Anat Belasen, PhD
@anatlovesfrogs.bsky.social
Research Associate at UT Austin
Incoming Asst Prof @ OU
Wildlife disease, immunogenetics, and conservation genomics in herps
she/her
#MENA and #BiInSci
intersectional STEMinist
fan of frogs, dogs, cats, bikes, books, and flowers
anatbelasen.com
Incoming Asst Prof @ OU
Wildlife disease, immunogenetics, and conservation genomics in herps
she/her
#MENA and #BiInSci
intersectional STEMinist
fan of frogs, dogs, cats, bikes, books, and flowers
anatbelasen.com
Pinned
I'm beyond excited to announce that I will be joining the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Oklahoma as an Assistant Professor in January 2026!
Belasen Lab @ou.edu coming soon 🐸 ❤️
Belasen Lab @ou.edu coming soon 🐸 ❤️
Reposted by Anat Belasen, PhD
The first snow at the Colorado site means snake season is almost over! Watch til the end though, to see who braves the weather. www.youtube.com/watch?v=5deX...
Snow!
YouTube video by Project RattleCam
www.youtube.com
October 16, 2025 at 3:02 PM
The first snow at the Colorado site means snake season is almost over! Watch til the end though, to see who braves the weather. www.youtube.com/watch?v=5deX...
Check out this awesome paper on coinfections in amphibians, first-authored by my first academic granddaughter! (undergrad mentee of my undergrad mentee - I'm counting it)
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Impacts of sequential and simultaneous coinfection by major amphibian pathogens on disease outcomes
In natural environments, hosts frequently experience infections from multiple pathogenic species or strains, significantly influencing disease dynamics. Despite shared susceptible hosts and overlappi...
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
October 15, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Check out this awesome paper on coinfections in amphibians, first-authored by my first academic granddaughter! (undergrad mentee of my undergrad mentee - I'm counting it)
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Anat Belasen, PhD
Cal Poly is hiring! We are looking for multiple tenure-track colleagues, including animal physiology, cell biology, and microbiology! Please spread the word. Links in thread. bio.calpoly.edu
October 14, 2025 at 1:32 AM
Cal Poly is hiring! We are looking for multiple tenure-track colleagues, including animal physiology, cell biology, and microbiology! Please spread the word. Links in thread. bio.calpoly.edu
Reposted by Anat Belasen, PhD
Anat is doing a Q&A for her panel so if anyone has questions has any froggy questions for her please feel free to drop by the stream or ask us in the Frog Con Discord server! discord.gg/szgkgmXQhc
Very honored and excited to be an invited panelist for Frog Con 2025! So much good froggy content this week, be sure to check it out 🐸
The Frog Con 2025 panel schedule is finally here! We have 20 froggy panels for everyone this year, including educational ones with special guest speakers, games, art, and more! We hope to see you at Frog Con very soon!! (1/2)
frogcon.frogcult.org/pages/panels...
frogcon.frogcult.org/pages/panels...
October 13, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Anat is doing a Q&A for her panel so if anyone has questions has any froggy questions for her please feel free to drop by the stream or ask us in the Frog Con Discord server! discord.gg/szgkgmXQhc
Reposted by Anat Belasen, PhD
Happy Frog Con everyone! The website is officially live!! Hop on over and check out all the activities we have lined up for you!! Our the opening ceremony will be streamed on our twitch! Thank you guys for all the love and support, it’s an honor to be able to bring so many frog lovers together 🐸💚
October 11, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Happy Frog Con everyone! The website is officially live!! Hop on over and check out all the activities we have lined up for you!! Our the opening ceremony will be streamed on our twitch! Thank you guys for all the love and support, it’s an honor to be able to bring so many frog lovers together 🐸💚
Very honored and excited to be an invited panelist for Frog Con 2025! So much good froggy content this week, be sure to check it out 🐸
The Frog Con 2025 panel schedule is finally here! We have 20 froggy panels for everyone this year, including educational ones with special guest speakers, games, art, and more! We hope to see you at Frog Con very soon!! (1/2)
frogcon.frogcult.org/pages/panels...
frogcon.frogcult.org/pages/panels...
October 13, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Very honored and excited to be an invited panelist for Frog Con 2025! So much good froggy content this week, be sure to check it out 🐸
Pretty cool to have this right on campus at UT Austin. And to think I only got this view because all the closer parking garages were full
September 25, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Pretty cool to have this right on campus at UT Austin. And to think I only got this view because all the closer parking garages were full
Reposted by Anat Belasen, PhD
My new small museums for mental health w'shop is on Sat 4 Oct
Recent compelling research shows that collecting & arranging collections neatly alleviates anxiety & lifts mood.
Includes:
🌿2 hr zoom-we'll make & photograph small museums
🗝️30% off my Etsy shop:
workshops.emmamitchell.uk/courses/smal...
Recent compelling research shows that collecting & arranging collections neatly alleviates anxiety & lifts mood.
Includes:
🌿2 hr zoom-we'll make & photograph small museums
🗝️30% off my Etsy shop:
workshops.emmamitchell.uk/courses/smal...
September 17, 2025 at 7:33 PM
My new small museums for mental health w'shop is on Sat 4 Oct
Recent compelling research shows that collecting & arranging collections neatly alleviates anxiety & lifts mood.
Includes:
🌿2 hr zoom-we'll make & photograph small museums
🗝️30% off my Etsy shop:
workshops.emmamitchell.uk/courses/smal...
Recent compelling research shows that collecting & arranging collections neatly alleviates anxiety & lifts mood.
Includes:
🌿2 hr zoom-we'll make & photograph small museums
🗝️30% off my Etsy shop:
workshops.emmamitchell.uk/courses/smal...
Reposted by Anat Belasen, PhD
this iconic advertising copywriter named Kathy Hepinstall Parks died over the weekend and I wanted to share something from her website I thought Bluesky would like
August 22, 2025 at 2:20 PM
this iconic advertising copywriter named Kathy Hepinstall Parks died over the weekend and I wanted to share something from her website I thought Bluesky would like
Reposted by Anat Belasen, PhD
if you wanna throw a little money at an Austin institution and certified cool queer spot, they have a kofi 💖 (linked in their insta bio if you want to verify)
ko-fi.com/cheerupcharl...
ko-fi.com/cheerupcharl...
August 21, 2025 at 11:52 PM
if you wanna throw a little money at an Austin institution and certified cool queer spot, they have a kofi 💖 (linked in their insta bio if you want to verify)
ko-fi.com/cheerupcharl...
ko-fi.com/cheerupcharl...
Reposted by Anat Belasen, PhD
There is more information about the invasive pentastome species in Florida here if you’re interested: slamconservation.weebly.com
SNAKE LUNGWORM ALLIANCE AND MONITORING
The invasive lung parasite, Raillietiella orientalis , was first introduced in South Florida with Burmese pythons. It is now found in 34 counties and 18 native snake species, with infections...
slamconservation.weebly.com
August 20, 2025 at 7:36 PM
There is more information about the invasive pentastome species in Florida here if you’re interested: slamconservation.weebly.com
Reposted by Anat Belasen, PhD
If you'd like to follow some other trans people who work with nature too, I made a helpful starter pack! It's not exclusively scientists and it's opt-in so let me know if you'd like to be added.
August 20, 2025 at 5:12 PM
If you'd like to follow some other trans people who work with nature too, I made a helpful starter pack! It's not exclusively scientists and it's opt-in so let me know if you'd like to be added.
Reposted by Anat Belasen, PhD
New #symbiosky paper from Cory Bishop and collaborators (including me 😊) on the remarkable specificity of the symbiosis between spotted salamanders and the alga in their eggs. Cory organized colleagues to get egg fluid from NC USA to NS Canada. He found extremely low...
tinyurl.com/2jmwce2s
tinyurl.com/2jmwce2s
Frontiers | High partner specificity in an algal-salamander mutualism at continental scale
The mutualism between the green alga Oophila amblystomatis (“Oophila”) and egg masses of the spotted salamander Ambystoma maculatum involves acquisition of a...
www.frontiersin.org
August 17, 2025 at 10:05 PM
New #symbiosky paper from Cory Bishop and collaborators (including me 😊) on the remarkable specificity of the symbiosis between spotted salamanders and the alga in their eggs. Cory organized colleagues to get egg fluid from NC USA to NS Canada. He found extremely low...
tinyurl.com/2jmwce2s
tinyurl.com/2jmwce2s
Helped out with some Urosaurus ornatus (ornate tree lizard) fieldwork in West Texas 😍
@allyboville.bsky.social lassoing a lizard in photo 3!
@allyboville.bsky.social lassoing a lizard in photo 3!
August 13, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Helped out with some Urosaurus ornatus (ornate tree lizard) fieldwork in West Texas 😍
@allyboville.bsky.social lassoing a lizard in photo 3!
@allyboville.bsky.social lassoing a lizard in photo 3!
Reposted by Anat Belasen, PhD
Bird are not just birds - they are also whole communities of microbes, viruses, and parasites. Marcella Biaz shows differences in microbial and viral compositions between two warbler species and their hybrid. This info can help us understand the evolution of diseases and life histories. #AOS25
August 12, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Bird are not just birds - they are also whole communities of microbes, viruses, and parasites. Marcella Biaz shows differences in microbial and viral compositions between two warbler species and their hybrid. This info can help us understand the evolution of diseases and life histories. #AOS25
Reposted by Anat Belasen, PhD
Pro tip for writers:
A very bad first draft is not a failure—it’s a great start, Congratulations!
You can’t revise a blank page, but you can shape a bad one into something really great
🌟Editing is easier than Creating🌟
A very bad first draft is not a failure—it’s a great start, Congratulations!
You can’t revise a blank page, but you can shape a bad one into something really great
🌟Editing is easier than Creating🌟
August 1, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Pro tip for writers:
A very bad first draft is not a failure—it’s a great start, Congratulations!
You can’t revise a blank page, but you can shape a bad one into something really great
🌟Editing is easier than Creating🌟
A very bad first draft is not a failure—it’s a great start, Congratulations!
You can’t revise a blank page, but you can shape a bad one into something really great
🌟Editing is easier than Creating🌟
In case it’s helpful, here is a baby lizard from my front porch
July 30, 2025 at 4:36 PM
In case it’s helpful, here is a baby lizard from my front porch
Fig 4 is very interesting 👀
July 23, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Fig 4 is very interesting 👀
Reposted by Anat Belasen, PhD
Gar “Friends” teaser 😅👍
@garlab.bsky.social
@garlab.bsky.social
July 21, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Gar “Friends” teaser 😅👍
@garlab.bsky.social
@garlab.bsky.social
Me to my mentees (and also me to me) at least once a week:
Failure is part of the process
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take
(yes the second is a Wayne Gretzky quote)
Failure is part of the process
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take
(yes the second is a Wayne Gretzky quote)
I like this take. Science is inherently failure, because the minute we succeed we shift the goal-posts and get back into that failure zone. If you only have successes you are not doing creative science.
July 21, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Me to my mentees (and also me to me) at least once a week:
Failure is part of the process
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take
(yes the second is a Wayne Gretzky quote)
Failure is part of the process
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take
(yes the second is a Wayne Gretzky quote)
Reposted by Anat Belasen, PhD
New paper out modelling how the nutritional content of wild bird foods could affect disease transmission - a nice follow-up application of our Molecular Ecology study showing that food quality can affect immune function and disease tolerance.
doi.org/10.1093/icb/... @durantlab.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/icb/... @durantlab.bsky.social
The nutritional content of anthropogenic resources affects wildlife disease dynamics
Synopsis. Wildlife have become increasingly reliant on human-supplemented food, affecting interactions between individuals and subsequently pathogen transm
doi.org
July 21, 2025 at 5:40 PM
New paper out modelling how the nutritional content of wild bird foods could affect disease transmission - a nice follow-up application of our Molecular Ecology study showing that food quality can affect immune function and disease tolerance.
doi.org/10.1093/icb/... @durantlab.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/icb/... @durantlab.bsky.social
Reposted by Anat Belasen, PhD
broad-tailed hummingbirds built a nest atop a tea light on a friend's front porch. one bird fledged yesterday, and one kiddo (who I saw flying, too) was hanging around for more food from mom #birds
July 17, 2025 at 12:00 AM
broad-tailed hummingbirds built a nest atop a tea light on a friend's front porch. one bird fledged yesterday, and one kiddo (who I saw flying, too) was hanging around for more food from mom #birds
Reposted by Anat Belasen, PhD
Short summary of Senate Appropriations hearing:
Bipartisan agreement to keep funding at FY '24 levels for NASA/NSF passes 21-6
Van Hollen adds an amendment on FBI HQ which passes thanks to Murkowski
Republican members change votes to no, threatening the bill.
Now in... indefinite recess 🤷♂️
Bipartisan agreement to keep funding at FY '24 levels for NASA/NSF passes 21-6
Van Hollen adds an amendment on FBI HQ which passes thanks to Murkowski
Republican members change votes to no, threatening the bill.
Now in... indefinite recess 🤷♂️
Senate committee on appropriations markup meeting is starting now. They'll be discussing a lot of stuff, but in particular, science agencies like NSF & NASA.
Yesterday Sen. Moran indicated funding would be 33.9 billion, preserving FY '24 numbers.
www.appropriations.senate.gov/hearings/ful...
Yesterday Sen. Moran indicated funding would be 33.9 billion, preserving FY '24 numbers.
www.appropriations.senate.gov/hearings/ful...
Full Committee Markup of Commerce, Justice, Science; Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA; and Legislative Branch Appropriations Acts | United States Senate Committee on Appropriations
United States Senate Committee on Appropriations
www.appropriations.senate.gov
July 10, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Short summary of Senate Appropriations hearing:
Bipartisan agreement to keep funding at FY '24 levels for NASA/NSF passes 21-6
Van Hollen adds an amendment on FBI HQ which passes thanks to Murkowski
Republican members change votes to no, threatening the bill.
Now in... indefinite recess 🤷♂️
Bipartisan agreement to keep funding at FY '24 levels for NASA/NSF passes 21-6
Van Hollen adds an amendment on FBI HQ which passes thanks to Murkowski
Republican members change votes to no, threatening the bill.
Now in... indefinite recess 🤷♂️
Reposted by Anat Belasen, PhD
Don’t let elected officials lie to you and say this was a freak accident that wasn’t preventable.
County officials knew automatic river gauges and sirens could protect people. They asked the state for them at least three times. The state refused to fund it:
www.houstonchronicle.com/news/investi...
County officials knew automatic river gauges and sirens could protect people. They asked the state for them at least three times. The state refused to fund it:
www.houstonchronicle.com/news/investi...
Inside Kerr County’s quest for a new flood warning system on the Guadalupe River
Kerr County and the Upper Guadalupe River Authority have tried several times to get funding to upgrade flood alerts on the river, dating back to 2016.
www.houstonchronicle.com
July 8, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Don’t let elected officials lie to you and say this was a freak accident that wasn’t preventable.
County officials knew automatic river gauges and sirens could protect people. They asked the state for them at least three times. The state refused to fund it:
www.houstonchronicle.com/news/investi...
County officials knew automatic river gauges and sirens could protect people. They asked the state for them at least three times. The state refused to fund it:
www.houstonchronicle.com/news/investi...
Reposted by Anat Belasen, PhD
I'm recruiting a 2-yr postdoc to start in October or November of 2025! I'm looking for applicants interested in exploring amphibian disease ecology as it relates to climate change. Strong quantitative skills preferred, interviews start late July. More info: erinsauer.com
July 7, 2025 at 6:55 PM
I'm recruiting a 2-yr postdoc to start in October or November of 2025! I'm looking for applicants interested in exploring amphibian disease ecology as it relates to climate change. Strong quantitative skills preferred, interviews start late July. More info: erinsauer.com