Unemployment: 5.2% to 4.9%
Wages: +3.6%

UK unemployment rate sees surprise fall to 4.9% Most analysts had predicted the rate would remain unchanged at 5.2%.

Ignore GDP and the stock markets, THIS is fantastic news www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Laboratory Head in Biomedical Data Science Job in Melbourne VIC - SEEK Lead a biomedical data science lab, secure funding, publish research and collaborate globally to drive impactful cardiometabolic outcomes.

We are recruiting a PI in biomedical data science at @bakerresearchau.bsky.social in Melbourne!

A fantastic opportunity and do get in touch if any q's! www.seek.com.au/job/91619982...

Laboratory Head in Biomedical Data Science Job in Melbourne VIC - SEEK Lead a biomedical data science lab, secure funding, publish research and collaborate globally to drive impactful cardiometabolic outcomes.

We are recruiting a PI in biomedical data science at @bakerresearchau.bsky.social in Melbourne!

A fantastic opportunity and do get in touch if any q's! www.seek.com.au/job/91619982...

The whole system end-to-end is at breaking point, not just in Aus but US (x10) and even in the UK (perhaps not quite as bad)

Ugh yea, it’s a bit carnage…

Must. Not. Make. Your. Mom. Joke.

📣 New preprint: Plasma proteomics improves prediction of recurrent cardiovascular events www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...

Wonderful work with Yang Liu, @sritchie73.bsky.social, and many at @cambridge-ceu.bsky.social

True... 😶

Ah, this is where meta-research could really make a positive difference. I'm not aware of many studies, especially those looking at cost/waste in (beyond the scenes) grant processing.

This broader study from Aus is one that immediately comes to mind bmjopen.bmj.com/content/3/5/...

Briefly, in this study we use plasma proteomics to construct new and substantially improved risk models for recurrent CVD, which themselves comprise new biomarkers that we can further compress into 5 commercially available protein ELISAs. Check out the paper for more! www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...

In constrast to primary CVD prevention, prevention of recurrent CVD has few risk tools & those that exist perform substantially less well than in primary prevention

There's an unmet need for risk tools to guide individualised treatment intensity and follow-up strategies for those living with CVD

Population-scale proteomics faces many significant challenges to having clinical impact. In more targeted settings, it may have more promise.

📣 New preprint: Plasma proteomics improves prediction of recurrent cardiovascular events www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...

Wonderful work with Yang Liu, @sritchie73.bsky.social, and many at @cambridge-ceu.bsky.social

IMHO we were doing research funding just fine 15-20 years ago. It's not rocket science... the colloquial, if it ain't broken don't 'fix' it.

And just like clock work, here comes another 6-monthly reporting request

UK and EU finalise agreement to bring UK into Erasmus+ in 2027 Thousands across the UK set to benefit from re-opening of the historic Erasmus+ programme

UK and EU finalise agreement to bring UK into Erasmus+ in 2027
- Thousands across the UK set to benefit from re-opening of the historic Erasmus+ programme

www.gov.uk/government/n...

Anyone quantified recent changes in grant reporting burden? I've spent astrocomical amounts of time the past 6-12 months on reports, spreadsheets, in-person reviews etc. Big grants, small grants doesn't seem to matter. Funding bodies may need to start explicitly funding their own reporting burdens.

Genomics of GLP-1 drug response and side effects
With genomic and demographic data it's possible to predict magnitude of weight loss response
@23andme23.bsky.social
nature.com/articles/s41...

Massive budget cuts for US science proposed again by Trump administration Budget proposal would also curb federal payments for scientific publishing.

Massive budget cuts for US science proposed again by Trump administration www.nature.com/articles/d41...

U.S. panel votes to exempt Gulf of Mexico drilling from Endangered Species Act In its first meeting in three decades, the Endangered Species Committee voted to revoke protections for the endangered Rice’s whales and sea turtles.

After 15 whole minutes of discussion, the Endangered Species Committee (100% Trump appointees) decided that oil & gas companies in the Gulf of Mexico don't need to exert any caution anymore to protect endangered whales, turtles, or other wildlife.
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

Artemis ii

An in silico framework for evaluating PRS-guided prognostic enrichment in clinical trial design Background Clinical trials are essential for therapeutic development but increasingly face challenges due to imprecise inclusion criteria, leading to low event rates and the need for large sample size...

An in silico framework for evaluating PRS-guided prognostic enrichment in clinical trial design www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...

Happy and honored to receive the 2026 ESHG award! Many thanks to past and present lab members and collaborators; it’s our work together that is recognized here.

See you at the @eshg.bsky.social meeting in Gothenburg 🇸🇪 in June!

Fellows The European Academy of Microbiology (EAM) proudly brings together a distinguished community of leading scientists whose contributions have shaped and advanced the field of microbiology. Below, you wi...

Congratulation to the newly elected members of the European Academy of Microbiology!

Lots of friends among the lot, which includes @plosbiology.org academic editors @katholt.bsky.social @sophiemartinlab.bsky.social and Arjan de Visser

🎉🧪#Microsky #Virosky

fems-microbiology.org/european-aca...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Accelerate Charitable Giving Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Accelerate Charitable Giving - Gates Foundation Grant Opportunity

Are we even trying anymore?

AI to Accelerate Charitable Giving Grand Challenge gcgh.grandchallenges.org/challenge/ar...

Gene-environment equivalence: The fundamental principle of Mendelian randomization In this Perspective, George Davey Smith and colleagues outline how and why gene-environment equivalence, the fundamental principle of Mendelian Randomization (MR), must be properly applied and critica...

Failure to understand that the fundamental principle of Mendelian randomization (MR) is of gene-environment equivalence contributes to the flood of nonsense MR papers that are appearing; Shah Ebrahim, Gib Hemani and I explain why in this short commentary. journals.plos.org/plosmedicine...

Watch a special Cambridge moment... 🎺 🎓 💐

Chris Smith, Lord Smith of Finsbury, was formally installed as the 109th Chancellor of the University of Cambridge yesterday, following his election in July 2025.

Watch the full ceremony on YouTube 👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmKEytZ9E3c

Get Your Cholesterol Even Lower and Start Younger, New Guideline Says

Get Your Cholesterol Even Lower and Start Younger, New Guideline Says
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/13/h...

If we're going to solve this we need to have an honest and informed conversation about the true costs of doing things 2/2 journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...