Caitlin Kowalski

Candid photo of Zara Weinberg. She has short red hair, bangs and glasses. She is laughing.

The Leading Edge Fellows gathered this week to celebrate Zara Weinberg, a beloved member of our community. Our 7th cohort of Leading Edge Fellows (2026) will be named in her honor.

The Zara Weinberg Leading Edge Cohort application is now open! Due Feb 2.

www.leadingedgesymposium.org/apply/

Is anyone in continental Europe looking for a lab manager? I have a fabulous candidate - let me know and please RT!

A get-together of Dartmouth folks at ASM Microbe!
#ASMicrobe

Text reads "Congratulations to the 2025 Leading Edge Fellows" followed by the Leading Edge logo and www.leadingedgesymposium.org. Below are the headshots and names of the 40 new Leading Edge Fellows. They are Cel Welch Lianna Wat Maria Toro Moreno Sarah Talley Xulu Sun Ines Sturmlechner Virginia Savy Amelie Raz Kali Pruss Caterina Profaci Sarah Pierce Melissa Pamula Kehinde Odufowora Patricia Nano Ariana Musa de Aquino Nour El Houda Mimouni Kathleen Martin Brea Manuel Mable Lam Miri Krupkin Elaine Kouame Megan Kirchgessner Sumin Kim Shubhangini Kataruka Geraldine Jowett Andrea Jones Leanne Iannucci Emily Heckman Allison Girasole Florencia Fernandez Chiappe Tonie Farris Hannah Elam Erin Doherty Xiaoyun Ding Maria Bustillo Julia Brunner Debadrita Bhattacharya Lorena Benedetti Ashley Anderson Krisha Aghi

We are thrilled to announce the 2025 Leading Edge Fellows! 40 outstanding postdoctoral fellows doing pioneering research in a wide range of biological and biomedical disciplines.

Learn more about these exceptional scientists:

www.leadingedgesymposium.org/fellows

Do people in the same household share strains when they have the same species?

How many cells transmit when a strain is shared?
Can strain composition be dynamic when species composition is stable?

We answer these and related questions for the facial skin microbiome in our latest paper.

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Also a special thanks to the reviewers who all provided great critiques and feedback that really improved the final paper. It was a fantastic experience with @currentbiology.bsky.social !

This work wouldn’t have been possible without all the incredible co authors, including those on Blue Sky: @lkalan.bsky.social @biobarber.bsky.social @corrigar.bsky.social @jarrods.bsky.social

Excited to share that our story on S. aureus antagonism by Malassezia is live today in Current Biology! The paper has changed a lot since the preprint with the very exciting addition of having identified the antimicrobial effector generated by M. sympodialis.

authors.elsevier.com/c/1kwzj3QW8S...

Molecular Mycology: Current Approaches to Fungal Pathogenesis | Marine Biological Laboratory This course addresses the need for more research in the area of fungal diseases as our understanding of the basic pathophysiology of fungal disease lags far behind our understanding of bacterial, para...

Pls share: Please spread the word about the Molecular Mycology Course at the MBL this summer – complete applications are due March 17th. Scholarship funds available!!
www.mbl.edu/education/ad...

Hey #fungal people - the applications for this years MOMY course are open! Wonderful course in a wonderful place with wonderful people. Check it out here: www.mbl.edu/education/ad...

Research universities are often the largest employers in their region. They are often the primary health care providers to communities. This funding shift will not only reduce US research leadership, it will put working people out of work and reduce healthcare access.

Applications are open for the 2025 GRS/GRC on Staphylococcal Diseases! Make sure to get your abstracts submitted for the potential to present your work in beautiful Barcelona! www.grc.org/staphylococc...

Laboratory Technician III To set up and conduct a variety of laboratory tests and experiments by applying established methods, procedures, and techniques in support of research studies directed at understanding bacterial biofi...

I am looking for a research associate - a recent college grad with BS or equivalent. Apply online!
searchjobs.dartmouth.edu/postings/77394

The Medical Mycology Trainee Seminar Series is back! Our next seminar is November 14th at 4 pm GMT (5 pm Central Europe Time, 11 am Eastern Standard, 8 am Pacific Standard, 12 am in China). 1/12

New preprint by @caitlinkowa.bsky.social is online! Proud and excited for this work at the intersection of fungal-bacterial interactions, pathogen evolution, and antibiotic susceptibility.

MIT Biology Catalyst Symposium Aimed specifically at postdocs pursuing academic careers, the three-day symposium provides a venue for participants to share their research, discuss exciting new directions, and make new professional ...

For folks at or near MIT, recommend checking out Monday's Catalyst Symposium including a talk on interkindom microbial interactions by outstanding postdoc @caitlinkowa.bsky.social! biology.mit.edu/about/divers...

We’re searching for Biology Dept Head here at Oregon! Please share careers.uoregon.edu/en-us/job/53...

Please add microbiome-related conferences for 2024 in this thread. Thanks.

Wanted to share this fantastic video featuring @caitlinkowa.bsky.social that was produced as part of her L'Oréal For Women in Science award. A great way to inspire future fellows and women in STEM. #microsky 🦠 🧫 www.loreal.com/en/usa/video...

Excited to announce a new preprint from the Lieberman Lab @contaminatedsci.bsky.social . We use a mouse model to ask: can we use commensal skin bacteria as topical probiotics? www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...  [1/3]

L'Oréal USA For Women in Science The L’Oréal USA For Women in Science fellowship program has awarded 80 postdoctoral women scientists over $4 million in grants since 2003.

The application is open now for the 2024 L’Oréal USA For Women In Science fellowship with AAAS. The award provides $60k for your postdoc research. Deadline 1/26/24. Highly recommend! Details here: www.loreal.com/en/usa/pages...

Just had a great week in DC celebrating women in science as one of the 2023 L’Oréal USA For Women In Science fellows! It’s an honor to be included among this group of amazing women & to share my work at the National Academies. It was made even more special by celebrating with family and friends! 🎉