Jonathan Taylor

Yesterday I learned that MS Teams throttles screen-sharing to ~3fps. To override that, you have to know to press an obscure and inscrutably-labelled button, every time. I very nearly gave a crucial online presentation, full of beating hearts, at 3fps without even realising. Stuff of nightmares.

Job alert! 📣 I’m looking for a research assistant to join my new team @idrm.ox.ac.uk

Were using #zebrafish to understand gene-environment interactions that shape the heart 🫀generate natural diversity 🐸🐭 and contribute to congenital defects ❤️‍🩹

Full info below, and please share! 🫶🏻

bit.ly/467TO0M

@retof.bsky.social, I sometimes think of your wish, some time ago, for everyone to have their own hype-man on stage when they are giving a conference presentation. My Teams meeting transcript from today seems to have completely hallucinated a colleague interjecting "ok. yeah! play the song! okay"

We have two funded postdoctoral positions available. Topics encompass:

-Next gen light-sheet fluorescence microscopy instrumentation

-Structured illumination microscopy and other approaches to extend the resolution limit.

-Nonlinear microscopy combined with adaptive optics / phase conjugation

I have an old document with a bunch of formulae (some obvious, some containing hard-to-find information like FN) that a Nikon rep sent me once. FWIW that states "Field number for CFI60 optics: 25mm". But I've had mixed results when estimating FoV with the 0.3NA, so I'm a little doubtful...

My mistake: Sigma not Fisher. We use Sigma A9414 low-melting-point agarose, though please don't take that as any sort of a recommendation, just that we've used that and feel it does the job for what we need.

Here’s one for the Bayesians: if you are pulled from an avalanche in cardiac arrest after >60 minutes, your chances of survival are higher than if you are pulled from an avalanche in cardiac arrest after <60 minutes 🤯

My answer is: the expensive stuff from Fisher, but I have long suspected that a €5 batch from Amazon would probably work just as well, if that’s where you’re going with this?

A loaded question to scream about...which agarose do you use to mix your beads to measure the PSF? Any brand #lsfm #lightsheet

Please spread the word among your students, and point out to them that there is extensive support available for them to develop their application, starting with applicant information sessions between now and the end of the year (see link)

Another PhD scholarship opportunity
@uofglasgow.bsky.social
: Black UK-domiciled students can apply for a James McCune Smith PhD www.gla.ac.uk/scholarships...; final application deadline 31st January. Scheme includes external mentors, placements, community-building & networking opportunities.

A great opportunity to come to Glasgow for an interdisciplinary PhD, benefitting from enhanced support and stipend, and a diverse cohort of students alongside you for an inclusive, team experience for your PhD! Please share widely, and spread the word with your undergraduate students.

"You have 2 words remaining. !! This answer has too many characters"

p.s. there's always something unexpected to raise your blood pressure at the 11th hour: in this case a 'secret' character limit in addition to the stated word limit for one of the sections on the form

Graph showing variable progress towards completion, not always on trajectory to reach the finish line before the deadline date

Big grant submitted, it's always a good sign when I'm *still* excited about the science even when the grind of the application is over 😀. I sketched this graph on my office whiteboard to explain to people the stress of when the trajectory feels like we won't get to the finish line in time!

Did you know zebrafish share many of the same genes as humans?

Gage Crump, PhD, Professor and Vice Chair of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at USC Stem Cell, explains how this tiny fish is helping advance human health research.

@keckschoolusc.bsky.social

One thing that always lifts my spirits as the nights draw in is the sound of the geese coming south for the winter. Such cheery, chatty birds. (Watch with sound on)

This looks great for learning and improving your research git workflows, "Rather than simply teaching commands, the sessions explore the workflows that make them meaningful". Can connect to the talk online, so no excuses not to join!

🙌 #FOM2026 takes place in Stockholm 🇸🇪 from 🗓️ March 29 to April 1, exploring the latest innovations & developments in optical microscopy. Apply for financial support - up to 10 candidates from underrepresented backgrounds will be supported. 🔬
More info🔽
www.focusonmicroscopy.org/2026-financi...

🔵 The Carpentries have recently published a new version of Building Better Research Software, a lesson in The Carpentries Incubator designed to serve as a “next steps” workshop after Software Carpentry. Find out more about it and how to get involved at: www.software.ac.uk/news/calling...

Multispectral live-cell imaging with uncompromised spatiotemporal resolution - Nature Photonics A tree-like arrangement of dichroic mirrors and multiple cameras coupled with an iterative spectral unmixing algorithm enables multispectral imaging of live cells in up to eight spectral channels with...

🚨Publication alert🚨
My first, first-author paper is now out in @natphoton.nature.com! Our paper describes an iterative spectral unmixing algorithm and eight-channel camera-based hardware we developed enabling unmixing of low SNR live-cell data at video rates. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

This is a fantastic read. Entertaining and informative, with some great snark thrown in for good measure

You're welcome to this one on me, if it helps? ︷

Does anyone have any experience with building a DIY upconversion/SHG setup to get pulsed blue out of a Ti:Sapph laser (Chameleon)? It seems like it should be fairly straightforward, but I would value any tips people have, or numbers for efficiency level you achieved. Thanks in advance!

"emphasis on usability and maintainability will not only cultivate researchers who naturally think in terms of clean code but also equip them with transferable skills that are valuable in any industry". To get students on board & doing this out of choice, they must see benefits for themselves [3/3]

Very much on my mind as I revamp a course on software development practive for STEM: "Currently, STEM undergraduates learn to program on toy problems. These do not adequately prepare one to deal with sprawling code bases that they will encounter in practice [...]" [2/3]

A thoughtful account of why version control is essential for research software: "achieving the highest levels of insight and impact requires robust tooling and reproducibility baked into its core"; "...requires code that can handle significant complexity and can evolve" [1/3]

I whispered the answer but you were too far away to hear. If only there was a way you could hear me from further away

A hexagonal honeycomb made by ‘C’s rather than bees?

Two beer glasses of Prosecco

The impromptu celebration lacked champagne flutes for the prosecco, so we had to make do with beer glasses 😂

I'm delighted to share the news that I've been promoted to (full) Professor. Feeling very thankful for all those who have mentored and supported me over the years, the smart and enthusiastic team I get to work with on cool science, and the colleagues who make Glasgow a great place to work.