Dr. Bethany Allen
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bethanyjallen.bsky.social
Dr. Bethany Allen
@bethanyjallen.bsky.social
Palaeobiologist interested in biodiversity patterns over long timescales 📉
Postdoc at @gfz.bsky.social 🇩🇪
Co-chair of @besmacro.bsky.social, member of @paleodb.bsky.social committee and @palaeoverse.bsky.social dev team 👩‍💻
She/her
Pinned
Huge thanks to @palaeopercs.bsky.social for inviting and hosting me! If you missed my talk on Tuesday, you can now catch up via their YouTube channel 👇
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x19X...
Reposted by Dr. Bethany Allen
Scientific funding is a net negative: "European taxpayers will have spent more on the funding process than on the funding itself, and the scientific ecosystem has been drained"

www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Point of no returns: researchers are crossing a threshold in the fight for funding
With so little money to go round, the costs of competing for grants can exceed what the grants are worth. When that happens, nobody wins.
www.nature.com
January 4, 2026 at 8:56 AM
Reposted by Dr. Bethany Allen
Come and join me and my colleagues at the Department of Biology, #LundUniversity in #sweden! We have am open position as Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor in Biodiversity.

Apply here no later than February 11 2026:

https://lu.varbi.com/en/what:job/jobID:848749/type:job/where:4/apply:1
Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor in Biodiversity
The Department of Biology was established in 2010 through the merger of the Departments of Ecology, Cell and Organism Biology, Biological Undergraduate Education, and the Biological Museums. The depar
lu.varbi.com
December 20, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Reposted by Dr. Bethany Allen
🚨 Pre-announcement! 🚨

We’re hiring for 2 x two-year, full-time roles to join me and the wider @palaeoverse.bsky.social team @es-ucl.bsky.social.

- Research Software Engineer (REF: B04-06999): lnkd.in/eNRBiPnP

- Community Engagement Coordinator (REF: B04-06998): lnkd.in/ejUACCzn
December 23, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Reposted by Dr. Bethany Allen
Are you familiar with the @palaeoverse.bsky.social Lecture Series?

Check out our YouTube Channel for lectures from community experts on method development and application in Palaeontology:

www.youtube.com/@ThePalaeove...

We will be announcing the next set of lectures in the New Year, stay tuned!
Palaeoverse
Palaeoverse (https://palaeoverse.org) is an organisation that aims to bring the palaeobiology community together to share resources, work toward data standards, and improve reproducibility in palaeobi...
www.youtube.com
December 22, 2025 at 11:33 AM
Reposted by Dr. Bethany Allen
Looking for a PhD in palaeontology or associated fields? Just a heads up that we have a list of opportunities on the @thepalass.bsky.social website:

palass.org/phd-opportun...

⚒️🧪🦀🦑 #evosky

(If you're advertising one, you can add it to our listings too: palass.org/form/webform... )
PhD Opportunities | The Palaeontological Association
palass.org
December 22, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Reposted by Dr. Bethany Allen
How have mountain building and climate change shaped alpine biodiversity over millions of years? Check out our new study in Science Advances! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
The asynchronous rise of Northern Hemisphere alpine floras reveals general responses of biotic assembly to orogeny and climate change
The asynchronous rise of Northern Hemisphere alpine floras was shaped by general responses to orogeny and climate change.
www.science.org
December 21, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Reposted by Dr. Bethany Allen
New paper alert!
We reconstructed the diversification trajectory of sharks & rays over the past 145 myrs to answer:
When did they experience major extinction events?
Does age play a role in extinction selectivity?
If so, does it change with extinction intensity?
👉 doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
December 17, 2025 at 12:50 PM
Reposted by Dr. Bethany Allen
Stockholm University's Department of Zoology seeks an Associate Professor in Animal Ecology and Evolution. Deadline: Feb 28, 2026. More info: https://su.varbi.com/en/what:job/jobID:883922/where:4/ #job
Associate Professor in Zoology with focus on ecology and evolution
Associate Professor in Zoology with focus on ecology and evolution
su.varbi.com
December 17, 2025 at 5:50 AM
Reposted by Dr. Bethany Allen
Meet the #BES2025 SIGs on floor -1! We’ll be heading to our social at Frankenstein later too! Come say hi to some of our committee:
@inesismartins.bsky.social
@bethanyjallen.bsky.social
@lauraloubio.bsky.social
December 16, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Reposted by Dr. Bethany Allen
Excited to launch the new improved Reproducible Code guide from @britishecologicalsociety.org @methodsinecoevol.bsky.social FREE online here! www.britishecologicalsociety.org//wp-content/... Amazing work by some very talented ECRs. We hope it’s useful!
December 16, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Reposted by Dr. Bethany Allen
Permanent Research Group Leader Position, Crete, Greece: Interested to assume long-term responsibilities for the Biodiversity Computing Group www.biocomp.gr I have set up in Crete? Apply now via apella.minedu.gov.gr/en/node/5998 (PDF also in English) - for questions email to stamatak@ics.forth.gr
December 15, 2025 at 7:23 AM
Reposted by Dr. Bethany Allen
JOB ALERT! Collection Manager job going in Palaeontology at the Australian Museum in Sydney, Australia iworkfor.nsw.gov.au/job/collecti...
Find your next role in the public sector I Work for NSW
iworkfor.nsw.gov.au
December 15, 2025 at 4:54 AM
Reposted by Dr. Bethany Allen
Join the BES Macro committee!

We're recruiting a vice chair and 1-2 ordinary members to help us make macroecology & macroevolution a better place.

More information on how to apply in the link, and come chat at #BES2025 if you happen to be around!

www.britishecologicalsociety.org//wp-content/...
December 12, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Reposted by Dr. Bethany Allen
Does anyone know any current or former recipients of an SNF mobility grant based in Germany? I'd be grateful for any leads!
December 12, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Reposted by Dr. Bethany Allen
Aberystwyth University seeks a Lecturer in Zoology for the Department of Life Sciences. The role includes research, teaching, and module development. Salary: £42,254.39 - £46,048.78. Apply by 15/01/2026. More info: https://jobs.aber.ac.uk/en/vacancy/lecturer-in-zoology-598845.html #job
Aberystwyth University - : Lecturer in Zoology (6015)
Aberystwyth University - : Lecturer in Zoology (6015)
jobs.aber.ac.uk
December 10, 2025 at 10:37 PM
Reposted by Dr. Bethany Allen
Attending the BES annual meeting? Come to our lunchtime workshop launching the new version of our better science guide on reproducible code! 🌍 🧪
December 11, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Reposted by Dr. Bethany Allen
#YOURPALAEOLIFE IS BACK! But we’re a bit different this time - If you're an established researcher, over 5 years post-PhD, it’s time to shine. Tell us about your field work ambitions, triumphs and (rock-) crushing disappointments.
#whenthestudentsaway #thePIgetstoplay

forms.gle/etx3gqg7DWZb...
#Yourpalaeolife Part II: the PI perspective
Hello everybody! Welcome to the second part of this anonymous survey about field work in palaeontology - this time, we want to hear from ESTABLISHED CAREER PALAEONTOLOGISTS (more than 5 years post-PhD...
forms.gle
December 11, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Reposted by Dr. Bethany Allen
Are you excited for #BES2025 ? We sure are! You can catch us at the ‘Meet the SIGs’ event on Tuesday, as well as the Conservation & Macro SIGs Social later that evening. Please drop by and say hi!
December 11, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Reposted by Dr. Bethany Allen
🚨Palaeoverse Lecture Series🚨
🗓️18th December 2025, 15:00 UTC🗓️

Join us next week for our last talk of 2025, given by @singerstone.bsky.social from Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid, on “Mammals as a key to evolutionary theory” 🦬

Register here: bit.ly/palaeoverse-...
December 11, 2025 at 11:11 AM
Reposted by Dr. Bethany Allen
Alright scientists! It's that time again!

Time to sign up for Skype a Scientist's spring semester.

Want to get matched with a classroom in 2026?

Sign up now 🥰

docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
December 10, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Reposted by Dr. Bethany Allen
We are excited to have been awarded a Large Grant by @softwaresaved.bsky.social! 🥳
This will help us future-proof our R packages and tools, and provide more training and mentoring for computational palaeontologists.
Coming soon: job ads for two new team members! 👀
www.software.ac.uk/ssi-awards-f...
SSI awards funding to 13 projects through the RSMF Round 1 | Software Sustainability Institute
We are pleased to announce that the Research Software Maintenance Fund (RSMF) has funded 13 projects to advance the sustainability and impact of research software. Through this initiative, the SSI, wi...
www.software.ac.uk
December 10, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Reposted by Dr. Bethany Allen
I found a new example for my collection of False Sepkoski Curves: the S&P 500 over the last 35 years. This one is the best yet. You can see the Cambrian explosion, the Ordovician diversification, the Paleozoic plateau, the Devonian, Permian, and Cretaceous mass extinctions, and Cenozoic radiation.
December 10, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Reposted by Dr. Bethany Allen
I'm teaching Statistical Rethinking again starting Jan 2026. This time with live lectures, divided into Beginner and Experienced sections. Will be a lot more work for me, but I hope much better for students.

I will record lectures & all will be found at this link: github.com/rmcelreath/s...
December 9, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Reposted by Dr. Bethany Allen
Delighted to publish Forum Article by @nicolasgaltier.bsky.social et al:

"Journals run by learned societies or universities have more ethical policies while being cheaper and similarly cited"

doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...

Thank you for choosing JEB - we encourage the support of #societyjournals
Time to publish responsibly: DAFNEE, a database of academia-friendly journals in ecology and evolutionary biology
Abstract. The current economics of scientific publishing reveal a profound imbalance: academia pays prices far exceeding the actual costs of publication. R
doi.org
December 9, 2025 at 10:16 AM
Reposted by Dr. Bethany Allen
'The new procedure required applicants to submit only an expression of interest...before 500 were selected, via lottery, to submit a full proposal for peer review....the number of female applicants increased 10 per cent, while the number of funded projects by women rose by 23 per cent.' 2/2
Lottery before peer review is associated with increased female representation and reduced estimated economic cost in a German funding line - Nature Communications
The authors show evidence from a German funding line that a lottery-first approach followed by peer review is accompanied by increased female representation both at the submission stage and among fund...
www.nature.com
December 9, 2025 at 8:11 AM