The Menachery Lab

Mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.5 infection induces post-acute lung fibrosis in BALB/c mice | Journal of Virology To best combat the evolving landscape of SARS-CoV-2 variants of interest and variants of concern, the development of effective small animal models is of critical importance. Herein, we describe the de...

New #coronavirus #postacute lung pathogenesis paper from my friend Dr. John Powers is up at @asm.org JVI. journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/... Confusing as to why this link shows a rotund blue bird. #PASC #SARSCoV2 #Omicron #LoveVirology #JVI #ASM #virology

NIH will spend its full $48B budget — but multi-year funding means fewer projects, record-low grant success, and a warning for U.S. science.👉 lfdn.org/3KOs2hT
💜Learn how you can support NIH funding: www.lustgarten.org/forging-ahead
#ResearchMatters

Recognition of being selected for Emory School of Medicine Research Appreciation Day 2025

Feels like everything has moved slow since restarting here at Emory last year, but glad to have been nominated by my new peers and selected for this recognition.

med.emory.edu/about/facult...

Hand drawn picture with a legend

I wish my all my students labeled their figures as well as my daughter.

RFK Jr.’s damage to the CDC is ‘past the point of no return,’ Dr. Demetre Daskalakis warns “The CDC you knew is over,” the infectious diseases doctor told The Advocate. “Unless someone takes radical action, there is nothing there that can be salvaged.”

there is no question in my mind that rfk jr is the most dangerous person in this administration and that his eugenicist ideology threatens the lives of millions of people www.advocate.com/politics/dem...

What the CDC lost: a closer look at the top-ranking officials who have quit Here is a closer look at the top-ranking officials who resigned from the CDC this week.

What the CDC lost: a closer look at the top-ranking officials who have quit

HHS Secretary RFK Jr. says agency suffers from ‘malaise,’ but departed officials had deep expertise

Knowledge, experience and talent lost due to political ideology.

Breaking News: Read three top CDC officials' resignation emails. The end of an era.

Enough is enough. The health of the country is in danger. Read our resignation letters: insidemedicine.substack.com/p/breaking-n...

Wow

#WomenInSTEM becoming independent: People should feel free to be themselves and do great science. We asked ten women researchers about their science and the process of setting up a lab as an independent researcher: rupress.org/jem/article/...

Man fired 180 shots, breaking 150 windows, in CDC attack The man who attacked the CDC headquarters in Atlanta on Friday fired more than 180 shots into the campus and broke about 150 windows, with bullets piercing “blast-resistant” windows and […]

www.wabe.org/man-fired-18...

Donate to Officer Rose's Official GoFundMe, organized by Mrs Rose Officer David Rose was more than a dedicated public servant - He was a loving father, a dev… Mrs Rose needs your support for Officer Rose's Official GoFundMe

Spent the weekend here reflecting & reconnecting. A sorrowful few days thinking of what was lost.

The CDC is ubiquitous to our community. An attack on us all.

Officer David Rose died protecting us. Take a moment to support & share efforts for the family he left.

www.gofundme.com/f/7xahr9-off...

Lab members in ATL are all accounted and safe.

#ASV2025 is where you run into a Nobel Laureate at the bar late at night and they wish you a happy birthday.

My birthday is in March. But thanks.

Happy birthday @lakdawalalab.bsky.social

This advice is what has worked for me at #ASV2023 meetings in the past.

It may not work for you, but hopefully gives you some thoughts on how to approach networking.

Last bit of advice: Trust your gut.

You won’t connect with some people. Maybe they aren’t a good fit or make you feel uncomfortable.

Don’t stay engaged cause they are in an important lab or are part of a cool club.

These interactions are often paths to toxicity. Beware…

Once you start in a group bring others in.

Maybe people from your university or the guy you met on the bus. Whoever.

Grow the group you interact with. It will help everyone network.

At one #ASV I glommed onto
Tim Sheahan
&
@christopherbrooke.bsky.social
having met them at a UNC grad school interview years earlier ( I didn’t get in).

I hung out with UNC people that meeting and thereafter and paved my way to a postdoc there years later.

“But I don’t know anyone at #ASV2023”

Advice 5: Find a group of people. Students from your lab, university are a good start. Friendships in lab are often started at conferences through shared experiences.

From there you can go to groups like #binningvirologists & other groups

Advice 4: careful approaching groups of faculty to chat.

We were all once trainees. When we are together, we talk science. We also gossip and talk smack. Most of us don’t do that in front of trainees.

Be aware of what your interrupting. Read the signals. It’s ok, but be cool.

Personally I take an intro more seriously as the person introducing vouches for you.

Also I will get more info from them later so make sure your contact will be truthful and supportive (in that order for me).

“But I really want to post doc in that lab.” What’s the best way to contact.

Advice 3: get someone to introduce you.

Did you make friends with a grad student in their lab? Did your boss post doc with them? Does a PD you know know them?

Ask your contact to make intro.

I once met a famous scientist at a conference in a foreign country.

He was dressed differently than normal and looked exactly like a waiter at the hotel restaurant. You can imagine how this went for me.

Pretty sure he remembers, and not fondly. Avoid that.

So take advantage of chance encounters. Introduce yourself. Maybe a short bit on your science. If the conversation doesn’t go anywhere, let it go.

Be cool and let it flow naturally. Don’t be weird. They’ll remember that.

In that same vein, random opportunities present themselves to meet fancy people.

I once got stuck on a crappy excursion sitting next to an established faculty. A decade later when I see them, we still talk about it and other stuff in our labs. They still write letters for me.

Advice 2: connect beyond just science.

Yes, science is why you are here, but most don’t want to talk about it all the time.

My best collaborations started with topics not related to science. Maybe a hobby, a good restaurant, or complaining about your boss. Don’t limit yourself.

A few months later, he did me a huge favor sending hard to get reagents. Saved my thesis project.

Over the years, he also gave me examples of grants, CVs, faculty applications. Read my stuff and gave advice.

He is just one of many #ASV connections that had helped my career.

These peers will also be more likely to help than a random connection with faculty.

I met Mehul Suthar
at my first ASV when he had just started as a post-doc.

If not for him, I might be still at the bottom of the hill at Cornell trying to go back to the dorms from the bar.

Everyone says network, but nobody says how.

My advice: network with your peers. Make friends with people at your same career stage or a few years ahead/behind.

You’ll have more common things to talk about with them than a faculty dinosaur like me.

Recycling an old twitter thread for #ASV2025:

Heading to #ASV2023. One of my favorite meetings in virology.

My new students asked me for some tips on how to approach the meeting, so I thought I’d share some thoughts on scientific networking