Steve Ekker
@scekker.bsky.social
Platypus entrepreneur scientist precision genomes engineer (nuclear&mito). Zebrafish J EIC. ‘Longhorn’ leader@ UT Austin & Dell Med. Active w/ LEAH Labs, LifEngine, Forjazul. DGI/Immusoft cofounder. First SAB @ OpenTrons. Was faculty UMN & Mayo. Posts=mine
Reposted by Steve Ekker
The NIMH Director job announcement and search is back on: hr.nih.gov/jobs/search/...
The NIMH Director provides executive direction and scientific leadership for NIMH, overseeing a $2.3 billion budget and ~1600 employees, trainees, and contractors.
Up for the challenge 😉? Apply!
The NIMH Director provides executive direction and scientific leadership for NIMH, overseeing a $2.3 billion budget and ~1600 employees, trainees, and contractors.
Up for the challenge 😉? Apply!
hr.nih.gov
September 5, 2025 at 3:48 PM
The NIMH Director job announcement and search is back on: hr.nih.gov/jobs/search/...
The NIMH Director provides executive direction and scientific leadership for NIMH, overseeing a $2.3 billion budget and ~1600 employees, trainees, and contractors.
Up for the challenge 😉? Apply!
The NIMH Director provides executive direction and scientific leadership for NIMH, overseeing a $2.3 billion budget and ~1600 employees, trainees, and contractors.
Up for the challenge 😉? Apply!
FishFolk - post if you are here in Madison!
Made it to Madison. Looking forward to seeing fellow fishy folks soon. #izfc2025
July 9, 2025 at 11:07 PM
FishFolk - post if you are here in Madison!
A quiet conversation on the side, a closed-door phone call, a printout showing an email out of context... this 'whispernet' is a true poison in academia. Our 'culture of silence' feeds these voices, and the threat of being a recipient keeps most of the reasonable folk on the sidelines.
June 18, 2025 at 9:35 PM
A quiet conversation on the side, a closed-door phone call, a printout showing an email out of context... this 'whispernet' is a true poison in academia. Our 'culture of silence' feeds these voices, and the threat of being a recipient keeps most of the reasonable folk on the sidelines.
Reposted by Steve Ekker
Very smart, high ROI initiative from the Spencer Foundation.
Providing bridge funding for canceled NSF grants:
1) directs funds to projects already screened by a top-noch review process.
2) avoids imposing proposal prep costs on researchers.
3) ameliorates the disruption from GOP sabotage.
Providing bridge funding for canceled NSF grants:
1) directs funds to projects already screened by a top-noch review process.
2) avoids imposing proposal prep costs on researchers.
3) ameliorates the disruption from GOP sabotage.
Rapid Response Bridge Funding Program
In the face of recent abrupt shifts in federal funding for education research, including large-scale terminations of National Science Foundation (NSF) research grant awards, we have developed a rap...
www.spencer.org
June 6, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Very smart, high ROI initiative from the Spencer Foundation.
Providing bridge funding for canceled NSF grants:
1) directs funds to projects already screened by a top-noch review process.
2) avoids imposing proposal prep costs on researchers.
3) ameliorates the disruption from GOP sabotage.
Providing bridge funding for canceled NSF grants:
1) directs funds to projects already screened by a top-noch review process.
2) avoids imposing proposal prep costs on researchers.
3) ameliorates the disruption from GOP sabotage.
Reposted by Steve Ekker
URGENT: FlyBase has lost practically all its funding overnight; even user fees are tied up in denied grant funding. 🤬🤯
Any lab using @flybase.bsky.social please donate using the link in post below.
This incredible community, on whose backs our #Drosophila labs depend, can't be left out to dry.
Any lab using @flybase.bsky.social please donate using the link in post below.
This incredible community, on whose backs our #Drosophila labs depend, can't be left out to dry.
My lab studies bacterial infections. We spend a lot of time looking at (or for) species-specific genetic and genomic databases for hosts and microbes. FlyBase is the best of all—there is literally no comparison. Its existence is under threat. Please donate.
www.philanthropy.cam.ac.uk/give-to-camb...
www.philanthropy.cam.ac.uk/give-to-camb...
Drosophila Genetic Database
The Drosophila Genetic Database, FlyBase, is on the brink of collapse due to the sudden termination of the FlyBase NIH grant, which includes salaries for 5 literature curators based at the University ...
www.philanthropy.cam.ac.uk
June 3, 2025 at 5:20 PM
URGENT: FlyBase has lost practically all its funding overnight; even user fees are tied up in denied grant funding. 🤬🤯
Any lab using @flybase.bsky.social please donate using the link in post below.
This incredible community, on whose backs our #Drosophila labs depend, can't be left out to dry.
Any lab using @flybase.bsky.social please donate using the link in post below.
This incredible community, on whose backs our #Drosophila labs depend, can't be left out to dry.
Should have called it 'Just Keep Swimming'!
Useful tips from @scekker.bsky.social et al. 🐟
A review emphasizes the advantages of using zebrafish in research, outlines key differences in experimental approaches, and offers guidelines for designing studies in a way that enhances experimental rigor and reproducibility. www.nature.com/articles/s42...
May 31, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Should have called it 'Just Keep Swimming'!
From a wonderful group of colleagues! We hope it helps with thoughts and suggestions on using #zebrafish. Ping me with any questions. #werallfish
Useful tips from @scekker.bsky.social et al. 🐟
A review emphasizes the advantages of using zebrafish in research, outlines key differences in experimental approaches, and offers guidelines for designing studies in a way that enhances experimental rigor and reproducibility. www.nature.com/articles/s42...
May 15, 2025 at 7:44 PM
From a wonderful group of colleagues! We hope it helps with thoughts and suggestions on using #zebrafish. Ping me with any questions. #werallfish
Sebastian is awesome. Catch him while he has extra availability.
I got hit by some rather sudden and extreme financial hardship so if anyone is in need of remote wetlab contract research, strictly BSL1, do let me know. Currently scrambling for gigs.
Plant, Bacterial, Archaeal Non-model Bioeng
Custom Lab Hardware
Turn Key Genetic Design
Please repost for reach 💚
Plant, Bacterial, Archaeal Non-model Bioeng
Custom Lab Hardware
Turn Key Genetic Design
Please repost for reach 💚
May 3, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Sebastian is awesome. Catch him while he has extra availability.
Reposted by Steve Ekker
The Spencer Foundation is offering rapid response bridge funding for those who lost NSF research grants.
www.spencer.org/grant_types/...
www.spencer.org/grant_types/...
Rapid Response Bridge Funding Program
In the face of recent abrupt shifts in federal funding for education research, including large-scale terminations of National Science Foundation (NSF) research grant awards, we have developed a rap...
www.spencer.org
May 2, 2025 at 9:07 PM
The Spencer Foundation is offering rapid response bridge funding for those who lost NSF research grants.
www.spencer.org/grant_types/...
www.spencer.org/grant_types/...
Genotyping zebrafish can be a challenge. We have been refining a non-destructive approach that is scalable, accessible and can be used in 48 well and 96 well formats. We use this for measuring mitochondrial DNA editing and heteroplasmy, but works on nuclear DNA, too.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Non-Destructive Larval Genotyping of Danio rerio for Mitochondrial DNA Genetics
The rapid advancement of nuclear and mitochondrial genomic editing tools has created an urgent need for efficient, non-lethal larval genotyping methods in zebrafish Danio rerio research. This study op...
www.biorxiv.org
May 3, 2025 at 4:10 AM
Genotyping zebrafish can be a challenge. We have been refining a non-destructive approach that is scalable, accessible and can be used in 48 well and 96 well formats. We use this for measuring mitochondrial DNA editing and heteroplasmy, but works on nuclear DNA, too.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Steve Ekker
🚨 JOB OFFER in our lab at Institut Pasteur 🚨
We are looking for a postdoc! Please repost 🙏
We are looking for a postdoc! Please repost 🙏
April 7, 2025 at 7:16 AM
🚨 JOB OFFER in our lab at Institut Pasteur 🚨
We are looking for a postdoc! Please repost 🙏
We are looking for a postdoc! Please repost 🙏
Just finishing up with the amazing 7th European Zebrafish Investigators' Meeting, hosted by the Paris Brain Institute. Some take-homes:
April 5, 2025 at 10:10 AM
Just finishing up with the amazing 7th European Zebrafish Investigators' Meeting, hosted by the Paris Brain Institute. Some take-homes:
Coming up on 25 years of morpholinos.
Watch as we inject morpholinos into zebrafish embryos to knockdown gene expression! 🦓🐟😍
#ZebrafishRock #GeneticResearch #Knockdown #ScienceInAction @zebrafishrock.bsky.social
#ZebrafishRock #GeneticResearch #Knockdown #ScienceInAction @zebrafishrock.bsky.social
April 4, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Coming up on 25 years of morpholinos.
I once sat in a zoom "office hours" and chatted with folks about their zebrafish husbandry questions for over 7 hours. Was actually the inspiration to get the podcast going.
These days I'll talk to the public about elasmobranchs at the zoo for nearly 8 hours straight. It gives me life!
These days I'll talk to the public about elasmobranchs at the zoo for nearly 8 hours straight. It gives me life!
April 4, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Reposted by Steve Ekker
#zebrafish Our Zebrafish Community Cre/lox Resource is online!! zebrafishccr.org
Check out what's available, imaging and information, and make a request.
We're so very grateful to the NIH ORIP for supporting this work!
Huge thanks to Parnal Joshi from Iddo Friedberg lab for creating the website!
Check out what's available, imaging and information, and make a request.
We're so very grateful to the NIH ORIP for supporting this work!
Huge thanks to Parnal Joshi from Iddo Friedberg lab for creating the website!
Zebrafish Community Cre/lox Resource - Zebrafish Community Cre/lox Resource
Bringing you precision Cre/CreERT2 and floxed lines driven by GeneWeld CRISPR targeted integration. Mission Our mission is to provide the Zebrafish community with Cre resources that open new areas of ...
zebrafishccr.org
April 1, 2025 at 5:52 PM
#zebrafish Our Zebrafish Community Cre/lox Resource is online!! zebrafishccr.org
Check out what's available, imaging and information, and make a request.
We're so very grateful to the NIH ORIP for supporting this work!
Huge thanks to Parnal Joshi from Iddo Friedberg lab for creating the website!
Check out what's available, imaging and information, and make a request.
We're so very grateful to the NIH ORIP for supporting this work!
Huge thanks to Parnal Joshi from Iddo Friedberg lab for creating the website!
Reposted by Steve Ekker
If you or someone you know has been negatively affected by NIH-funded clinical trials being paused, disrupted, cancelled etc., I have a contact with the Senate HELP Committee eager to collect stories of everyday Americans affected by the NIH closures. Please DM me.
April 4, 2025 at 11:20 AM
If you or someone you know has been negatively affected by NIH-funded clinical trials being paused, disrupted, cancelled etc., I have a contact with the Senate HELP Committee eager to collect stories of everyday Americans affected by the NIH closures. Please DM me.
Just realized I passed an unusual anniversary - I've been an academic professor for more time on Planet Earth than I spent becoming a professor. Have a few more years, I hope! Do not plan to go for 2x however...
April 4, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Just realized I passed an unusual anniversary - I've been an academic professor for more time on Planet Earth than I spent becoming a professor. Have a few more years, I hope! Do not plan to go for 2x however...
This is an awesome new site for a terrific resource that's taken years to make! Congrats to the great @mauramcgrail.bsky.social for getting this launched.
#zebrafish Our Zebrafish Community Cre/lox Resource is online!! zebrafishccr.org
Check out what's available, imaging and information, and make a request.
We're so very grateful to the NIH ORIP for supporting this work!
Huge thanks to Parnal Joshi from Iddo Friedberg lab for creating the website!
Check out what's available, imaging and information, and make a request.
We're so very grateful to the NIH ORIP for supporting this work!
Huge thanks to Parnal Joshi from Iddo Friedberg lab for creating the website!
Zebrafish Community Cre/lox Resource - Zebrafish Community Cre/lox Resource
Bringing you precision Cre/CreERT2 and floxed lines driven by GeneWeld CRISPR targeted integration. Mission Our mission is to provide the Zebrafish community with Cre resources that open new areas of ...
zebrafishccr.org
April 3, 2025 at 1:18 PM
This is an awesome new site for a terrific resource that's taken years to make! Congrats to the great @mauramcgrail.bsky.social for getting this launched.
LinkedIn- ‘are you looking for a new job?’ Me. Why no. Also me- is LinkedIn telling me something?!
February 14, 2025 at 5:03 PM
LinkedIn- ‘are you looking for a new job?’ Me. Why no. Also me- is LinkedIn telling me something?!
Reposted by Steve Ekker
Federal judge halts Trump administration cuts to NIH research payments in 22 states www.statnews.com/2025/02/10/n...
Federal judge halts Trump administration cuts to NIH research payments in 22 states
Attorneys general sued the Trump administration to block a NIH decision that would slash grant payments for research overhead
www.statnews.com
February 11, 2025 at 1:53 AM
Federal judge halts Trump administration cuts to NIH research payments in 22 states www.statnews.com/2025/02/10/n...
100
February 10, 2025 at 12:33 AM
100
The challenges around academic research literally never changes…
In this ancient Assyrian letter, astronomers complain that they can’t do their jobs or teach astronomy “because of the ilku-duty”, a type of taxation in the form of labour.
“we cannot keep the watch of the king, and the pupils do not learn the scribal craft” cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts/33...
“we cannot keep the watch of the king, and the pupils do not learn the scribal craft” cdli.mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de/artifacts/33...
February 9, 2025 at 6:58 PM
The challenges around academic research literally never changes…
This is an important message. Historically, the NIH is considered money well-spent that saves lives. Win that fight and mindshare, we can argue over how to improve once we get the core story around value right.
I dunno about you guys but this is one of those very rare times when neighbors and mothers-in-law suddenly and unsolicitedly ask about our business, ie “is that IDC thing going to ruin science”. It matters that you convey the right message and the accurate message. Not your unverified grievances.
February 9, 2025 at 6:56 PM
This is an important message. Historically, the NIH is considered money well-spent that saves lives. Win that fight and mindshare, we can argue over how to improve once we get the core story around value right.
Shocking, but not surprising. Science article from 2017 www.science.org/content/arti...
February 8, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Shocking, but not surprising. Science article from 2017 www.science.org/content/arti...