Itai Yanai

This inspired him! "Since then I have taken a handful of immunology PhD students through the MFA, discussing pieces that I found to have parallels to the immune system." Check out his blog for glimpses of the tour he gives!
davisgarner.substack.com/p/immunologi...

Davis Garner, a PhD student at Harvard Medical School, heard me say on the podcast that in my lab we once went to an art museum (the MOMA) and I gave them each the prompt to find a piece of art that best related to their current project in some way.

PhD students and Postdocs: The Night Science Podcast (@nightsciencepod.bsky.social) is producing an episode highlighting young scientists talking about their creative process. DM me if you'd like us to consider you for this, & read below what PhD student Davis Garner will contribute! ⬇️

One of the most inspiring pods out there 👇🏻

This was a lot of fun and I'm inspired now to host more night science events in the pub, and even not just with scientists!

Have you heard about the Night Science Podcast, where we talk about the actual creative process of doing science? We explore this with discussions with brilliant scientists & also philosophers and artists, to figure out the tricks of the creative scientific trade.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/n...

🌘 Night Science – Postdoc Creativity Evening
Tomorrow, 17:30–19:30 with @itaiyanai.bsky.social & Single Cell Center Heidelberg. Hands-on creativity in science. Few spots left!
🔗 Register: www.eventbrite.de/e/1964994357...
Supported by @heidelbergpostdoc.bsky.social

Can't wait to talk about Night Science tonight! Join us if you're in the area!

Friends in Germany! I want to tell you about the process of discovery, the creativity that it requires and the sense of awe that it inspires. Come check out my "The Gorilla in the Genome" lecture on Monday at the International Science Festival in Heidelberg.
www.geist-heidelberg.de/de/programm/...

Also, here’s an accessible video intro:

This is a such an inspiring book about the art of improvisation and how it applies to our lives in general. I think it’s also very relevant also for what it’s like to do science. It was a pleasure to talk with Stephen about it on the Night Science podcast! open.spotify.com/episode/165i...

Our NY area population genetics meeting is back and "upgraded", as Simons Foundation @simonsfoundation.org generously agreed to host. Please save the date: March 9, 2026. Look forward to seeing many of you from NY and beyond.

New Yorkers! Come to my talk at MSK on Thursday if you're interested in adaptive tumor-microenvironment interactions and cancer’s extended phenotype.

International scientists constitute the engine of much of the most exciting US science. My friend Sonali Majumdar has written precisely the kind of guide that international scientists crave in order succeed as resilient and brilliant scientists. Check it out! @sonali-m-19.bsky.social

This is a such an inspiring book about the art of improvisation and how it applies to our lives in general. I think it’s also very relevant also for what it’s like to do science. It was a pleasure to talk with Stephen about it on the Night Science podcast! open.spotify.com/episode/165i...

Stephen Nachmanovitch on free play and chivalry Podcast Episode · Night Science · 11/10/2025 · 39m

Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/n...
Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/165i...

🔥We released a new episode of the Night Science Podcast today, all about the power of improvisation in life, the arts and the sciences. We talked with Stephen Nachmanovitch who wrote the classic book "Free Play". Check it out and please me know what you think!

Starting in a few minutes!! Free registration here: cassyni.com/events/ZYQow...

🔥A new episode of the Night Science podcast comes out today! Stephen Nachmanovitch is the author of the classic "Free Play" and the celebrated improvisational musician. We talk about chivalry in dialogue: the art of advancing (instead of blocking) each other’s ideas.
open.spotify.com/episode/165i...

Join us tomorrow for a Night Science Seminar Series presentation! Jennifer Oyler-Yaniv from Harvard will talk about how a scientific journey can be viewed as a mythological Hero's Quest by sharing work from her lab on how epithelial tissues restrict the spread of viruses.
cassyni.com/events/ZYQow...

Yeah that’s a really interesting perspective, because how you try to answer one question can lead to a totally new set of questions you wouldn’t have otherwise seen!

Thanks Paula! Yes I think the concept definitely applies to science because the creative process has a strong individualistic component; and then the 'day science' testing comes in for the rigor!

New Yorkers! Come to my talk at Rockefeller University on Friday if you're interested in the mechanisms of adaptive genome regulation.

Yes of course: www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/4aui7...
and onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

@junlab.bsky.social @odlab.bsky.social

Is science too obsessed with metrics, large-scale projects & “blockbuster” outputs? Desai & Jun argued that preserving the "auteur" spirit of individual creativity, exploration and risk-taking is essential for maintaining the creativity that drew us into science in the 1st place.

Interested in genome organization in bacteria? Come to Martin Lercher's live virtual talk Monday at the Night Science Seminar Series! Free register here: cassyni.com/events/AhWU3... @martinlercher.bsky.social

Very cool KJ!

For sure!

It was wonderful to reconnect at the NYC Postdoc Night Science! Such a great and inspiring conversation about how to give better talks and tell science stories that matter