Mathilde Borg Dahl

What would you rather do? This?

What would you rather do? A little personal reflection....

open.substack.com/pub/matthias...

Slide is titled: You don't need to use LLMs. Science is a process of collaborative meaning making, by which we try to understand the world Even if AI were perfect, we rely on it at our peril — it is not science if we (i.e., humanity as a whole) do not understand and cannot recapitulate all parts of it I very, very rarely use LLMs myself. You can give yourself permission not to. Don’t FOMO yourself into it

Conclusion: Don't rely on something you don't understand and can't control If you must use LLMS: 1. Treat them like you would an intern: only use them for things you can easily and thoroughly check 2. Make your process as robust as possible 3. Be aware of your own (human) cognitive biases

Getting nervous for the talk I'm about to give at a workshop about "using AI to drive impact" which features slides such as these.

"More than the sums of it's parts" - A discussion on "complexity being key" which I had with @amburns.bsky.social just today over lunch. And which is very relevant to consider for some very complex data I am currently analysing. Great! Love it when things align - I look forward to read the article!

The team at our research site in the alps

📣 New PhD student position opening in my lab!
Soils are full of microbes, but how many are active?
Surprisingly, we still lack reliable methods to answer this.
If you are interested in microbial dormancy and are fascinated by the Alps and glacier forefields, contact me.
🏔️ 🦠 💤 🧬 🎓

🌊🔬 Looking for a postdoc to join our team!
Cocco-Channel project ➡️ studying coccolithophore phycospheres and their role in ocean carbon cycling.
✔️ Plus if you bring experience in microbial ecology, molecular/microscopy tools & fieldwork
👉 More info: euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/375178
#protistsonsky

Mirror of the unknown: should research on mirror-image molecular biology be stopped? Amid growing debates about the benefits and risks of studying looking-glass versions of life’s building blocks, there is an urgent need to bridge divergent views.

Mirror of the unknown: should research on mirror-image molecular biology be stopped? www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Illusions of AI consciousness The belief that AI is conscious is not without risk

My paper with @ericelmoznino.bsky.social on AI consciousness and the danger of people seeing it (whether or not it is there) is out in @science.org.

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

How easy is it to fudge your scientific rank? Meet Larry, the world’s most cited cat “Exercise in absurdity” reveals flaws in Google Scholar’s productivity metrics

Larry Richardson appeared to be an early-career mathematician with potential, racking up more than 130 citations in 4 years.

It would all be rather remarkable—if the studies weren’t complete gibberish. And if Larry wasn’t a cat. #InternationalCatDay scim.ag/4lg3wTp

How thoughtful experimental design can empower biologists in the omics era - Nature Communications Here, the authors discuss principles of experimental design that are relevant for all biology research, along with special considerations for projects using -omics approaches, highlighting common expe...

Great publication from Maggie Wagner (KU) and Manuel Kleiner (NCS) on how to design microbiome (+ other Omic) projects with downstream statistics in mind!

A must read for trainees!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

But also, I must say, incredibly creepy 😬🙈

Counting soil microbial communities: the impact of qPCR platform and mastermix on accuracy and precision qPCR is used to measure soil microorganisms but can be affected by inhibitors, change in mastermix, and platform. This study measured precision and accurac

If you do #qPCR on soils you might be interested in this paper led by @aoifeduff.bsky.social @femsmicro.org which shows the effect of mastermix, sample type, platform and gene target on the inhibition, precision and accuracy of quantification academic.oup.com/femsec/artic...

Are you interested in doing your PhD in applied bioinformatics in Greifswald? Then apply now for this exciting open position!
#CONCENTRATE #TRR420 #AI #DeepLearning #Bioinformatics www.uni-greifswald.de/en/universit...

So, thank you, reviewers — I'll certainly keep pushing now!

...Today, the comments were finally released to me, and I'm happy to say that I am left with quite the opposite feelings after reading them. They are incredibly supportive and encouraging, and the criticism is given in a very respectful and constructive manner.

I wasn't successful with a research application this year, and I was afraid of the existential doubt and despair that popentially awaits in the lines of every review. I was worried that I would be left unmotivation to keep pushing...

Oh how lovely! Happy to hear your students appreciate you 🤗

We are hiring: Full Professor of Soil Ecosystems and Global Change Soil ecosystems form the foundation of planetary health and play a critical role in climate feedback mechanisms. However, they are also vulnerable to the impacts of global change.

CeMESS is hiring!

Join us at the Division of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research (@ter-cemess.bsky.social) as Full Professor of SOIL ECOSYSTEMS AND GLOBAL CHANGE. Collaborate across a leading institution in microbiome science and environmental research.

🔗 Learn more: cemess.univie.ac.at/news/detail-...

'The first author was a woman. She should be in the kitchen, not writing papers': Bias in STEM publishing still punishes women "What is the hard evidence, beyond anecdote and suspicion, that unconscious bias impacts on women's careers? Increasing numbers of studies show, in many different guises, just how potent such bias can...

So-called objective metrics in academia disadvantage women. Letters of reference for women tend to have less stand-out adjectives. Women's papers are cited less, their grants are smaller on avg & their papers have a harder time getting past reviewers.
www.livescience.com/human-behavi...

ERC Advanced Grant awarded to Dagmar Woebken CeMESS Assoc Prof. Dagmar Woebken has secured a highly competitive ERC Advanced Grant for her project 'Windows of microbial activity in deserts afforded by non-rain water (WinMicAct)'.

Big congratulations to Dagmar Woebken (@dagmarwoebken.bsky.social) who has been awarded an #ERC Advanced Grant for her project "WinMicAct" to explore how desert microbes thrive on non-rainwater.

🔗 More info: cemess.univie.ac.at/news/detail-...

Hahaha yes! What is up with that 😆

Uh thanks for the tip - maybe I'll try that 😊👍

Really considering this, although it would be 5am here 🥴

Thank you everyone of 260 ESM2025 participants 🤎 We at @luke.fi miss you, and already looking for Prague ESM2028 🤩

@amburns.bsky.social 👏

What an inspiring group of researchers! And they are all here in Helsinki for the soil microorganisms! 🤩
#esm2025 #soils

Panorama shot of the city hall of Helsinki as it fills with scuentists.

Four scientists posing for my social media post in the entrance space of th ecity hall.

Shaky selfie of me and Dr. Andrea Söllinger cheering in white wine at the end of a long and very interesting day.

A great day at #esm2025 coming to an end here on Helsinki, with the last event of todays programme being a reception at the beautiful city hall 🥂 So wonderful to reconnect with colleagues I haven't seen in a long time 😊

See you there! 😃

#esm2025