Maria Akopyan, PhD
@akopyan.bsky.social
NSF postdoc at UC Riverside studying evolutionary genomics | she/her
Reposted by Maria Akopyan, PhD
New review!
Theory & a practical guide to structural variants in popgen🧬
Many thanks to my co-authors: @rebekahoomen.bsky.social
@annatigano.bsky.social @marenwellenreuther.bsky.social @janawold.bsky.social @dlfield.bsky.social @clairemerot.bsky.social
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Theory & a practical guide to structural variants in popgen🧬
Many thanks to my co-authors: @rebekahoomen.bsky.social
@annatigano.bsky.social @marenwellenreuther.bsky.social @janawold.bsky.social @dlfield.bsky.social @clairemerot.bsky.social
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
A Beginner's Guide to Structural Variants in Eco‐Evolutionary Population Genomics
Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) has greatly expanded researchers' ability to study structural variants (SVs), that is, the variation in the presence, number, orientation or position of a DNA sequence. ....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
January 28, 2026 at 2:05 AM
New review!
Theory & a practical guide to structural variants in popgen🧬
Many thanks to my co-authors: @rebekahoomen.bsky.social
@annatigano.bsky.social @marenwellenreuther.bsky.social @janawold.bsky.social @dlfield.bsky.social @clairemerot.bsky.social
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Theory & a practical guide to structural variants in popgen🧬
Many thanks to my co-authors: @rebekahoomen.bsky.social
@annatigano.bsky.social @marenwellenreuther.bsky.social @janawold.bsky.social @dlfield.bsky.social @clairemerot.bsky.social
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by Maria Akopyan, PhD
Cal State University’s deal with OpenAI — providing ChatGPT to all faculty, students, and staff — will expire in June 2026. Amid the prospect of layoffs in the CSU, we’re asking the chancellor not to renew this costly and demoralizing contract.
Link below and anyone can sign:
Link below and anyone can sign:
January 21, 2026 at 7:33 PM
Cal State University’s deal with OpenAI — providing ChatGPT to all faculty, students, and staff — will expire in June 2026. Amid the prospect of layoffs in the CSU, we’re asking the chancellor not to renew this costly and demoralizing contract.
Link below and anyone can sign:
Link below and anyone can sign:
Reposted by Maria Akopyan, PhD
Last year observed the 3rd warmest global average sea surface temperature on record. 🌊
Data from psl.noaa.gov/data/gridded...
Data from psl.noaa.gov/data/gridded...
January 14, 2026 at 1:26 AM
Last year observed the 3rd warmest global average sea surface temperature on record. 🌊
Data from psl.noaa.gov/data/gridded...
Data from psl.noaa.gov/data/gridded...
Reposted by Maria Akopyan, PhD
Team fish - we need your help! We are trying to build a database of all the fish chromosome-scale genomes where sex chromosomes have been identified. Have you build one or some? Do you know someone who has? Can you post the link in the comments? Please spread the word and repost! Thank you!
November 20, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Team fish - we need your help! We are trying to build a database of all the fish chromosome-scale genomes where sex chromosomes have been identified. Have you build one or some? Do you know someone who has? Can you post the link in the comments? Please spread the word and repost! Thank you!
Reposted by Maria Akopyan, PhD
Integrative PhD position available in my lab on the mechanisms (gene expression, metabolism, microbiome and hormones) of intestinal remodelling in lampreys. Come work in a great and fun research environment with @nealdawson.bsky.social & Adam Dobson (not here). Apply: www.gla.ac.uk/colleges/mvl...
University of Glasgow - Colleges - College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences - MVLS Graduate School - PhD Research Opportunities - College Futures Themes PhD Programme
www.gla.ac.uk
November 26, 2025 at 9:34 AM
Integrative PhD position available in my lab on the mechanisms (gene expression, metabolism, microbiome and hormones) of intestinal remodelling in lampreys. Come work in a great and fun research environment with @nealdawson.bsky.social & Adam Dobson (not here). Apply: www.gla.ac.uk/colleges/mvl...
Reposted by Maria Akopyan, PhD
Wisconsin Evolution is accepting applications for our Seminar Series' Early Career Scientist Award. Come share your evolution research and visit UW-Madison's evolution community. Open to grad students and postdocs (<5 yrs post PhD) from outside UW-Madison.
Apply by Dec 15th here: shorturl.at/4a4O6
Apply by Dec 15th here: shorturl.at/4a4O6
Early Career Scientist Awards 2026
Application to the UW-Madison Evolution Seminar Series - Early Career Scientist Awards.
urldefense.com
November 19, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Wisconsin Evolution is accepting applications for our Seminar Series' Early Career Scientist Award. Come share your evolution research and visit UW-Madison's evolution community. Open to grad students and postdocs (<5 yrs post PhD) from outside UW-Madison.
Apply by Dec 15th here: shorturl.at/4a4O6
Apply by Dec 15th here: shorturl.at/4a4O6
Reposted by Maria Akopyan, PhD
Excited to recruit a new PhD student for Fall 2026 in my lab at Cornell! Looking for someone interested in evolutionary genomics + fisheries/conservation applications. Quick timeline this year—reach out soon. More details: www.therkildsenlab.org/join-us.html
Join Us
The lab of Nina Overgaard Therkildsen in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment at Cornell University invites applications for a PhD position starting in Fall 2026. Our group works...
www.therkildsenlab.org
November 14, 2025 at 2:17 AM
Excited to recruit a new PhD student for Fall 2026 in my lab at Cornell! Looking for someone interested in evolutionary genomics + fisheries/conservation applications. Quick timeline this year—reach out soon. More details: www.therkildsenlab.org/join-us.html
Thanks! That’s something we’re aware of but didn’t deal with in this study - it’s actually the first thing we mention in our limitations section. It’s definitely an important consideration that warrants investigation in future work.
September 26, 2025 at 3:34 AM
Thanks! That’s something we’re aware of but didn’t deal with in this study - it’s actually the first thing we mention in our limitations section. It’s definitely an important consideration that warrants investigation in future work.
Now published in Cell! We found that ~15% of SNPs from divergent refs did not liftover as SNPs in the gray fox ref—half mapped to monomorphic sites, half failed to map. Co-authored with Matthew Genchev, @elliecat.bsky.social, and @jazlynmooney.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
September 22, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Now published in Cell! We found that ~15% of SNPs from divergent refs did not liftover as SNPs in the gray fox ref—half mapped to monomorphic sites, half failed to map. Co-authored with Matthew Genchev, @elliecat.bsky.social, and @jazlynmooney.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Maria Akopyan, PhD
Thrilled to have a new paper out where we use 12+ years of monitoring data to document the impacts of inbreeding on fitness in eastern massasauga rattlesnakes! www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Inbreeding reduces fitness in spatially structured populations of a threatened rattlesnake | PNAS
Small and fragmented populations are at high risk of local extinction, in part because
of elevated inbreeding and subsequent inbreeding depression....
www.pnas.org
August 20, 2025 at 4:12 AM
Thrilled to have a new paper out where we use 12+ years of monitoring data to document the impacts of inbreeding on fitness in eastern massasauga rattlesnakes! www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
I’ve been meaning to write this for a while… but ADHD 😅
I finally did! It’s about creating academic spaces that actually work for people with ADHD. If it resonates, I’d love to connect or hear your thoughts.
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/care...
#ADHD #Neurodiversity #HigherEd
I finally did! It’s about creating academic spaces that actually work for people with ADHD. If it resonates, I’d love to connect or hear your thoughts.
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/care...
#ADHD #Neurodiversity #HigherEd
How to Create an ADHD Academic Community (opinion)
Maria Akopyan writes that a grad school ADHD group became a career-spanning lifeline.
www.insidehighered.com
July 23, 2025 at 2:46 PM
I’ve been meaning to write this for a while… but ADHD 😅
I finally did! It’s about creating academic spaces that actually work for people with ADHD. If it resonates, I’d love to connect or hear your thoughts.
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/care...
#ADHD #Neurodiversity #HigherEd
I finally did! It’s about creating academic spaces that actually work for people with ADHD. If it resonates, I’d love to connect or hear your thoughts.
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/care...
#ADHD #Neurodiversity #HigherEd
Reposted by Maria Akopyan, PhD
On this week’s ep, Kevin Bird (@stairwaytokevin.bsky.social) explains the events of the last 3 months, how science is funded in the United States, why it is being attacked so aggressively, and the ideologies behind these attacks. Found everywhere you get podcasts.
open.spotify.com/episode/0E9l...
open.spotify.com/episode/0E9l...
Is science political? - with Kevin Bird
Tiny Living Beings · Episode
open.spotify.com
May 5, 2025 at 10:30 AM
On this week’s ep, Kevin Bird (@stairwaytokevin.bsky.social) explains the events of the last 3 months, how science is funded in the United States, why it is being attacked so aggressively, and the ideologies behind these attacks. Found everywhere you get podcasts.
open.spotify.com/episode/0E9l...
open.spotify.com/episode/0E9l...
Reposted by Maria Akopyan, PhD
@akopyan.bsky.social et al. analysed 168 genomes of Atlantic silverside, showing that high gene flow leads to clustered divergence in large inversions, while low recombination at centromeres mimics differentiation.
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molb...
#evobio #molbio #inversions
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molb...
#evobio #molbio #inversions
Genetic Differentiation is Constrained to Chromosomal Inversions and Putative Centromeres in Locally Adapted Populations With Higher Gene Flow
Abstract. The impact of genome structure on adaptation is a growing focus in evolutionary biology, revealing an important role for structural variation and
doi.org
May 5, 2025 at 8:34 AM
@akopyan.bsky.social et al. analysed 168 genomes of Atlantic silverside, showing that high gene flow leads to clustered divergence in large inversions, while low recombination at centromeres mimics differentiation.
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molb...
#evobio #molbio #inversions
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molb...
#evobio #molbio #inversions
Huge thanks to my incredible co-authors Anna Tigano (@annatigano.bsky.social), Arne Jacobs (@fishyomics.bsky.social), Aryn Wilder, and Nina Therkildsen for their brilliant contributions to this work. This truly represents years of collaborative effort across multiple institutions! 🧬🐟 7/7
April 18, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Huge thanks to my incredible co-authors Anna Tigano (@annatigano.bsky.social), Arne Jacobs (@fishyomics.bsky.social), Aryn Wilder, and Nina Therkildsen for their brilliant contributions to this work. This truly represents years of collaborative effort across multiple institutions! 🧬🐟 7/7
This study offers valuable empirical insights distinguishing the roles of inversions (conditionally low-recombining) vs. centromeres (consistently low-recombining), illuminating the critical connection between genome structure and local adaptation with gene flow. 6/7
April 18, 2025 at 6:12 PM
This study offers valuable empirical insights distinguishing the roles of inversions (conditionally low-recombining) vs. centromeres (consistently low-recombining), illuminating the critical connection between genome structure and local adaptation with gene flow. 6/7
Meanwhile, putative centromeric regions showed high differentiation but LOW sequence divergence—suggesting they're unlikely to contribute to adaptive divergence with gene flow, despite their recombination-suppressing properties. 5/7
April 18, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Meanwhile, putative centromeric regions showed high differentiation but LOW sequence divergence—suggesting they're unlikely to contribute to adaptive divergence with gene flow, despite their recombination-suppressing properties. 5/7
The most fascinating discovery? Different genomic features play distinct roles: Chromosomal inversions showed both high differentiation AND high sequence divergence—evidence they maintain locally adapted alleles despite gene flow. 4/7
April 18, 2025 at 6:12 PM
The most fascinating discovery? Different genomic features play distinct roles: Chromosomal inversions showed both high differentiation AND high sequence divergence—evidence they maintain locally adapted alleles despite gene flow. 4/7
With increasing gene flow, we observed more clustering of differentiated regions in the genome! This supports theoretical predictions that high gene flow favors concentrated genomic architectures of adaptation. 3/7
April 18, 2025 at 6:12 PM
With increasing gene flow, we observed more clustering of differentiated regions in the genome! This supports theoretical predictions that high gene flow favors concentrated genomic architectures of adaptation. 3/7
We found a continuum of genome-wide differentiation increasing from south to north, reflecting higher connectivity among southern populations and reduced gene flow at northern latitudes. 2/7
April 18, 2025 at 6:12 PM
We found a continuum of genome-wide differentiation increasing from south to north, reflecting higher connectivity among southern populations and reduced gene flow at northern latitudes. 2/7
Excited to share our new paper on genetic differentiation in Atlantic silversides! We investigated how genome structure influences adaptation under varying levels of gene flow using a species-specific reference genome and multiple recombination maps. Read on for insights! doi.org/10.1093/molb... 1/7
Genetic differentiation is constrained to chromosomal inversions and putative centromeres in locally adapted populations with higher gene flow
Abstract. The impact of genome structure on adaptation is a growing focus in evolutionary biology, revealing an important role for structural variation and
doi.org
April 18, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Excited to share our new paper on genetic differentiation in Atlantic silversides! We investigated how genome structure influences adaptation under varying levels of gene flow using a species-specific reference genome and multiple recombination maps. Read on for insights! doi.org/10.1093/molb... 1/7
7/7 🦊 Huge thanks to my amazing co-authors Matthew Genchev @jazlynmooney.bsky.social @elliecat.bsky.social and shoutout to Urocyon cinereoargenteus, our beautiful study species! 🐾📸 #Teamwork #Genomics
December 4, 2024 at 6:39 PM
7/7 🦊 Huge thanks to my amazing co-authors Matthew Genchev @jazlynmooney.bsky.social @elliecat.bsky.social and shoutout to Urocyon cinereoargenteus, our beautiful study species! 🐾📸 #Teamwork #Genomics
6/7 🌍 Why It Matters: With most species lacking conspecific references, genomic studies often rely on divergent genomes, risking biased population genomic inferences. Reference genome choice matters—use species-matched references or reference-free methods when possible to ensure accurate insights.
December 4, 2024 at 6:39 PM
6/7 🌍 Why It Matters: With most species lacking conspecific references, genomic studies often rely on divergent genomes, risking biased population genomic inferences. Reference genome choice matters—use species-matched references or reference-free methods when possible to ensure accurate insights.
5/7 🎯 Selection Scans: Arctic fox and dog references identified more than twice the number of unique FST outlier windows compared to the gray fox reference. Each reference identified distinct gene ontology terms underlying outliers, reflecting different biological processes.
December 4, 2024 at 6:39 PM
5/7 🎯 Selection Scans: Arctic fox and dog references identified more than twice the number of unique FST outlier windows compared to the gray fox reference. Each reference identified distinct gene ontology terms underlying outliers, reflecting different biological processes.
4/7 ⏳ Demography & Recombination: The gray fox genome produced higher and more stable estimates of historical population sizes. Additionally, recombination rates inferred from heterospecific genomes were inflated, particularly at chromosome ends, compared to the gray fox genome.
December 4, 2024 at 6:39 PM
4/7 ⏳ Demography & Recombination: The gray fox genome produced higher and more stable estimates of historical population sizes. Additionally, recombination rates inferred from heterospecific genomes were inflated, particularly at chromosome ends, compared to the gray fox genome.
3/7 📊 Population Genomics: The conspecific gray fox genome detected more SNPs, especially rare variants, and yielded higher estimates of nucleotide diversity (π) and differentiation (FST) compared to dog and Arctic fox genomes.
December 4, 2024 at 6:39 PM
3/7 📊 Population Genomics: The conspecific gray fox genome detected more SNPs, especially rare variants, and yielded higher estimates of nucleotide diversity (π) and differentiation (FST) compared to dog and Arctic fox genomes.