Mary-Cathrine Leewis

📢 PLEASE RT!
❄️ M2 Masters Internship: Metagenomic analysis of microbial cold adaptation in the cryosphere
🧬 Compile & curate ice nucleation & cold-adaptation protein database
🖥️ Build HMM profiles
🦠 Analyze existing metagenomic data using HMMs

☀️ Marseille, France
Apply by 15 Oct

Please share: @UBCScience is searching for 15 TT faculty in diverse areas of expertise science.ubc.ca/about/careers. Included are 2 positions in Quantitative and Environmental Science as part of a hiring cluster for black faculty; you will join 6 current UBC faculty science.ubc.ca/blackscholars.

A periodic table of bacteria?: Mapping bacterial diversity in trait space Bacterial diversity can be overwhelming. There is an ever-expanding number of bacterial taxa being discovered, but many of these taxa remain uncharacterized with unknown traits and environmental prefe...

New pre-print from my group - project led by PhD student Michael Hoffert. We set out on a daunting mission to generate a 'periodic table' of bacterial diversity (1/6) www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Please share!

Amazing opportunity at @mcgill.ca

We are looking to recruit an internationally recognized, interdisciplinary scientist with a strong track record in innovation and research to direct a new program in climate, environment, and health

mcgill.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/McGill...

Call for Abstracts - Global Soil Biodiversity Conference 2026 Abstract Submissions NOW OPEN The Program Committee is proud to announce that the submission of abstracts for the 4th Global Soil Biodiversity Conference (GSB2026) is now open! Submission deadline is…

📢The Global Soil Biodiversity Conference 2026 abstract submission deadline has been EXTENDED 🐛🐜🕷️🦠🪱

Abstracts are NOW due AUGUST 15th 23:59 PDT‼️

Submit an abstract 👇

globalsoilbiodiversity2026.org/abstract/

We found that the influence of land use on microbial functioning is largely stronger than the inherent spatial and temporal variation. We also show that managed perennial systems could be an appropriate compromise for maintaining soil ecosystem services while still keeping lands under agriculture.

Floodplain land use gradients have a stronger effect on soil microbial enzyme activity than spatiotemporal variability Climate change is leading to flood events with higher frequency and longer duration. Changes in seasonal flooding that affect water saturation of soils can impact soil microbial extracellular enzyme ...

New publication with @cynkallenbach.bsky.social and MS Student Rachael: esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

📢The Global Soil Biodiversity Conference 2026 abstract submission deadline is coming up quickly 🐛🐜🕷️🦠🪱

Abstracts are due July 15th 23:59 PDT ‼️

Submit an abstract 👇

globalsoilbiodiversity2026.org/abstract/

@gsb2026.bsky.social

Mammoths and Ants Look at the fragile mushrooms. Look at the Black Widow. Pause with me a moment, and hear the cicadas humming. Here is where I'm home, among the Mammoth Redwoods. When I was lost, the ants absorbed me, calling me to the smallness of Earth. There I heard the Song of Silence. Come with me through the minuscule. Listen. The Cicadas are humming.

I'll never get over this poem a child wrote with one of my poetry prompts.

Canada Excellence Research Chairs (CERC) 2026 Competition

SFU invites applications from world renowned researchers for the prestigious Canada Excellence Research Chairs (CERC) 2026 Competition. Please see the ad to see if you qualify. In Vancouver, BC
www.sfu.ca/vpacademic/a...

Search Jobs - University Affairs

We are looking for a Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Community Ecology, Biological Invasions, Allelopathy, and Plant-Soil Feedbacks.

Details here:

universityaffairs.ca/search-job/?...

Racist and sexist roots in the cancellation of NSF grants under Trump:

Grants with female PIs canceled 2x more than men
Grants with Black PIs canceled 4x over White PIs
Grants with Hispanic PIs canceled 2x over White PIs
Grants with PIs with disabilities canceled 2x more than without

RCF preparing call for universities to invite foreign researchers to Finland The Research Council of Finland (RCF) is planning a new funding call to help universities recruit international experts to Finland. The call would be part of the RCF funding scheme that strengthens un...

The Research Council of Finland is planning a new funding call to help universities recruit international experts to Finland. The call has a preliminary total budget of 50 million€, which will be granted for recruitment supporting the research profiling of Finnish universities between 2026 and 2030.

Barbara Howard was a gifted athlete who became the first Black woman to represent Canada in an international competition.
She then became the first visible minority hired by the Vancouver School Board.
This is her story.

🧵1/8

The CERC opportunity Explore Dalhousie’s online community hub—your go-to resource for connections, opportunities, and support available at Dal. Stay informed and engaged.

Canada Excellence Research Chair opportunity to recruit top international scientists to Canada.
Come join us in Nova Scotia at Dalhousie University !
Reach out if you have questions.
www.dal.ca/research-and...
@dalhousie.bsky.social

EukFunc: A Holistic Eukaryotic Functional Reference for Automated Profiling of Soil Eukaryotes The soil eukaryome constitutes a significant portion of Earth's biodiversity that drives major ecosystem functions, such as controlling carbon fluxes and plant performance. Currently, however, we mis...

Looking for a database to functionally assign your 18S (terrestrial)data to trophic groups? Look no further! Our article is published here: doi.org/10.1111/1755... and you can find the database here as a R package: github.com/lentendu/Euk... #soils #eukaryotes #protists #fungi

Masters or PHD student – nectar evolutionary ecology Amy Parachnowitsch’s Floral Evolutionary Ecology Lab University of New Brunswick I am seeking a motivated student(s) to examine the role of anthropomorphic change in nectar evolutionary ecology. Potential projects include: 1) assessing how anthropogenic change affects nectar evolution, 2) quantifying phenotypic selection on nectar traits and assessing the ecological contexts where it is a target of selection, and 3) determining the ecological and genetic contributions to nectar variation to allow a predictive framework for evolutionary change. Project details will be determined with the student. Likely systems will be fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium) or white clover (Trifolium repens). More about the Biology program at UNB: https://www.unb.ca/fredericton/science/depts/biology/graduate/index.html Requirements: 4-year undergraduate degree in Biology or similar / research Masters degree for PhD position. Undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or higher. English language proficiency. Research experience an asset (e.g. honours thesis). Deadline: recruitment will continue until filled, however applications before May 5, 2025 can apply for recruitment scholarships to top up salary. Sept 2025 or Jan 2026 start date Salary: UNB Biology base stipend $13500 plus tuition and fees (includes teaching assistant position for 2 semesters/year). Apply: send a cover letter of research interests, CV, and transcripts (can be unofficial) to aparachn@unb.ca (application to UNB will follow recruitment) Note: Qualified international applicants are welcome to apply but may face additional requirements (e.g. proof of language proficiency, etc).

I'm seeking graduate students interested in studying nectar evolutionary ecology. Masters or PhD. Sep 2025 or Jan 2026 start. Interested students encouraged to apply by May 5 to be eligible for additional scholarships. #gradschool #flower #evolution #nectar #pollination

Microbial dormancy as an ecological and biogeochemical regulator on Earth - Nature Communications Dormancy enables microbes to withstand periods of environmental harshness. It occurs throughout diverse ecosystems and spans vast timescales, and could play an important role in shaping the co-ev...

How can zombie microbes interact with the Earth system? 🦠🧟🌎

Microbes, even when dormant, play a massive role in shaping Earth's ecosystems & biogeochemistry 🌎

In @natcomms.nature.com I explore dormancy in the context of Earth’s geosphere-biosphere co-evolution

🧵👇
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

With all sincerity, Elections Canada is a national treasure.

- Voting typically takes less than 15 minutes
- We make it easy for citizens to vote, without cumbersome registration hurdles
- We have every reason to trust that ballots will be counted fairly, and results reported swiftly

Assemblies of long-read metagenomes suffer from diverse errors Genomes from metagenomes have revolutionised our understanding of microbial diversity, ecology, and evolution, propelling advances in basic science, biomedicine, and biotechnology. Assembly algorithms...

I am very happy (and anxious) to share with you our most recent work in which we evaluated four of the most popular long-read assemblers,

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

and tell you just a little bit about it in the following 🧵

Assistant Professor (Research), Department of Microbiology & Immunology, (C2-240724) Please refer to the How to Apply for a Job (for External Candidates) job aid for instructions on how to apply. If you are an active McGill employee (ie: currently in an active contract or position at ...

Come join us at @mcgill.ca as an assistant professor in virus-host interactions! Please share widely.

mcgill.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/McGill...

I am teaching my phd writing workshop course this quarter, question: are there any words/phrases said to you by an advisor/mentor that stuck with you, were memorable, or particularly helpful? If so please reply below!

uOttawa is seeking applications from world-class researchers in this thematic area of Sustainability in Action: Climate and Societal Solutions, including: • Arctic and Northern Studies: Advancing solutions-oriented research that benefits Arctic communities and strengthens Canada’s leadership in Arctic research. • Environmental Health and Toxicology: Studying the impact of environmental toxins on human, animal and ecosystem health, including toxicology, environmental genomics, and the development of tools to inform policy and promote sustainable health outcomes. • Disaster Communication: Conducting critical studies on disaster communication and strategies for countering disinformation. • Law, Democracy and Climate Action: Strengthening governance and legal frameworks to address climate-related societal challenges in northern communities, environmental protection and climate change resilience.

Attention climate scholars seeking to leave the US: Next year the University of Ottawa will be seeking int'l candidates for a Canada Excellence Research Chair in "Climate and Societal Solutions" (broadly defined) They'll seek established scholars with global reach in this area (see below)...

Thrilled to see our new paper "Climate Change, Extreme Weather Events, Food Security, and Nutrition: Evolving Relationships and Critical Challenges" in the Annual Review of Nutrition! Check it out! shorturl.at/qHxNz

We Miraculous Specimens for Alex Bond. Give me shoots coiling up from this darkness. Give me a shovel. An escape route. Catch yourself in a mirror - the morning dew casts your own eyes back at you. Give me grouse. Chickens. The fish at Tynemouth Aquarium. These gender shifters. Hearts straining themselves back into being. There isn't a word in grouse to explain what they're doing. There isn't an explanation other than yes, it just happens. spontaneous transition the scientist with his rainbow lanyard, eyes sparking at the open cupboard. there they are, do you see them? do you see you? Racks of us on black base plates; the miracle the only reason that Rothschild stuffed them. Catch me if you can - shotgun in hand. tomorrow, the scientist says, we'll run free in the fields, the sun will catch us laughing, and we will live like the miracles we are. Every time they try to destroy us, we learn how to live forever. from ‘The Vanishing Song’ by Jay Hulme

"Every time they try to destroy us,
we learn how to live forever."

Calling all US and Canadian students thinking about graduate studies! Come study science at #SFU in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. Graduate admissions have been reopened. Apply by April 25th. ⚛️ 🧪👩‍🔬🎢 🇨🇦

My sabbatical leave allowed me to reflect on my professional life.

As I’ve stepped into more senior roles in academia (plus gotten a bit older), I often get asked:

“How do you keep writing academic articles, policy work, opinion pieces, while juggling everything else?”

My answer: skillpower

🧵

📢The Global Soil Biodiversity Conference 2026 abstract submission portal is NOW OPEN 🐛🐜🕷️🦠🪱

Abstracts are due July 15th 23:59 PDT ‼️

Submit an abstract 👇

globalsoilbiodiversity2026.org/abstract/

So many great quotes on this “The word “de-extinction” is not just itself untrue, but it seeks to diminish the inconvenient truth of the biodiversity crisis: we know what causes extinction, and it’s us”