Milos Simovic
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milossimovic.bsky.social
Milos Simovic
@milossimovic.bsky.social
110 followers 210 following 31 posts
PhD candidate in Botany @ UBC, Michaletz Lab.

https://msimovic21.github.io/
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milossimovic.bsky.social
Milos Simovic @milossimovic.bsky.social · Jul 14
🚨 New R package! 🚨

balancR provides tools for data balancing + robust scaling analysis, based on our recent Global Ecology & Biogeography paper: doi.org/10.1111/geb....

Co-developed with my PhD advisor @seanmichaletz.bsky.social

Check it out 👉 michaletzlab.github.io/balancR/
Reposted by Milos Simovic
stressedbranch.bsky.social
So excited to have been accepted to write this piece. Thanks to all who have entertained my ramblings over the years and have encouraged me in my passion for #ecophysiology and #evolution 🙏

#IAmABotanist 🌱
botsocamerica.bsky.social Botanical Society of America @botsocamerica.bsky.social · 10d
🏵 Check out the latest #AJB Synthesis article, by Haley Branch! 🏵

The sleeping giant needs coffee: Overlooked areas for integrating plant #ecophysiology & evolutionary biology

doi.org/10.1002/ajb2...

#botany #plantscience #ecology #evolution
Graphic announcing new AJB Synthesis article by Haley Branch. Methodological illustration for asking whether X affects plants. “Question” provides an example of a question that both ecologists and evolutionary biologists ask, with categories of traits often of interest. “Experiment” shows trait examples and comparisons (populations, environmental, across time). Types of traits are where evolutionary biologists could expand their breadth. “Outcome” describes lasting effects of whether X affects traits to the point that it is passed on and contributes to future generations or it leads to extinction. “Outcomes” is where ecophysiologists could expand their work. Images courtesy of Dr. Stefanie Sultmanis (vein density), Dr. Beatrice Harrison Day (root section), and Dr. Vanessa Tonet (leaf cavitation).
February 9, 2026 at 5:49 PM
Reposted by Milos Simovic
tyleraking.com
I don’t know if this counts as a watershed moment or whatever but it is significant that even the NYT has to drop the pretense and call it what it is.

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/u...
Trump Posts Racist Video President Trump posted a video portraying the Obamas as apes, which the White House brushed off as an "internet meme." now Trump Posts Video Portraying Obamas as Apes The White House press secretary dismissed criticism of the clip's racist content, shared by the president's Truth Social account, as "fake outrage." • Listen to this article • 2:52 min Learn more By Erica L. Green and Isabella Kwai Feb. 6, 2026 Updated 10:29 a.m. ET President Trump posted a blatantly racist video clip portraying former President Barack Obama and the former first lady Michelle Obama as apes, the latest in a long pattern by Mr. Trump of promoting offensive stereotypes about Black Americans and others.
February 6, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Reposted by Milos Simovic
holdenrestoration.bsky.social
Paid Summer Internships...
Join us for a summer of ecological research at the Holden Arboretum.
Opportunities in restoration ecology, population ecology, plant ecophysiology, forest health, and more.
On-site housing available at low cost.
lnkd.in/gjWUznhj
January 29, 2026 at 3:06 PM
Reposted by Milos Simovic
petersagal.bsky.social
Some history from a historian.
sethcotlar.bsky.social Seth Cotlar @sethcotlar.bsky.social · 24d
Following the Kent State massacre in May 1970, a Gallup poll showed that 58% of Americans thought the shootings were justified. The night *before* the killings, Ohio's GOP governor described the student protesters this way: "They're the worst type of people that we harbor in America."
January 26, 2026 at 4:03 PM
Reposted by Milos Simovic
bsa-ecophys.bsky.social
Here is a working Starter Pack for Plant Ecophysiologists! Please let us know if you want to be added to this list in a comment or DM. #botany #plantecophys #PhysFam

go.bsky.app/Pbq39H7
November 9, 2024 at 8:16 PM
Reposted by Milos Simovic
vaw-glaciology.bsky.social
We’re advertising a fully funded 4-year PhD position on modelling firn changes at the glacier scale within the SNF-funded deFIRN project, based at ETH Zurich & WSL.

Apply here: jobs.ethz.ch/job/view/JOP...

@wslresearch.bsky.social @slfdavos.bsky.social
January 15, 2026 at 6:10 PM
Reposted by Milos Simovic
seanmichaletz.bsky.social
🍁Funding for new PhD students ($40k/yr) & postdocs ($70k/yr) coming from outside Canada. Contact me if interested in #Ecophysiology at #UBC in #Vancouver! Possible topics: leaf physiology, thermal ecology, microclimate, scaling, tree physiology, forest ecology, more! michaletzlab.org
Please share!
January 15, 2026 at 5:49 PM
Reposted by Milos Simovic
andrew.heiss.phd
Perennial reminder of this excellent paper about how secret police forces are swamped with underachievers

“We don’t want clever people. We want mediocrities.”

(Ungated summary here ajps.org/2019/10/08/w...)
Why Underachievers Dominate Secret Police Organizations: Evidence from Autocratic Argentina Adam Scharpf Christian Gläßel Abstract: Autocrats depend on a capable secret police. Anecdotal evidence, however, often characterizes agents as surprisingly mediocre in skill and intellect. To explain this puzzle, this article focuses on the career incentives underachieving individuals face in the regular security apparatus. Low-performing officials in hierarchical organizations have little chance of being promoted or filling lucrative positions. To salvage their careers, these officials are willing to undertake burdensome secret police work. Using data on all 4,287 officers who served in autocratic Argentina (1975-83), we study biographic differences between secret police agents and the entire recruitment pool. We find that low-achieving officers were stuck within the regime hierarchy, threatened with discharge, and thus more likely to join the secret police for future benefits. The study demonstrates how state bureaucracies breed mundane career concerns that produce willing enforcers and cement violent regimes. This has implications for the understanding of autocratic consolidation and democratic breakdown.
January 14, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Reposted by Milos Simovic
charlottegrossiord.bsky.social
🌳PhD Opportunity in plant ecophysiology🌡️ Join EPFL (Switzerland) for fully-funded 4yr PhD on tree responses to air drought and heat. Climate chamber + long-term experiments to uncover physiological thresholds under climate change. www.epfl.ch/labs/perl/pe...
PhD Position: Tree Physiological Responses to Atmospheric Drought
We invite applications for a fully funded four-year PhD position at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, with a planned start date in June 2026. The selected candidate wil...
www.epfl.ch
January 7, 2026 at 4:25 PM
Reposted by Milos Simovic
bjenquist.bsky.social
New postdoctoral fellowship opportunity! Please pass along. Excited to announce the launch of the Tom Lovejoy Fellowship Program at the University of Arizona for innovative research to protect species, sustain ecosystems, and promote a thriving planet lovejoycenter.arizona.edu/lovejoy-fell... 🧪🌐🌾
Application Process Image Woman behind a podium presenting. Jessie Golding, BBCS postdoc, presenting at ICCB 2025. Apply to become a Lovejoy Fellow by submitting your resume, cover letter, and contact information for three references through the University of Arizona Talent Portal (link upcoming) by the first review date of January 30, 2026. Your cover letter should: Identify 1-2 Lovejoy BBCS faculty you would be interested in working with and explain the primary research directions you would want to pursue in collaboration with this faculty member. You are strongly encouraged to reach out to faculty before submitting your application. Describe your experience with or interest in inter- or transdisciplinary research. Explain how this experience will positively impact your career trajectory.
December 19, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Reposted by Milos Simovic
kimcobb.bsky.social
It is hard to overstate how critical @ncar-ucar.bsky.social is to climate science in the US and around the world. It's the beating heart of our field. Generations of scientists have trained there, and almost everyone I know relies on deep collaborations with NCAR scientists. It's end is unthinkable.
usatoday.com USA TODAY @usatoday.com · Dec 17
Exclusive: The Trump administration is moving to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, according to a senior White House official, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
Trump moves to dismantle major US climate research center in Colorado
The Trump administration is breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
bit.ly
December 17, 2025 at 2:50 AM
Reposted by Milos Simovic
agu.org
The Trump Administration's plan to dismantle the @ncar-ucar.bsky.social is senseless & dangerous.

It would weaken weather forecasting, climate research, & the science that keeps people safe.

We urge that this plan be abandoned.

Call Congress to #SaveNCAR today. buff.ly/7ka1BQA
Save NCAR from being dismantled today!
The Trump Administration has vowed to dissolve the center that provides critical extreme weather and climate data for our nation.
buff.ly
December 17, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Reposted by Milos Simovic
seanmichaletz.bsky.social
Check out our #MichaletzLab presentations at #AGU2025 this week! @agu.org @agubiogeosciences.bsky.social @gec-agu.bsky.social @nicolebison.bsky.social @milossimovic.bsky.social
December 15, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Reposted by Milos Simovic
drmowinckels.io
🎄 ANNOUNCEMENT: R Package Development Advent Calendar 2025! 🎄

Starting December 1st, I'm launching a 25-day journey through modern R package development. here's why you should follow along 🧵

#rstats #RPackageAdvent2025 #OpenSource
A festive digital illustration features the blue R logo wearing a red Santa hat with white trim on the left. To its right stands a green Christmas tree made entirely of curly braces arranged in a triangular shape. White and light-blue %>% pipe symbols float across a dark blue, starry background like snowflakes. A speech bubble above the R logo says “Ho Ho Ho! 📦” in red text. At the bottom, white text reads: “R Package Development Advent Calendar 2025” and below it, “25 Days of Coding Magic • Dec 1–25.”
November 30, 2025 at 10:03 AM
Reposted by Milos Simovic
temporalecology.bsky.social
Our department at UBC is hiring for a professor of forest ecophysiology, including "tree ecophysiology; plant abiotic or biotic stress physiology; forest mortality and climate change responses; forest carbon balance; tree water relations; or nutrient use." Learn more at: tinyurl.com/5da56f5c
October 6, 2025 at 10:12 PM
milossimovic.bsky.social
Golden Ears is surely one of the prettiest mountains in SWBC.
November 23, 2025 at 2:03 AM
milossimovic.bsky.social
This would be absolutely hilarious if it wasn't so frightening
drmikewiser.bsky.social Mike Wiser @drmikewiser.bsky.social · Nov 21
It’s awful. I’ve finally decided I need to demo how bad it is. In my intro lecture, I have several in class activities where I show the students chat GPT output and have them identify what’s wrong.

This attempt at the carbon cycle was in this week’s classes.
A shocking terrible attempt at diagramming the carbon cycle. There is a cloud labeled CO2. An arrow pointing from it to a volcano is labeled photosynthesis. An arrow from the cloud to a river is labeled respiration. An arrow from a tree points to the word diffusion floating in the water. A rock in the water has an arrow pointing to the word sedimentation. There is an arrow from sedimentation to the word limestone. There is an arrow from the word limestone to the volcano, labeled burial. There is another rock labeled rocks. The word decay floats by itself in the river.
November 21, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Reposted by Milos Simovic
karen-depauw.bsky.social
We published this open letter on #UrbanForests as essential(!!) infrastructure for climate resilience & biodiversity aimed at policymakers at #COP30.

4🗝️priorities🧵👇
@plantspeopleplanet.bsky.social @fornalab.bsky.social @fbwugent.bsky.social @meisebotanicgarden.bsky.social
@westsyduhie.bsky.social
plantspeopleplanet.bsky.social Plants, People, Planet @plantspeopleplanet.bsky.social · Nov 10
In their Open Letter, Manuel Esperon-Rodriguez, et al. highlight the importance of #UrbanForests as essential infrastructure to policy makers at #COP30, which begins today in Brazil 👇

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

#NatureBasedSolutions #PlantScience 🧵
An overhead view of a complex arrangement of trees and vegetation amidst tall buildings in a busy urban setting.
November 11, 2025 at 8:19 AM
Reposted by Milos Simovic
kateplantphys.bsky.social
Check out our new paper! @brodersenlab.bsky.social
jxbotany.bsky.social Journal of Experimental Botany @jxbotany.bsky.social · Nov 19
❄️🌱 RESEARCH 🌱❄️

Ice spreads in a predictable pattern through young L. tulipifera, governed by anatomy and vein architecture. Leaf lethality always involves damage to photosynthetic tissues and can involve air embolism - Johnson et al.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/jxb/...

#PlantScience 🧪
Fig. 8.Comparative progression of drought- and freeze–thaw-induced embolism in leaves of young L. tulipifera. (A–C) The spread of embolism during three periods from 5 h to ∼25 h after the beginning of drought. (D–F) The spread of embolism during three periods from 5 min to 15 min after thawing began. Embolisms are colour-coded according to when they occurred, as indicated by the scale at the bottom of the figure.
November 19, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Reposted by Milos Simovic
adrien-fabre.bsky.social
🎴NEW PAPER!🎴

Majorities in 11 HICs support:
✅Foreign aid
✅Debt relief for low-income countries (LICs)
✅An international carbon price financing a worldwide basic income
✅An international 2% tax on wealth above $1 million with 30% funding LICs
and much more.

bsky.app/profile/wid....
A 🧵⬇️
https://prod.wid.world/www-site/uploads/2025/11/WorldInequalityLab_WP2025_26_-Public-International-Redistribution-in-High-Income-Countries_Final.pdf
November 14, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Reposted by Milos Simovic
whysharksmatter.bsky.social
I think about this post every day 🧪
Screenshot of a Tweet pointing out that academic spam is actually in its own way kind of encouraging.
November 7, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Reposted by Milos Simovic
kateplantphys.bsky.social
The cover of @jxbotany.bsky.social is my painting of Tulip Poplar, a North-American native & global street tree that was the focus of our paper visualising freezing spread & freeze-thaw embolism in leaves!
A lovely way to finish this multi-year mutli-country project
🔗below
@brodersenlab.bsky.social
Watercolour painting of a young Tulip Poplar tree on the cover of 'Journal Experimental Botany', for volume 76, Issue 18, 2025
November 5, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Reposted by Milos Simovic
atrupar.com
Mamdani: "We can respond to oligarchy and authoritarianism with the strength it fears, not the appeasement it craves. After all, if anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him."
November 5, 2025 at 4:38 AM
Reposted by Milos Simovic
pbump.com
Mamdani quotes Eugene V. Debs, who earns a roar of approval just at the mention of his name.
November 5, 2025 at 4:20 AM
Reposted by Milos Simovic
newphyt.bsky.social
High #temperature acclimation of #photosystem II in land plants

#TansleyReview by @bposch.bsky.social et al.

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

@hultinelab.bsky.social #PlantScience #photosynthesis
Venn diagram of major strategies used to cope with heat stress with examples of species expected to specialize in heat tolerance/acclimation (yellow circles), heat avoidance through drought-deciduousness (green circles), and heat avoidance through homeothermic leaf cooling (blue circles).
November 4, 2025 at 5:19 AM