Matt Rockman

Holy crapoly, what an opportunity!

New paper by my lab! PhD student @fallonmeng.bsky.social set out to use whole genome sequencing of Spotted Lanternfly from China & the US to better understand the invasion... and discovered that adapting to the city may be the key to their invasive success!
royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...

check out our new findings about the why spotted lanternfly are doing so well in invasion?! doi.org/10.1098/rspb...

We can't help but agree with @jrossibarra.bsky.social—you don't want to miss #PEQG26! Join us at beautiful Asilomar grounds for a dynamic scientific program and plenty of opportunities to meet or reconnect with the PEQG community. 🫶 Plus, it's not too late to submit an abstract: buff.ly/S6WhQGj

Uppsala in late autumn

Join us at the Evolutionary Biology Centre at Uppsala University. We’re searching for an Assistant Professor in Biology. www.uu.se/en/about-uu/...

Homepage - 2026 Population, Evolutionary, and Quantitative Genetics Conference Visit our website to learn more.

PEQG! My favorite conference ever*. Single session, fantastic talks, great discussions. Only once every 2 years. And in the best conference location too! Abstract deadline coming up Feb 5!

*Disclosure: I am required to say it's the best conference because it is and I told my mom I wouldn't lie.

The Abreu lab at NYU is hiring another postdoc! We study microbial ecology and evolution, using yeast/bacteria microcosms, DNA barcoding for evolutionary lineage tracking, and simple mathematical modeling. Apply here: apply.interfolio.com/179949

What happens when scientists studying population, evolutionary, and quantitative genetics all get together in one room? You get #PEQG26! Hear why PEQG 2026 stands apart directly from conference organizers: buff.ly/O0jiIBE

1/2🧵

Big day for worms out there living their best worm lives

The Golden Age of Caenorhabditis ecology is right now.

AMNH REU

Come learn with us! #REU!

🧬 Just out in Bioinformatics Advances: “tskit arg visualizer: Interactive plotting of ancestral recombination graphs.” 

Read the full paper here: https://doi.org/10.1093/bioadv/vbaf302

Authors include: @kitchensjn.bsky.social, @yanwong.bsky.social

No molecular evidence for Muller's ratchet in mitochondrial genomes Muller's ratchet predicts that non-recombining genomes can accumulate deleterious mutations, though molecular evidence for it is rare. Previous studies have tried to detect ratchet-like behavior in mi...

Have you ever wondered: just how strong *is* the evidence for Muller's ratchet on mtDNA?

Well, wonder no more!

(Project led by Yu Mo, with @smishra677.bsky.social and @yadirapga.bsky.social)

"No molecular evidence for Muller's ratchet in mitochondrial genomes"
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

#ASMR

Here’s a thread introducing the original preprint version a few months ago:

Now in print: tour de force mitonuclear epistasis study in C. elegans.
Start to finish, vision and execution, 100% Tuc Nguyen @tuchmnguyen.bsky.social

Research Associate in Biology The Department of Biology at the University of Virginia invites applicants for a post-doctoral Research Associate position in the lab of Professor Amanda Gibson as part of an NSF-funded project. The Gibson lab is broadly interested in the evolution of avoidance versus resistance as modes of parasite defense. This project specifically tests the idea that host dispersal evolves as an escape in space from parasites, and it evaluates the downstream consequences of dispersal for the evolution of host resistance. The work makes use of the experimental tools and resources available for the model nematode C. elegans and its natural parasites. Associated projects entail evolve-and-resequencing, quantitative trait mapping, and field sampling with spatial analyses. The selected candidate will also mentor undergraduate students in independent research projects through a summer program for incoming transfer students. Find out more about the lab at https://coevolving.org. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: o A PhD in Biology or a related field by the start date. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: Demonstrated conceptual and technical strengths in host-parasite interactions, evolutionary ecology, evolutionary genetics, and/or dispersal biology Experience in basic lab and molecular work A strong background in experimental design, data analysis, and data management Excellent written and oral communication, demonstrated by a strong publication record, consistent with the candidate’s career stage, and presentations at conferences Demonstrated ambition, creativity, independence, and ability to work well with others Experience in and dedication to mentoring junior trainees APPLICATION PROCEDURE: Apply online https://jobs.virginia.edu/us and search for R0078709. Attach a cover letter outlining your qualifications and motivation for pursuing the position, curriculum vitae, and contact information for three individuals who can provide professional reference letters. In the cover letter, please address your fit with the qualifications above and your experience in mentoring undergraduates. Please note that multiple documents can be uploaded in the box. APPLICATION DEADLINE: Review of applications will begin on January 15, 2026. The University will perform background checks on all new hires prior to employment. Anticipated start date for this position is May, 2026, but the start date is flexible. This is a one-year appointment; however, appointment may be renewed for additional two, one-year increments, contingent upon available funding and satisfactory performance. For questions about the position, please contact Amanda Gibson, Associate Professor, at akg5nq@virginia.edu. For questions about the application process, please contact Richard Haverstrom, Academic Recruiter, at rkh6j@virginia.edu. For information on the benefits available to postdoctoral associates at UVA, visit postdoc.virginia.edu and hr.virginia.edu/benefits. The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity employer. All interested persons are encouraged to apply, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Click here to read more about UVA’s commitment to non-discrimination and equal opportunity employment. PLEASE READ: The job postings for this page have been moved to a new location. Please visit the UVA Careers Websites to navigate to the appropriate site, or click UVA Careers in the upper right corner of this page to view open positions. If have already applied and need to log in to your existing Workday account, please click Sign In in the upper right corner of this page. Please do not sign in until you have visited and applied through a UVA Careers website.

The Gibson lab at UVA is hiring a postdoc to study dispersal as a parasite avoidance mechanism. Apply by mid-January: https://uva.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/UVAJobs/job/Charlottesville-VA/Research-Associate-in-Biology_R0078709. #postdoc

You beautiful, slinky worm, you! A Xenacoela - I don’t know much about these guys, but I think this one is gorgeous! Thanks @microbe_guru for the ID.
#marineplankton 🦑

We have a new postdoc position available in the Promislow lab at the HNRCA at #Tufts in #Boston, to work on the #systemsbiology of #aging in #Drosophila. Come join us! For info on the position and to apply, see promislowlab.org/wp-content/u...

A one story L-shaped building in San Antonio Texas. The right side is 1950s International Style including signage reading Rico’s Products Co., but the left side is clad in preposterous fake white stone and somehow the whole thing is impossibly beautiful? The Tower of the Americas sticks up from behind the building, and power lines cross from middle left side to top right corner.

Cathedrals everywhere for those with eyes to see

Parallel Evolution of X Chromosome-Specific Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes Complexes in Two Nematode Lineages Abstract. Mechanisms of X chromosome dosage compensation have been studied in model organisms with distinct sex chromosome ancestry. However, the diversity

Aharonoff et al. show that dosage compensation mechanisms continue to evolve in species with shared X chromosome ancestry, and that the process of evolving chromosome-wide gene regulatory mechanisms is constrained.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf270

#evobio #molbio #celegans

Research Associate-Fixed Term - East Lansing, Michigan, United States Position Summary The Lowry Lab at Michigan State University is searching for a postdoctoral research associate to conduct molecular and physiological experiments to understand the causes of genetic va...

I am currently searching for a new postdoctoral researcher to study the evolution, genetics, and physiology of cold acclimation and freezing tolerance in switchgrass at Michigan State University. This work will be funded by a newly funded five-year DOE grant. careers.msu.edu/jobs/researc...

I am looking to hire a postdoc interested in combining genetics and evolution to understand why telomeres vary so much in plants. My group has been developing Mimulus a genetic model for studying plant telomeres and we have really cool research brewing. Please check ad for detail. Deadline is 12/31.

SAVE THE DATE: the yearly NY Population Genetics meeting will be back on March 9 2026, generously hosted by the
@simonsfoundation.org. Details to follow. Please RT.

Google streetview image of a UPS truck, with images stitched together badly so that it reads “worldwiddwide services” and synchronizirhonizing the world of commerce”

Reminds me of this amazing homeotic mutant I found on google streetview

Mario Cuomo Bridge is now Mahmood Mamdani Bridge, that’s how it works 🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽

New York City “I Voted” sticker

LFG NYC!

New preprint! We unexpectedly discovered that some Caenorhabditis species delete parts of their somatic genome early in development, which fragments their chromosomes and eliminates key germline genes. Multiple lines of evidence suggest this bizarre process was present in the ancestors of C. elegans

For what it’s worth, The Wyoming Worm lab has funding for 5 years along with exciting projects with solid foundations. We are is still looking for capable, dedicated, and fun-to-work-with lab members at all career stages. davidfay@uwyo.edu

scholar.google.com/citations?us...