Christine Dunham

I have not published a paper since (checks notes) June 17th and have not worked on a research project since (checks notes again) 5:30 AM this morning. I am currently working on three different projects.

24/n

A fun reminder that a loss of 60,000 jobs in and around academia is ~50% more than all coal mining jobs in the entire country.

Jennifer Doudna is named 2026 Priestley Medalist The award recognizes the biochemist for discoveries on ribozyme function and CRISPR gene editing, and international science leadership

@acs.org is recognizing Jennifer A. Doudna with the Priestley Medal for her discoveries on ribozyme function, the Dicer RNase enzyme, double-stranded RNA processing, and CRISPR gene editing, along with her impactful international science leadership. cen.acs.org/people/award... #chemsky 🧪

Let's please keep the remaining staff at NIH, NSF, etc in our thoughts even as you lose sleep over your own lab and scientific career.

They are enduring pure chaos to try to hold the fort.

See snapshot from wapo.st/4feKKuu (gift 🔗) saying they are "barely holding it together"

I have been an NIH funded scientist since 2002 and that ends for me on August 8 as the grant that currently funds me runs out and the lab downsizes. Never did I think that this could happen to the NIH. I have skimped over antibodies when funding was tight but my god. They are destroying it.

My quote of the day

Not everyone has been a bully or the victim of bullies, but everyone has seen bullying, and seeing it, has responded to it by joining in or objecting, by laughing or keeping silent, by feeling disgusted or feeling interested.

Octavia Butler

Soft money is great. Until there’s no money left. Academics are about to learn the hard way that we are nothing but independent contractors who can be terminated pretty darn easily. “Tenure” be damned. (Many of us knew this already, of course…)

As Requested - A Starter Pack of PIs in Biology (or adjacent) fields who are recruiting POSTDOCS! Please don't hesitate to reach out if you wish to be added! go.bsky.app/4gbXXR3

There’s a nonzero chance you will die from a cancer that could have been curable because people who couldn’t pass 7th grade biology and are scared of things like “mRNA” and “riboflavin” and “walkable cities” decided to make their ignorance everybody else’s problem

Mourning the loss of those who were RIF’d back in April. Our colleagues at NIH and across HHS are getting their official separation notices. These are friends and family members who were vital to the HHS mission being kicked to the curb. Please keep them in your thoughts.

Our MARC T34 got a new NOA today- also reinstated the IMSD T32 and a summer program- INSPIRE R25- we were reinstated due to involvement with ACLU lawsuit filed on behalf of the American Public Health Association-

Preprint from our collaboration with the labs of Gerry Wright and Shura Mankin identifying the first translation inhibitor binding to the E-site of the bacterial ribosome… www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-6...

10 years ago I was looking at non science jobs and talked to a marketing person. They asked what I wanted in a job I said exciting, creative and impactful and their response was that wasn’t really a job.

We scientists have a privileged daily “grind” that isn’t easily replaced doing something else.

The Trump admin is trying to destroy American higher education.

We’re standing in his way. And we need your help.

The AAUP Foundation helps support costs of the AAUP’s participation in legal cases brought by the AAUP and our allies.

Please donate today to support this important work.

Genome Sciences is looking for a Director of Departmental Computing. This is a rare opportunity for someone interested in leading our excellent IT team, building and maintaining computational infrastructure, and working closely with our faculty and labs uwhires.admin.washington.edu/ENG/candidat...

If McNutt can’t stand up for science, what is the point of the Academy? Leadership isn’t complicity in your own destruction, nor does “fixing” science mean capitulating to fascism. The pursuit of truth is bigger than the organization or Academy. No confidence vote now.

Deadline is July 18 to apply for the Burroughs Wellcome Fund/ASTMH Postdoctoral Fellowship in Tropical Infectious Diseases. Must be from a U.S. or Canadian institution, with a medical degree and an academic appointment of fellow. tinyurl.com/pphzwwff

Hi, it’s Meg again. Brad is still in ICE custody.

We are grateful to the many friends, supporters, and allies who have gathered in Federal Plaza.

Together we are standing up for those with no voice.

Cutting the NIH—The $8 Trillion Health Care Catastrophe This JAMA Forum discusses the recent budget cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH), the effects of these cuts on scientific research and health of individuals in the US, and the prospects for cha...

Over the next 25 years, if proposed cuts in NIH funding are made real, “In a population of more than 340 million, this reflects **82 million** fewer years of life.”

In the US alone.

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Strength in numbers. You don't need to list your affiliation or even your name. For some people, they may have legitimate concerns (e.g. because of immigration status).

But for many others, I think it is time to stand up and be counted. In my experience, most people I approach are eager to sign on.

George M. Sheldrick (1942–2025) In memory of George Sheldrick.

A tribute to George Sheldrick and SHELX and the impact on macromolecular and small-molecule crystallography

journals.iucr.org/a/issues/202...

Who funds biomedical research? @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Today, my NIH colleagues and I did something scary but really important. We spoke up about egregious harms we are seeing happen to research participants and public health through thoughtless and politicized policies at NIH. 🧵1/3

apnews.com/article/nih-...

Yesterday, when I signed they were aiming for 6000 signatures. Today there are almost 15,000 and they are aiming for 25,000!

If you haven't signed and want to support the scientists at the NIH that are trying to prevent its dismantling, please sign.

You can do it anonymously!

He resolved that he would not stop either, even though it was a huge sacrifice on his part. I believe this is what we owe our trainees: so long as they are invested in their work, we must be as well, even if it seems like the world is on fire around us, both literally and figuratively. 10/

Diagram showing how UFL1 interacts with flaviviral NS2A, Capsid, and NS3 proteins to promote viral assembly.

Excited to share our new paper led by recent PhD, Dr. Hannah Schmidt! We found that UFMylation unexpectedly promotes flavivirus particle production by specifically regulating viral assembly. Check it out! #virology #UFMylation #flaviviruses
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

Every scientist should discuss the consequences of the NIH and NSF grant terminations and delays and failure to fund at their home institution at the end of a talk or seminar. Even if a scientist’s own funding is not threatened, I GUARANTEE there is someone at their institution affected.

If you are in Atlanta or can get there and have the interest, this is a great opportunity to demonstrate clearly the insanity of these recommendations.

Text reads Science Serves Us All. #ASBMBAdvocates. The background is a 3D illustration protein enzymes.

Basic science saves lives and fuels the economy, which is why ASBMB members and staff will be on Capitol Hill next week advocating for bipartisan support for investment in agencies like NIH, NSF and DOE: www.asbmb.org/advocacy/sci....
#ScienceServesUsAll #ASBMBAdvocates

Unlawful grant terminations are harming young scientists and threatening innovation. ASCB joins leaders calling for immediate funding restoration.

www.ascb.org/society-news...