Hi Bluesky community - I'm teaching computational genomics again in the Spring term; always happy to have auditors or folks Zoom in. Just have your students email me for deets.

1/ Ever needed to annotate TEs in a fungal genome, but didn't know where to start?

We have released #MycoMobilome, a community-focused non-redundant database of transposable element consensus sequences for the fungal kingdom, constructed from >4,000 fungal genomes!

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

📣 I’m excited to share two open positions in my lab @leibniz-hki.de. For this interdisciplinary project with @luziagyr.bsky.social, I’m seeking (1) an enthusiastic PhD student interested in fungal natural product research and genetic engineering, as well as (2) a technical assistant 👇🏻

Congrats to the group's first PhD student, the newly minted Dr. Brassington!!

Phillip relocated back to Oceania in the period between submitting his dissertation and his oral defense, so we had to make do with a virtual defense, but I am still incredibly proud of him.

Want to understand how entire fungal chromosomes can be horizontally transferred?
Join us to unravel the mechanism/consequences of horizontal chromosome transfer in a fungal pathogen as part of an ERC-funded project. Postdoc/PhD positions available.
fungal-evolutionary-genetics.de/open-positio...

Heads up: ignore samtools dot org, similarly minimap2 dot com and likely others. It's owned by a known phishing site and while the binaries they offer look valid currently (but note they may be serving us different binaries to others), that could change.

Ie: it's not us (Samtools team)! Be warned

🌱🔥🫁 From compost heaps to human lungs: Understanding how Aspergillus fumigatus has acquired the ability to infect humans

Opportunistic fungal pathogens like Aspergillus fumigatus primarily live in the environment, thriving in very diverse ecosystems such as soils and compost heaps.

Just a few more days to apply! ⏰

My group at is hiring a PhD student to explore how fungal pathogens that live in the environment will adapt their genomes, acquire new phenotypes, and perhaps even increased infectivity as a result of climate change. Please share!

More info and applications at @ jobs.uni-jena.de/vrbup

📣 I’m recruiting a #Postdoc to help us further our understanding on the infection strategies of our human fungal pathogen. If you’re enthusiastic about research, our interdisciplinary group @leibniz-hki.de will be a good fit for you! Please share!
jobs.hki-jena.de/jobs/Postdoc...

We finished this edition with a delightful keynote by Jean Monlong who guided us through his journey about finding SVs in pangenomes #JOBIM2025 👏🏻

Excited to do a postdoc in beautiful Neuchatel / Switzerland🇨🇭?

We have several postdoc positions open at the moment!

Check our website for the full ads here: pathogen-genomics.org/jobs

Happy to answer any question and please spread the word to anyone who might be interested!

We dive into the dynamics of #starships 🚀 in a fungal pathogen to ask: how might these giant #transposons impact human health? We find they drive genome-wide variation, encode clinically-relevant traits and even transpose within the same strain! 🍄🧪 out today in mBio #goteam doi.org/10.1128/mbio...

Big congrats to our Junior Group Research Leader Dr. @ameliabarberphd.bsky.social

🎉 She’s been named a #CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar for her work on fungal pathogens. 👉 Read the full story here: www.microverse-cluster.de/en/news/amel... #CIFAR #GlobalScience

I am honoured and delighted to join the #CIFAR family as an Azrieli Global Scholar.

Looking forward to working with this fantastic community to tackle complex global challenges through interdisciplinary collaboration!

cifar.ca/cifarnews/20...

Are you interested in a postdoc in Germany on fungal pathogen biology, genomics, or antifungal resistance? My Uni (@uni-jena.de) is hosting a free two-day masterclass in June on preparing MSCA Postdoc Fellowships with it as host.

If you are interested in writing a fellowship with me, get in touch!

We did it! We caught Starship #transposons moving between #fungal species in the lab, including between species separated by ~100my. We think Starships are a mediator of HGT in fungi, akin to conjugative elements in bacteria. Check out the preprint. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

What a day, and what a conference😍It was truly amazing. I learned a ton, got to meet brilliant scientists and made new connections, and even go home with a poster prize!
I cannot wait to share my work as a preprint, hopefully soon🤞
Now it's time to get some relaxing time in beautiful Ireland.☘️

We spent a great two days in the National Park Hainich for the 2nd annual Barber Lab retreat. Lots of fruitful scientific discussion and brainstorming about group projects, plus time for socialising and games!