Andrew Kennard
@askennard.bsky.social
Postdoc at UMass Amherst (Fritz-Laylin lab). Cell biologist and biophysicist studying evolutionary cell biology of the microtubule cytoskeleton. PhD Stanford (Biophysics, Julie Theriot lab).
https://andrewkennard.github.io
https://andrewkennard.github.io
Pinned
Andrew Kennard
@askennard.bsky.social
· Dec 18
Tubulin sequence divergence is associated with the use of distinct microtubule regulators
The mechanisms driving cytoskeletal network diversification within and between organisms remain mysterious. Kennard et al. find that tubulin sequence divergence is associated with the expression of distinct regulators in distinct microtubule networks. This suggests that the evolution of tubulin and its binding partners may be inextricably linked.
www.cell.com
Something to read on your way home from #cellbio2024: our paper on microtubule networks and tubulin evolution! 🧵(1/14)
www.cell.com/current-biol...
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Reposted by Andrew Kennard
We've got a new preprint posted, you can read all about it (and see a picture of our recently adopted lab mascot) here: eltinglab.github.io/news/taylorB...
The bottom line of this work is that we reveal new ways that S. pombe spindle biochemistry is regulated by force from the nuclear envelope.
The bottom line of this work is that we reveal new ways that S. pombe spindle biochemistry is regulated by force from the nuclear envelope.
January 27, 2026 at 11:09 PM
We've got a new preprint posted, you can read all about it (and see a picture of our recently adopted lab mascot) here: eltinglab.github.io/news/taylorB...
The bottom line of this work is that we reveal new ways that S. pombe spindle biochemistry is regulated by force from the nuclear envelope.
The bottom line of this work is that we reveal new ways that S. pombe spindle biochemistry is regulated by force from the nuclear envelope.
Reposted by Andrew Kennard
The beauty that DEEPSPACE can do! Thanks to @jotlovell.bsky.social
If you want to read more about it, here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
If you want to read more about it, here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
January 23, 2026 at 12:19 PM
The beauty that DEEPSPACE can do! Thanks to @jotlovell.bsky.social
If you want to read more about it, here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
If you want to read more about it, here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Andrew Kennard
Paired with the show, Bob Goldstein created the world's longest microtubule, ascending the Genome Science Building's spiral stairs, to honor Emeritus Professor Ted Salmon
January 11, 2026 at 11:17 PM
Paired with the show, Bob Goldstein created the world's longest microtubule, ascending the Genome Science Building's spiral stairs, to honor Emeritus Professor Ted Salmon
Reposted by Andrew Kennard
Anyone else on macOS #Tahoe (26.2) notice today that your Logitech mouse/hardware stopped working as expected? #Logitech pushed out a broken #LogiOptionsPlus update. To fix, reinstall version 1.44.415778 (link below from LogiTech) and TURN OFF AUTO UPDATES. 1/2
download01.logi.com/web/ftp/pub/...
download01.logi.com/web/ftp/pub/...
January 7, 2026 at 2:19 AM
Anyone else on macOS #Tahoe (26.2) notice today that your Logitech mouse/hardware stopped working as expected? #Logitech pushed out a broken #LogiOptionsPlus update. To fix, reinstall version 1.44.415778 (link below from LogiTech) and TURN OFF AUTO UPDATES. 1/2
download01.logi.com/web/ftp/pub/...
download01.logi.com/web/ftp/pub/...
Reposted by Andrew Kennard
Our paper describing the development of ShapeSpaceExplorer is now out: journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol... The software and documentation is available here: github.com/cmcb-warwick... Explainer thread below.
January 6, 2026 at 3:47 PM
Our paper describing the development of ShapeSpaceExplorer is now out: journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol... The software and documentation is available here: github.com/cmcb-warwick... Explainer thread below.
Reposted by Andrew Kennard
Anyone running a genomic CURE want to collaborate with Dr Abbey to sequence blue beans?
This would be needed to confirm my blue lines have a broken F3'H, and my red lines have a broken F3'5H. A funded lab would then engineer these broken versions of the genes into a purple bean to confirm each pathway being broken separately.
I don't have a funded lab.
I don't have a funded lab.
December 29, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Anyone running a genomic CURE want to collaborate with Dr Abbey to sequence blue beans?
Reposted by Andrew Kennard
Finally, we’ve solved a long-standing mystery: what tintinnid shells are actually made of:
A new class of biomaterial formed by remarkable structural proteins unique to tintinnids.
A major milestone after 3 years of work! Read about it in our preprint: doi.org/10.64898/202...
#ProtistsOnSky
A new class of biomaterial formed by remarkable structural proteins unique to tintinnids.
A major milestone after 3 years of work! Read about it in our preprint: doi.org/10.64898/202...
#ProtistsOnSky
December 27, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Finally, we’ve solved a long-standing mystery: what tintinnid shells are actually made of:
A new class of biomaterial formed by remarkable structural proteins unique to tintinnids.
A major milestone after 3 years of work! Read about it in our preprint: doi.org/10.64898/202...
#ProtistsOnSky
A new class of biomaterial formed by remarkable structural proteins unique to tintinnids.
A major milestone after 3 years of work! Read about it in our preprint: doi.org/10.64898/202...
#ProtistsOnSky
Reposted by Andrew Kennard
The main project of my postdoc with @spo11rulz.bsky.social is now available on bioRxiv! By systematically integrating structural information with molecular evolution analyses, we gained new fascinating insights into the evolution of key meiotic recombination proteins: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org
November 14, 2025 at 10:10 AM
The main project of my postdoc with @spo11rulz.bsky.social is now available on bioRxiv! By systematically integrating structural information with molecular evolution analyses, we gained new fascinating insights into the evolution of key meiotic recombination proteins: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Andrew Kennard
Thanks @jcellsci.bsky.social for this opportunity to contribute to your centenary collection with our take on the state of the field - 10 years after its modern reincarnation 🧪🌍
W/ @alebenoit.bsky.social @eelcotromer.bsky.social @fritzlaylin.bsky.social
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
W/ @alebenoit.bsky.social @eelcotromer.bsky.social @fritzlaylin.bsky.social
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
Evolutionary cell biology comes of age
Summary: This Perspective discusses how the discipline of evolutionary cell biology, by integrating evolutionary theory, comparative physiology and modern molecular approaches, works to understand how...
journals.biologists.com
December 19, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Thanks @jcellsci.bsky.social for this opportunity to contribute to your centenary collection with our take on the state of the field - 10 years after its modern reincarnation 🧪🌍
W/ @alebenoit.bsky.social @eelcotromer.bsky.social @fritzlaylin.bsky.social
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
W/ @alebenoit.bsky.social @eelcotromer.bsky.social @fritzlaylin.bsky.social
journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...
Reposted by Andrew Kennard
No, Justice Kavanaugh, it's not the "interim" docket.
Yes, Justice Kavanaugh, I would like you to answer for the consequences of your votes — especially when those consequences come from a vote on what you claim is the "interim" docket.
No, you don't have to answer.
Yes, I'll keep asking.
Yes, Justice Kavanaugh, I would like you to answer for the consequences of your votes — especially when those consequences come from a vote on what you claim is the "interim" docket.
No, you don't have to answer.
Yes, I'll keep asking.
100 days of Kavanaugh stops and the justices who silently allowed them — and a bill to change that
The Shadow Docket Sunlight Act is being introduced on Wednesday. And, Justice Kavanaugh still isn't saying if he's having second thoughts on his September opinion.
www.lawdork.com
December 17, 2025 at 7:33 PM
No, Justice Kavanaugh, it's not the "interim" docket.
Yes, Justice Kavanaugh, I would like you to answer for the consequences of your votes — especially when those consequences come from a vote on what you claim is the "interim" docket.
No, you don't have to answer.
Yes, I'll keep asking.
Yes, Justice Kavanaugh, I would like you to answer for the consequences of your votes — especially when those consequences come from a vote on what you claim is the "interim" docket.
No, you don't have to answer.
Yes, I'll keep asking.
Reposted by Andrew Kennard
Absolutely thrilled to share the latest work from my lab focused on the variation and evolution of human centromeres among global populations! We assembled 2,110 human centromeres, identifying 226 new major haplotypes and 1,870 α-satellite HOR variants. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
December 16, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Absolutely thrilled to share the latest work from my lab focused on the variation and evolution of human centromeres among global populations! We assembled 2,110 human centromeres, identifying 226 new major haplotypes and 1,870 α-satellite HOR variants. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Andrew Kennard
I had a great time writing this dispatch @currentbiology.bsky.social about Jacob Suissa's recent paper on the link between fern phyllotaxis and vascular architecture. "Evo–devo: Ferns flourished due to developmental covariance between leaves and vasculature"
authors.elsevier.com/a/1mH793QW8S...
authors.elsevier.com/a/1mH793QW8S...
December 15, 2025 at 4:09 PM
I had a great time writing this dispatch @currentbiology.bsky.social about Jacob Suissa's recent paper on the link between fern phyllotaxis and vascular architecture. "Evo–devo: Ferns flourished due to developmental covariance between leaves and vasculature"
authors.elsevier.com/a/1mH793QW8S...
authors.elsevier.com/a/1mH793QW8S...
Reposted by Andrew Kennard
If you're at #CellBio2025, please join us tomorrow at 9AM in Room 122 for a fantastic speaker lineup at the #EndoplasmicReticulum Minisymposium!
Immediately following our session will be the keynote presentations by Eva Nogales & Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz!
@ascbiology.bsky.social
Immediately following our session will be the keynote presentations by Eva Nogales & Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz!
@ascbiology.bsky.social
December 10, 2025 at 1:51 AM
If you're at #CellBio2025, please join us tomorrow at 9AM in Room 122 for a fantastic speaker lineup at the #EndoplasmicReticulum Minisymposium!
Immediately following our session will be the keynote presentations by Eva Nogales & Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz!
@ascbiology.bsky.social
Immediately following our session will be the keynote presentations by Eva Nogales & Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz!
@ascbiology.bsky.social
Reposted by Andrew Kennard
Our story on the kinetochore composition of the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila is out now on bioRxiv! We find surprisingly many orthologs of conventional kinetochore components, but also components that have very different evolutionary origins. A 🧵 (1/11)
Check it out here: tinyurl.com/4ectm9x4
Check it out here: tinyurl.com/4ectm9x4
tinyurl.com
December 1, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Our story on the kinetochore composition of the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila is out now on bioRxiv! We find surprisingly many orthologs of conventional kinetochore components, but also components that have very different evolutionary origins. A 🧵 (1/11)
Check it out here: tinyurl.com/4ectm9x4
Check it out here: tinyurl.com/4ectm9x4
Reposted by Andrew Kennard
Excited to host this session on Wednesday with these lovely ladies and some new friends that we made as well! Come check out the amazing talks that were selected!
Attending #CellBio2025? Come join the Signaling Squad at our mini symposium on “Spatiotemporal Control of Cell Signaling Across Scales” in Room 120 from 9-11 am!
I’m not saying we’re the best because there are so many great sessions, but it may be a save the best for last situation 😉
I’m not saying we’re the best because there are so many great sessions, but it may be a save the best for last situation 😉
December 9, 2025 at 12:59 AM
Excited to host this session on Wednesday with these lovely ladies and some new friends that we made as well! Come check out the amazing talks that were selected!
Reposted by Andrew Kennard
Interested in cell adhesion, evolution of multicellularity, or developing tools for emerging marine models?
My lab at UM is hiring a postdoc, and the application is now open:
🔗 tinyurl.com/28jvu4aa
If you know anyone looking for a postdoc, please pass this along!
My lab at UM is hiring a postdoc, and the application is now open:
🔗 tinyurl.com/28jvu4aa
If you know anyone looking for a postdoc, please pass this along!
December 8, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Interested in cell adhesion, evolution of multicellularity, or developing tools for emerging marine models?
My lab at UM is hiring a postdoc, and the application is now open:
🔗 tinyurl.com/28jvu4aa
If you know anyone looking for a postdoc, please pass this along!
My lab at UM is hiring a postdoc, and the application is now open:
🔗 tinyurl.com/28jvu4aa
If you know anyone looking for a postdoc, please pass this along!
Reposted by Andrew Kennard
Attending #CellBio2025? Come join the Signaling Squad at our mini symposium on “Spatiotemporal Control of Cell Signaling Across Scales” in Room 120 from 9-11 am!
I’m not saying we’re the best because there are so many great sessions, but it may be a save the best for last situation 😉
I’m not saying we’re the best because there are so many great sessions, but it may be a save the best for last situation 😉
December 8, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Attending #CellBio2025? Come join the Signaling Squad at our mini symposium on “Spatiotemporal Control of Cell Signaling Across Scales” in Room 120 from 9-11 am!
I’m not saying we’re the best because there are so many great sessions, but it may be a save the best for last situation 😉
I’m not saying we’re the best because there are so many great sessions, but it may be a save the best for last situation 😉
Reposted by Andrew Kennard
I'll be sharing my work on how cells know when to make missing structures at #cellbio2025 today! Come check out my poster (B406) and my talk in the Evolutionary Cell Bio mini symposium session which starts at 4pm.
December 8, 2025 at 3:50 PM
I'll be sharing my work on how cells know when to make missing structures at #cellbio2025 today! Come check out my poster (B406) and my talk in the Evolutionary Cell Bio mini symposium session which starts at 4pm.
Reposted by Andrew Kennard
Thank you for coming to our session yesterday!
We had a blast and we hope you enjoyed the talks!
Big thanks to our speakers for showcasing what physical based thinking can bring to biological problems at all scales!
See you all next year 😉
We had a blast and we hope you enjoyed the talks!
Big thanks to our speakers for showcasing what physical based thinking can bring to biological problems at all scales!
See you all next year 😉
December 8, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Thank you for coming to our session yesterday!
We had a blast and we hope you enjoyed the talks!
Big thanks to our speakers for showcasing what physical based thinking can bring to biological problems at all scales!
See you all next year 😉
We had a blast and we hope you enjoyed the talks!
Big thanks to our speakers for showcasing what physical based thinking can bring to biological problems at all scales!
See you all next year 😉
Reposted by Andrew Kennard
This would have been a game changer when I was doing microscopy and I suspect will be for lots of people now. Flexible control of commercial microscope systems!
Also if you know me I'm often not a fan of cutesy names for software, but "diss track" is 💯
Also if you know me I'm often not a fan of cutesy names for software, but "diss track" is 💯
Pleased to say that Jonas Hartmann (bs-less) and I have finally released DySTrack (“diss track”) - Dynamic Sample Tracking.
It’s a Python-based, modular tool that brings smart microscopy to everyday imaging on commercial systems.
Preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
[1/6]
It’s a Python-based, modular tool that brings smart microscopy to everyday imaging on commercial systems.
Preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
[1/6]
December 8, 2025 at 10:44 AM
This would have been a game changer when I was doing microscopy and I suspect will be for lots of people now. Flexible control of commercial microscope systems!
Also if you know me I'm often not a fan of cutesy names for software, but "diss track" is 💯
Also if you know me I'm often not a fan of cutesy names for software, but "diss track" is 💯
Reposted by Andrew Kennard
Pleased to say that Jonas Hartmann (bs-less) and I have finally released DySTrack (“diss track”) - Dynamic Sample Tracking.
It’s a Python-based, modular tool that brings smart microscopy to everyday imaging on commercial systems.
Preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
[1/6]
It’s a Python-based, modular tool that brings smart microscopy to everyday imaging on commercial systems.
Preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
[1/6]
December 8, 2025 at 9:48 AM
Pleased to say that Jonas Hartmann (bs-less) and I have finally released DySTrack (“diss track”) - Dynamic Sample Tracking.
It’s a Python-based, modular tool that brings smart microscopy to everyday imaging on commercial systems.
Preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
[1/6]
It’s a Python-based, modular tool that brings smart microscopy to everyday imaging on commercial systems.
Preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
[1/6]
Reposted by Andrew Kennard
#cellbio2025 please stop by my talk (Mon 4:35 evolution) and poster (Mon 12:45 #B479 optogenetics) tmr!
Title: Intraprotein domain competition dictates pulsatile response of photoreceptors shaped by temperature and evolution.
BcLOV4 as a model.
I’m also looking for postdoc opportunities!
Title: Intraprotein domain competition dictates pulsatile response of photoreceptors shaped by temperature and evolution.
BcLOV4 as a model.
I’m also looking for postdoc opportunities!
December 7, 2025 at 4:35 PM
#cellbio2025 please stop by my talk (Mon 4:35 evolution) and poster (Mon 12:45 #B479 optogenetics) tmr!
Title: Intraprotein domain competition dictates pulsatile response of photoreceptors shaped by temperature and evolution.
BcLOV4 as a model.
I’m also looking for postdoc opportunities!
Title: Intraprotein domain competition dictates pulsatile response of photoreceptors shaped by temperature and evolution.
BcLOV4 as a model.
I’m also looking for postdoc opportunities!
Reposted by Andrew Kennard
Sit with this for a moment.
ASCB President Mary Munson awards Francis Collins the ASCB Public Service award, noting this is the first time it’s been awarded for defense of science #cellbio2025
December 8, 2025 at 2:00 AM
Sit with this for a moment.
Reposted by Andrew Kennard
Come check out my poster & talk!! #CellBio2025 #ASCB
The cell is a crowded place where organelles are packed together . In poster B365 at CellBio2025 Monday Dec 8 in the Quantitative Modeling session room 122, Mary Mirvis uses soft x-ray tomography to explore how packing interactions affect organelle shape and interaction.
December 7, 2025 at 11:28 PM
Come check out my poster & talk!! #CellBio2025 #ASCB
Reposted by Andrew Kennard
Hope to see you all at 10AM today!
If you're at #cellbio2025, @atmolines.bsky.social Hernan Garcia and I invite you to attend our Minisymposium “Physical Cell Biology from Molecules to Organisms” for incredible talks on epigenetic mechanical memory, viscoelasticity, cortical flows, morphogenesis, tissue wetting, size scaling, et al!
December 7, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Hope to see you all at 10AM today!