Mara Duncan
@mcduncanlab.bsky.social
Associate Professor at the University of Michigan. I post photos of my cat and garden, and helpful tips for running a lab. Thoughts my own.
Pinned
Mara Duncan
@mcduncanlab.bsky.social
· Nov 29
🧪Dear Grad student,
Are you overdue for a thesis committee meeting but feel like you have nothing to show since your last meeting? I'm begging you to schedule that meeting now!
1/🧵
Are you overdue for a thesis committee meeting but feel like you have nothing to show since your last meeting? I'm begging you to schedule that meeting now!
1/🧵
Reposted by Mara Duncan
Interested in learning materials to prepare undergraduate students for working with pathogens and pathogen data? I’m hosting a small curriculum development sprint/workshop. Industry/clinical and educators needed.
Please share. Apply by November 28, 2025
dnalc.cshl.edu/pdn-2026-wor...
Please share. Apply by November 28, 2025
dnalc.cshl.edu/pdn-2026-wor...
Call for Applications: Pathogen Data CUREs—Curriculum Development Workshop
dnalc.cshl.edu
November 11, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Interested in learning materials to prepare undergraduate students for working with pathogens and pathogen data? I’m hosting a small curriculum development sprint/workshop. Industry/clinical and educators needed.
Please share. Apply by November 28, 2025
dnalc.cshl.edu/pdn-2026-wor...
Please share. Apply by November 28, 2025
dnalc.cshl.edu/pdn-2026-wor...
Reposted by Mara Duncan
small SOS:
My lab is struggling to use Napari to visualize and work with MERFISH images. Can one of you kind experts give my student a few pointers?
@mads100tist.bsky.social
My lab is struggling to use Napari to visualize and work with MERFISH images. Can one of you kind experts give my student a few pointers?
@mads100tist.bsky.social
November 11, 2025 at 6:21 PM
small SOS:
My lab is struggling to use Napari to visualize and work with MERFISH images. Can one of you kind experts give my student a few pointers?
@mads100tist.bsky.social
My lab is struggling to use Napari to visualize and work with MERFISH images. Can one of you kind experts give my student a few pointers?
@mads100tist.bsky.social
Biological Chemistry's position is still taking applications. UM is a great place to be a PI, I'd love to see a new membrane biology or lipids expert join our community.
This is open for new and established investigators.
This is open for new and established investigators.
Collaborative. Creative. Impactful. Come join us in Ann Arbor! For more information and application link see jobs.sciencecareers.org/job/675674/f...
November 11, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Biological Chemistry's position is still taking applications. UM is a great place to be a PI, I'd love to see a new membrane biology or lipids expert join our community.
This is open for new and established investigators.
This is open for new and established investigators.
🧪Hey Sciencers:
What's the best protein to tag if you want to look at the recycling endosome without disrupting it's function in human cells?
@franbottanelli.bsky.social ?
What's the best protein to tag if you want to look at the recycling endosome without disrupting it's function in human cells?
@franbottanelli.bsky.social ?
November 11, 2025 at 1:59 PM
🧪Hey Sciencers:
What's the best protein to tag if you want to look at the recycling endosome without disrupting it's function in human cells?
@franbottanelli.bsky.social ?
What's the best protein to tag if you want to look at the recycling endosome without disrupting it's function in human cells?
@franbottanelli.bsky.social ?
Reposted by Mara Duncan
Reposting for the afternoon/early evening scientists
BIOLOG question: is there a good pipeline or program to compare biolog results (either in terms of absorbance reads or carbon sources/antibiotics/etc) to KEGG outputs from whole genome sequencing? Right now our tech is doing am manual comparison but there has to be an easier way. 🦠🧬
November 10, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Reposting for the afternoon/early evening scientists
Do you need a cat in your timeline?
Happy to oblige.
Here is Molly, ready to murder someone because they put the white stuff outside.
Happy to oblige.
Here is Molly, ready to murder someone because they put the white stuff outside.
November 10, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Do you need a cat in your timeline?
Happy to oblige.
Here is Molly, ready to murder someone because they put the white stuff outside.
Happy to oblige.
Here is Molly, ready to murder someone because they put the white stuff outside.
Reposted by Mara Duncan
From MBoC... Lois Weisman ( @umichnews.bsky.social ) reveals how one protein’s teamwork — or lack of it — could hold clues to treating childhood neurodegenerative disease.
🔗 www.molbiolcell.org/doi/full/10....
🔗 www.molbiolcell.org/doi/full/10....
November 10, 2025 at 2:10 PM
From MBoC... Lois Weisman ( @umichnews.bsky.social ) reveals how one protein’s teamwork — or lack of it — could hold clues to treating childhood neurodegenerative disease.
🔗 www.molbiolcell.org/doi/full/10....
🔗 www.molbiolcell.org/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Mara Duncan
Opportunity!
Anybody knows of young marine ecologists (within 7 years from earned PhD) that would like to come to Gothenburg, Sweden, for a nationally funded Assistant Professorship? It is highly competitive but well funded. (1) of (3)
Anybody knows of young marine ecologists (within 7 years from earned PhD) that would like to come to Gothenburg, Sweden, for a nationally funded Assistant Professorship? It is highly competitive but well funded. (1) of (3)
November 10, 2025 at 9:32 AM
Opportunity!
Anybody knows of young marine ecologists (within 7 years from earned PhD) that would like to come to Gothenburg, Sweden, for a nationally funded Assistant Professorship? It is highly competitive but well funded. (1) of (3)
Anybody knows of young marine ecologists (within 7 years from earned PhD) that would like to come to Gothenburg, Sweden, for a nationally funded Assistant Professorship? It is highly competitive but well funded. (1) of (3)
Reposted by Mara Duncan
Check out our @ascbiology.bsky.social #CellBio2025 Minisymposium on ER Homeostasis. With THIS speaker lineup, this event will be as dynamic, transformative and productive as the ER itself!
So don’t 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦, 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚 yourselves over and join us to 𝗡𝗘𝗧𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞 in world of the ER. (All PUNS intended.)
So don’t 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦, 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚 yourselves over and join us to 𝗡𝗘𝗧𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞 in world of the ER. (All PUNS intended.)
November 9, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Check out our @ascbiology.bsky.social #CellBio2025 Minisymposium on ER Homeostasis. With THIS speaker lineup, this event will be as dynamic, transformative and productive as the ER itself!
So don’t 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦, 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚 yourselves over and join us to 𝗡𝗘𝗧𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞 in world of the ER. (All PUNS intended.)
So don’t 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦, 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚 yourselves over and join us to 𝗡𝗘𝗧𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞 in world of the ER. (All PUNS intended.)
Finally inoculated the mushrooms for Thanksgiving. I’m sure it’s too late, but maybe for Xmas.
Doing pink oysters for the first time.
Doing pink oysters for the first time.
November 9, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Finally inoculated the mushrooms for Thanksgiving. I’m sure it’s too late, but maybe for Xmas.
Doing pink oysters for the first time.
Doing pink oysters for the first time.
Reposted by Mara Duncan
another sunday, another slew of reco letters for my lovely undergrads. ~ 12 students, each applying to 10-15 schools. you do the math. Why on earth no centralized system like for med school? You do the math for how many faculty hours are 'lost' each fall to this mindless (yet important!) task.
November 9, 2025 at 2:23 PM
another sunday, another slew of reco letters for my lovely undergrads. ~ 12 students, each applying to 10-15 schools. you do the math. Why on earth no centralized system like for med school? You do the math for how many faculty hours are 'lost' each fall to this mindless (yet important!) task.
Reposted by Mara Duncan
A new reporter mouse for visualising Hedgehog/GLI signalling activity
This Research Highlight showcases the work from Hannah Schrader Dear, Nicole Franks, Benjamin Allen and colleagues:
journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
This Research Highlight showcases the work from Hannah Schrader Dear, Nicole Franks, Benjamin Allen and colleagues:
journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
November 7, 2025 at 12:33 PM
A new reporter mouse for visualising Hedgehog/GLI signalling activity
This Research Highlight showcases the work from Hannah Schrader Dear, Nicole Franks, Benjamin Allen and colleagues:
journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
This Research Highlight showcases the work from Hannah Schrader Dear, Nicole Franks, Benjamin Allen and colleagues:
journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
Reposted by Mara Duncan
2026 #Yeast #Genetics Meeting is 13–17 June 2026 in Pacific Grove CA. Conference website has invited speakers, abstract submission topics, preliminary schedule, etc. Bookmark the site as additional updates will be published as they become available. #YEAST26
genetics-gsa.org/yeast-2026/
genetics-gsa.org/yeast-2026/
November 7, 2025 at 3:41 PM
2026 #Yeast #Genetics Meeting is 13–17 June 2026 in Pacific Grove CA. Conference website has invited speakers, abstract submission topics, preliminary schedule, etc. Bookmark the site as additional updates will be published as they become available. #YEAST26
genetics-gsa.org/yeast-2026/
genetics-gsa.org/yeast-2026/
Reposted by Mara Duncan
Can somebody get me a PDF of this paper for a student? www.cell.com/current-biol...
Photosynthetic acclimation is a key contributor to exponential growth of a desert plant in Death Valley summer
Extreme heat threatens crops, yet some plants thrive. Prado et al. show how Tidestromia
oblongifolia acclimates to extreme heat: photosynthetic optima rise, growth accelerates,
cells become smaller, a...
www.cell.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:18 AM
Can somebody get me a PDF of this paper for a student? www.cell.com/current-biol...
In the mid-90s someone I knew very well said something on irc that made our common friends concerned. The friends contacted me. I got worried. I contacted somebody at the university, and that person got help. They did not hurt themselves. Win for rando internet ppl.
congrats to everyone for thinking this through before signing very big contracts to put it on every student’s device at the school or university you run
OVER A MILLION USERS
DISCUSS SUICIDE WITH CHATGPT
EVERY *WEEK*
what the fuck are we DOING here
DISCUSS SUICIDE WITH CHATGPT
EVERY *WEEK*
what the fuck are we DOING here
November 8, 2025 at 1:12 AM
In the mid-90s someone I knew very well said something on irc that made our common friends concerned. The friends contacted me. I got worried. I contacted somebody at the university, and that person got help. They did not hurt themselves. Win for rando internet ppl.
Reposted by Mara Duncan
Yes they are! Might have been an oversight, but these cultures were established at UNSW in 2019 in @brendanburns999.bsky.social ‘s lab and funded by Australian research grants. The first tomograms that revealed the exciting internal structures were carried out by @debnathghosal.bsky.social
November 8, 2025 at 12:20 AM
Yes they are! Might have been an oversight, but these cultures were established at UNSW in 2019 in @brendanburns999.bsky.social ‘s lab and funded by Australian research grants. The first tomograms that revealed the exciting internal structures were carried out by @debnathghosal.bsky.social
Reposted by Mara Duncan
When people celebrate the individual genius of folks in science, they should also
mourn the collective loss of genius of folks who were actively discouraged or disadvantaged from a career in science because of the same person(s)
mourn the collective loss of genius of folks who were actively discouraged or disadvantaged from a career in science because of the same person(s)
November 7, 2025 at 11:43 PM
When people celebrate the individual genius of folks in science, they should also
mourn the collective loss of genius of folks who were actively discouraged or disadvantaged from a career in science because of the same person(s)
mourn the collective loss of genius of folks who were actively discouraged or disadvantaged from a career in science because of the same person(s)
Reposted by Mara Duncan
🧠 Neurofriends:
Who is going to SfN this year?
Would anyone like to help me run The Confound Hour on Tuesday night?
Who is going to SfN this year?
Would anyone like to help me run The Confound Hour on Tuesday night?
a cartoon brain with purple tentacles and the word woo in yellow
ALT: a cartoon brain with purple tentacles and the word woo in yellow
media.tenor.com
November 7, 2025 at 11:35 PM
🧠 Neurofriends:
Who is going to SfN this year?
Would anyone like to help me run The Confound Hour on Tuesday night?
Who is going to SfN this year?
Would anyone like to help me run The Confound Hour on Tuesday night?
Reposted by Mara Duncan
When I was submitting a few years ago and having a similar problem the solution I was recommended by the GRFP support was close to this, a printed and scanned copy of the official transcript. Dumb workaround, but functional.
November 7, 2025 at 4:37 AM
When I was submitting a few years ago and having a similar problem the solution I was recommended by the GRFP support was close to this, a printed and scanned copy of the official transcript. Dumb workaround, but functional.
Reposted by Mara Duncan
Proud to share our study on #LipidDroplet #Motility #Mitochondria #MembraneContactSite now in Cell Reports @cp-cellreports.bsky.social! Big thanks to @rwedlichsoldner.bsky.social, @flofroehlich.bsky.social, @ruferbus.bsky.social, Daniel Kümmel lab, Thomas Becker lab! www.cell.com/cell-reports...
The Myo2 adaptor Ldm1 and its receptor Ldo16 mediate actin-dependent lipid droplet motility
Zhao et al. identify the molecular machinery for lipid droplet motility, consisting
of the type V myosin Myo2, the Myo2 adaptor protein Ldm1, and its surface receptor
Ldo16. They uncover a molecular l...
www.cell.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Proud to share our study on #LipidDroplet #Motility #Mitochondria #MembraneContactSite now in Cell Reports @cp-cellreports.bsky.social! Big thanks to @rwedlichsoldner.bsky.social, @flofroehlich.bsky.social, @ruferbus.bsky.social, Daniel Kümmel lab, Thomas Becker lab! www.cell.com/cell-reports...
Reposted by Mara Duncan
Thanks to our partner Food Gatherers for their emergency food distribution in the absence of SNAP. The first one is Sat., Nov. 8. No registration required. For more info:
https://www.foodgatherers.org/.../FG_Emergency-Food...
For all food pantries and meal sites: www.foodgatherers.org/foodresources
https://www.foodgatherers.org/.../FG_Emergency-Food...
For all food pantries and meal sites: www.foodgatherers.org/foodresources
November 7, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Thanks to our partner Food Gatherers for their emergency food distribution in the absence of SNAP. The first one is Sat., Nov. 8. No registration required. For more info:
https://www.foodgatherers.org/.../FG_Emergency-Food...
For all food pantries and meal sites: www.foodgatherers.org/foodresources
https://www.foodgatherers.org/.../FG_Emergency-Food...
For all food pantries and meal sites: www.foodgatherers.org/foodresources
Reposted by Mara Duncan
Personal good news alert: I’ve been promoted to associate professor and it’s time to update the ol’ bio! Launching my lab at UCSF has been a privilege + I’m so grateful to my team and community here. More exciting science ahead! 🚀
November 6, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Personal good news alert: I’ve been promoted to associate professor and it’s time to update the ol’ bio! Launching my lab at UCSF has been a privilege + I’m so grateful to my team and community here. More exciting science ahead! 🚀
Reposted by Mara Duncan
Nobody put the Popemobile Baby in my timeline this year, and dammit, I want to see the Popemobile Baby every year.
Barack Obama Can Barely Contain His Laughter over 'Baby Pope' in This Throwback Halloween Pic
The famous Baby Pope is still capturing hearts on social media, three years after winning first prize in a White House costume contest during Halloween 2015
people.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:49 AM
Nobody put the Popemobile Baby in my timeline this year, and dammit, I want to see the Popemobile Baby every year.
Reposted by Mara Duncan
Membrane dynamics, repair and disease Keystone symposium this February in Colorado. The real, true, final abstract deadline is tonight so the organizers can start picking the short talks tomorrow! www.keystonesymposia.org/conferences/...
Membrane Dynamics, Repair and Disease | Keystone Symposia
Join us at the Keystone Symposia on Membrane Dynamics, Repair and Disease, February 2026, in Keystone, with field leaders!
www.keystonesymposia.org
November 6, 2025 at 11:28 PM
Membrane dynamics, repair and disease Keystone symposium this February in Colorado. The real, true, final abstract deadline is tonight so the organizers can start picking the short talks tomorrow! www.keystonesymposia.org/conferences/...