Erin the Slime Scientist

Fantastic news and so well deserved, Erin!

A row of five enamel pins in the shape of six-petal flowers in nonbinary, pan, bi, trans, and LGBTQ+ flag colours. Each is on a backing card that reads "A perfect flower by canopy robin. Did you know that 90% of flowering plants have individual flowers with both male and female parts. Botanists call this a perfect flower." The bi flower's backing card is purple and the others are green.

Did you know that bisexual flowers are perfect? Botanists do.

My latest pin celebrates the fact that 90% of flowering plants have individual flowers with both male and female parts. Botanists call these 'bisexual' or 'perfect' flowers. Please share!
www.etsy.com/uk/listing/4...

I'm writing my thesis and wrapping up this PhD, but I've been extremely blessed in my final year to receive awards and recognition for my public engagement and sci-comm work.
Thank you to everyone who supported and nominated!

@britsocimm.bsky.social @fbmh-uom.bsky.social @fbmhdocacad.bsky.social

What came first, the scientist or the journalist? Great first panel for #abswss25 discussing career journeys into science journalism. 2 perspectives from a science background and 2 from a journalism background. @absw.bsky.social

Amazing shortlisted colleagues on the EDI award @britsocimm.bsky.social - @pallettlab.bsky.social & @mcsinton.bsky.social lead important initiatives and I’m always inspired by this. Well done to everyone!

This was a real surprise, and I'm so grateful. The support I've had has been phenomenal and it's giving me the courage to keep going and recognise "hey, I'm actually quite good at this". Thank you @britsocimm.bsky.social for this lovely award.

Thank you so much Juan! I wouldn't have done half the things I've achieved without the encouragement I get from you and others!

Rectangular pins with rounded corners and text that reads "ask me about allyship" or "Real allies take action" on the trans pride flag, intersex inclusive progress pride flag, and a plain black background.

We're halfway through Pride so now seems a good time to drop a pin that people have been requesting: something for allies.

The thing is though, I'm not interested in selling a traditional ally pin that allows just anyone to claim they're on our side, so lets talk about that 🧵

canopyrobin.etsy.com

Thank you Juan!!! You've been amazingly supportive!

I'm representing North West at the @FameLab national final on 6 June!
I'll be bringing the gross factor to my talk on mucus, alongside nine other amazing speakers covering a wide range of science topics.
So excited to show Cheltenham Science Festival attendees what I'm all about!
#SciComm #PhDSky

Thank you so much, Juan!

I am so pleased to announce that I have been shortlisted for the @britsocimm.bsky.social Public Engagement Award. I have worked really hard on supporting PE initiatives, as well as building my own ( @reshiveblog.bsky.social ), so this is really exciting for me!
#ImmunoSky #PhDSky

I'm now on Instagram! No idea what I'm doing, but hopefully I can make it educational and fun. 🧪
www.instagram.com/slimescience...
#SciComm #PhDSky #AcademicSky

Thank you very much!

Hello! Please, could I be added to the feed? My Orcid ID:
orcid.org/0000-0002-33...

#FluorescenceFriday #FluorescentFriday
Here's a Trichuris muris egg getting up close and personal with the intestinal epithelium.
#PhDSky #ImmunoSky

I was so excited and humbled that friends from different areas of my life all came to support me. Especially my partner who has never missed a single important moment for me. I worked hard for this, but I'm also so lucky to have them back me up.
#SciComm #PhDSky #FameLab

Nothing like tackling a public speaking fear than a public speaking competition. I am so thrilled and shocked to have won the #FameLab North West final.
Everyone was amazing and I hope you're all proud. Looking forward to learning and improving ahead of the national finals!!
#SciComm #PhDSky

We're working hard to think of new ways to be helpful! Always looking for feedback.

Is this surprising to you? Check our blog (and below!) for a recent post on how fiction reading is beneficial to your mental health and wellbeing. Read for fun, not as a chore! #BookSky #EduSky #AcademicSky

How Psychology Can Help you Become a Better Leader and Decision-Maker Author: Jiya Mahajan // Editors: Emily Barrett & Erin Pallott When you think of a great leader, what comes to your mind? Maybe a CEO, a football coach giving a pep talk, or even a teacher who i…

What makes a great leader? Confidence? Charisma? Jiya from @alliancembs.bsky.social explains that psychology points to something else: Emotional intelligence and understanding people. Have any stories on good/bad leadership? Let us know below!
#PsychSciSky #AcademicSky #SciComm

Science and Legislation: Challenges, benefits and hopes of a growing relationship Author: Federica Spaggiari // Editors: Erin Pallott & Elan Shellard When people are asked to think of a word to describe politics, the answers range from laws to corruption, taxes to parties, e…

Scientists and politicians need to communicate if we want helpful scientific advancements to make it to everyday life. Federica looks at the links between science and policy and the current barriers to efficient cross-talk.

#SciComm #AcademicSky #PhDSky

research-hive.com/2025/02/18/s...

Probably Not the End of the World Three realisations for coping with stress and anxiety when PhD plans go awry Author: Elan Shellard // Editors: Rashmi Danwaththa Liyanage & Oliver Hartley A PhD is a somewhat unique challenge i…

When the PhD goes wrong, it can feel like the end of the world. Dead ends and failed experiments are hard, but often inevitable. Elan writes about her experience and tips for managing stress in these situations, emphasising community. Talk it out!

#PhDSky #PhDChat
research-hive.com/2025/02/06/p...

With my wonderful partner's help, I ran a workshop introducing PGRs to blogging and how our platform @reshiveblog.bsky.social can help kickstart #scicomm skill development.
It was so exciting and with the great feedback, I hope I can start hosting it online to even more people
#PhDSky

My Instagram feed is fully of worm queen videos thanks to my snooping 😂

And for locating some of the worst offenders!

Mallory's episide on the Conspirituality podcast on parasite cleanses was really helpful in helping me think what to cover!

Thank you! It would be good to go in again looking more into the ingredients and why they don't work, but I stuck to marketing tactics for this one.

Selling the Disease to Sell the Cure: Parasite Cleanses of Social Media Author: Erin Pallott // Editors: Nithya Eswaran & Vicky McIntyre I enjoy browsing social media under hashtags relating to my research fields. There are so many talented and dedicated scientists…

For my final blog post of the year, I wrote about parasite cleanses. My own personal pet-hate of pseudoscience internet, since helminths are my thing. I focussed on how these snake oil salespeople get people hooked on their content and into their online stores.
#AcademicSky #SciComm

Get down to the engineering building to see some NanoSIMS #UoM-TBM