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Simon van Vliet

@simonvanvliet.bsky.social

Junior Group Leader @ Biozentrum-UniBasel & DMF-UNIL Physicist turned biologist | Ecology & evolution of complex systems | Emergent behavior in microbial systems vanvlietlab.ch

618 Followers  |  283 Following  |  11 Posts  |  Joined: 12.10.2023
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Posts by Simon van Vliet (@simonvanvliet.bsky.social)

PhD student bioinformatics: Viral strategies in the global Microverse

We have an open position for a bioinformatics/theoretical microbial ecology PhD student to study viral strategies in the global Microverse! Join us at the @microverse.bsky.social at @uni-jena.de, please apply through this link:
jobs.uni-jena.de/jobposting/9...

29.01.2026 12:08 β€” πŸ‘ 20    πŸ” 30    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Spatial structure: shaping the ecology and evolution of microbial communities Spatial structure naturally emerges in microbial communities, shaping growth, interactions, and evolution, and revealing how microscale processes scale up

Most microbes don't live in shaking flasks; spatial structure shapes how microbes interact and evolve at every scale, as we discuss in our recent review @jeroenmeijer.bsky.social @simonvanvliet.bsky.social @bedutilh.bsky.social @bramvandijk.bsky.social and others
academic.oup.com/femsre/artic... πŸ§΅πŸ‘‡

12.02.2026 15:46 β€” πŸ‘ 49    πŸ” 28    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 3
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Spatial structure: shaping the ecology and evolution of microbial communities Spatial structure naturally emerges in microbial communities, shaping growth, interactions, and evolution, and revealing how microscale processes scale up

Wrapping up a productive week: very glad to have contributed to this review on how spatial structure shapes microbial ecology and evolution, led by @marcelbaecker.bsky.social, @bedutilh.bsky.social, @bramvandijk.bsky.social and many others. doi.org/10.1093/fems...

11.02.2026 15:46 β€” πŸ‘ 39    πŸ” 15    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 2

Also excited to share our latest collaboration with @micsysecolab.bsky.social. Divvya Ramesh showed how spatial structure can limit evolution of metabolic dependencies.

11.02.2026 15:24 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Huge thanks to our amazing collaborators in @nccr-antiresist.bsky.social and NCCR Microbiomes!

11.02.2026 15:21 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Using a quantitative framework we show that this pattern emerges from the combined effect of two opposing interactions with different ranges. As a result, spatial arrangement determines overall tolerance by balancing the relative importance of these interactions.

11.02.2026 15:21 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Excited to share first preprint from our lab! @giubotti.bsky.social found that antibiotic tolerance in multispecies biofilms follows a surprising spatial pattern: cells survive only at intermediate distances from a partner species. 🦠 Preprint: doi.org/10.64898/202...

11.02.2026 15:21 β€” πŸ‘ 18    πŸ” 10    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 2

Excited to finally share the typeset version of our very first venture into microbial ecology! 🀩
Big thanks to @simonvanvliet.bsky.social for a rewarding collaboration within the NCCR Microbiomes.
@fbm-unil.bsky.social
@dmf-unil.bsky.social

10.09.2025 19:44 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
DMF: Tenure Track Assistant Professor towards Associate Professor in Molecular Microbiology - Site des postulations FBM

New tenure track assistant professor position in molecular microbiology in our department @dmf-unil.bsky.social @unil.bsky.social! We are casting a wide net for an experimental molecular microbiologist. Apply here: wwwfbm.unil.ch/releve/appli...

10.06.2025 13:53 β€” πŸ‘ 112    πŸ” 162    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 8

How does metabolic dependency evolve at the single cell level? πŸ”„

In our new preprint, Divvya Ramesh combines microfluidics, microscopy and modelling to show that the benefits of gene loss are highly context dependent.

Check it out here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

13.05.2025 11:22 β€” πŸ‘ 15    πŸ” 7    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

🧩 PhD Position – Origins of Darwinian Inheritance 🧩

This joint PhD project between the @rug.nl (Rampal Etienne & Martijn Egas) and @utrechtuniversity.bsky.social (Bram van Dijk) explores how simple prebiotic systems could evolve reliable information transfer.

Apply here: shorturl.at/WgYMF

09.05.2025 14:55 β€” πŸ‘ 34    πŸ” 35    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 1
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Applications now open for UNIL Summer School on Modelling for Evo Bio (1–6 Sept 2025, Lausanne)!
Aimed at PhD students interested in formal approaches to evolutionary ecology questions like sexual selection, social & life-history evolution. Scholarships available.
Pls share! www.shorturl.at/znk5g

17.04.2025 15:21 β€” πŸ‘ 43    πŸ” 46    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 5

Great to see this out! πŸŽ‰ Big congratulations to @type3lab.bsky.social for leading the project and to all involved!

"Pseudomonas syringae subpopulations cooperate by coordinating flagellar and T3SS spatiotemporal dynamics to facilitate plant infection" 🌱🦠 rdcu.be/egczU

πŸ§΅β¬‡οΈ #MicroSky #PlantScience

04.04.2025 09:55 β€” πŸ‘ 15    πŸ” 7    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 0
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🚨We have a fully funded open PhD position in bacterial synthetic biology available in our lab (www.yschaerli.com) in beautiful Lausanne, Switzerland @dmf-unil.bsky.social @fbm-unil.bsky.social @unil.bsky.social
If you are passionate about #SynBio and #GeneCircuits, apply here: tinyurl.com/mry2xwa5

09.04.2025 08:22 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 6    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 2

early career researchers: Do not miss this oportunity to present and discuss your work with an expert audience!

25.03.2025 07:14 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Apply now: Eawag Postdoctoral Fellowship πŸ“’πŸ’ͺ

The Eawag postdoctoral fellowship is designed for outstanding early-career researchers with innovative ideas

πŸ‘‰ www.eawag.ch/en/about-us/...

18.03.2025 08:21 β€” πŸ‘ 14    πŸ” 11    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

This is one of the best features I have seen on blue sky yet- a custom feed of papers from people you follow. I had to un-follow the various biorxiv channels, as it was dominant, but now I am seeing lots of cool papers from people I follow.

Great work on this feed, @paper-feed.bsky.social team!

14.03.2025 17:46 β€” πŸ‘ 89    πŸ” 41    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 4
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We are recruiting @ox.ac.uk @dunnschool.bsky.social for a joint project between Kevin Foster's group and mine! Cluster hire of two postdocs interested in:
1) Mucosal immunology and oral vaccine development
my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...
2) Microbiology
my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...

Please share!

22.02.2025 20:07 β€” πŸ‘ 81    πŸ” 86    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 5

There is still time to apply to the Alma Dal Co School on Collective Behaviour! The deadline has been extended till March 16th. We would especially welcome applications from members of underrepresented groups. Limited travel grants are available. Apply now and join us! almadalcoschool.github.io

27.02.2025 07:56 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 8    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Disentangling the feedback loops driving spatial patterning in microbial communities - npj Biofilms and Microbiomes npj Biofilms and Microbiomes - Disentangling the feedback loops driving spatial patterning in microbial communities

Two (!) perspective pieces published today involving people from our lab! @adelpanta.bsky.social on spatial patterning in microbial communities www.nature.com/articles/s41... and @salazarafra.bsky.social on microbial communities as evolutionary individuals www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

20.02.2025 14:41 β€” πŸ‘ 73    πŸ” 36    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 3
Schematic of factors and feedbacks driving spatial patterning in microbial communities. Spatial patterns emerge from growth and movement of cells, these are shaped by local chemical and physical environment, which in turn are shaped by activity of cells.

Schematic of factors and feedbacks driving spatial patterning in microbial communities. Spatial patterns emerge from growth and movement of cells, these are shaped by local chemical and physical environment, which in turn are shaped by activity of cells.

What determines the spatial structure of microbial communities? In our new review we discuss the factors and feedbacks that affect spatial patterning and methods to study them. Great collaboration w. @saramitri.bsky.social @adelpanta.bsky.social & @micsysecolab.bsky.social doi.org/10.1038/s415... 🦠

20.02.2025 15:00 β€” πŸ‘ 23    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
Opportunités de carrière : Research Associate position in bioinformatics support (22124)

We are looking for a bioinformatician with expertise in microbiome data analysis join our team at the University of Lausanne. The successful candidate will lead and support research projects within nccr-microbiomes.ch. More details here: shorturl.at/mC46o . Please share with potential candidates.

18.02.2025 22:09 β€” πŸ‘ 13    πŸ” 21    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1
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Postdoctoral researcher –Understanding bacterial metabolism in the urinary tract

Interested in microbial #metabolism, #mucosalbiology and #UTI? Then check out the open postdoctoral position in the Mucosal Immunology Group at ETH Zurich! NB: All applications must go via the ETH job portal:

www.jobs.ethz.ch/job/view/JOP...

Closing date: 24th Feburary
πŸ§ͺπŸ§«πŸ”¬

26.01.2025 13:25 β€” πŸ‘ 39    πŸ” 37    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
Career Opportunities: Postdoctoral position in bioinformatics/gut microbiota ecology and evolution (22087)

We are looking for a postdoc in bioinformatics interested in broad questions about the ecology and evolution of host-associated microbiomes using social bees as model. Please share with potential candidates and if interested apply here: career5.successfactors.eu/career?caree...

05.02.2025 12:42 β€” πŸ‘ 26    πŸ” 24    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
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Home The Alma Dal Co School on Collective Behaviour

Only 3 weeks left to apply to the first Alma Dal Co School on Collective Behaviour! We have a great line-up of speakers and a program designed to maximize interactions between and among speakers and participants. Applications open to all ECRs (PhD - young PIs). More info: almadalcoschool.github.io

07.02.2025 09:23 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 5    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
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Environment‐Organism Feedbacks Drive Changes in Ecological Interactions Ecological interactions are central to our understanding of the composition and function of communities, but attempts to use them as a theoretical foundation for experimental ecology have been confou....

Our framework explaining why ecological interactions change between contexts is out in Ecology Letters!
A lovely collaboration with @saramitri.bsky.social which provides experimentally-testable links between the physiology and ecology of microbes.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

02.01.2025 10:53 β€” πŸ‘ 47    πŸ” 23    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 2
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Call for ISME Society Awards nominations - ISME We encourage our membership to nominate individuals worthy of winning one of our three prestigious awards.

Every two years, ISME celebrates the achievements of scientists who have substantially advanced the field of microbial ecology. If you know of outstanding members of the community worthy of an ISME Society Award, please fill in the nominations ballot by 31 Jan 2025πŸ‘‡πŸΌ
isme-microbes.org/call-for-ism...

10.12.2024 06:28 β€” πŸ‘ 39    πŸ” 31    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 0
Alma Dal Co (1989-2022), was a brilliant researcher whose work bridged physics and microbiology to reveal how metabolic interactions structure microbial communities.

Alma Dal Co (1989-2022), was a brilliant researcher whose work bridged physics and microbiology to reveal how metabolic interactions structure microbial communities.

Amazing speakers & program at the inaugural Alma Dal Co School on Collective Behavior in Venice (Sep 29-Oct 4, 2025). This interactive meeting focuses on collective behaviour across biological systems. Apply now!

almadalcoschool.github.io

13.12.2024 16:27 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Home The Alma Dal Co School on Collective Behaviour

Great school one collective behavior in memory of Alma Dal Co next Sept in Venice. Terrific lineup of speakers
almadalcoschool.github.io

Application deadline Feb 2025, travel grants available

08.12.2024 11:41 β€” πŸ‘ 14    πŸ” 9    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Opportunités de carrière : PhD position in gut microbiota ecology and evolution (21945)

PhD position available in our lab in πŸ‡¨πŸ‡­! Interested in microbial ecology and evolution in the context of #Symbiosis, #Microbiota, #Bees? Like to analyze shotgun metagenomics data with the possibility for fieldwork and experiments? This is for you. Apply here: shorturl.at/swHf1 #SymbioSky

06.11.2024 19:20 β€” πŸ‘ 42    πŸ” 45    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 3