Alex Yenkin
@ayenkin.bsky.social
PhD student in Genomics @Harvard | Researching structural variants, mobile elements, and the transcriptome | he/him
I got notice today that my NIH fellowship, which was supposed to help support me through the rest of my PhD, was terminated.
I am fortunately in a position to receive funding through other means, but this really just sucks in so many ways.
I am fortunately in a position to receive funding through other means, but this really just sucks in so many ways.
All NIH and NSF grants for my entire team--and for all of Harvard, I guess?--have been terminated.
As provocative as that sounds, the practical effect is probably not much. Everything was already frozen. 🤷♂️
On the upside, it makes tracking terminated grants easier. No more guesswork at Harvard!
As provocative as that sounds, the practical effect is probably not much. Everything was already frozen. 🤷♂️
On the upside, it makes tracking terminated grants easier. No more guesswork at Harvard!
May 16, 2025 at 1:52 AM
I got notice today that my NIH fellowship, which was supposed to help support me through the rest of my PhD, was terminated.
I am fortunately in a position to receive funding through other means, but this really just sucks in so many ways.
I am fortunately in a position to receive funding through other means, but this really just sucks in so many ways.
Reposted by Alex Yenkin
Current situation at Harvard Medical School for NIH grants view.u.hms.harvard.edu?qs=3ed8c01b9...
Harvard Medical School
view.u.hms.harvard.edu
May 15, 2025 at 12:14 AM
Current situation at Harvard Medical School for NIH grants view.u.hms.harvard.edu?qs=3ed8c01b9...
Reposted by Alex Yenkin
“The customs official canceled Ms. Petrova’s visa on the spot and began deportation proceedings.” One way to understand Trump effect in govt: an ever widening circle of people, like low-level customs officials, get to make categorical decisions abt lives of others. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/s...
She Worked in a Harvard Lab to Reverse Aging, Until ICE Jailed Her
President Trump’s immigration crackdown ensnared Kseniia Petrova, a scientist who fled Russia after protesting its invasion of Ukraine. She fears arrest if she is deported there.
www.nytimes.com
April 11, 2025 at 5:35 PM
“The customs official canceled Ms. Petrova’s visa on the spot and began deportation proceedings.” One way to understand Trump effect in govt: an ever widening circle of people, like low-level customs officials, get to make categorical decisions abt lives of others. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/s...
Reposted by Alex Yenkin
Kseniia Petrova, a Russian scientist at Harvard Medical School, was detained at Logan Airport after returning from France and sent to an ICE detention in Louisiana, The Insider reports.
A big critic of Putin and the war in Ukraine, she may now be deported to Russia.
A big critic of Putin and the war in Ukraine, she may now be deported to Russia.
March 27, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Kseniia Petrova, a Russian scientist at Harvard Medical School, was detained at Logan Airport after returning from France and sent to an ICE detention in Louisiana, The Insider reports.
A big critic of Putin and the war in Ukraine, she may now be deported to Russia.
A big critic of Putin and the war in Ukraine, she may now be deported to Russia.
Reposted by Alex Yenkin
Inverted Alu repeats in loop-out exon skipping across hominoid evolution https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.03.07.642063v1
March 11, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Inverted Alu repeats in loop-out exon skipping across hominoid evolution https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.03.07.642063v1
Reposted by Alex Yenkin
Very important to get this word out!
I just covered this for @thetransmitter.bsky.social — will keep following! www.thetransmitter.org/funding/fede...
Federal Register hold makes ‘end run’ around court pause on NIH funding freeze
NIH-related updates to the Federal Register, which are required for the scheduling of study sections and advisory councils, are on hold indefinitely, according to an email reviewed by <i>The Transmitt...
www.thetransmitter.org
February 19, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Very important to get this word out!
Reposted by Alex Yenkin
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the nation’s largest private funder of biomedical research, this week abruptly ended a $60 million program aimed at improving the retention of a diverse student body in undergraduate science and engineering programs.
Researchers 'stunned' after HHMI abruptly cancels program to make science more inclusive
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute abruptly ended a $60 million program to improve the retention of diverse college students
buff.ly
February 7, 2025 at 1:26 AM
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the nation’s largest private funder of biomedical research, this week abruptly ended a $60 million program aimed at improving the retention of a diverse student body in undergraduate science and engineering programs.
Reposted by Alex Yenkin
We're delighted to share our work on scrambling the human genome using prime editing, repetitive elements, and recombinases in @science.org , led by @jonaskoeppel.bsky.social , @f-raphael.bsky.social , with @proftomellis.bsky.social and George Church.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Randomizing the human genome by engineering recombination between repeat elements
We lack tools to edit DNA sequences at scales necessary to study 99% of the human genome that is noncoding. To address this gap, we applied CRISPR prime editing to insert recombination handles into re...
www.science.org
January 31, 2025 at 1:49 PM
We're delighted to share our work on scrambling the human genome using prime editing, repetitive elements, and recombinases in @science.org , led by @jonaskoeppel.bsky.social , @f-raphael.bsky.social , with @proftomellis.bsky.social and George Church.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Alex Yenkin
Delighted to see the Red Line running without any speed restrictions for the first time in 15 years! Thank you to GM Eng and everyone @mbta.bsky.social who worked to get this done. 🚇
November 25, 2024 at 12:37 PM
Delighted to see the Red Line running without any speed restrictions for the first time in 15 years! Thank you to GM Eng and everyone @mbta.bsky.social who worked to get this done. 🚇
Reposted by Alex Yenkin
I wrote about the National Institutes of Health and the various serious and unserious proposals for NIH reform that have been floating around. It is important to understand how this agency actually functions and point criticism at the right problems. A short 🧵:
Distinguishing real from invented problems with the NIH
How does the NIH work and where does it work well?
open.substack.com
November 24, 2024 at 3:33 PM
I wrote about the National Institutes of Health and the various serious and unserious proposals for NIH reform that have been floating around. It is important to understand how this agency actually functions and point criticism at the right problems. A short 🧵:
Reposted by Alex Yenkin
look at all those turkeys
The wild turkey population has exploded in Mass. Here’s expert advice for living peacefully among them. - The Boston Globe
The rebirth of wild turkeys in Massachusetts has sparked numerous complaints about the aggressive birds. But they are not out to get you: “Approach every interaction with a turkey as if you are the bi...
www.bostonglobe.com
November 19, 2024 at 4:05 PM
look at all those turkeys