A/Prof Sam Stehbens PhD (She/Her)
banner
samstehbens.bsky.social
A/Prof Sam Stehbens PhD (She/Her)
@samstehbens.bsky.social
Everything microtubules, movement, and microscopy. ARC Future Fellow, lab head University of Queensland #CatsOfAcademia advoCATe. UCSF Wittmann lab alumni.
Pinned
What we do: work out how cells move by watching them. (Movies by Robert Ju; you can check out his work (art?) here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
> I'll repost the paper tutorial later for those who are interested). #microscopy #microtubules #cytoskeleton #cellmigration #confinement
Reposted by A/Prof Sam Stehbens PhD (She/Her)
Septins buffer actomyosin forces to protect the nucleus from genotoxic mechanical stress www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Septins buffer actomyosin forces to protect the nucleus from genotoxic mechanical stress
Invasively migrating cells thread their nucleus through confined interstitial spaces. How cells protect the nucleus from intracellular forces is poorly understood. Here, we show that the septin cytoskeleton buffers the actomyosin forces that power nuclear movement. Septin filaments comprising SEPT9, a septin amplified in breast cancer, align with perinuclear actomyosin cables which exhibit higher tensile stress during 3D confined migration through narrower pores. SEPT9 depletion amplifies actin stress during confined migration and after myosin II hyper-activation in non-migrating cells causing actin and nuclear envelope ruptures. Following confined migration, DNA breaks, nuclear blebs, micronuclei and cell death increase in SEPT9-depleted cells, phenotypes rescued by the oncogenic SEPT9 isoform 1. Clinicogenomic data reveal that SEPT9 amplification associates with lower genomic alteration in aggressive breast tumors and higher patient mortality. We propose that septins are a mechanoprotective element of the cytoskeleton, and SEPT9 amplification enhances tumor cell survival by preventing nuclear damage. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have no competing interests. National Institute of General Medical Sciences, https://ror.org/04q48ey07, 2 R35GM136337-07 National Institute on Aging, https://ror.org/049v75w11, 4 R01AG068908-03
www.biorxiv.org
January 23, 2026 at 4:07 PM
#NARF is on bluesky! 👉 if you’ve held a fellowship in the last 10 years, you should join.
The Australian Biomedical Research sector is in crisis due to years of chronic underfunding. We recently asked Australian researchers how they felt about their career prospects. This is a word cloud based on their responses 😢🧪
January 25, 2026 at 1:52 AM
Reposted by A/Prof Sam Stehbens PhD (She/Her)
So excited to share the preprint with the bulk of my PhD work in the Beach @myosincity.bsky.social and Oakes @pwoakes.bsky.social Labs at Loyola University Chicago! We investigate the structure, recruitment, and function of septin networks around the nucleus. A thread:
doi.org/10.64898/202...
doi.org
January 23, 2026 at 5:45 PM
Reposted by A/Prof Sam Stehbens PhD (She/Her)
The MACF1 puzzle: when a cytoskeletal giant causes multiple brain disorders | Beyond the Ion Channel

...we just published our new post on why interpreting MACF1 variants is so difficult, highlighting how this massive spectraplakin gene can produce distinct neurodevelopmental phenotypes.
January 22, 2026 at 2:21 AM
Reposted by A/Prof Sam Stehbens PhD (She/Her)
🔬 Postdoc position – Infection Biology & Cryo-ET (Zurich) 🇨🇭
We are looking for a motivated Postdoc to join our interdisciplinary team.
📩 Interested? Check out the job advert:
www.imm.uzh.ch/dam/jcr:cb17...

👉 More info on the lab: www.weiss-laboratory.com
Please share with interested colleagues!
January 19, 2026 at 1:15 PM
Reposted by A/Prof Sam Stehbens PhD (She/Her)
Interested in cell-cell communication and microscopy? We are searching for a motivated postdoctoral researcher to join Münster! Please Apply! @uni-muenster.de
January 19, 2026 at 4:54 PM
Reposted by A/Prof Sam Stehbens PhD (She/Her)
New from the lab: we report the development of our glutamine biosensor, iGlo, and use iGlo to study spatial and temporal dynamics of glutamine metabolism. Plasmids are being deposited with Addgene!
🌟New from the Schmitt Lab!🌟 We have developed a new cpEGFP-based biosensor for glutamine, iGlo. We use iGlo to measure gln uptake and the dynamics of gln production & use in cytoplasm & mito matrix. We also show the temporal crosstalk between gln & glucose metabolism. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Illuminating spatial dynamics of glutamine metabolism with a sensitive genetically encoded biosensor
Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in serum, used as a key nutrient by cells for protein synthesis, energy production, carbon and nitrogen metabolism, and cellular redox balance. The use of glutamine in the cell is highly compartmentalized, but the dynamics of glutamine metabolism across organelles and individual cells are not fully understood. To illuminate subcellular glutamine dynamics, we developed an intracellular glutamine optical reporter, iGlo. We find iGlo is sensitive and specific for glutamine and can be used to measure glutamine uptake, production, and consumption with high spatiotemporal resolution in multiple cell types. Furthermore, multiplexed imaging of iGlo with a lactate biosensor in single cells reveals temporal crosstalk between glucose and glutamine metabolism to maintain energy homeostasis. Thus, iGlo enables the sensitive and precise study of compartmentalized glutamine dynamics and represents a new and enhanced tool for studying the spatiotemporal dynamics and regulation of metabolism. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. National Institutes of Health, https://ror.org/01cwqze88, T32GM145388, P30CA016042, R35GM138003, DP2GM154012 United States Department of Energy, https://ror.org/01bj3aw27, DE-FC02-02ER63421 UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, https://ror.org/0599cs764, Strategic Plan Aligned Grant, Graduate Research Award Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (United States), https://ror.org/02qenvm24, MET-000000000151
www.biorxiv.org
January 19, 2026 at 8:48 PM
Not my cat but very much my cat’s vibe. #CatsOfAcademia
January 8, 2026 at 12:40 AM
Reposted by A/Prof Sam Stehbens PhD (She/Her)
I'm on the Board of @biologists.bsky.social. Many know them as publishers of @dev-journal.bsky.social, @jcellsci.bsky.social, @jexpbiol.bsky.social , DMM, and @biologyopen.bsky.social --but they also are a major funder of small grants that empower young biologists and enable scientific meetings 🧪
We believe that, as our future leaders in biology, it is vital to provide #ECRs with the right support during the early stages of your academic career. We offer a number of practical ways to help you meet the unique needs and challenges you may encounter: www.biologists.com/about-us/ear...
Supporting early-career researchers
On these pages we highlight the range of resources that we offer to early-career researchers.
www.biologists.com
December 22, 2025 at 12:26 PM
What an end to 2026! Super proud of this crew. Pandemic PhDs deserve special recognition ❤️ congratulations @christanny.bsky.social & @alexlibert.bsky.social!!!!

( & welcome to your PhD @tayzwisler.bsky.social ) #UQ
December 17, 2025 at 4:28 AM
December 16, 2025 at 6:50 AM
I review a significant number of #scientific #manuscripts. Hot tip 👉👉👉help your reviewers out- when you resubmit your revised paper- **put the text changes in a different colour font**. Bonus points if you crop that text & put it into your response to reviewers document.
December 11, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Reposted by A/Prof Sam Stehbens PhD (She/Her)
Janelia is hiring! "Invent new imaging methods, molecular tools, or protein chemistry approaches"

www.janelia.org/content/lead...
Lead a lab at Janelia
www.janelia.org
December 8, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Reposted by A/Prof Sam Stehbens PhD (She/Her)
ARC says they’ll announce Centres of Excellence outcomes tomorrow (Tuesday 9th Dec).

This is more than 2 months late, most likely due to the new security checking requirements for ARC grants. Centres of Excellence grants also need to have been approved by the Minister.
December 8, 2025 at 2:05 AM
Reposted by A/Prof Sam Stehbens PhD (She/Her)
#NHMRC responses at #Estimates were deeply inadequate, uninformed and are not going to #SaveOzScience. #NHMRC has NOT requested more funding to save the majority of excellent science. Our science, our scientists and the public deserve better. Thankyou #DavidPocock and #DrMoniqueRyan.
December 4, 2025 at 12:36 AM
Reposted by A/Prof Sam Stehbens PhD (She/Her)
The ARC is due to appear before Senate Estimates tonight. As usual, they're last on the schedule, at 9pm (Canberra time) ▶️ parlwork.aph.gov.au/committee/de... ("live" schedule).

I hope the committee asks about the job losses & restructure the ARC are proposing👇
ARC are considering a restructure in which jobs there will be lost, a source tells me.

This seems ridiculous when they're about to completely overhaul the entire grants system – they've never undertaken anything so large before!

I've long said ARC needs MANY MORE staff, & should do more, not less.
December 3, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Go say hi to Seema!!! I’m so sad I’m missing it this year. Ultimate FOMO
Our Editors will be attending #CellBio2025 @ascbiology.bsky.social @embo.org.

Reach out to @seemagrewal.bsky.social and Amelia Glazier to discuss JCS, @focalplane.bsky.social and our other @biologists.bsky.social initiatives.
December 3, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Reposted by A/Prof Sam Stehbens PhD (She/Her)
Our Editors will be attending #CellBio2025 @ascbiology.bsky.social @embo.org.

Reach out to @seemagrewal.bsky.social and Amelia Glazier to discuss JCS, @focalplane.bsky.social and our other @biologists.bsky.social initiatives.
December 3, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Reposted by A/Prof Sam Stehbens PhD (She/Her)
Every opportunity politicians provide for you to tell them about how chronic underfunding of research in Australia is affecting your particular fields, people, working conditions etc. is extremely important.

Fill out the form here: lnkd.in/g8A_PAZG
@ginaravenscroft.bsky.social & #NARF are collecting impact statements from Australian researchers

‘ Please consider sharing your story about the impact of Australia's chronic underfunding of science and biomedical research.’
lnkd.in/g8A_PAZG

1/
December 2, 2025 at 4:55 AM
@ginaravenscroft.bsky.social & #NARF are collecting impact statements from Australian researchers

‘ Please consider sharing your story about the impact of Australia's chronic underfunding of science and biomedical research.’
lnkd.in/g8A_PAZG

1/
December 1, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Reposted by A/Prof Sam Stehbens PhD (She/Her)
Hey ARC DPers with career interruptions- take a "print screen" of what you enter in your career interruptions boxes- seems like the ARC will never make this info roll over so do your future self a favour if it's a complicated set of dates 😭 (yes I have it saved elsewhere) @arc-tracker.bsky.social
November 25, 2025 at 5:30 AM
Reposted by A/Prof Sam Stehbens PhD (She/Her)
ARC says they’ll announce DECRA and LIEF outcomes tomorrow (Tuesday 25th Nov).

In recent times these announcements have been around 11am Canberra time. With 2 schemes on the same day, I assume they’ll announce one of them later in the day (probably DECRA first).
November 23, 2025 at 11:40 PM
I don’t know how they did it but someone found actual footage of @davidbryantlab.bsky.social and I on the dance for at the 2005 Cell contact and adhesion GRC.
November 22, 2025 at 8:23 AM
Reposted by A/Prof Sam Stehbens PhD (She/Her)
"The ins and outs of microtubule regulation in centrioles and cilia"
CSHL Keynote, Dr. Anna Akhmanova, Utrecht University
CSHL Leading Strand
youtu.be/X0nm0xGjwOQ?...
CSHL Keynote, Dr. Anna Akhmanova, Utrecht University
YouTube video by CSHL Leading Strand
youtu.be
November 20, 2025 at 1:21 AM
Reposted by A/Prof Sam Stehbens PhD (She/Her)
We got a large Helmholtz Bioengineering grant with Oliver Daumke, Artur Yakimovich, Alina Bazarova, and Dietrich Ruess to use protein design to target cancer.

Five open postdoctoral positions in Generative AI & Protein Engineering. Share & apply!

jobrxiv.org/job/max-delb...
Postdoctoral Positions in Protein Engineering
Post a job in 3min, or find thousands of job offers like this one at jobRxiv!
jobrxiv.org
November 21, 2025 at 7:08 AM