Double-take detail in this interview with Edith Heard, head of the Crick

Her French husband decided against getting a spouse visa because of the UK's "intrusive" immigration rules

If that's happening with one of the UK's most senior scientists, how many others are being put off completely?

POSTDOC OPPORTUNITY 🌍
Are you an early-career researcher interested in working at the interface of climate science, law, and policy?

A new opportunity at @granthamicl.bsky.social at @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social 👇

Status of mycorrhiza research in 2026 Mycorrhizal symbiosis improves the nutrition of most land plants and plays key roles in nutrient cycling and ecosystem function. To understand and leverage the biology of mycorrhizal symbioses for su...

The first publication from the Dallaire and Kameoka labs is out! A forward-looking review on the status of mycorrhiza research in 2026, with emphasis on AM fungi doi.org/10.1111/nph.... @newphyt.bsky.social @ulaval.ca 🇨🇦

Text card that reads: “International Women’s Day 2026. What has been the most impactful support you have received in your career?” on a purple background.

Text card that reads: Learning and growing through mentorship. “The most transformative support I have received thus far in my career has been mentorship through the NIHR Mentoring Programme. I was incredibly fortunate to have been assigned an empowering woman mentor and leader who validated my challenges and equipped me with the self-assurance to navigate them. I entered the mentoring relationship as an underconfident employee and emerged as a determined scientist with a pioneering mindset.” Britt Hanson, Postdoctoral Fellow. *NIHR is the National Institute for Health and Care Research

Text card that reads: Being a part of a community that recognises and uplifts everyone. “What has been a constant impact on my career is having people around me who genuinely uplift and support one another. When someone takes the time to recognise your strengths, it builds confidence and reminds you what you’re capable of. Being part of that kind of supportive community pushes me to keep growing, to be present and to attempt to give my best every day.” Anna Milizia, Team Administrator

Text card that reads: Having managers who encourage me to explore new opportunities. “One example is Dr Henrique Girão, my supervisor during my first job in science. From the beginning of this role, I asked to be involved in activities that were outside my job description. With Dr Girão’s support, I attended lab meetings to engage in scientific discussions, assist with more complex experiments, and earn additional certifications. His encouragement helped shape my development and was one of the first steps that eventually led me from Portugal to the Wellcome Sanger Institute.” Diana Adão, Advanced Research Assistant

Ahead of International Women’s Day, we asked our colleagues to share what has helped them in their careers.

Scroll through to see what they said ⤵️

Interesting editorial on the mixed bag of using AI in research and scientific communication. Nice touch to launch on a turgid AI summary of the theme for illustrative purposes. 😉 #MicroSky #AcademicSky

Among the plant pathogens, there are just so many rusts! 85% of plant diseases caused by fungi are rusts, 200 genera, 18 families, 7000-8000 species astounding stats from Cathie Aime. #Fungal26 11/15

The rise of resistance to anti-fungals was highlighted in new Fungal Spore Lecture, given with great style by Matt Fisher. Use of the same fungicide MoA's in agriculture and medicine is causing massive clinical problems with complexity highlighted Eveline Snelders. #Fungal26 9/15

Some reflections on #Fungal26 This was a great meeting as always but set against some turbulent times of course, which meant many regular attendees were not present. This thread is mainly for them. However, the proportion of first-time attendees was very high and very international. #Fungal26 1/15

Call for 2026-2028 REDS Conference Advisory Group Dr Kay Guccione, REDS Conference Director The Researcher Education and Development Scholarship (REDS) Conference is an annual, free, online, international conference focusing on the scholarship (ev…

The approach, focus and content of the REDS Conference is quality assured by working with a REDS Advisory Group of up to 20 members. For the 2026/28 period (a two-year term), we are recruiting 5 new members, to join the experienced team. Read more and apply: redsconference.co.uk/2026/03/09/c...

Declaration of Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process Statement: during the preparation of this work the author used ChatGPT in order to copy edit the text to improve quality and readability. After using this tool, the author reviewed and edited the content as needed and takes full responsibility for the content of the publication.

Just spotted this in a paper. First time I've seen something like this.

The role of supervisors in fostering positive research culture - UK Research Integrity Office On 24 March 2026, UKRIO will host an expert webinar on the role of supervisors in fostering a positive research culture. The session will examine how supervisory practice directly shapes research inte...

On 24 March, @ukrio.bsky.social will host a public webinar exploring the role of supervisors in shaping positive research culture – including what effective and supportive supervision looks like and how it can be sustained over time.

🔗 Learn more and register: ukrio.org/the-role-of-...

4-panel comic: Astronomers asking researchers from different departments to help them identify the “little red dots” in JWST images: (1) Entomologists [Person 1 behind easel that is black with red dots on it, looked at by Person 2 with shoulder-length hair.] PERSON 2: Clover mites. (2) Computer Scientists [Person 1 behind easel that is black with red dots on it, looked at by Person 3 with beanie.] PERSON 3: Stuck pixels. (3) Dermatologists [Person 1 behind easel that is black with red dots on it, looked at by Person 4 with ponytail.] PERSON 4: Cherry angiomas. (4) Graphic designers [Person 1 behind easel that is black with red dots on it, looked at by Person 5 with short hair.] PERSON 5: No, those are vermillion, or maybe jasper. Can I see your color settings?

Little Red Dots

xkcd.com/3212/

Great article. Another issue I've seen among friends is an unwillingness to treat themselves (e.g. going on holiday) because they believe that they should minimise their own impact. The ascetic approach is no good for long-term mental health.

"“The sector was never designed with the well-being of the workforce in mind,” Mohan says, noting that many conservation leaders, often from a scientific background, haven’t had training in how to run an organization or how to help maintain staff well-being."

Webinar Today!
Negotiating Your First Group Leader Position

Join us today to hear from three group leaders — including a co-author of a BMC Proceedings article on this topic — about their experiences and practical tips for negotiating your first group leader role.

👉 www.embl.org/about/info/e...

Are AI-generated summaries suitable for studying and research? Despite didactic, ethical, and environmental concerns, the use of GenAI is on the rise in academia. For most applications, the jury is still out on whether and how they will benefit education and rese...

This is one of the most reasoned & persuasive arguments for not allowing LLMs anywhere near reading & writing intensive classrooms. We can 100% choose not to outsource our reading & writing labor to a bot, and model for our students why they should do the same. #EduSky

www.tue.nl/en/our-unive...

ChatGPT training data is 93% English language says Nikesh Gosalia. Is AI democratising access to scholarly publishing or encoding colonialism at scale? The evidence suggests we are heading down a dangerous path #R2RConf

Our AI only "sees" Western, English speakers. 93% of training data for #GPT is in English. Is AI democratizing access to scholcomm OR encoding colonialism at scale. (SR NOTE: TLDR - my vote is the latter).

#NikeshGosalia #R2RConf

"Everyone deserves to be seen" re: AI.
Commerce or equity? Efficiency or justice?

AI that only works for 20% of researchers is NOT neutral. You have choices around HOW you use it. How YOU use it matters: #NikeshGosalia #R2RConf

A brilliant presentation by @nikeshgo.bsky.social from @cactusglobal.bsky.social #r2rconf
Outlining the many ways in which AI amplifies the biases built into scholarly publishing.

This is not a metaphor for #colonialism. It is colonialism. #NikeshGosalia #R2RConf And every minute it gets worse. Compounding with each new training instance. AI is being optimized for specific user base. Non-english speakers not "seen" in these tools.
#academicsky #AI #sciencesky

Solutions from @nikeshgo.bsky.social #r2rconf.

The “Shirley Card” Legacy: Artists Correcting for Photography’s Racial Bias | National Gallery of Art Whiteness has been the default in color photographs, but artists like John Akomfrah work toward a “uniquely Black image.”

#NikeshGosalia kicking off #R2RConf session on #AI impact on global south - fascinating story of "Shirley cards" used by Kodak to calibrate for color of their printers. They KNEW the whole time that it didn't work on brown/black ppl. Techonly changed when chocolate makers didn't like how it looked.

Designed for Someone Else’s Life: Balancing Academic Careers with Caregiving Responsibilities - The Scholarly Kitchen Most people in academic careers will at some point be faced with parenting and/or caregiving responsibilities. But is academia designed to support caregivers and parents?

Care work doesn’t wait.
Parenting. School calendars. Aging parents.
It doesn’t replace work.
It runs in parallel.
And yet academia is designed for uninterrupted lives

Read more about this in my latest post on @scholarlykitchen.bsky.social blog

scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2026/02/09/d...

Standing Up by Stepping Down - The Scholarly Kitchen Today's post discusses the impact and intention of DEIA advocacy and the value of taking a pause as an act of resistance and self-preservation.

Standing Up by Stepping Down scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2026/02/25/s...

Placements for PhD Students We welcome PhD placement students to learn from our experts and make real contributions to our work at Kew Gardens in London or Wakehurst in Sussex.

Are you a PhD student looking for a placement? I’m offering a 3-month project at @rbgkew.bsky.social to build on @forest-protection.bsky.social research on pest and pathogen risks to trees 🪲🪾🦠🪾 Apply by 13th March! www.kew.org/science/training-and-education/placements-for-phd-students

Oh dear me. Having found nothing, they pin hope on a result that is significant “before adjusting for multiple comparisons”. People: this adjustment is not optional. It’s clear nobody will ever give up on this quest.

Deer shooting to be facilitated in England to protect woodlands Government plans legislation giving landowners and tenants rights to cull deer to protect crops and property

To help protect nature, all publicly owned or managed land in England will now have deer management plans within 10 years, and landowners will be paid to shoot deer, both in and out of woodlands.

Food for thought re Ireland's surging deer numbers crisis too?
share.google/yT1kZOQG0UgV...

Thanks to @shaunoboyle.bsky.social for this very helpful resource when preparing prideinstem.org/2024/11/18/t...
Also check out @schoolsoutuk.bsky.social for more info on #LGBTHistoryMonth #LGBTPlusHM

A conical flask busting with a progress flag design. Art work by Dr Robin Hayward

Why were people obsessed with Nikola Tesla’s (lack of) sex life?
What happened when work took me to a country where being gay can mean life imprisonment?
Why did a queer astronaut take that secret to her grave?

Some of the many Qs I covered in my #LGBTHistoryMonth talk to @aktcharity.bsky.social