Dr Emily Drabek-Maunder 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🧑‍🔬

Sorry, I need to update my VPN, so I can't use the DMs on Bluesky. My email is easy to find though, happy for you to use my UCL one: e.drabek-maunder.22@ucl.ac.uk

a cartoon character is holding a bunch of money and the words shut up and take are above him ALT: a cartoon character is holding a bunch of money and the words shut up and take are above him

😱 Well, that solves my brain friend problem! 😆🧠

I just had to look up 'amigurumi' and now I would like to learn how to knit my own brain friend! ❤️🧠

Ha ha ha! Yes, I think the swirly lines were some way of trying to incorporate white matter tracts? ChatGPT sometimes comes out with very strange stuff.

Hi Dave, would love to meet up at the end of Feb to chat about Venus! It would be nice to catch up with you and @planetgreaves.bsky.social!

I asked ChatGPT to make a cartoon of me at work based on our past conversations. First, it made a picture of a man (because only men can be scientists?). Then, after describing what I looked like, it made this.

Where do I find a little brain friend to sit on my shoulder?! 🧑‍🔬🧲🧠⚛️🧪

Aw, I would have loved to have caught up (and joined a panel)! Yeah, we are looking at moving around the end of March, so unfortunately I won't be in the UK for Easter if things go to plan. 🥲 Always happy to meet up online though!

Thank you, and I'm so sorry to hear about your brother-in-law. ❤️

Happy to announce I accepted a #postdoc at SickKids Hospital in Toronto for Spring 2026! I'll be continuing my work on paediatric brain tumours (MRI). Things feel more real now that we've booked our flights (including for our cats) and sold our flat! 😱⚛️🧲🧠🧑‍🔬🧪🎉

Now...I must finish my thesis! 😅 #PhD

a little girl in an orange sweater is playing with her hands ALT: a little girl in an orange sweater is playing with her hands

My husband shrank his jumper in the washing machine....so now I have a new jumper! Best day. 😂

Just as I get back to work to have a break from socialising, I catch whatever lurgy has been plaguing London for the past few months. 🫠🤧

Come on, this data isn't going to analyse itself! 😅😭

It has been a lovely Christmas and New Year, but I've been travelling and attending so many social events that I'm now looking forward to going back to work on Monday so I can have a break from socialising. 😅😵‍💫🧑‍🔬🧑‍💻🧪 #introvert #introvertproblems

Nearly finished my thesis, submitted another paper, had some postdoc interviews in various countries, and even got a job offer......

I've accepted the offer, but not ready to announce the postdoc just yet until I have a few more details sorted. Soon! 🤫⚛️🧠🩻🧲🧑‍🔬🧪

(But we will be moving in 2026! 🤞)

Nebula

The second pic is the night of the Blood Moon.
High cloud created an intriguing and unique scene.
This night turned into something quite special - it turned into my first book!

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#BloodMoon #Eclipse, #NewZealand
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"Look with your eyes. See with your Soul."

#EastCoastKin #FullMoon #BestOf

Happy Solstice everyone! Here is to the longest night of the year! ✨🌚🌃

Okay, so it was an instant desk rejection. 😅 But within a week, I submitted it somewhere else. They are now 'assigning for review'. Hopefully, we'll have better luck this time! Come on Paper #3! 🧑‍🔬🧲⚛️🧠🩻🧪

So these two creatures managed to fish a cookie out of a box, lick the cookie, decide they didn't like the cookie, and then leave it on the counter for us to discover this morning.

What weird little guys.

#cats #blackcats

How Was Saturnalia Celebrated in Ancient Rome? - Tales of Times Forgotten Saturnalia is an ancient Roman holiday in honor of the god Saturnus that began on December 17th. The Romans believed that, in very ancient times, before Iupiter became the king of the deities, the cos...

Io Saturnalia to all who celebrate!

If you don't know how to celebrate, I wrote a blog post five years ago about how the holiday was celebrated in ancient Rome for your enjoyment.

talesoftimesforgotten.com/2020/12/18/h...

What happened to 'give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free'? 🤦

a man and a woman are decorating a christmas tree in a black and white photo . ALT: a man and a woman are decorating a christmas tree in a black and white photo .

It certainly feels like a dark and stormy winter day in London. A gothic Christmas. 🦇🎄⛈️

a man is sitting on a couch holding a cell phone and saying i can feel the power . ALT: a man is sitting on a couch holding a cell phone and saying i can feel the power .

TFW you teach an undergraduate how to use SSH. 😂⚛️🧑‍🔬🧠🩻🧲🧪

Badenoch then says she was ‘traumatised’ by having to wear a mask during COVID.

The lack of knowledge and care of public health never ceases to amaze me. If you are feeling unwell and have to travel or go to work, then it takes little effort to pop on a mask. 😷

It’s #Caturday! Hermes and Hades are mad because we decorated the flat for Christmas. They hid on their favourite top shelf. 🎄🌲⛄️❄️☃️🎅🤦‍♀️🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛

#blackcats #cat #london

Forgot the title of Blade Runner, so I proceeded to describe the film as ‘Oh the one with Han Solo where it rains all the time and he shacks up with the robot in the end.’ 😅🤦‍♀️

My husband laughed for a solid minute and then described me as ‘Malcolm Tucker trying to think of the name for Star Wars.’

a man is standing in front of a red curtain with the words `` i get knocked down '' . ALT: a man is standing in front of a red curtain with the words `` i get knocked down '' .

We don’t talk about this enough in academia, but I had a desk rejection for the paper I submitted a couple of weeks ago. 😓 So, I’ve resubmitted paper #3 of my PhD to a journal with (hopefully) a better fit! 🤞

The December full moon (sometimes called the Cold Moon) was looking spectacular last night in Bloomsbury. I managed snap this photo just before I left my office. #london #moon #fullmoon 🌕

Moon with a Gaussian blur

Don’t forget to look up

won't you celebrate with me.

a cartoon character with futurama written on the bottom right ALT: a cartoon character with futurama written on the bottom right

Submitted Paper #3 of my PhD! Finger's crossed it doesn't have an instant desk rejection. 😅 #PhD #PhDLife #Science #MRI 🧑‍🔬🧲⚛️🧠🩻🧪

Yeah, found this out the hard way! Thankfully, I've saved most research papers in Mendeley.

ChatGPT is also down, and I'm now wondering who is going to proofread my emails before I send them. 😅😭 Back to working like it is 2022.