Javier Irazoqui
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javierira.bsky.social
Javier Irazoqui
@javierira.bsky.social
1.5K followers 260 following 240 posts
Professor of Microbiology @ UMass Chan Medical School | Host-Microbe Interactions | Bacteria | Immunology | Artificial Intelligence
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javierira.bsky.social
I loved my class with Jane!!

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Stories from the scientist who changed how we visualize proteins - Nature Reviews Chemistry
Ahead of her 85th birthday, Jane Richardson, Professor of Biochemistry at Duke University, discussed her life in science from making her own telescope to developing the ribbon diagrams for the 3D stru...
www.nature.com
January 28, 2026 at 7:41 PM
javierira.bsky.social
Tenure Under Threat www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...
Tenure Under Threat
A spate of firings in the fall revealed just how corroded tenure protections have become. How did we get here?
www.insidehighered.com
January 28, 2026 at 3:39 PM
Reposted by Javier Irazoqui
newseye.bsky.social
A reminder that Liam Ramos, the son of legal residents in Minnesota, is still being held in a Texas prison.

A five year old little boy - and America’s global reputation - now scarred for life.

(📸 Ali Daniel’s/AP)
Little Liam Ramos stood facing an ICE vehicle with his cartoon blue wooly hat. A state-sponsored terrorist ICE agent is holding him by his rucksack.
January 27, 2026 at 1:19 PM
javierira.bsky.social
U.S. government has lost more than 10,000 STEM Ph.D.s since Trump took office | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
U.S. government has lost more than 10,000 STEM Ph.D.s since Trump took office
A Science analysis reveals how many were fired, retired, or quit across 14 agencies
www.science.org
January 27, 2026 at 1:19 PM
javierira.bsky.social
Gladys West, mathematician whose work paved the way for GPS, dies at 95 - NPR

apple.news/ATGxtuSGfSFG...
Gladys West, mathematician whose work paved the way for GPS, dies at 95 — NPR
A self-described “little farm girl” in the Jim Crow Era, Gladys West’s complex and pioneering work for the U.S. Navy helped to improve billions of lives — and keep us from getting lost.
apple.news
January 24, 2026 at 9:33 PM
Reposted by Javier Irazoqui
maxkozlov.bsky.social
Trump has been in office for one year. We at @nature.com did a deep dive looking at the administration's disruption of science in numbers.

Take a look—the numbers are staggering. By me, @dangaristo.bsky.social, Jeff Tollefson, @kimay.bsky.social, & help from @noamross.net @scott-delaney.bsky.social
US science after a year of Trump: what has been lost and what remains
A series of graphics reveals how the Trump administration has sought historic cuts to science and the research workforce.
www.nature.com
January 20, 2026 at 6:08 PM
Reposted by Javier Irazoqui
jeremymberg.bsky.social
Important story from Max Kozlov. Loss without replacement of council members is a serious concerns which could be a huge problem in the future, but this is uncertain.
maxkozlov.bsky.social Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 10d
🚨 New from me: Grant review at more than half of NIH's institutes could be frozen by the end of the year.

That's because crucial NIH grant-review panels are slated to be empty at those institutes by Jan 2027.

A wonky bureaucratic problem with big implications.

A short 🧵
Exclusive: key NIH review panels due to lose all members by the end of 2026
Thirteen of the agency’s advisory councils, which must review grant applications before funding is awarded, are on track to have no voting members.
www.nature.com
January 22, 2026 at 8:16 PM
Reposted by Javier Irazoqui
drugmonkey.bsky.social
Considering the impact of Multi-Year Funding at NIH drugmonkey.wordpress.com/2026/01/20/c...
Considering the impact of Multi-Year Funding at NIH
Somewhere in the back of my head I have been thinking that the worst impact of NIH allocating ~50% of funds via Multi-Year Funding would be FY2026 if, and that is a huge IF, the overall budget stay…
drugmonkey.wordpress.com
January 21, 2026 at 3:36 AM
Reposted by Javier Irazoqui
drugmonkey.bsky.social
A reminder for the reviewers of #NIHGrants

"Nice" NIH study sections screw their applicants because of the way NIH calculates percentile. drugmonkey.wordpress.com/2025/11/20/n...
“Nice” NIH study sections screw their applicants because of the way NIH calculates percentile.
I often write blog comments about NIH grant review matters that exist in an uncomfortable tension between what NIH wants us to do on study section and what I see as our professional obligation to t…
drugmonkey.wordpress.com
January 22, 2026 at 3:07 PM
javierira.bsky.social
www.theatlantic.com/science/2026...
Science Is Drowning in AI Slop
Peer review has met its match.
www.theatlantic.com
January 22, 2026 at 8:39 PM
javierira.bsky.social
Artificial intelligence and illusions of understanding in scientific research | Nature www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Artificial intelligence and illusions of understanding in scientific research - Nature
The proliferation of artificial intelligence tools in scientific research risks creating illusions of understanding, where scientists believe they understand more about the world than they actual...
www.nature.com
January 15, 2026 at 6:21 PM
javierira.bsky.social
"With reduced follow-on engagement, AI tools seem to automate established fields rather than explore new ones, highlighting a tension between personal advancement and collective scientific progress."

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Artificial intelligence tools expand scientists’ impact but contract science’s focus - Nature
Artificial intelligence boosts individual scientists’ output, citations and career progression, but collectively narrows research diversity and reduces collaboration, concentrating work in data-rich a...
www.nature.com
January 15, 2026 at 6:19 PM
javierira.bsky.social
"...we have been very clear about the fact that we are prioritizing human-based models for biomedical research. ... well thought-out proposals that are fundamentally rooted in human biology will be more favorably scored and awarded than those that stick with historical methods..."
She’s leading NIH’s push to reduce the use of animals in biomedical research
Nicole Kleinstreuer, who is leading an NIH effort to reduce the use of animals in research, began thinking about the issue as a toxicologist at the EPA
www.statnews.com
January 15, 2026 at 6:13 PM
javierira.bsky.social
How AI Is Exploding Our Illusions of Rigor (opinion) www.insidehighered.com/opinion/care...
How AI Is Exploding Our Illusions of Rigor (opinion)
Craig E. Nelson’s concept of “dysfunctional illusions of rigor” holds new currency in our AI age.
www.insidehighered.com
January 15, 2026 at 5:57 PM
javierira.bsky.social
Researchers Just Discovered Something Extremely Unflattering About People Who Believe Conspiracy Theories - Futurism

apple.news/AZwys4AocSmK...
Researchers Just Discovered Something Extremely Unflattering About People Who Believe Conspiracy Theories — Futurism
apple.news
January 10, 2026 at 7:42 PM
Reposted by Javier Irazoqui
scientificdiscovery.dev
NEW article by me!

We can now visualize pathogens down to atoms; design vaccines in weeks; manufacture them in microbial factories; engineer them more precise than ever before.

We're living through a golden age of vaccine development, but only if we continue to invest in them.
The golden age of vaccine development - Works in Progress Magazine
The first vaccine was a lucky accident. Now we can design new vaccines in weeks, atom by atom.
worksinprogress.co
January 7, 2026 at 3:20 PM
Reposted by Javier Irazoqui
heiman.bsky.social
good stuff!
January 8, 2026 at 12:01 PM
Reposted by Javier Irazoqui
qedscience.bsky.social
Science doesn’t actually run on truth – it runs on validity.

In our latest blog post we explore why science advances not by proving absolute truths, but by continuously evaluating how valid a claim is within a given paradigm.

qedscience.com/blog/why-we-...

@odedrechavi.bsky.social
Why We Seek Validation
The scientific method, humanity’s most successful approach to uncovering how the world works, doesn’t rely on “truth” as much as it relies on validity. In fact, “valid” often serves as a sharper, more...
qedscience.com
January 8, 2026 at 1:22 PM
Reposted by Javier Irazoqui
insidehighered.com
Career Advice | Keeping Ourselves in the Loop: 6 Human-Centered Activities for the Age of AI

We need a human-centered AI pedagogy. https://bit.ly/4suUFlP

#EDUSky #AcademicSky #HigherEd
A photo illustration of a human hand holding six playing cards from the "Analog Inspiration" series." Each card has a headline like "Motivation" or "Belonging" and each describes a classroom activity involving AI.
January 8, 2026 at 2:28 PM
Reposted by Javier Irazoqui
smcgrath.phd
🧪 Some really important data points in here to share with others.

Over the past year, Bluesky has 5 million research posts (0.25% of the total traffic).

Compared to the 11.2 million research posts on Twitter (0.000006% of the total traffic).

Bluesky is punching above its weight!

#AcademicSky
altmetric.com Altmetric @altmetric.com · 25d
THREAD

The first full year of tracking research on @bsky.app

Hi, we are Altmetric, and we track how research is communicated across the web.

We now have one full calendar year of Bluesky research data and thought we'd have a looksie.
My name is Jeff meme with Altmetric replaced. Channing Tatum with his clothes on.
January 8, 2026 at 1:38 PM
Reposted by Javier Irazoqui
edelblumlab.bsky.social
Do you have exciting data to share but it wasn't in time for the #APS2026 abstract deadline (or you received a JIT and will have $$ to travel)? Late-breaking abstract submission is open through Feb 2. Accepted late-breaking abstracts will be scheduled for posters. See you in Minneapolis! #Gastrosky
January 8, 2026 at 3:00 PM
javierira.bsky.social
Why does Denmark recommend so few childhood vaccines? A Danish scientist explains | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Why does Denmark recommend so few childhood vaccines? A Danish scientist explains
The U.S. plans to follow the Scandinavian country’s minimalist schedule. That may be a mistake, Jens Lundgren says
www.science.org
January 8, 2026 at 3:13 PM
Reposted by Javier Irazoqui
insidehighered.com
NSF Lowers Grant Review Requirements, NIH Hunts for Phrases https://bit.ly/4s3oLg0
A photo illustration of a hand grasping a knife that has chopped a stack of dollar bills.
December 18, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Reposted by Javier Irazoqui
binningsingletons.com
Help us out this #GivingTuesday so we can continue to help folks find community at @asm.org #ASMicrobe!

We are a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and your donation is tax deductible!

venmo.com/u/binning_si...
Cartoon panels explaining the Binning Singletons program. BINNING SINGLETONS iS A MENTORING & NETWORKiNG PROGRAM FOR ATTENDEES SEEKING COMMUNITY IN A LARGE MEETING PARTICIPANTS SELF-IDENTIFY AS SINGLETONS (OFTEN SOLO AND 1ST TiME ATTENDEES) WE GROUP SINGLETONS iNTO BiNS BASED ON COMMON INTERESTS EACH BIN HAS A MENTOR THE MENTOR iS A MEETING COACH AND HELPS WITH LOGISTICS AND NETWORKING WE BRING THE DiFFERENT BINS TOGETHER TO GROW THE COMMUNITY WE SUPPORT SiNGLETONS BY PROMOTING THEIR PRESENTATiONS, HOSTING MEET-UPS, ATTENDING VENDOR EVENTS, ORGANIZING SOCIAL ACTIVITIES, AND PROVIDING ASSISTANCE THROUGHOUT THE MEETING
December 2, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Reposted by Javier Irazoqui
jtsangwrites.bsky.social
If you're looking for #microbiology themed gifts, I have several Pinterest boards for that. Hope these are helpful! #microsky #ScienceGifts

A thread 👇
December 2, 2025 at 2:34 PM