Kirsty MacLeod
@kjmacleod.bsky.social
Behavioural and evolutionary ecologist, lecturer in Bangor, Wales - sociality, stress, thermal ecology, mostly in reptiles macleodlab.weebly.com
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
🤔Looking to make your #code more #reproducible? Check out our new and improved guide to Reproducible Code! 🧪🌍️
Find it here👇️
buff.ly/10TeNok
@nhcooper123.bsky.social
@britishecologicalsociety.org
Find it here👇️
buff.ly/10TeNok
@nhcooper123.bsky.social
@britishecologicalsociety.org
February 11, 2026 at 1:00 PM
🤔Looking to make your #code more #reproducible? Check out our new and improved guide to Reproducible Code! 🧪🌍️
Find it here👇️
buff.ly/10TeNok
@nhcooper123.bsky.social
@britishecologicalsociety.org
Find it here👇️
buff.ly/10TeNok
@nhcooper123.bsky.social
@britishecologicalsociety.org
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
February 11, 2026 at 11:22 AM
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
On this day that supports inclusive futures for women and girls in science, let's not forget all the women that were sidelined, ignored, or forced out of science because they:
- had children
- prioritised family/caring
- did science differently
- questioned boundaries & norms
- fought the patriarchy
- had children
- prioritised family/caring
- did science differently
- questioned boundaries & norms
- fought the patriarchy
February 11, 2026 at 9:39 AM
On this day that supports inclusive futures for women and girls in science, let's not forget all the women that were sidelined, ignored, or forced out of science because they:
- had children
- prioritised family/caring
- did science differently
- questioned boundaries & norms
- fought the patriarchy
- had children
- prioritised family/caring
- did science differently
- questioned boundaries & norms
- fought the patriarchy
Curious how potential PIs are approaching this. At what point do you discourage possible candidates? Are you more discerning in who you encourage (and if so what do you prioritise)?
Let's look at some numbers
2022: 7 044 applications submitted. 17.9 % success rate
2023: 8 039 applications submitted. 15.8 % success rate
2024: 10 360 applications submitted. 16.6 % success rate
2025: 17 058 applications submitted (record high). 9.7% success rate (preliminary numbers).
2022: 7 044 applications submitted. 17.9 % success rate
2023: 8 039 applications submitted. 15.8 % success rate
2024: 10 360 applications submitted. 16.6 % success rate
2025: 17 058 applications submitted (record high). 9.7% success rate (preliminary numbers).
February 11, 2026 at 10:23 AM
Curious how potential PIs are approaching this. At what point do you discourage possible candidates? Are you more discerning in who you encourage (and if so what do you prioritise)?
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
How do we know our research results are REAL? We replicate them! Most folks agree but lament on how hard it is to publish these replications.
My dearest gentle reader, lament no more! Delighted to unveil: Replication Studies, a new section of Behavioral Ecology 1/
academic.oup.com/beheco/artic...
My dearest gentle reader, lament no more! Delighted to unveil: Replication Studies, a new section of Behavioral Ecology 1/
academic.oup.com/beheco/artic...
Replication studies: a win-win for early-career training and behavioral ecology
Replicating previous research builds confidence that results are real and meaningful. But close replications are rare due to limitations in resources and d
academic.oup.com
February 10, 2026 at 7:42 PM
How do we know our research results are REAL? We replicate them! Most folks agree but lament on how hard it is to publish these replications.
My dearest gentle reader, lament no more! Delighted to unveil: Replication Studies, a new section of Behavioral Ecology 1/
academic.oup.com/beheco/artic...
My dearest gentle reader, lament no more! Delighted to unveil: Replication Studies, a new section of Behavioral Ecology 1/
academic.oup.com/beheco/artic...
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
Excited to announce our Topical Collection at @ibe.pensoft.net on Individual‑based Conservation!
We aim to highlight approaches integrating individual heterogeneity into management and conservation practice.
Please submit, share, & reach out with any questions!
Details: ibe.pensoft.net/news/1106
We aim to highlight approaches integrating individual heterogeneity into management and conservation practice.
Please submit, share, & reach out with any questions!
Details: ibe.pensoft.net/news/1106
February 10, 2026 at 1:37 PM
Excited to announce our Topical Collection at @ibe.pensoft.net on Individual‑based Conservation!
We aim to highlight approaches integrating individual heterogeneity into management and conservation practice.
Please submit, share, & reach out with any questions!
Details: ibe.pensoft.net/news/1106
We aim to highlight approaches integrating individual heterogeneity into management and conservation practice.
Please submit, share, & reach out with any questions!
Details: ibe.pensoft.net/news/1106
Huge headline for alliteration fans
Source: ScienceDaily
search.app/YMqoF
search.app/YMqoF
Pumas are back in Patagonia and Penguins are paying the price
Pumas returning to Patagonia have begun hunting mainland penguins that evolved without land predators. Scientists estimate that more than 7,000 adult penguins were killed in just four years, many of t...
search.app
February 9, 2026 at 9:09 PM
Huge headline for alliteration fans
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
Wild fact from @billmckibben.bsky.social's latest newsletter:
"The last colder-than-average month on planet earth was in February of 1985, which means that no one under the age of forty has ever known one."
"The last colder-than-average month on planet earth was in February of 1985, which means that no one under the age of forty has ever known one."
Notes on winter
When the world turns whimsical
billmckibben.substack.com
February 9, 2026 at 8:33 PM
Wild fact from @billmckibben.bsky.social's latest newsletter:
"The last colder-than-average month on planet earth was in February of 1985, which means that no one under the age of forty has ever known one."
"The last colder-than-average month on planet earth was in February of 1985, which means that no one under the age of forty has ever known one."
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
New (competition funded) PhD opportunity with me,
@iaciac.bsky.social and @dralgernon.bsky.social
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Higher-order networks and animal communication. Suited to someone keen on network science theory/computational modeling and keen to adapt this to ecology & evolution.
@iaciac.bsky.social and @dralgernon.bsky.social
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Higher-order networks and animal communication. Suited to someone keen on network science theory/computational modeling and keen to adapt this to ecology & evolution.
February 9, 2026 at 2:41 PM
New (competition funded) PhD opportunity with me,
@iaciac.bsky.social and @dralgernon.bsky.social
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Higher-order networks and animal communication. Suited to someone keen on network science theory/computational modeling and keen to adapt this to ecology & evolution.
@iaciac.bsky.social and @dralgernon.bsky.social
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Higher-order networks and animal communication. Suited to someone keen on network science theory/computational modeling and keen to adapt this to ecology & evolution.
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
Marie Curie fellowships are madness this year. A score of 97% required for funding. To all those who didn't succeed - you and your project are probably brilliant, hang in there and keep trying
a group of people are crawling through the mud .
Alt: a group of people are crawling through the mud .
media.tenor.com
February 9, 2026 at 8:01 PM
Marie Curie fellowships are madness this year. A score of 97% required for funding. To all those who didn't succeed - you and your project are probably brilliant, hang in there and keep trying
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
small crab eating a grape (important)
February 8, 2026 at 6:16 AM
small crab eating a grape (important)
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
Look where we are, EU. 💀
We constantly talk about promoting science, increasing the investment in science, having a technology-driven economy, surpassing the US and China with modern tools. The image below is the evaluation report from a friend, who did not get a #MSCA grant despite scoring 94.4%.
We constantly talk about promoting science, increasing the investment in science, having a technology-driven economy, surpassing the US and China with modern tools. The image below is the evaluation report from a friend, who did not get a #MSCA grant despite scoring 94.4%.
February 9, 2026 at 10:42 AM
Look where we are, EU. 💀
We constantly talk about promoting science, increasing the investment in science, having a technology-driven economy, surpassing the US and China with modern tools. The image below is the evaluation report from a friend, who did not get a #MSCA grant despite scoring 94.4%.
We constantly talk about promoting science, increasing the investment in science, having a technology-driven economy, surpassing the US and China with modern tools. The image below is the evaluation report from a friend, who did not get a #MSCA grant despite scoring 94.4%.
MSCA results coming out today, proposals scoring 90+% and not getting funded 😳
Let's look at some numbers
2022: 7 044 applications submitted. 17.9 % success rate
2023: 8 039 applications submitted. 15.8 % success rate
2024: 10 360 applications submitted. 16.6 % success rate
2025: 17 058 applications submitted (record high). 9.7% success rate (preliminary numbers).
2022: 7 044 applications submitted. 17.9 % success rate
2023: 8 039 applications submitted. 15.8 % success rate
2024: 10 360 applications submitted. 16.6 % success rate
2025: 17 058 applications submitted (record high). 9.7% success rate (preliminary numbers).
February 9, 2026 at 10:56 AM
MSCA results coming out today, proposals scoring 90+% and not getting funded 😳
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
This cartoon of his lives rent free in my brain.
February 9, 2026 at 4:05 AM
This cartoon of his lives rent free in my brain.
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
Happy #SuperbOwl🦉 Sunday! This is one of my favorite examples from ancient Egypt, the letter "M". Share your favorite Superb Owls.
February 8, 2026 at 12:36 PM
Happy #SuperbOwl🦉 Sunday! This is one of my favorite examples from ancient Egypt, the letter "M". Share your favorite Superb Owls.
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
Why not publish your research with a Society Journal? 🧪🌍
The Linnean Society is committed to publishing high-quality and ground-breaking scientific research across the four themes of botany, zoology, biology and evolution, striving to make these accessible & engaging to a global audience. 🧵(1/4)
The Linnean Society is committed to publishing high-quality and ground-breaking scientific research across the four themes of botany, zoology, biology and evolution, striving to make these accessible & engaging to a global audience. 🧵(1/4)
February 7, 2026 at 1:01 PM
Why not publish your research with a Society Journal? 🧪🌍
The Linnean Society is committed to publishing high-quality and ground-breaking scientific research across the four themes of botany, zoology, biology and evolution, striving to make these accessible & engaging to a global audience. 🧵(1/4)
The Linnean Society is committed to publishing high-quality and ground-breaking scientific research across the four themes of botany, zoology, biology and evolution, striving to make these accessible & engaging to a global audience. 🧵(1/4)
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Gladys Mae West obituary: mathematician who pioneered GPS technology
She made key contributions to US cold-war science despite facing huge barriers as a Black woman.
www.nature.com
February 6, 2026 at 9:09 AM
No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
🚨 For those with access to collections of bird specimens: we are looking for collaborators who can quickly measure bulbuls/greenbuls (Pycnonotidae) for a project on intraspecific trait variation. We need 100s specimens measured from common species in return for co-authorship. Anyone up for it? 🧪🌐🪶
February 6, 2026 at 11:38 AM
🚨 For those with access to collections of bird specimens: we are looking for collaborators who can quickly measure bulbuls/greenbuls (Pycnonotidae) for a project on intraspecific trait variation. We need 100s specimens measured from common species in return for co-authorship. Anyone up for it? 🧪🌐🪶
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
#OpenBiology in @science.org | Ghrelin and MBOAT4 are lost in Serpentes: doi.org/10.1098/rsob... www.science.org/content/arti...
Loss of ‘hunger hormone’ has made snakes masters of fasting
Ditching ghrelin genes may have helped a wide variety of reptiles deal with a boom-or-bust feeding schedule
www.science.org
February 6, 2026 at 9:15 AM
#OpenBiology in @science.org | Ghrelin and MBOAT4 are lost in Serpentes: doi.org/10.1098/rsob... www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
If you're afraid to ask someone for a recommendation, please don't be. It's part of the job of being a mentor, editor, teacher, advisor, former boss, etc. to write recommendations or politely decline.
(I wish I could go back in time and tell my former self this.)
(I wish I could go back in time and tell my former self this.)
February 5, 2026 at 2:44 PM
If you're afraid to ask someone for a recommendation, please don't be. It's part of the job of being a mentor, editor, teacher, advisor, former boss, etc. to write recommendations or politely decline.
(I wish I could go back in time and tell my former self this.)
(I wish I could go back in time and tell my former self this.)
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
Looking to build T-mazes for behavioral experiments? I’ve shared open, fully editable designs on my GitHub repository linked below. I used these designs for my own experiments.
Happy to chat if further if you have any questions !
Happy to chat if further if you have any questions !
GitHub - chjoshi24/t-maze-laser-cricut-designs: This repository contains designs for T-mazes with different stem and arm lengths. You can use it to create T-mazes using different materials for your wo...
This repository contains designs for T-mazes with different stem and arm lengths. You can use it to create T-mazes using different materials for your work. - chjoshi24/t-maze-laser-cricut-designs
github.com
February 5, 2026 at 6:45 AM
Looking to build T-mazes for behavioral experiments? I’ve shared open, fully editable designs on my GitHub repository linked below. I used these designs for my own experiments.
Happy to chat if further if you have any questions !
Happy to chat if further if you have any questions !
Gorgeous gift from Masters student Keya who just returned from a break in India 🩷
February 4, 2026 at 1:47 PM
Gorgeous gift from Masters student Keya who just returned from a break in India 🩷
Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod
Award issue: @tashgillies.bsky.social and @katrina-siddiqi.bsky.social review what is known about same-sex partnerships in birds and provide a road map for future studies.
➡️ vist.ly/4qaxv
#ornithology #birds #same-sexbehaviour #review #partnerships
➡️ vist.ly/4qaxv
#ornithology #birds #same-sexbehaviour #review #partnerships
February 4, 2026 at 12:27 PM
Award issue: @tashgillies.bsky.social and @katrina-siddiqi.bsky.social review what is known about same-sex partnerships in birds and provide a road map for future studies.
➡️ vist.ly/4qaxv
#ornithology #birds #same-sexbehaviour #review #partnerships
➡️ vist.ly/4qaxv
#ornithology #birds #same-sexbehaviour #review #partnerships