Lily Khadempour

“They didn’t give him a chance...They could have done anything else besides that. It’s like they shoot first and ask questions later.” –Rachel Reyes, Ruben Ray Martinez’s mom, on how an immigration agent executed her son at a traffic stop. The federal agent's role only came out b/c of a FOIA lawsuit

One hundred unanswered questions on the dispersal ecology of fungi Abstract. Fungi comprise millions of species that play numerous varied roles in Earth’s natural and managed ecosystems, engaging in a multitude of positive

New paper out today in the ISME | International Society for Microbial Ecology Journal and the first product from our ESIIL (Environmental Data Science Innovation and Impact Lab) working group on Fungal Dispersal. Check it out!

academic.oup.com/ismej/advanc...

If you have previously received a @asn-amnat.bsky.social Student Research Award, we'd love to hear the outcome of your project (no matter how long ago the award was made): docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

#ecology #evolution #behavior

Applications close for this 4-year postdoc on Feb 9th (2 days!). The associated post for a technician should be online next week 👀

Dilley is a hellhole and we have to get it shut down and all those kids freed.

ugh. typo. Bianca's first paper from our lab..

Our new paper and associated blog post were published today! And @biancanogr.bsky.social and @diemq.bsky.social finally made bsky accounts so I could tag them.

This is Bianca's paper from our lab and DiemQuynh's first ever.

I'm so happy to have this review out finally!

Shedding light on Iran’s longest internet blackout A staggering death toll.

I interviewed an expert on what's happening with connectivity in Iran:

The longest blackout in Iran's history. Thousands dead. Documentation of war crimes dependent on Starlink. A regime that uses AI's ubiquity to undermine the credibility of evidence. www.theverge.com/policy/87184...

The Murphy Lab did our annual retreat this week. This year's theme was using AI (what it's good and bad for). I wanted to be open-minded to make sure we are not missing something we should be using it for, so we did a few exercises to test, and had presentations.

Text: Society for the Study of Evolution, American Society of Naturalists, Society of Systematic Biologists, Undergraduate Community at Evolution Program. Applications due January 20, 2026.

Are you an undergrad interested in ecology, evolution or related fields? Apply by January 20 for our Undergraduate Community at Evolution program! This program provides funding, mentoring, and a presentation opportunity at #Evol2026. www.evolutionsociety.org/content/educ...

Weird wet weather has Joshua trees flowering early — or late? Help the Yoder Lab map this “bonus bloom” to understand why A flowering tree in Yucca Valley, CA, observed by iNaturalist contributor wanderingmojave on December 9. A tree with lots of flowers in Tehachapi, CA, observed by iNaturalist contributor tina9294 o…

I started getting reports of an unseasonal Joshua tree bloom in the last few weeks, and looking over records on @inaturalist.bsky.social it's pretty widespread! So we're putting out the call for folks to record this "bonus bloom" and help us study it 🌿

lab.jbyoder.org/2025/12/10/w...

Boxing up the NSF at Eisenhower Av for the forced relocation. Boxes have “Details Matter” signage.

NSF

- Forced reorg

- POs down ~ 40% (DRP, most rotators not renewed, retirements)

- Forced move (and we have to pack and clean) to a building with no furniture, little to no conference space for panels, inadequate 🛜, …)

I personally love the boxes they gave us for packing.
“Details matter” 🙃

Policy Notice: Implementation of Policy Changes to Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) 24-1, Supplement 1 This notice implements several revisions to NSF's Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) 24-1.

NSF policy changes - some updates that PIs should be aware of.

www.nsf.gov/policies/doc...

Many were eaten as well so there could have been more!

Four people and part of the head of another smile next to a table covered in decorated cookies.

A table full of colorfully decorated cookies

Together with the @brittbertolet.bsky.social lab, we decorated cookies and will take them to the department holiday party later this week 🎅

Comparative genomics reveals multipartite genomes undergoing loss in the fungal endosymbiotic genus Mycetohabitans Abstract. Endosymbiotic bacteria extensively impact phenotypes of their eukaryotic hosts, while experiencing dramatic changes to their own genome as they b

We are excited to present the accepted paper on the Mycetohabitans pangenome now in @genomebiolevol.bsky.social! 🧬🦠

Thanks to @bhuwanabbot.bsky.social
for leading and collaborators:
@raw937.bsky.social @andrabuchan.bsky.social

academic.oup.com/gbe/advance-...

Gaza hospitals running out of supplies as airstrikes continue, medics say ‘Severe lack’ in territory where Israeli strikes have killed more than 50 people and injured over 100 in recent days

Anyone remember that cease fire?

"Gaza hospitals running out of supplies as airstrikes continue"

A woman smiles, making a peace sign, in front of a poster titled "Characterizing the gut microbiome of (Myrmecocystus spp.) honeypot ants

A woman stands, smiling, making a peace sign, in front of a poster titled, "Evolutionary and Ecological Contributions ot the Honeypot ant Gut Microbiome"

A man stands, smiling, holding a peace sign, in front of a poster titled, "Developing a Genome Scale Metabolic Model (GEM) for Fructilactobacillus in Honeypot Ants (Myrmecocystus mexicanus)"

A woman stands at a lecturn in front of a projected presentation, giving a talk in a dark room. The slide on the screen has hand-drawn images of various insects, with the title Host-Associated Microbiomes

Most of the lab attended the Theobald Smith Society meeting last week. Faith, DiemQuynh and Ian all presented posters, and DiemQuynh presented a brief talk on her work.

We all learned a lot, received great feedback and had great conversations with other attendees. @njmicrobe.bsky.social

The ASN (American Society of Naturalists) is seeking Diversity Committee members! Are you an ASN member? Want to make the EEB community a better place? Like being in Zoom meetings with people who have cute dogs? Consider applying!

www.amnat.org/announcement...

Diversification and evolution of Hawaiian Megalagrion damselflies (Pinapinao, Odonata: Coenagrionidae) The ancestor of today's pinapinao, Hawaiian Megalagrion damselflies, diverged from Ischnurinae around 51 MA and likely evolved for over 20 MA before colonizing the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. An ...

Congratulations to Robbie on his new #damselfly paper! resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Evolution of gut microbiota across honeybee species revealed by comparative metagenomics Nature Communications - Here, the authors perform metagenomic analysis of honeybee gut microbes, uncovering many previously unidentified species and host specific differences in composition and...

Happy to announce that our comparative metagenomic analysis of the gut microbiota of five honeybee species - spearheaded by @aiswarya.bsky.social - is finally published in a peer-reviewed journal! rdcu.be/eKMCs @fbm-unil.bsky.social @dmf-unil.bsky.social 🧵👇

Interested in learning how to be a good speaker and give effective talks? Season 2 of the NYC Postdoc Night Science Club begins October 15th. Join us NYC Postdocs for a 2hr workshop and maybe also a drink at a bar! Free registration (usually ~100 come): docs.google.com/forms/d/1dII...

Flyer How to apply to the NSF-GRFP (in 7 weeks!). Check out our comprehensive guide and timeline for applying to the NSF-GRFP (or any fellowship!) on a deadline. Give it a shot — it’s not too late! Resource by Olivia Goldman, PhD and John Lê. Photos of authors. Cientifico Latino, Inc. logo. Link: cientificolatino.com/apply-in-7-weeks

Applying to the NSF-GRFP (or another fellowship) on a tight deadline?

We built a 7-week guide + timeline to get you from draft to submission. It’s not too late — you’ve got this! ✨

🔗 cientificolatino.com/apply-in-7-weeks

#NSFGRFP #GradSchool #Fellowship

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

The GRFP lives!! (due end of October)
www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...

Six people smiling at the camera in a cinder block hallway

The team is all here! Faith, DiemQuynh and Bianca (PhD students), Lashon (undergrad), Lily (PI) and Ian (postdoc).

Excited for a lot of great science from a group of excellent people.

My lab is moving! 🍄

Starting Jan 2026, we'll be at @ucriverside.bsky.social in the Dept of EEOB!

We will keep investing #microbes (fungi and sometimes bacteria) under global change and looking at ecosystem-scale consequences 🍄🧫🦠🌎🧬

I'm grateful to my friends, colleagues, and students at NMSU 🌟

Mammals Evolved into Ant Eaters 12 Times Since Dinosaur Age, Study Finds

Press release out today on our new paper detailing the convergent origins of obligate ant and termite eating in mammals!

a figure from the linked paper, showing extremely high rates of species diversification in the higher latitudes, higher diversification in the passerines (and in the early history of the oscines), and a marked (but unevenly distributed) uptick in diversification towards the present day

New bird tree who dis.

www.cell.com/current-biol...

Sure! Thanks!

Hi! My lab (khadlab.com) studies symbiosis and microbial ecology, particularly focused right now on honeypot ant microbiomes. I'd love to come up to UMaine, especially this upcoming fall.