Elizabeth M. George

I can’t think of a better reason to finally join Bluesky - my first first-authored paper is out! It being published in @science.org is surreal. This was a community effort in every sense, led by an incredible team with @rosvall-lab.bsky.social @mathcancer.bsky.social @juncowren.bsky.social

Image showing Hobson Lab logo (with parakeets, a social network, and R code), two Monk Parakeets, and several individually-marked parakeets with the text "Now recruiting PhD students!!"

**PhD POSITIONS** I am recruiting 1-2 PhD students to work on sociality and cognition in Monk Parakeets, starting Fall 2026. Full ad is here: hobsonresearch.com/index.php/20... (please help spread the word!)

I'm thrilled to share that I am now officially an Assistant Professor of Biology at Gannon University in Erie, PA! I'm already loving being so close to Presque Isle State Park and can't wait to build a team of undergrads to study the behavior and physiology of local songbirds 😁🐦🪺🎉

Are you a PI in a biology field looking for postdocs? Here is a Starter Pack of early career biologists currently seeking postdoctoral positions! (Also if you are searching for a postdoc, let me know if you want to be added!) go.bsky.app/8zZNEGV

Turning The Binoculars On Birders Lace up those comfortable sneakers, and get out your bug spray and field guides, because we’re about to go birder-watching.

Grab your binoculars because we’re going birding! 🐦

Author @rosemarymosco.com zooms in on birders’ wildest stories—and behavioral ecologist Sara Lipshutz shares why female birds are so surprisingly fun to watch:

Incredible piece:

"In the Who Cares Era, the most radical thing you can do is care. In a moment where machines churn out mediocrity, make something yourself. Make it imperfect. Make it rough. Just make it."

I’m so proud of the work that we did, and at the same time I am devastated by the current fate of science in the US, especially research on sex diversity.

Now published!!!! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

My NSF PRFB on the genetics of female polymorphism in hummingbirds was terminated yesterday.

I don't have much to say, I'm just sad. We've discovered so much, and could have gone so much further.

If anyone else is in the same boat, esp postdocs, please reach out, it would be good to connect.

National Science Foundation Terminates Hundreds of Active Research Awards (Gift Article) The agency targeted grants focused on diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as research on misinformation.

@katrinamillerphd.bsky.social & I took a look at over 400 active National Science Foundation grants that got killed in the past few days. Here's our story (gift link) nyti.ms/4jp4aOx

NSF GRFP Awards by the Year:
2021 - 2074
2022 - 2193
2023 - 2555
2024 - 2036
2025 - 1000

Again, these funding cuts will have drastic longterm effects on the scientific future of the US.......

@jeremymberg.bsky.social @altnih4science.bsky.social

Undergraduate research opportunities are incredibly valuable, both for the students and for the progress of the work. And having undergraduate research experience is a massive help for grad school admission. REU cancellations harm students’ preparedness & career prospects, and slow research progress

Trump tried to lower NIH indirect rates in his 2017 budget and that failed to pass. This is a reminder that everything he tried to do through legal means in the first term will be attempted again through illegal means. He will only succeed if we let him.

Anyone need a science-y timeline cleanse? Check out our new H&B paper on the transcriptomic correlates of maternal aggression in incubating tree swallows, with @emilylevy.bsky.social and @eliz-m-george.bsky.social doi.org/10.1016/j.yh... #behavior #science #birds 🧪

Scientists -- I'm looking to talk to researchers about how all this uncertainty around paused grant reviews and a potentially massive freeze on federal funding is affecting you and your research plans. DM, email or reach out on signal.

An image showing the title of our paper in PLOS Biology (“Inferred Attractiveness: A generalized mechanism for sexual selection that can maintain variation in traits and preferences over time”), a photo of all four authors while visiting the Santa Fe Institute (with the best monolith, Beta, in the background), and the main conceptual and summary plots of the paper.

New paper!! "By casting the female brain as the central selective agent, Inferred Attractiveness captures novel & dynamic aspects of sexual selection & reconciles inconsistencies between mate choice theory and observed behavior" doi.org/10.1371/jour... @emilyhduval.bsky.social @servedio.bsky.social