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Zondlo Lab

@zondlolab.bsky.social

Peptide chemists, chemical biology/bioorganic chemistry, physical-organic chemistry, and throw in plenty of metals and sensors/analytical as well.

36 Followers  |  91 Following  |  6 Posts  |  Joined: 26.09.2025  |  1.9384

Latest posts by zondlolab.bsky.social on Bluesky

I feel a lot better about determining merit based on “actual accomplishments” versus based on “potential” and “stature of the sponsoring PI and the institution” and “letters of recommendation”. Opportunities are a red herring here, because the same issues still apply to 2nd year students.

26.09.2025 22:36 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Stated alternatively: Tufts and UD undergrads will compete very well on *accomplished research* with undergrads at most higher-ranked institutions. Tufts and UD grad students will fare less well when compared to equivalent grad students, because reputation/LoR will factor in more heavily.

26.09.2025 21:09 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

I just don’t think that by early in their second year of grad school they will have distinguished themselves (in grad work) sufficiently for reviewers - it will come down to letters of rec (and careful editing of their proposals, which is also down to advisers). Judge on what they ACCOMPLISHED.

26.09.2025 21:04 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

I honestly think that, long-term, it is a good policy. As-is, it rewards 2nd-year students in big labs. Rewarding the students who were most productive as undergrads (focusing on research first, GPA second) is probably a better indication of “most promising”.

26.09.2025 20:32 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0
Preview
Proline/Sidechain C–H/O Interactions Stabilize cis-Proline cis-Proline amide bonds are associated with substantial changes in protein structure, dynamics, and function. Approximately 5% of all proline amide bonds are in the cis conformation, but there is an i...

Preprint of his second paper. We literally talked about this paper fundamentally locking in a GRFP (two first author papers as an undergrad!). He derserves better from NSF. chemrxiv.org/engage/chemr...

26.09.2025 20:28 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

One of my best undergrads ever is in this situation. Had a 1st-author paper published last summer, deferred applying on grad advisor’s rec, will have a *second* 1st-author pub in a few weeks, 2nd year student in a great lab…and now ineligible. Gutted for him.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

26.09.2025 20:24 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

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