James Gahan
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jgahan.bsky.social
James Gahan
@jgahan.bsky.social
1.1K followers 650 following 89 posts
Associate Professor and ERC Starting Awardee at University of Galway! I work on early animal evolution with a particular interest in gene regulation and chromatin!
https://gahanlab.com
https://chromosome.ie/groups/gahan/
🏳️‍🌈🇮🇪 He/Him
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jgahan.bsky.social
James Gahan @jgahan.bsky.social · Oct 29
Very happy to see our paper published online natcomms.nature.com. Thank you to @wellcometrust.bsky.social for funding this work during my time with @robklose.bsky.social and David Booth! Thanks also to collaborators @garcialabms.bsky.social @alexdemendoza.bsky.social and the other authors!
Chromatin profiling identifies putative dual roles for H3K27me3 in regulating cell type-specific genes and transposable elements in choanoflagellates
Nature Communications - Here, the authors investigate chromatin-based gene regulation in the closest relative of animal, choanoflagellates. They uncover a putative dual role for the histone...
rdcu.be
Reposted by James Gahan
mariasachkova.bsky.social
3 lecturer jobs at School of Biological sciences at Bristol! Apply by March 8!
www.bristol.ac.uk/jobs/find/de...
Details | Working at Bristol | University of Bristol
www.bristol.ac.uk
February 11, 2026 at 12:48 PM
Reposted by James Gahan
maxplanck.de
A position with prospects! We offer excellent researchers again the possibility to apply for a position as a Leader of a Lise Meitner Research Group in all areas of #science. Applications are possible between February 11th and April 15th, 2026. www.mpg.de/lise-meitner... #lisemeitnergroups
The Lise Meitner Excellence Programme is designed to attract and specifically promote exceptionally qualified female scientists.
February 11, 2026 at 8:31 AM
Reposted by James Gahan
biologists.bsky.social
Applications are now open for funded ECR places at our Workshop 'Integrating Multi-Modal, Multi-Scale Models of Cardiovascular Disease Mechanisms', organised by Jennifer Davis, Christine Mummery & Beth Pruitt. Find out more & apply to attend: biologists.com/workshops/no...

@sharday-penn.bsky.social
A promotional graphic for a workshop titled “Integrating Multi-Modal, Multi-Scale Models of Cardiovascular Disease Mechanisms.” The word “Workshop” appears in yellow at the top left, with the main title in large white text on a black background. Below, it lists the organisers: Jennifer Davis, Christine Mummery and Beth Pruitt. On the right, there is a yellow box stating: “Early-career researchers apply for funded places.” Bottom right shows the dates “8–11 November 2026” and the location “Buxted Park, East Sussex, UK.” Bottom left displays The Company of Biologists logo.
February 11, 2026 at 1:42 PM
Reposted by James Gahan
banoomalik.bsky.social
Postdoc position on Asgard archaea in Thiago’s new lab for someone well trained in biochemistry, cloning, and protein purification:
international.au.dk/about/profil...
Postdoc in Archaea Microbiology - Vacancy at Aarhus University
Vacancy at Department of Biology - Microbiology, Aarhus University
international.au.dk
February 10, 2026 at 2:36 PM
Reposted by James Gahan
ostratodd.bsky.social
Symbiotic entrenchment through ecological Catch-22: Cell www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Symbiotic entrenchment through ecological Catch-22
A symbiotic rove beetle develops a stealth phenotype by silencing production of its hydrocarbon pheromones, enabling it to infiltrate ant colonies, steal ant pheromones, and achieve social acceptance ...
www.cell.com
February 7, 2026 at 3:45 PM
Reposted by James Gahan
devstempasteur.bsky.social
📣 next Friday weekly DSCB Seminar tomorrow
@devstempasteur.bsky.social

🗓️ 2026 Friday Feb. 6th
🕣11am
📍Amphi Ullmann

Detlev Arendt, Ph.D.

Centre for Organismal Studies, University of Heidelberg,
EMBL Heidelberg, Germany

Animal evolution: a cell type perspective

Invited by Thibaut Brunet
February 4, 2026 at 12:14 PM
Reposted by James Gahan
bardinlab.bsky.social
Sign up date coming quickly!
Come join us in beautiful Roscoff for this Conference Jacques Monod on Developmental regulation: from molecular to ecological niches
May 18-22, 2026 Roscoff, France
Abstract deadline: January 31, 2026
Apply here: cjm.sb-roscoff.fr/en
January 15, 2026 at 10:31 PM
Reposted by James Gahan
jamesbriscoe.bsky.social
There's still time to apply to be a 2026 @dev-journal.bsky.social Pathway to Independence fellow

For those about to apply for their first independent academic position, the programme offers

- mentoring
- leadership training
- profile rising
- networking

journals.biologists.com/dev/pages/pi...
Pathway to Independence programme | Development | The Company of Biologists
Pathway to Independence programme | Development | The Company of Biologists Development's Pathway to Independence programme Launched in 2022, Development’s Pathway Independence programm...
journals.biologists.com
January 13, 2026 at 5:29 PM
Reposted by James Gahan
official-smbe.bsky.social
The Young Investigator Travel Award provides support for young researchers (postdoctoral researchers and graduate students) to attend SMBE2026.

📨 Award applications
smbe2026.org/abstracts

#SMBE2026
Young Investigator Travel Award
January 13, 2026 at 10:06 AM
Reposted by James Gahan
embo.org
EMBO fosters life science excellence at every level – nationally, across Europe and globally – through its programmes, scientific #publishing, #policy as well as #innovation. 🧪

Our focus this week: #Norway

https://www.embo.org/the-embo-communities/embo-communities-by-country/focus-on-norway/
January 12, 2026 at 7:50 AM
jgahan.bsky.social
Congratulations @meleonora-rossi.bsky.social and all the authors! Very interesting study!
January 8, 2026 at 3:16 PM
Reposted by James Gahan
arnausebe.bsky.social
Open Senior Bioinformatician position at
@sangerinstitute.bsky.social
Tree of Life, to work on the Biodiversity Cell Atlas initiative with @marakat.bsky.social and me.

📅 Apply by January 18
🔗 sanger.wd103.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Wellco...

Please share with anyone who might be interested!
Senior Bioinformatician - Biodiversity Cell Atlas
Do you want to help us improve human health and understand life on Earth? Make your mark by shaping the future to enable or deliver life-changing science to solve some of humanity’s greatest challenge...
sanger.wd103.myworkdayjobs.com
January 2, 2026 at 1:12 PM
Reposted by James Gahan
reitergroup.bsky.social
Modern biology research is biased towards investigating genes that are widely conserved and present in humans. What about genes that ARE widely conserved but NOT present in humans? Can genes missing from humans tell us something about what makes our biology different from that of other animals? 1/8
December 31, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Reposted by James Gahan
oceanetourniere.bsky.social
Have you ever wondered what difference it makes to have 1 or 2 X chromosomes in your cells?

✨ I’m excited to share that our paper is now out!

Looking for some X-mas content featuring an actual X? 🎄 Here’s the paper: 👉 www.cell.com/current-biol...
X chromosome dosage in respiratory stem cells is critical for post-embryonic development and survival
Tournière et al. uncover the biological roles of sex chromosome dosage compensation, showing it is broadly dispensable except in the respiratory system during metamorphosis, where X chromosome dose de...
www.cell.com
December 22, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Reposted by James Gahan
martaig.bsky.social
Lovely Xmas gift 🎄—our paper is out today in @natecoevo.nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41...! Huge thanks to everyone who made it possible, especially @aelek.bsky.social and @arnausebe.bsky.social
Decoding cnidarian cell type gene regulation - Nature Ecology & Evolution
This study reconstructs the gene regulatory networks that define cell types in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, providing a valuable resource for comparative regulatory genomics and the evoluti...
www.nature.com
December 22, 2025 at 11:10 AM
Reposted by James Gahan
arnausebe.bsky.social
Excited to share the final version of our study on Nematostella cell type regulatory programs. Part of our @erc.europa.eu StG project, this was a challenging 5-year effort extraodinarily led by @aelek.bsky.social and @martaig.bsky.social.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Decoding cnidarian cell type gene regulation - Nature Ecology & Evolution
This study reconstructs the gene regulatory networks that define cell types in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, providing a valuable resource for comparative regulatory genomics and the evoluti...
www.nature.com
December 22, 2025 at 10:12 AM
Reposted by James Gahan
msarscentre.bsky.social
We are thrilled to invite you to the Michael Sars Symposium 2026 - Living systems in a variable ocean, together with our co-organizers at @cbubergen.bsky.social! Mark June 4, 2026 in your calendars, and watch out for our speaker lineup reveal in the new year 🙌
December 19, 2025 at 2:54 PM
jgahan.bsky.social
I recommend any Developmental biologists planning to start the road to becoming a PI next year to apply! The help and guidance you will receive are valuable but being a part of a cohort of people living through the same experiences is worth its weight in Gold!
dev-journal.bsky.social Development @dev-journal.bsky.social · Dec 11
We were delighted to welcome our most recent Pathway to Independence (PI) fellows to our offices at @biologists.bsky.social for leadership training.

Find out more about our PI fellows and how to apply here:
journals.biologists.com/dev/pages/pi...

Application deadline: 2 February 2026.
Anzy Miller, Martina Cerise, Giulia Paci, Max Farnworth, Sonya Widen, Marlies Oomen, Ethan Ewe, Joaquín Navajas Acedo and Toshimichi Yamada.
December 18, 2025 at 9:28 AM
Reposted by James Gahan
rottingerlab.bsky.social
Stoked that this paper, summarizing a vast series of experiments from past and present members of the team is out. A great way to end this year.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Whole body regeneration deploys a rewired embryonic gene regulatory network logic - Nature Communications
To what extent regeneration recapitulates embryonic development is a longstanding question. Here, they show that embryonic gene modules are re-used, rewired, and interconnected to specific injury-indu...
www.nature.com
December 17, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Reposted by James Gahan
eudaldpascual.bsky.social
💡How does nutrition regulate cell cycle in stem cells? Check out our new paper from @prhsteinmetz.bsky.social lab & @msarscentre.bsky.social, out now in
@plosbiology.org (plos.io/48J2o6P)
#SeaAnemone #Nematostella #StemCell #CellCycle #Quiescence #TORsignalling 1/12
Prolonged starvation deepens quiescence in Vasa2/Piwi1-expressing cells of a sea anemone
Animals with lifelong growth modulate cell proliferation in response to nutrient availability, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. This study shows that starvation induces a revers...
plos.io
December 16, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Reposted by James Gahan
prhsteinmetz.bsky.social
Excited to share our story nutrition and cell quiescence in sea anemones, great postdoctoral work of
@eudaldpascual.bsky.social

Finally out in @plosbiology.org

And thanks to @msarscentre.bsky.social for the nice news piece:
www.uib.no/en/michaelsa...
December 16, 2025 at 6:24 PM
jgahan.bsky.social
Congratulations @inesfournon.bsky.social ! This is a very beautiful story :)
inesfournon.bsky.social Inés Fournon Berodia @inesfournon.bsky.social · Dec 16
Thrilled to share the preprint from my PhD! 🥳 Where I characterised epithelial cell extrusion in a sea anemone
🔗 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Big thanks to my supervisor @prhsteinmetz.bsky.social and coauthors @noahbruderer.bsky.social @lionlchristiaen.bsky.social at🇳🇴 @msarscentre.bsky.social ⬇️🧵
December 16, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Reposted by James Gahan
msarscentre.bsky.social
Congratulations to @eudaldpascual.bsky.social and @ktgarschall.bsky.social from the @prhsteinmetz.bsky.social lab on a new paper out in @plosbiology.org 🤩👏 The work, supported by @embo.org, looked at cell behavior during starvation in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis 🧵🧪
Starved sea anemones put their cells in ‘deep sleep’ mode
New work from the Steinmetz group at the Michael Sars Centre unveils the secrets behind the starlet sea anemone's extraordinary ability to adjust its body size according to food availability.
www.uib.no
December 16, 2025 at 12:05 PM
jgahan.bsky.social
I have to say this was (once again) one of the best meetings I have very attended. The breath of topics was amazing as well as the very collaborative and supportive nature of the participants. It is very refreshing to be part of community who values curiosity driven science so much!
tobiaswarnecke.bsky.social Tobias Warnecke @tobiaswarnecke.bsky.social · Sep 8
Please re-post:

Interested in chromatin and its evolution? Good news! There's still time to join us in beautiful Catalonia (9-12 Dec) to discuss eukaryotic, bacterial, archaeal, and viral chromatin and how it all hangs together meetings.embo.org/event/24-evo...

Abstract deadline: 30 September
EvoChromo: Evolutionary approaches to research in chromatin
Chromatin is the complex of DNA, RNA and protein that is found making up the chromosomes in eukaryotic cells. Chromatin is essential for proper genome function and is involved in chromosome segregati…
meetings.embo.org
December 16, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Reposted by James Gahan
plosbiology.org
How do animals with lifelong growth modulate cell #proliferation? @eudaldpascual.bsky.social @ktgarschall.bsky.social @prhsteinmetz.bsky.social show that starvation induces G1/G0 #CellCycle arrest in Vasa2+/Piwi1+ #SeaAnemone cells; cycle re-entry is TOR-dependent @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/48J2o6P
Top: The phylogenetic position of Nematostella and localization of Vasa2 +/Piwi1+ cells within the juvenile polyp body plan. (A) Simplified phylogenetic tree highlighting the phylogenetic position of the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis and other animal taxa relevant for this study. All animal silhouettes are licensed under CC0,1.0 Universal Public domain and taken from https://www.phylopic.org. (B–D) Schematics showing the localization of Vasa2+/Piwi1+ cells in a juvenile polyp, depicted in longitudinal (B) or cross-section (C, D). (E) Schematic representation of the multipotent, Vasa2+/Piwi1+ stem/progenitor cell population and a simplified summary of their germinal and somatic progeny. (F) Schematics of cell cycle phases, highlighting the incorporation of EdU during S-phase (black line) and the phosphorylation of Histone H3 (pH3+) during metaphase. Bottom: Confocal image of two Vasa+/Piwi+ stem-like cells in the inner epithelial folds of the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis. Immunolabelling of mOrange2-Piwi1 fusion protein (yellow) in a transgenic knock-in line combined with nuclear stain (white). Image credit: Paula Miramón-Puértolas.
December 10, 2025 at 8:55 AM