Sam Lewis, Ph.D.
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samlewis.bsky.social
Sam Lewis, Ph.D.
@samlewis.bsky.social
2.6K followers 830 following 130 posts
Assistant Professor in the UC Berkeley Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, mtDNA obsessed, mother to the Lord of Chaos, she/her, personal account, views do not reflect those of my employer.
https://www.samlewis-phd.com/
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samlewis.bsky.social
Sam Lewis, Ph.D. @samlewis.bsky.social · Dec 18
⚡️Mitochondria make ATP, the energy that powers life. But in neurons, with axons up to a meter long, how do these tiny power plants stay functional in the right places? We went looking. 1/n www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Self-renewal of neuronal mitochondria through asymmetric division
Mitochondrial ATP production is essential for life. Mitochondrial function depends on the spatio-temporal coordination of nuclear and mitochondrial genome expression, yet how this coordination occurs ...
www.biorxiv.org
Reposted by Sam Lewis, Ph.D.
ruhee.ca
No Kings includes Draft Kings
February 8, 2026 at 11:49 PM
Reposted by Sam Lewis, Ph.D.
meghnag27.bsky.social
We are organizing a mini-symposium on "Membrane and Organelle Dynamics" at ASBMB 2026! #ASBMB @asbmb.bsky.social
@aydinlab.bsky.social and I have put together a fantastic lineup of speakers for Day 1 morning. Come learn about some cutting-edge research in the field.
February 7, 2026 at 3:16 AM
Reposted by Sam Lewis, Ph.D.
olifiersl.bsky.social
Check out my first @prelights.bsky.social article, based on some great work done by Dr. Tejashree Waingankar & @samlewis.bsky.social at UC Berkeley 🔬🧬🧠

prelights.biologists.com/highlights/s...
Self-renewal of neuronal mitochondria through asymmetric division - preLights
Neurons contain “hotspots” for mitochondrial biogenesis at distal branch points
prelights.biologists.com
February 6, 2026 at 6:23 PM
Reposted by Sam Lewis, Ph.D.
james-r-barrett.bsky.social
How does molecular valency shape condensate assembly and function? We used the CO2-fixing organelle in algae—the pyrenoid—to find out… 🧵

Preprint here!:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

@cellarchlab.com @phaips.vd.st @biologyatyork.bsky.social
#Rubisco #PhaseSeparation #Condensates #Pyrenoid
January 30, 2026 at 3:21 PM
samlewis.bsky.social
I found me!
jcellsci.bsky.social Journal of Cell Science @jcellsci.bsky.social · Jan 6
Issue 24 is complete

Marking the end of @biologists.bsky.social 100-year anniversary celebrations, our cover features members of the JCS community, including some researchers from our ‘First Person’ & ‘Cell Scientists to Watch’ interviews.

Explore our ToC: journals.biologists.com/jcs/issue/13...
JCS cover: Marking the end of The Company of Biologists' 100-year anniversary, the final journal cover of 2025 features members of our community, including our academic and guest Editors, our FocalPlane Advisory Board, some of the ‘First Person’ and ‘Cell Scientists to Watch’ scientists featured this year, and our in-house team of administrators and editors at our editorial office in Cambridge.
January 15, 2026 at 9:04 PM
samlewis.bsky.social
I taught my grad-level cell bio seminar using the Socratic method in the fall, and shockingly (to me), students loved it. No slides, just yapping. I assigned two research articles per week as the starting point, but we were mostly led by their questions
January 14, 2026 at 7:14 PM
samlewis.bsky.social
I love this video of mitochondrial trafficking and POLG2-GFP in pLL neurons of live zebrafish larvae - from our awesome collaborator Katie Drerup @kdrerup.bsky.social at UW-Madison. She and her team are so talented!
January 9, 2026 at 7:47 PM
Reposted by Sam Lewis, Ph.D.
retof.bsky.social
The cryo cyclical multiplexing expansion microscopy (Cy-ExM) preprint from
@seweryn-galecki.bsky.social , @kevin-dean.bsky.social et al is online.

20 targets across an entire cell. Mr. Snouty also joined the fun.

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
January 2, 2026 at 7:39 PM
samlewis.bsky.social
The Raven Scholar, by Antonia Hodgson
The Devils, by Joe Abercrombie
The Angel of the Crows, by Katherine Addison
bita137.bsky.social Bita Moghaddam @bita137.bsky.social · Dec 28
What were the best fictions you read in 2025?

My top 3:

Orbital
Martyr!
Intermezzo
December 29, 2025 at 3:16 AM
samlewis.bsky.social
⚡️Mitochondria make ATP, the energy that powers life. But in neurons, with axons up to a meter long, how do these tiny power plants stay functional in the right places? We went looking. 1/n www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Self-renewal of neuronal mitochondria through asymmetric division
Mitochondrial ATP production is essential for life. Mitochondrial function depends on the spatio-temporal coordination of nuclear and mitochondrial genome expression, yet how this coordination occurs ...
www.biorxiv.org
December 18, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Reposted by Sam Lewis, Ph.D.
biorxiv-cellbio.bsky.social
Self-renewal of neuronal mitochondria through asymmetric division https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.17.694973v1
December 18, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Reposted by Sam Lewis, Ph.D.
mikefeigin.bsky.social
How are people dealing with AI use in their grad programs, specifically for thesis proposal, qualifying exam, dissertation? Banned completely? Allowed, but have to recognize its use? No guardrails at all? We have to develop a policy and I’m totally at a loss.
December 18, 2025 at 12:35 AM
samlewis.bsky.social
I just submitted some work that we're really excited about - preprint loading! Here's a sneak peek 👀
December 17, 2025 at 10:45 PM
Reposted by Sam Lewis, Ph.D.
rikergoogling.bsky.social
why can’t replicators make pumpkin spice raktajino all year long
December 16, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Reposted by Sam Lewis, Ph.D.
flscitriguy.bsky.social
I think some folks might be happy to see this. NIGMS MIRA R35 for EI/NI has been published. PAR-26-121 files.simpler.grants.gov/opportunitie...
PAR-26-121: Maximizing Investigators' Research Award (MIRA) (R35 - Clinical Trial Optional)
files.simpler.grants.gov
December 11, 2025 at 6:48 PM
samlewis.bsky.social
www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/...
Mitochondrial Genetics in Cardiovascular Health and Disease: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association | Circulation
Metabolic and genetic abnormalities have long been noted in cardiovascular diseases, but the contribution of mitochondrial genetic (mitochondrial DNA [mtDNA]) variation is understudied. Mitochondrial ...
www.ahajournals.org
December 9, 2025 at 3:08 AM
Reposted by Sam Lewis, Ph.D.
mikedrucker.bsky.social
I wrote a bit for McSweeney's about Isaac Chotiner interviewing Santa Claus. Just a little something for the holiday season. Enjoy!
The New Yorker’s Isaac Chotiner Interviews Santa Claus
For several centuries, Santa Claus has been one of the most prolific mythical gift-givers in the world. Formerly known as Saint Nicholas of Myra, a...
www.mcsweeneys.net
December 4, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Reposted by Sam Lewis, Ph.D.
miriamposner.com
WE JUST KEEP WINNING. (UC President's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program RESTORED!!!!)
On official UC letterhead: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA James B. Milliken President Office of the President 1111 Franklin Street Oakland, CA 94607 universityofcalifornia.edu CAMPUSES Berkeley Davis Irvine UCLA Merced Riverside San Diego San Francisco Santa Barbara Santa Cruz MEDICAL CENTERS Davis Irvine UCLA San Diego San Francisco NATIONAL LABORATORIES Lawrence Berkeley Lawrence Livermore Los Alamos DIVISION OF AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES November 18, 2025 Dear Chancellors: I'm writing with regard to the President's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (PPFP) and the program's associated faculty hiring incentive. As you know, for more than 40 years, PPFP has provided postdoctoral research fellowships, professional development, and faculty mentoring to scholars in all fields whose research, teaching, and service advance the academic and research missions of the University of California. Since 2003, UC campuses that hire current and former PPFP fellows into ladder-rank positions have been eligible for a hiring incentive funded by the University that provides support for newly hired fellows for five years. Since the creation of the incentive, more than $162 million has been invested by the University to support PPFP faculty hires. This commitment has enabled our campuses to successfully recruit and retain outstanding faculty across a range of disciplines. Given the myriad challenges currently facing UC - including disruptions to billions of dollars in annual federal support, as well as uncertainty around the state budget- reasonable questions were raised in recent months about whether the University could maintain the commitment to current levels of incentive funding. After considering a recommendation to sunset the incentive program due to these significant fiscal constraints, I consulted with all of you as well as faculty and campus academic administrators and systemwide Academic Senate leadership. [continued on next image] After learning more about the history and success of the program and weighing the thoughtful perspectives that have been shared, I have concluded that barring extraordinary financial setbacks, the PPFP faculty hiring incentive program will continue while the University continues to assess the program's structure as well as its long-term financial sustainability. As a result of our continuing consultation and review, there may be consideration of some changes to elements of the program including the total number of incentives supported, a number that has fluctuated significantly over the years, and how the awards are distributed among campuses. In the meantime, the University will continue to fund the PPFP faculty hiring incentive program and campuses may continue to take advantage of these incentives. We will have an opportunity to discuss any potential changes prior to adoption. As we look to the future, I will continue to engage with faculty leaders, program stakeholders, and UC community members about this important program. I especially appreciate the thoughtful perspectives shared in recent weeks by Academic Council Chair Palazoglu and Vice Chair Scott, the Council of Graduate Deans, UC faculty members, and you as our campus leaders. Sincerely, James B. Milliken President
November 18, 2025 at 10:34 PM
Reposted by Sam Lewis, Ph.D.
shimminykricket.bsky.social
I learned how to read well because I was doing it all the time. A Goosebumps book and an encyclopedia volume hated to see me coming. I dont even know how you develop proper reading skills if you only read books at school.
October 7, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Reposted by Sam Lewis, Ph.D.
pratted.bsky.social
Announcing such a major change to NSF GRFP this late in the cycle is incredibly cruel. 2nd yr students (mine included) have been working so hard on their proposals despite ongoing uncertainty. They are driven and passionate about being outstanding scientists and helping those coming up behind them.
This means individuals in the following statuses at the time of application are eligible: Undergraduate in the final (senior) year of a bachelor’s degree program Bachelor’s degree-holder with NO enrollment in a graduate degree program (non-degree graduate coursework allowed) Individual enrolled in a joint bachelor’s-master’s degree program with at least three undergraduate years completed First-year graduate student in their first graduate degree program with less than one academic year completed in the degree program (according to institution’s academic calendar) Individuals enrolled in joint bachelor’s-master’s degree programs are considered graduate students. For GRFP, joint bachelor’s-master’s degrees are defined as degrees concurrently pursued and awarded. Not be a current NSF employee. Applications that do not meet eligibility requirements will be returned without review as being ineligible for a fellowship.
September 26, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Reposted by Sam Lewis, Ph.D.
jimhurley.bsky.social
Position available! Team @mito911.bsky.social needs a new scientific program manager to take over from legendary super-PM @doroteaartscience.bsky.social, who is moving on to bigger things. This is a Berkeley-based position. Apply at aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05103.
September 20, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Reposted by Sam Lewis, Ph.D.
itsafronomics.blacksky.app
mood today #blacksky:
Black woman sitting in a wheel chair
September 11, 2025 at 1:14 AM
Reposted by Sam Lewis, Ph.D.
charliejane.bsky.social
I don't really care if the future is short videos. I like words. Words have gotten me this far and I'm gonna stick with 'em for the duration
September 9, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Reposted by Sam Lewis, Ph.D.
asapresearch.parkinsonsroadmap.org
📣 Don't miss out on the upcoming @mito911.bsky.social webinar featuring Katie Drerup, PhD, from the University of Wisconsin.

👇 Reserve your spot using the link below.

📅 September 8
⏰ 11:00 AM EST
RSVP: bit.ly/4mUJeAc
September 2, 2025 at 5:03 PM
samlewis.bsky.social
I'm happy to share new work in collaboration with Elena Koslover's lab! First author Keaton developed a mathematical framework for diffusion of soluble material through mitochondrial networks. Then, Lewis lab PhD candidate Camryn used live cell imaging to parameterize... 1/3
August 29, 2025 at 2:33 PM