Micaela Matta
@micaelamatta.bsky.social
#compchem | organic semiconductors | functional biomaterials | polymers | @mdanalysis core dev | made in Sardinia 🏳️🌈 she/her
Pinned
Micaela Matta
@micaelamatta.bsky.social
· Nov 23
#chemsky I made a starter pack of women in organic electronics! Comment below if you’d like to be added 🤗
@stingelin.bsky.social
@luscombeoist.bsky.social
@jovanavmilic.bsky.social
go.bsky.app/SR66ikV
@stingelin.bsky.social
@luscombeoist.bsky.social
@jovanavmilic.bsky.social
go.bsky.app/SR66ikV
Reposted by Micaela Matta
UK science and technology is suffering from a lack of investment, a hostile immigration system, and fragile university finances, reports @cathleenogrady.bsky.social 🧪 #scipolicy
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
U.K. science sector is ‘bleeding to death,’ lawmakers say in report
House of Lords committee urges government to stem exodus of science and technology companies
www.science.org
November 10, 2025 at 10:08 PM
UK science and technology is suffering from a lack of investment, a hostile immigration system, and fragile university finances, reports @cathleenogrady.bsky.social 🧪 #scipolicy
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Micaela Matta
Our MDAnalysis User Group Meeting 2025 is in full swing in sunny Arizona ! www.mdanalysis.org/pages/ugm2025/
November 10, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Our MDAnalysis User Group Meeting 2025 is in full swing in sunny Arizona ! www.mdanalysis.org/pages/ugm2025/
Counterpoint: maybe Watson was a misogynist and a racist from the start and shouldn’t have had any sterling reputation to begin with. This is him, in his own words, on Rosalind Franklin.
(Robert recalled an even worse story involving Franklin, which I haven’t read for myself.)
(Robert recalled an even worse story involving Franklin, which I haven’t read for myself.)
November 9, 2025 at 5:21 AM
What is with gen Alpha and calendar invites? #AcademicSky debate
November 5, 2025 at 1:18 AM
What is with gen Alpha and calendar invites? #AcademicSky debate
Publishing this was a 🐈 herding effort! The perspective summarizing the @royalsociety.org #Melanin meeting held last year in Eastbourne is out on @commschem.nature.com 🎉
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
From melanogenesis to melanin technologies - Communications Chemistry
Melanins are a diverse family of natural pigments with a unique combination of optical, electronic, redox, and structural properties that challenge conventional chemical characterisation. Here, the au...
www.nature.com
November 4, 2025 at 5:50 AM
Publishing this was a 🐈 herding effort! The perspective summarizing the @royalsociety.org #Melanin meeting held last year in Eastbourne is out on @commschem.nature.com 🎉
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Reposted by Micaela Matta
If anyone needs to know this, most plastic wrap in the US is made from polyethylene, but plastic wrap in Europe is made from PVC. This really matters if you are trying to make a decorative sugar dome for a cake after you saw them do it on a British baking show. #chemsky
November 3, 2025 at 12:59 AM
If anyone needs to know this, most plastic wrap in the US is made from polyethylene, but plastic wrap in Europe is made from PVC. This really matters if you are trying to make a decorative sugar dome for a cake after you saw them do it on a British baking show. #chemsky
Reposted by Micaela Matta
Glad to see this in print! Check out @hannahturney.bsky.social’s Perspective on atomistic polymer modeling out on @pubs.acs.org #ACSEditorsChoice
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Atomistic Polymer Modeling: Recent Advances and Challenges in Building and Parametrization Workflows
Synthetic polymers are a broad and versatile class of soft materials covering a large chemical space. “Computational microscopy” approaches such as atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are an effective tool to validate and rationalize experimental data for structure–property characterization. The predictive quality of MD simulations and the properties derived from them are primarily driven by the accuracy and relevance of the force field used to represent the system. While biomolecular simulation (nucleic acids, proteins) workflows benefit from dedicated toolkits and domain-specific force fields, the modeling of synthetic polymers has not progressed to the same extent. This perspective will discuss recent efforts to improve system building and parametrization workflows for synthetic polymers, and the unique challenges differentiating them from biopolymers. We will outline shortcomings in established workflows, review best practices for FAIR polymer simulations, and highlight new tools/workflows leveraging cheminformatics, direct chemical perception, and neural networks.
pubs.acs.org
October 29, 2025 at 8:47 AM
Glad to see this in print! Check out @hannahturney.bsky.social’s Perspective on atomistic polymer modeling out on @pubs.acs.org #ACSEditorsChoice
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Doing the Lord’s work
Just spent an enjoyable half hour looking up under-appreciated women in my field and suggesting them as speakers for a conference. Don't worry boys, I also suggested some men...
October 28, 2025 at 9:29 AM
Doing the Lord’s work
Making beautiful illustrations for a grant that nobody but 3-4 people will get to see 🥲
October 28, 2025 at 7:48 AM
Making beautiful illustrations for a grant that nobody but 3-4 people will get to see 🥲
Reposted by Micaela Matta
"The availability of financial support from employers to meet these fees can make or break leading researchers’ decisions to come to the UK, and this support comes at a cost for organisations Money spent on visa fees is often money not invested in research"
www.chemistryworld.com/news/the-cos...
www.chemistryworld.com/news/the-cos...
The cost of a visa for a researcher moving to the UK is 22 times that of international average
Royal Society is warning that the high upfront costs are putting off talented researchers
www.chemistryworld.com
October 26, 2025 at 4:58 PM
"The availability of financial support from employers to meet these fees can make or break leading researchers’ decisions to come to the UK, and this support comes at a cost for organisations Money spent on visa fees is often money not invested in research"
www.chemistryworld.com/news/the-cos...
www.chemistryworld.com/news/the-cos...
Reposted by Micaela Matta
"...researchers who invest time in their students tend to lead more-productive, more-collaborative groups and attract stronger future students than those who do not." "Time spent with the next generation of scientists is an investment."
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
What makes PhD students happy? Good supervision
Supervisors who invest in positive mentoring relationships with their PhD candidates also reap the benefits for their own research.
www.nature.com
October 24, 2025 at 10:46 PM
"...researchers who invest time in their students tend to lead more-productive, more-collaborative groups and attract stronger future students than those who do not." "Time spent with the next generation of scientists is an investment."
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Micaela Matta
The authors of a Comment article discuss how scientists, research institutions, funders, libraries and publishers must all improve software practices. They outline recommendations for an approach to handle software better. #Academicsky 🧪
Stop treating code like an afterthought: record, share and value it
Scientists, research institutions, funders, libraries and publishers must all improve software practices.
go.nature.com
October 24, 2025 at 1:46 AM
The authors of a Comment article discuss how scientists, research institutions, funders, libraries and publishers must all improve software practices. They outline recommendations for an approach to handle software better. #Academicsky 🧪
Reposted by Micaela Matta
A few key things that apply no matter where you are:
⭐ Meeting with your supervisor at least once a week strongly correlates with higher satisfaction
⭐ Students early in their PhD tend to be happier than those nearing the end
⭐ Working more than 60 hours a week makes satisfaction plummet
⭐ Meeting with your supervisor at least once a week strongly correlates with higher satisfaction
⭐ Students early in their PhD tend to be happier than those nearing the end
⭐ Working more than 60 hours a week makes satisfaction plummet
October 22, 2025 at 10:03 AM
A few key things that apply no matter where you are:
⭐ Meeting with your supervisor at least once a week strongly correlates with higher satisfaction
⭐ Students early in their PhD tend to be happier than those nearing the end
⭐ Working more than 60 hours a week makes satisfaction plummet
⭐ Meeting with your supervisor at least once a week strongly correlates with higher satisfaction
⭐ Students early in their PhD tend to be happier than those nearing the end
⭐ Working more than 60 hours a week makes satisfaction plummet
Reposted by Micaela Matta
Eden Tanner coats nanoparticles in liquid salts for targeted drug delivery
This physical chemist studies ionic liquids while making space in research for students with marginalized identities.
#DisabledInSTEM #NDEAM cen.acs.org/materials/io...
This physical chemist studies ionic liquids while making space in research for students with marginalized identities.
#DisabledInSTEM #NDEAM cen.acs.org/materials/io...
Eden Tanner coats nanoparticles in liquid salts for targeted drug delivery
This physical chemist studies ionic liquids while making space in research for students with marginalized identities
cen.acs.org
October 22, 2025 at 10:31 AM
Eden Tanner coats nanoparticles in liquid salts for targeted drug delivery
This physical chemist studies ionic liquids while making space in research for students with marginalized identities.
#DisabledInSTEM #NDEAM cen.acs.org/materials/io...
This physical chemist studies ionic liquids while making space in research for students with marginalized identities.
#DisabledInSTEM #NDEAM cen.acs.org/materials/io...
Too late but good news I guess? we lost a generation of students who haven’t had the opportunity to experience life abroad..
UK ‘hopes’ to rejoin EU’s Erasmus+ by 2028
Government sets out “tight” potential timescale for association deal before bloc’s next budget starts
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...
Government sets out “tight” potential timescale for association deal before bloc’s next budget starts
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...
UK ‘hopes’ to rejoin EU’s Erasmus+ by 2028 - Research Professional News
Government sets out “tight” potential timescale for association deal before bloc’s next budget starts
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
October 22, 2025 at 8:18 AM
Too late but good news I guess? we lost a generation of students who haven’t had the opportunity to experience life abroad..
Reposted by Micaela Matta
October 10, 2025 at 2:44 AM
Reposted by Micaela Matta
Reposted by Micaela Matta
The Nobel committee needs to rethink their processes soon. No chance any millennial will answer their phone for that
October 8, 2025 at 8:42 PM
The Nobel committee needs to rethink their processes soon. No chance any millennial will answer their phone for that
Reposted by Micaela Matta
Chem Nobel reaction live from Kyoto Uni! Not every day your nextdoor neighbour wins!
October 8, 2025 at 9:57 AM
Chem Nobel reaction live from Kyoto Uni! Not every day your nextdoor neighbour wins!
Reposted by Micaela Matta
I love this.
His Off-the-Grid Vacation Was Interrupted by Winning a Nobel Prize
www.nytimes.com
October 7, 2025 at 11:43 AM
I love this.
I thought nothing could possibly be worse than the Springer Nature submission system.. turns out I was wrong. Their proofreading system is straight torture from hell 😤
October 1, 2025 at 11:46 PM
I thought nothing could possibly be worse than the Springer Nature submission system.. turns out I was wrong. Their proofreading system is straight torture from hell 😤
Reposted by Micaela Matta
Due to popular demand, I am sharing my slide deck on #environmental costs of #ML in #compchem & #materials_science www.grynova-ccc.org/other.html - incl. work by @skepteis.bsky.social @pschwllr.bsky.social and others.
Please send any other relevant resources my way, I’ll be maintaining this deck.
Please send any other relevant resources my way, I’ll be maintaining this deck.
Other
3. G. Gryn’ova , T. Bereau, C. Müller, P. Friederich, R. C. Wade, A. Nunes-Alves, T. A. Soares, K. Merz Jr., EDITORIAL: Chemical Compound Space Exploration by Multiscale High-Throughput...
www.grynova-ccc.org
October 1, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Due to popular demand, I am sharing my slide deck on #environmental costs of #ML in #compchem & #materials_science www.grynova-ccc.org/other.html - incl. work by @skepteis.bsky.social @pschwllr.bsky.social and others.
Please send any other relevant resources my way, I’ll be maintaining this deck.
Please send any other relevant resources my way, I’ll be maintaining this deck.
Reposted by Micaela Matta
Deeply disappointing. Once again the @royalsociety.org has avoided explaining how *actions* by Elon Musk that clearly repudiate the Society's values are consistent with the code of conduct that Fellows must adhere to. royalsociety.org/news/2025/10...
A statement from the President of the Royal Society | Royal Society
A statement from Adrian Smith, President of the Royal Society, regarding threats to the values that allow science to flourish.
royalsociety.org
October 1, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Deeply disappointing. Once again the @royalsociety.org has avoided explaining how *actions* by Elon Musk that clearly repudiate the Society's values are consistent with the code of conduct that Fellows must adhere to. royalsociety.org/news/2025/10...
Reposted by Micaela Matta
He should have been expelled. This is way more than policing opinions.
- Inciting violence at far right rallies
- Interfering in government affairs
- Destroying health and science infrastructures
- Ensuring thousands will die
Abusers, excused and enabled by craven others, always grow in power.
- Inciting violence at far right rallies
- Interfering in government affairs
- Destroying health and science infrastructures
- Ensuring thousands will die
Abusers, excused and enabled by craven others, always grow in power.
"I am increasingly concerned over threats to the values that allow science to flourish." Read the full statement from the President of the Royal Society Sir Adrian Smith: royalsociety.org/news/2025/10...
A statement from the President of the Royal Society | Royal Society
A statement from the President of the Royal Society regarding threats to the values that allow science to flourish.
royalsociety.org
October 1, 2025 at 5:10 PM
He should have been expelled. This is way more than policing opinions.
- Inciting violence at far right rallies
- Interfering in government affairs
- Destroying health and science infrastructures
- Ensuring thousands will die
Abusers, excused and enabled by craven others, always grow in power.
- Inciting violence at far right rallies
- Interfering in government affairs
- Destroying health and science infrastructures
- Ensuring thousands will die
Abusers, excused and enabled by craven others, always grow in power.