Fiona J Whelan
@whelanfj.bsky.social
Senior Lecturer, Lister Prize Fellow, & UKRI Future Leaders Fellow at U of Manchester. Bioinf, microbes, evol bio, running, cycling, & pub chats. she/her 🇨🇦.
Reposted by Fiona J Whelan
This week @willpjsmith.bsky.social taught us all about microbial competition & Logan Sauers ( @coytelab.bsky.social ) shared recent gut microbiome work. Thanks @microbesng.bsky.social for the refreshments!
November 9, 2025 at 1:11 PM
This week @willpjsmith.bsky.social taught us all about microbial competition & Logan Sauers ( @coytelab.bsky.social ) shared recent gut microbiome work. Thanks @microbesng.bsky.social for the refreshments!
Reposted by Fiona J Whelan
I hadnt seen this particular take on this story till now. A minimalist apology. Not impressed.
nationalnews.co.uk/news/shamed-...
nationalnews.co.uk/news/shamed-...
Shamed Scientist Apologises For The First Time About The Academic Scandal That Destroyed His Career And Shocked The World
An ecologist who shot to fame after discovering that spiders have human-like personalities has made an emotional apology after being
nationalnews.co.uk
November 6, 2025 at 8:31 PM
I hadnt seen this particular take on this story till now. A minimalist apology. Not impressed.
nationalnews.co.uk/news/shamed-...
nationalnews.co.uk/news/shamed-...
Not the result I was hoping for but absolutely epic game and series. Totally worth the 4am bedtime!
Well, done Blue Jays.
Well, done Blue Jays.
November 2, 2025 at 4:25 AM
Not the result I was hoping for but absolutely epic game and series. Totally worth the 4am bedtime!
Well, done Blue Jays.
Well, done Blue Jays.
I wonder if anyone has quantified the correlation between how exciting the bioinformatic analysis is & the number of abandoned, half-drunk cups of cold tea surrounding the bioinformatician.
October 31, 2025 at 1:21 PM
I wonder if anyone has quantified the correlation between how exciting the bioinformatic analysis is & the number of abandoned, half-drunk cups of cold tea surrounding the bioinformatician.
Reposted by Fiona J Whelan
Canadian researchers should be aware the there is a motion before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Research to force Tricouncils to hand over disaggregated peer review data on all applications:
Applicant names, profiles, demographics
Reviewers names, profiles, comments, and scores
Applicant names, profiles, demographics
Reviewers names, profiles, comments, and scores
October 30, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Canadian researchers should be aware the there is a motion before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Research to force Tricouncils to hand over disaggregated peer review data on all applications:
Applicant names, profiles, demographics
Reviewers names, profiles, comments, and scores
Applicant names, profiles, demographics
Reviewers names, profiles, comments, and scores
Reposted by Fiona J Whelan
🚨 Another funded PhD alert🚨
We are recruiting again! For a PhD student to start with us in the @langridgelab.bsky.social October 2026 - please share 👀
If you are interested in foodborne pathogens, public health and phage, look no further 🦠🏥🧬
➡️ tinyurl.com/3zvavp2t ⬅️
Apply by 6 Jan 2026 🗓️
We are recruiting again! For a PhD student to start with us in the @langridgelab.bsky.social October 2026 - please share 👀
If you are interested in foodborne pathogens, public health and phage, look no further 🦠🏥🧬
➡️ tinyurl.com/3zvavp2t ⬅️
Apply by 6 Jan 2026 🗓️
October 28, 2025 at 1:17 PM
🚨 Another funded PhD alert🚨
We are recruiting again! For a PhD student to start with us in the @langridgelab.bsky.social October 2026 - please share 👀
If you are interested in foodborne pathogens, public health and phage, look no further 🦠🏥🧬
➡️ tinyurl.com/3zvavp2t ⬅️
Apply by 6 Jan 2026 🗓️
We are recruiting again! For a PhD student to start with us in the @langridgelab.bsky.social October 2026 - please share 👀
If you are interested in foodborne pathogens, public health and phage, look no further 🦠🏥🧬
➡️ tinyurl.com/3zvavp2t ⬅️
Apply by 6 Jan 2026 🗓️
I did not consider that I could have tuned in to watch the end of World Series game 3 this morning in the UK! 😱 What a game!!
October 28, 2025 at 7:55 AM
I did not consider that I could have tuned in to watch the end of World Series game 3 this morning in the UK! 😱 What a game!!
📣 PhD opportunity led by @madhvimenon.bsky.social with @kathelse.bsky.social , @tracyh9494.bsky.social , and me open now:
"Sex Differences in Immune Responses to Infection: The Role of the Microbiota in Shaping Lymphocyte Dynamics"
apps due 15 November 2025 📣
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
"Sex Differences in Immune Responses to Infection: The Role of the Microbiota in Shaping Lymphocyte Dynamics"
apps due 15 November 2025 📣
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
(Bicentenary) Sex Differences in Immune Responses to Infection: The Role of the Microbiota in Shaping Lymphocyte Dynamics at The University of Manchester on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - (Bicentenary) Sex Differences in Immune Responses to Infection: The Role of the Microbiota in Shaping Lymphocyte Dynamics at The University of Manchester, listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com
October 27, 2025 at 3:24 PM
📣 PhD opportunity led by @madhvimenon.bsky.social with @kathelse.bsky.social , @tracyh9494.bsky.social , and me open now:
"Sex Differences in Immune Responses to Infection: The Role of the Microbiota in Shaping Lymphocyte Dynamics"
apps due 15 November 2025 📣
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
"Sex Differences in Immune Responses to Infection: The Role of the Microbiota in Shaping Lymphocyte Dynamics"
apps due 15 November 2025 📣
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Reposted by Fiona J Whelan
Friday we celebrated our new MRC Centre of Research Excellence in Exposome Immunology: a joint venture with Oxford that we call MOXIE (Manchester-Oxford Immunology of the Exposome). This challenging adventure is off to a great start. @exposomeimmunology.bsky.social
October 20, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Friday we celebrated our new MRC Centre of Research Excellence in Exposome Immunology: a joint venture with Oxford that we call MOXIE (Manchester-Oxford Immunology of the Exposome). This challenging adventure is off to a great start. @exposomeimmunology.bsky.social
So much of this article is full of hope then,
"About 43% of respondents had experienced some form of discrimination or harassment.. in around four out of ten bullying cases, a student reported bullying by their supervisor."
We need safeguards in place to stop this from happening.
"About 43% of respondents had experienced some form of discrimination or harassment.. in around four out of ten bullying cases, a student reported bullying by their supervisor."
We need safeguards in place to stop this from happening.
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 27, 2025 at 12:22 PM
So much of this article is full of hope then,
"About 43% of respondents had experienced some form of discrimination or harassment.. in around four out of ten bullying cases, a student reported bullying by their supervisor."
We need safeguards in place to stop this from happening.
"About 43% of respondents had experienced some form of discrimination or harassment.. in around four out of ten bullying cases, a student reported bullying by their supervisor."
We need safeguards in place to stop this from happening.
Reposted by Fiona J Whelan
I am so proud of @spasqualetti.bsky.social and this BioRxiv paper! I have to prep for class, but later today I'll highlight some of her findings about a stickleback gut isolate that can degrade plastic and other microbes that inhibit it's ability. 🦠🔬
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Cold-water gut isolate from threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) reveals polypropylene surface oxidation and co-culture inhibition
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polypropylene (PP), two of the most widely produced plastics in the United States, persist in cold-water environments where plastic-degrading microbes have been po...
www.biorxiv.org
October 23, 2025 at 1:35 PM
I am so proud of @spasqualetti.bsky.social and this BioRxiv paper! I have to prep for class, but later today I'll highlight some of her findings about a stickleback gut isolate that can degrade plastic and other microbes that inhibit it's ability. 🦠🔬
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
📣 Reminder of the below fully-funded PhD studentships in exposome immunology! Projects interfacing with other areas (e.g. the human microbiome) are also on offer. Please reach out if you have any questions.
Applications due 2 Dec 2025 📣
Applications due 2 Dec 2025 📣
🎓 6x fully-funded 4-year PhD studentships 🎓
We are recruiting our first cohort of PhD students to start Oct 2026.
Students will shape their own projects within supervisory teams spanning the universities of Manchester & Oxford.
www.findaphd.com/phds/program/mrc-core-in-exposome-immunology/?p6899
We are recruiting our first cohort of PhD students to start Oct 2026.
Students will shape their own projects within supervisory teams spanning the universities of Manchester & Oxford.
www.findaphd.com/phds/program/mrc-core-in-exposome-immunology/?p6899
FindAPhD : MRC CoRE in Exposome Immunology at The University of Manchester
Apply for a PhD: MRC CoRE in Exposome Immunology at The University of Manchester
www.findaphd.com
October 10, 2025 at 2:46 PM
📣 Reminder of the below fully-funded PhD studentships in exposome immunology! Projects interfacing with other areas (e.g. the human microbiome) are also on offer. Please reach out if you have any questions.
Applications due 2 Dec 2025 📣
Applications due 2 Dec 2025 📣
Reposted by Fiona J Whelan
Postdoc opportunity in the lab for a budding ILC biologist.
Informal enquiries welcome - please spread the word.
Ad closes in 4 weeks.
www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...
Informal enquiries welcome - please spread the word.
Ad closes in 4 weeks.
www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...
Research Associate - mucosal immunology and innate lymphoid cell (ILC) biology:Oxford Road
The Hepworth laboratory within the Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation at the University of Manchester wish to appoint a laboratory-based Research Associate to an exciting project in mucosal immunology and innate lymphoid cell (ILC) biology.
www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk
October 9, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Postdoc opportunity in the lab for a budding ILC biologist.
Informal enquiries welcome - please spread the word.
Ad closes in 4 weeks.
www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...
Informal enquiries welcome - please spread the word.
Ad closes in 4 weeks.
www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...
It's lovely to see the supportive community of UoM Lister Fellows highlighted in this recent piece. Before I was even a UoM colleague, Fellows such as Matt Hepworth @hepworth-lab.bsky.social were so generous with their time in helping me apply (my quote in the article is no exaggeration!).
Behind every #ListerPrize winner at @officialuom.bsky.social is a nurturing community of Fellows giving back, sharing advice, and seeding new ideas 🌱
🫶 A connected, caring community builds confidence and makes a difference.
Read the story now ⤵️
lister-institute.org.uk/a-thriving-f...
🫶 A connected, caring community builds confidence and makes a difference.
Read the story now ⤵️
lister-institute.org.uk/a-thriving-f...
October 10, 2025 at 2:38 PM
It's lovely to see the supportive community of UoM Lister Fellows highlighted in this recent piece. Before I was even a UoM colleague, Fellows such as Matt Hepworth @hepworth-lab.bsky.social were so generous with their time in helping me apply (my quote in the article is no exaggeration!).
Reposted by Fiona J Whelan
Less than 70% of science Nobel prize winners awarded this century hail from the country in which they were awarded their prize.
“Mobility benefits everyone. Each newcomer brings fresh ideas, new techniques & different ways of looking at old problems”
🧪 #academicSky
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
“Mobility benefits everyone. Each newcomer brings fresh ideas, new techniques & different ways of looking at old problems”
🧪 #academicSky
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
More than 30% of this century’s science Nobel prizewinners immigrated: see their journeys
The most common destination for eventual Nobel laureates in physics, chemistry and medicine since 2000 is the United States, Nature has found.
www.nature.com
October 9, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Less than 70% of science Nobel prize winners awarded this century hail from the country in which they were awarded their prize.
“Mobility benefits everyone. Each newcomer brings fresh ideas, new techniques & different ways of looking at old problems”
🧪 #academicSky
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
“Mobility benefits everyone. Each newcomer brings fresh ideas, new techniques & different ways of looking at old problems”
🧪 #academicSky
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Fiona J Whelan
Three Bicentenary research fellowships on offer at @officialuom.bsky.social @fbmh-uom.bsky.social for exceptional ECRs with <3y postdoc experience
3yrs salary + £30k pa research expenses
Do you have a great idea & want to join @mermanchester.bsky.social?
www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/research/sup...
3yrs salary + £30k pa research expenses
Do you have a great idea & want to join @mermanchester.bsky.social?
www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/research/sup...
Bicentenary Early Career Research Fellowships | Biology, Medicine and Health | University of Manchester
Find out about and apply for a Bicentenary Early Career Research Fellowship.
www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk
October 9, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Three Bicentenary research fellowships on offer at @officialuom.bsky.social @fbmh-uom.bsky.social for exceptional ECRs with <3y postdoc experience
3yrs salary + £30k pa research expenses
Do you have a great idea & want to join @mermanchester.bsky.social?
www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/research/sup...
3yrs salary + £30k pa research expenses
Do you have a great idea & want to join @mermanchester.bsky.social?
www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/research/sup...
TIL about the 25-year old teacher who fought all the way to the Supreme Court for sexual orientation to become a protected characteristic. It’s awe inspiring to learn about those that fought for what we now have. 🇨🇦 🏳️🌈
Amazing new CBC podcast: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s...
Amazing new CBC podcast: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s...
Part 1 | The gay teacher who got fired and fought back
Podcast Episode · See You in Court · 16/09/2025 · 26m
podcasts.apple.com
October 9, 2025 at 7:16 PM
TIL about the 25-year old teacher who fought all the way to the Supreme Court for sexual orientation to become a protected characteristic. It’s awe inspiring to learn about those that fought for what we now have. 🇨🇦 🏳️🌈
Amazing new CBC podcast: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s...
Amazing new CBC podcast: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s...
Reposted by Fiona J Whelan
This weeks seminars from PhD students Maisie Czernuszka and Victor Carneiro da Cunha Martirelli!
Special thank you to @microbesng.bsky.social for sponsoring refreshments!
Special thank you to @microbesng.bsky.social for sponsoring refreshments!
October 1, 2025 at 1:35 PM
This weeks seminars from PhD students Maisie Czernuszka and Victor Carneiro da Cunha Martirelli!
Special thank you to @microbesng.bsky.social for sponsoring refreshments!
Special thank you to @microbesng.bsky.social for sponsoring refreshments!
Reposted by Fiona J Whelan
Great MERMan seminar today from NSERC PhD visiting researcher @simonjeanneau.bsky.social from @usherbrooke.bsky.social ! Also our first seminar with refreshments sponsored by @microbesng.bsky.social , many thanks for the productive chats over nibbles! 🍪 🧪
September 24, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Great MERMan seminar today from NSERC PhD visiting researcher @simonjeanneau.bsky.social from @usherbrooke.bsky.social ! Also our first seminar with refreshments sponsored by @microbesng.bsky.social , many thanks for the productive chats over nibbles! 🍪 🧪
Amazing talk from @cathnoakes.bsky.social at a @ukri.org Future Leaders networking event today. It is inspiring to hear the career journey of someone so humble and approachable. Prof Noakes, thank you for taking the time to share your career journey with us!
September 25, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Amazing talk from @cathnoakes.bsky.social at a @ukri.org Future Leaders networking event today. It is inspiring to hear the career journey of someone so humble and approachable. Prof Noakes, thank you for taking the time to share your career journey with us!
Reposted by Fiona J Whelan
Delighted to share that I’ve been awarded a Future Leaders Fellowship to investigate the impact of microbial interactions on antimicrobial resistance evolution 🎉 🧫 really grateful for this investment in my lab and excited to start my fellowship in Jan’26!
www.ukri.org/news/ukri-an...
www.ukri.org/news/ukri-an...
UKRI announces winners of £120 million Future Leaders Fellowships
Research into the causes of lung cancer and Alzheimer’s disease are among 77 projects to be funded by UKRI’s Future Leaders Fellowships.
www.ukri.org
September 16, 2025 at 9:43 AM
Delighted to share that I’ve been awarded a Future Leaders Fellowship to investigate the impact of microbial interactions on antimicrobial resistance evolution 🎉 🧫 really grateful for this investment in my lab and excited to start my fellowship in Jan’26!
www.ukri.org/news/ukri-an...
www.ukri.org/news/ukri-an...
Reposted by Fiona J Whelan
Two great talks today from MERMan PhD students @mattjago.bsky.social (mutation spectrum) and @amarquiegui98.bsky.social (bioremediation by microbial communities)
September 17, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Two great talks today from MERMan PhD students @mattjago.bsky.social (mutation spectrum) and @amarquiegui98.bsky.social (bioremediation by microbial communities)
Reposted by Fiona J Whelan
If you are UK-based and working on any aspect of microbiomes (human, plant, insect, soil, animal, ...), please do sign up to Microbiome-Net for details of networking, funding and training opportunities.
forms.office.com/pages/respon...
forms.office.com/pages/respon...
September 13, 2025 at 6:31 AM
If you are UK-based and working on any aspect of microbiomes (human, plant, insect, soil, animal, ...), please do sign up to Microbiome-Net for details of networking, funding and training opportunities.
forms.office.com/pages/respon...
forms.office.com/pages/respon...
Amazing poster session last night from this year's Lister summer students!
And special mentions to all our summer students. The cloisters were quite the setting for our evening poster session. Projects from across biomedical disciplines, shared with panache!
If you're looking for stellar PhD students with impressive research experience... Here they are ⤵️
If you're looking for stellar PhD students with impressive research experience... Here they are ⤵️
September 12, 2025 at 8:18 AM
Amazing poster session last night from this year's Lister summer students!