Dr Sophie I Holland

"Australia should urgently adopt an ambitious,
strategically prioritised and explicit Antarctic and Southern Ocean research agenda supported by a
consolidated whole-of-government commitment."
✅ ✅ ✅ 💯

Home - CliC OSC 2026 About the conference REgister now Abstract Guidelines Registration is open! Register here and use the buttons below to access travel resources. FLIGHT DISCOUNTS ACCOMMODATION TRAVEL INFORMATION Second...

Abstract deadline for Climate and Cryosphere 2026, in Wellington NZ, now extended till August 31st. Spread the word...

clic2026.com

#climate #academicsky #nz

This design came to me and I've been convinced me to make it real. So I'm now taking MAKE ANTARCTICA GAY AGAIN cap orders 😂 Open to those in Naarm Melbourne and anyone willing to pay postage + ~$30 for the hat. ❄️✨🌈

Logo for the Sandpiper website

Out in @natbiotech.nature.com: Metagenome taxonomy profilers usually ignore unknown species. SingleM is an accurate profiler which doesn't, even detecting phyla with no MAGs. Profiles of 700,000 metagenomes at sandpiper.qut.edu.au. A 🧵

Close-up of pink agar plate with bacterial colonies, promoting a call for papers on microbiology education perspectives.

What does innovation in microbiology teaching look like?

We invite papers on pedagogy, tech, curriculum, and student engagement in microbiology education.

More information ▶️ buff.ly/OMVT8xk

#SciComm #MicrobiologyEducation #AcademicSky #SciComm 🧪 #AcWri #PHDSky #ScholComms #OpenScience #SciPol

Scenic view of icebergs drifting in water, framed by towering mountains, showcasing Antarctica's summer landscape.

A new study shows these extremes trigger cascading effects—from ocean warming to habitat loss for top predators. The findings underscore the urgent need for sustained long-term monitoring.

In New Scientist: www.newscientist.com/article/2486...

In PNAS Nexus: academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...

Lots of other fun Antarctic-themed things happening all week for the Family Fiesta too!
www.monash.edu/performing-a...

Polar Camp - MPAC – Monash University Performing Arts Centres

Polar camp details www.monash.edu/performing-a...

Creativity experts Laura and Mon dressed in polar explorer gear in front of three yellow tents.

Scientists Madi and Bec in front of a table with microscopes, snowshoes and crampons.

We teamed up with One Planet & @monashuniversity.bsky.social to set up a Polar Camp at the Family Fiesta this week! If you're in Naarm with kids aged 3-12, come have a chat about Antarctica ❄️, search for bugs 🪲, learn how we do science in the field 🧑‍🔬. Details below.

@arcsaef.bsky.social

😂💅💁 Expecting influencer sponsorship deals in my inbox any day now...

Women end up doing the academic housework

A study on what many of us already know: over 75% of internal service work in academia is done by women. The bit that gets me:”The male associate professors in particular made it clear that they actively engaged in evasiveness and did not want to participate if it was not positive for their careers”

Our new consensus statement on reducing and reporting contamination in microbiome studies is the cover image of this month's Nature Microbiology: www.nature.com/articles/s41... In the cover photo, you can see our postdoc Sophie Holland in fully PPE sampling the atmosphere of terrestrial Antarctica.

ABACBS 2025 Conference Adelaide, South Australia. Nov. 24-

Finally joined Bluesky! Follow along to stay connected with ABACBS. Keep an eye out in the coming days, we’ll be releasing more details for 2025 conference, including opening abstract submissions and announcing invited speakers!

www.abacbs.org/abacbs2025

A figure from the paper showing how contamination can appear in microbiome data during sampling, DNA extraction, and Library preparation and sequencing steps.

This accompanies our recent article "Guidelines for preventing and reporting contamination in low-biomass microbiome studies", lead by @greening.bsky.social and @noahfierer.bsky.social. Check it out here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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A screenshot of the Nature Microbiology website showing the journal cover - me in a cleansuit, gloves, and dark snow goggles attaching a filter to an air sampling unit. Text reads: Guidelines for low-biomass microbiomes. Pictured here, Sophie Holland attaches a filter to an air sampler to study the atmospheric microbiome of Somoveken Glacier in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. The pristine environment and incredibly low atmospheric biomass require multiple precautions to avoid sample contamination, including wearing full personal protective equipment over warm weather gear. In this issue, Fierer, Greening and colleagues working on host-associated and environmental microbiomes present guidelines and best practices for studying low-biomass microbiomes in a Consensus Statement. See Fierer et al. Image: Braydon Moloney. Cover design: Laoise Mac Gabhann"

Guess who's the coverboi for @natmicrobiol.nature.com this month? 💁 A huge shout-out to Dr Rachael Lappan for entrusting me to carry out the sampling for this incredibly cool atmosphere microbiome project on her behalf, & to Braydon Moloney for capturing this moment in Antarctica last summer. [1/2]

I just got sent a package of letters from the students at Deepdene Primary School, thanking Dr Gaofeng Ni and I for our presentations on microbes, science and Antarctica. I won't share any for privacy reasons but OH MY HEART kids really are the best 🥹🥹🥹 and such thoughtful questions!

Excerpt from the proposed 2026 NOAA Budget, showing the total funding for climate research reduced from $220 million per year to $0.

The proposed NOAA budget for 2026 contains the literal line:

Total, Climate Research: $0

www.commerce.gov/sites/defaul...

Guidelines for preventing and reporting contamination in low-biomass microbiome studies Nature Microbiology - In this Consensus Statement, the authors outline strategies for processing, analysing and interpreting low-biomass microbiome samples, and provide recommendations to minimize...

The low signal-to-noise ratio of low biomass environments necessitates extra caution when sampling & analysing microbiome data 🦠🧬 We outline best practices & minimum reporting standards 📝
rdcu.be/er3Io

@arcsaef.bsky.social @noahfierer.bsky.social @greening.bsky.social @monashuniversity.bsky.social

Come jump in the sea with me this Saturday, Melbournians! It'll be fun, I promise!

@monashuniversity.bsky.social asked me to comment on the viral drinking glacier water trend 🏔️💧 Tl;dr While we get all our drinking water by melting snow when we're in Antarctica, I wouldn't recommend going there just for that! www.instagram.com/reel/DK_askm...

@arcsaef.bsky.social

Warming of +1.5 °C is too high for polar ice sheets - Communications Earth & Environment Warming of +1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels is too high for the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, and even the current climate forcing of +1.2 °C is likely to lead to several meters of sea-level rise, meaning that only a return to +1 °C or lower will avoid extensive loss and damage to coastal populations, according to a synthesis of recent evidence.

Warming of +1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels is too high for the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, and even the current climate forcing of +1.2 °C is likely to lead to several meters of sea-level rise, according to a study in Communications Earth & Environment. 🧪

Logo of the Climate and Cryosphere Open Science Conference, with location and dates

Climate research folks, do consider the Climate and Cryosphere Open Science Conference in Wellington, New Zealand, 9-12 Feb 2026. Southern Summer talking about climate and ice.

Abstract submission closes on 31 July 2025.

With a bonus @scar-antarctic.bsky.social INSTANT meeting alongside it.

Sophie stands on a barren ridge in Antarctica, holding a trans flag. A glacier and snow-covered mountains lie in the background.

It's Trans Day of Visibility. Unfortunately for many trans people in the world right now, visibility means violence. I am grateful that it's relatively safe for me to be trans, to yell loudly for our rights, and to use my position to try and make polar science a safer place for all. #TDOV 🩵🩷🤍🩷🩵

Cool! As an Antarctic microbiologist, this sounds right up my alley 😍 I remember loving some footage that you showed at a SCAR Biology talk in Christchurch a few years ago 😊

Amazing! Is there anywhere we can watch it online?

A photo of Sophie behind a podium, in front of a projector screen with their title slide "My life as a scientist".

I had a great time talking to Year 3-6 students at Deepdene Primary School this morning. I told them about microbes and what it's like to go on an expedition to Antarctica. They had SO many good questions, it blew me away 🥹 I love getting people excited about science 🧑‍🔬🥰

This graphic 🤩

Hydrogenase-driven ATP synthesis from air www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... #jcampubs

A photo of a chonky seal lying on the ice, in front of a snow-covered mountain with clear blue skies overhead. Text at the top reads: "What is lacking in ECR support for Antarctic science in AU/NZ?"

Our final question for the week: What do you think is lacking in ECR support for Antarctic science in AU/NZ? Let us know below or via DM. Your input will be taken to the Polar Early Career World Summit #PECWS this weekend, and be considered in planning for the 5th International Polar Year #IPY5.

Job alert: 3 Aotearoa New Zealand Postdoctoral fellowships in complex systems www.tepunahamatatini.ac.nz/2025/03/07/p...