, beyond replying to emails (and even those… late).
For those who’ve been here before, what’s the trick to balancing work and life with an infant?
The Pleistocene shaped the biodiversity in the Sino-Himalayas. Add to that the region’s complex geography and steep climatic gradients, then every study becomes fascinating.
This is a natural laboratory of evolution.
New preprint! We sequenced 175 'Alalā (Hawaiian crow) genomes to understand why >50% of eggs fail to hatch in a species recovered from just 9 individuals. What we found was a both exciting and surprising. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
After 4yr of hard work to compare empirical species range positions' shifts from the #BioShifts DB against predictions from niche-based models trained on climate & tailored to methodological attributes of each species & study, we found species shift ahead of models' predictions! 🦋
shorturl.at/vOmCw
We need a guide for how to land jokes 😆
We're hiring a post doc!
Looking for a global change ecologist to work with Jenny McGuire & a multidisciplinary team including me and
@jameststroud.bsky.social on the ecology side of things
please share widely!
I always thought it was only my jokes that did not land. Well, well, I need more practice :D
Heading into conference abstract / presentation season, I 100% recommend Kathryn Langin's (@kangin.bsky.social) "Tell me a story! A plea for more compelling conference presentations". It's short, sweet, and not just for ornithologists. I can get behind every word!
🔒 academic.oup.com/condor/artic...
Really excited that the #GalbatrossProject was featured in a recent BBC The Documentary podcast! Hear their experiences searching for female birds during the 2025 #FemaleBirdDay, where they boldly found 38 species ♀️🐦 www.bbc.com/audio/play/p...
Living in the roof of the world !! Here is press for our recent paper published on mol eco.
www.kent.edu/cas/news/new...
Just submitted my Abstract !! Looking forward to learn cool stuffs about birds.
DEADLINE 3/15 🔜
Anyone here knows of an agency or grants that supports early career scientist to attend meetings/conferences? Specially those who don't have funds to support their attendance in any type of conferences.... #help
Reminder: #AOS26 meeting planners invite you to submit abstracts for oral presentations & posters at our annual meeting in Amherst, Mass., 3-7 August 2026.
meeting.americanornithology.org/call-for.../
#ornithology #ornithologicalmeeting
With colleagues across ornithological societies and led by Nathan #Thayer, Ashley #Dayer, and Dai #Shizuka, I'm happy to share this first publication from some collaborative research we began in 2022 to study the role of #belonging in #ornithology: lnkd.in/gYGQzHer.
🔊 Nominee for Best ECR IBIS paper 2025
A focus on females can improve science and conservation
Joanna X. Wu et al
doi.org/10.1111/ibi....
Supported by Leica Camera (UK) | #ornithology 🪶
It took time, but mountains always do.
Okayy!! But what happens to elevational migrants? Stay tuned 🔜
5/5
By integrating whole-genome sequencing, morphology, climate data, landscape analyses, and niche models, we show how mountain systems simultaneously generate divergence and shape climate vulnerability.
#ornithology #genomics #highaltitude #extremeenvironment.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Climate shapes adaptation but not evenly.
Western populations show temperature-linked adaptation in arid landscapes, whereas Northeastern populations in wetter regions show precipitation-linked adaptation.
These differences translate into unequal vulnerability under future climate change.
3/5
Geography leaves a signature on both genomes and morphology.
Across the Sino-Himalayas, Tibetan Partridge populations show distinct morphological traits and clear genetic structure shaped by biogeographic barriers.
Mountains don’t just separate landscapes; they drive evolutionary trajectories.
2/5
Species already occupying high elevations have limited dispersal ability to track their niche because of geographical barriers.
So, how do they persist?
We study the Tibetan Partridge to understand how geography and climate shape adaptation in the Sino-Himalayas.
Hot off molecular ecology 🏔️🐤
1/5
In our new paper, we demonstrate the potential of social media data for tracking range-shifting species, particularly in the leading edge of the expansion. doi.org/10.1111/cobi... (1/6) @monashbiol.bsky.social @monashscience.bsky.social @idiv-research.bsky.social
Screenshot of "COI Fetches" which fetches COI sequences from GenBank and puts it all into a FASTA file and also tags the location of each item.
In #popgen, I have students work with short DNA barcodes. They hate having to fetch them from GenBank using the "front door" and none of them code. So, I created a GUI that retrieves COI data for any species and compiles it into FASTA file. I'll be hosting the installer on my github account.
Update: Our call for abstracts for Oral Presentations & Posters for #AOS26 in Amherst, MA, from 3-7 August 2026, is now posted! Proposals are due by 3/15/26.
Learn more: meeting.americanornithology.org/call-for-abs...
#ornithology #ornithologicalmeeting
Remember, a) Hope is the thing with feathers and b) to submit your abstract :)
Interesting insights on elevational migration.
