Victoria Watson-Zink, PhD
@watsonzink.bsky.social
HHMI Hanna Gray Fellow studying sea-to-land transitions in crabs. Functional genomics/transcriptomics/comparative physiology/dev bio. 🇯🇵 self-learner, )’(, T1D. 🦀🏝
Pinned
Today we're thrilled to announce our 2024 #HannaGrayFellows! Please join us in welcoming and celebrating these outstanding early career scientists!
I am absolutely thrilled to announce that I was selected as one of the 2024 #HannaGrayFellows! 🎉🍾🎊🥳🦀
The support from this fellowship will be transformative for my career, and I am so excited to meet and learn from all the other fellows in my cohort and from previous years!!
The support from this fellowship will be transformative for my career, and I am so excited to meet and learn from all the other fellows in my cohort and from previous years!!
Reposted by Victoria Watson-Zink, PhD
We're excited to be recruiting an NIH funded postdoc to work in the Coop lab at UC Davis. We're specifically interested in candidates who are want to work at the intersection of human genetics, GWAS, and population genetics modeling. Please RT
October 15, 2025 at 3:53 PM
We're excited to be recruiting an NIH funded postdoc to work in the Coop lab at UC Davis. We're specifically interested in candidates who are want to work at the intersection of human genetics, GWAS, and population genetics modeling. Please RT
Reposted by Victoria Watson-Zink, PhD
New paper from my lab (first author is Sonia Ghose): www.frontiersin.org/journals/mic...
Skin microbiomes of frogs vary among body regions, revealing differences that reflect known patterns of chytrid infection
Skin microbiomes of frogs vary among body regions, revealing differences that reflect known patterns of chytrid infection
May 14, 2025 at 8:16 PM
New paper from my lab (first author is Sonia Ghose): www.frontiersin.org/journals/mic...
Skin microbiomes of frogs vary among body regions, revealing differences that reflect known patterns of chytrid infection
Skin microbiomes of frogs vary among body regions, revealing differences that reflect known patterns of chytrid infection
Reposted by Victoria Watson-Zink, PhD
A colleague at Stanford’s business school used The Stanford Daily to argue—poorly—against DEI. The piece was riddled with historical errors and left one searching for fact, so I broke my public writing hiatus to respond.
I hope you’ll read and share the piece.
stanforddaily.com/2025/04/22/w...
I hope you’ll read and share the piece.
stanforddaily.com/2025/04/22/w...
What DEI threatens isn’t merit. It’s monopoly.
Political science professor Hakeem Jefferson argues for DEI's importance to de-monopolizing universities.
stanforddaily.com
April 23, 2025 at 12:23 AM
A colleague at Stanford’s business school used The Stanford Daily to argue—poorly—against DEI. The piece was riddled with historical errors and left one searching for fact, so I broke my public writing hiatus to respond.
I hope you’ll read and share the piece.
stanforddaily.com/2025/04/22/w...
I hope you’ll read and share the piece.
stanforddaily.com/2025/04/22/w...
Reposted by Victoria Watson-Zink, PhD
UC Davis is recruiting a Professor & Director for the wonderful Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute (CMSI) @ucdmarinescience.bsky.social . A really great community spanning campus and Bodega marine lab.
recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07044
recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07044
Professor and Director, Coastal Marine and Sciences Institute
University of California, Davis is hiring. Apply now!
recruit.ucdavis.edu
April 1, 2025 at 4:37 PM
UC Davis is recruiting a Professor & Director for the wonderful Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute (CMSI) @ucdmarinescience.bsky.social . A really great community spanning campus and Bodega marine lab.
recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07044
recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07044
Reposted by Victoria Watson-Zink, PhD
In addition to going through the website, I strongly encourage people to read the letter from Harvard's President, Dr. Garber.
We need more scientific institutions to show this level of courage, no matter the risk. In fact, we need *all* institutions to stand up*.
www.harvard.edu/president/ne...
We need more scientific institutions to show this level of courage, no matter the risk. In fact, we need *all* institutions to stand up*.
www.harvard.edu/president/ne...
The Promise of American Higher Education
No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue
www.harvard.edu
April 15, 2025 at 3:23 AM
In addition to going through the website, I strongly encourage people to read the letter from Harvard's President, Dr. Garber.
We need more scientific institutions to show this level of courage, no matter the risk. In fact, we need *all* institutions to stand up*.
www.harvard.edu/president/ne...
We need more scientific institutions to show this level of courage, no matter the risk. In fact, we need *all* institutions to stand up*.
www.harvard.edu/president/ne...
This will literally be me in a couple months 😂 Better late than never, I say!
This is not intended as a brag btw, the key to submitting 5 first-author manuscripts in a couple of months is to fail to submit them in a more timely manner years ago.
February 21, 2025 at 7:02 PM
This will literally be me in a couple months 😂 Better late than never, I say!
Reposted by Victoria Watson-Zink, PhD
February 14, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Reposted by Victoria Watson-Zink, PhD
Dear federal scientists: If you have been affected by the probationary firings and would be willing to speak with Science, please reach out to me by email (klangin@aaas.org) or on Signal. We can guarantee annonymity.
February 14, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Dear federal scientists: If you have been affected by the probationary firings and would be willing to speak with Science, please reach out to me by email (klangin@aaas.org) or on Signal. We can guarantee annonymity.
Reposted by Victoria Watson-Zink, PhD
I usually reserve this account for my personal views; but today I want to represent my position as President of @asn-amnat.bsky.social to post a message that will shortly go out to the membership of the American Society of Naturalists from the ASN Executive Council
February 6, 2025 at 4:28 PM
I usually reserve this account for my personal views; but today I want to represent my position as President of @asn-amnat.bsky.social to post a message that will shortly go out to the membership of the American Society of Naturalists from the ASN Executive Council
Reposted by Victoria Watson-Zink, PhD
G is for Geosesarma.
Popular pets, some species were/are exploited by the aquarium trade before being described. Each has a small range in SE Asia, traversing freshwater and land. They hatch as minicrabs instead of larvae, and the mom keeps them safe for a few weeks!
#CrabAZ 🦀🧪🦑
Popular pets, some species were/are exploited by the aquarium trade before being described. Each has a small range in SE Asia, traversing freshwater and land. They hatch as minicrabs instead of larvae, and the mom keeps them safe for a few weeks!
#CrabAZ 🦀🧪🦑
February 7, 2025 at 1:21 PM
G is for Geosesarma.
Popular pets, some species were/are exploited by the aquarium trade before being described. Each has a small range in SE Asia, traversing freshwater and land. They hatch as minicrabs instead of larvae, and the mom keeps them safe for a few weeks!
#CrabAZ 🦀🧪🦑
Popular pets, some species were/are exploited by the aquarium trade before being described. Each has a small range in SE Asia, traversing freshwater and land. They hatch as minicrabs instead of larvae, and the mom keeps them safe for a few weeks!
#CrabAZ 🦀🧪🦑
Reposted by Victoria Watson-Zink, PhD
📣POSTDOC wanted: We are looking for a marine ecologist to join our #kelp forest team at IMR in Norway 🌊🌿. The position is focused on impacts of harvesting on kelp and kelp forest #biodiversity. Enthusiasm, strong cv and interest in #fieldwork is required.
www.jobbnorge.no/en/available...
www.jobbnorge.no/en/available...
January 30, 2025 at 10:40 PM
📣POSTDOC wanted: We are looking for a marine ecologist to join our #kelp forest team at IMR in Norway 🌊🌿. The position is focused on impacts of harvesting on kelp and kelp forest #biodiversity. Enthusiasm, strong cv and interest in #fieldwork is required.
www.jobbnorge.no/en/available...
www.jobbnorge.no/en/available...
Reposted by Victoria Watson-Zink, PhD
🧪🦠 this thread has the letter I wrote to ASM about their removal of IDEAA websites, highlights of Black and other underrepresented scientists, and lack of information about the 2025 ABRCMS meeting in what looks like anticipatory obedience to the new administration. Subquoted thread has related info.
My letter to ASM leaders that I sent is too long to be posted here, so I'm going to post highlights in case anyone else needs information for their letter. 🧵
@asm.org this better not be anticipatory obedience. I have 5 lab members planning on going to ASM microbe this year. I will absolutely pivot to another meeting if ASM gives in to anti-DEI efforts.
February 3, 2025 at 1:16 PM
🧪🦠 this thread has the letter I wrote to ASM about their removal of IDEAA websites, highlights of Black and other underrepresented scientists, and lack of information about the 2025 ABRCMS meeting in what looks like anticipatory obedience to the new administration. Subquoted thread has related info.
Reposted by Victoria Watson-Zink, PhD
ASM did a spotlight article on me last February and it has also been taken down as “under review”. Other spotlight articles are still up so not sure how else to interpret this besides the obvious. It feels pretty crappy to have been singled out and I won’t be engaging with them in the future.
I want to expand on the extent to which IDEAA materials have been purged: I wrote an article last year for women’s history month on the history of women in antimicrobial development….DELETED.
I’m on one of ASMs IDEAA committees and we have received 0 communication from ASM staff on why this is happening. I had to find out via social media. Extremely disappointing.
February 3, 2025 at 12:47 AM
ASM did a spotlight article on me last February and it has also been taken down as “under review”. Other spotlight articles are still up so not sure how else to interpret this besides the obvious. It feels pretty crappy to have been singled out and I won’t be engaging with them in the future.
Reposted by Victoria Watson-Zink, PhD
Ok this is not ok. ASM actively sought out BMA and its members for Juneteenth and Black History month content for the last 4 years. Actively asked for black labor and then takes it down?! @asm.org this is unacceptable. You should be standing up for marginalized microbiologists not erasing them.
Checked on the article I wrote about Juneteenth in 2023…
”under review”
”under review”
February 3, 2025 at 3:07 AM
Ok this is not ok. ASM actively sought out BMA and its members for Juneteenth and Black History month content for the last 4 years. Actively asked for black labor and then takes it down?! @asm.org this is unacceptable. You should be standing up for marginalized microbiologists not erasing them.
This is absolutely unacceptable.
Checked on the article I wrote about Juneteenth in 2023…
”under review”
”under review”
February 3, 2025 at 5:06 AM
This is absolutely unacceptable.
Reposted by Victoria Watson-Zink, PhD
This month, fight the horrors with #CrabAZ.
B is for Birgus, the largest land invertebrate alive! It is a specialized hermit crab (they live in the ocean with shells when young). This one is about 15 years old, and will be released after 1 year in captivity - they can reach 60 years!
🦀🦑🧪
B is for Birgus, the largest land invertebrate alive! It is a specialized hermit crab (they live in the ocean with shells when young). This one is about 15 years old, and will be released after 1 year in captivity - they can reach 60 years!
🦀🦑🧪
February 2, 2025 at 1:49 PM
This month, fight the horrors with #CrabAZ.
B is for Birgus, the largest land invertebrate alive! It is a specialized hermit crab (they live in the ocean with shells when young). This one is about 15 years old, and will be released after 1 year in captivity - they can reach 60 years!
🦀🦑🧪
B is for Birgus, the largest land invertebrate alive! It is a specialized hermit crab (they live in the ocean with shells when young). This one is about 15 years old, and will be released after 1 year in captivity - they can reach 60 years!
🦀🦑🧪
Reposted by Victoria Watson-Zink, PhD
Black people have never needed a government to recognize our traditions and beliefs. #BlackHistoryMonth will proceed as planned.
February 1, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Black people have never needed a government to recognize our traditions and beliefs. #BlackHistoryMonth will proceed as planned.
Reposted by Victoria Watson-Zink, PhD
Apparently all the PhD researchers holding prestigious NSF-funded research fellowships are having their salaries withheld until some unspecified time when the leadership figures out how to eliminate any grant funding that doesn’t align with the president’s political ideology.
It’s official: all funding requests made on Tuesday by postdocs for their salaries have been unilaterally rejected by NSF.
January 30, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Apparently all the PhD researchers holding prestigious NSF-funded research fellowships are having their salaries withheld until some unspecified time when the leadership figures out how to eliminate any grant funding that doesn’t align with the president’s political ideology.
Reposted by Victoria Watson-Zink, PhD
To update people on the NSF PRFB situation: despite the court challenge and rescinding the original memo, the NSF has continued to comply with the executive order. They have not communicated with us at all and our paychecks are still canceled indefinitely. I know people who cannot pay their rent.
January 30, 2025 at 2:37 PM
To update people on the NSF PRFB situation: despite the court challenge and rescinding the original memo, the NSF has continued to comply with the executive order. They have not communicated with us at all and our paychecks are still canceled indefinitely. I know people who cannot pay their rent.
Reposted by Victoria Watson-Zink, PhD
The ACM$ is still down, and postdocs continue to receive cancelation notices for requests for funding.
NSF has seemingly pushed through with their freeze on fund disbursement, even in spite of the court’s challenge and subsequent “unfreeze” announced yesterday.
NSF has seemingly pushed through with their freeze on fund disbursement, even in spite of the court’s challenge and subsequent “unfreeze” announced yesterday.
To update people on the NSF PRFB situation: despite the court challenge and rescinding the original memo, the NSF has continued to comply with the executive order. They have not communicated with us at all and our paychecks are still canceled indefinitely. I know people who cannot pay their rent.
January 30, 2025 at 4:17 PM
The ACM$ is still down, and postdocs continue to receive cancelation notices for requests for funding.
NSF has seemingly pushed through with their freeze on fund disbursement, even in spite of the court’s challenge and subsequent “unfreeze” announced yesterday.
NSF has seemingly pushed through with their freeze on fund disbursement, even in spite of the court’s challenge and subsequent “unfreeze” announced yesterday.
Reposted by Victoria Watson-Zink, PhD
To expand on this, right now ~200 postdoc fellows directly funded by NSF are locked out of their salary &research funds right before the first of the month. No doubt other NSF funded grads &postdocs are affected as well. All requests for funds put in before the freeze are slowly being cancelled
As of now, NSF does not appear to be changing course at all given the temporary restraining order or the rescission of the memo. I can't help but feel that the NSF director is failing us and his handling of this is indefensible. new.nsf.gov/executive-or...
NSF Implementation of Recent Executive Orders
Information for the NSF community regarding executive orders.
new.nsf.gov
January 29, 2025 at 8:59 PM
To expand on this, right now ~200 postdoc fellows directly funded by NSF are locked out of their salary &research funds right before the first of the month. No doubt other NSF funded grads &postdocs are affected as well. All requests for funds put in before the freeze are slowly being cancelled
Reposted by Victoria Watson-Zink, PhD
Deleted, reposting to clarify: the NSF statement does not define "DEIA", I haven't used that term in the proposal for my current NSF project. I could guess what it means, but that's not my job. I would need to know what specific activities I'm not allowed to do before I change any plans.
"All NSF grantees must comply with these Executive Orders, and any other relevant Executive Orders issued, by ceasing all non-compliant grant and award activities. ... In particular, this may include ... any other grant activity that uses or promotes the use of DEIA principles and frameworks ..."
"All review panels, new awards, and all payments of funds under open awards will be paused as the agency conducts the required reviews and analysis."
NSF statement on the impact of Trump administration executive orders.
new.nsf.gov/executive-or...
NSF statement on the impact of Trump administration executive orders.
new.nsf.gov/executive-or...
January 29, 2025 at 12:11 AM
Deleted, reposting to clarify: the NSF statement does not define "DEIA", I haven't used that term in the proposal for my current NSF project. I could guess what it means, but that's not my job. I would need to know what specific activities I'm not allowed to do before I change any plans.
Reposted by Victoria Watson-Zink, PhD
I think some people hear “grants” and think that without them, scientists and government workers just have less stuff to play with at work. But grants fund salaries for students, academics, researchers, and people who work in all areas of public service.
“Pausing” grants means people don’t eat.
“Pausing” grants means people don’t eat.
White House pauses all federal grants, sparking confusion
The Trump administration has put a hold on all federal financial grants and loans, affecting tens of billions of dollars in payments.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 28, 2025 at 3:03 AM
I think some people hear “grants” and think that without them, scientists and government workers just have less stuff to play with at work. But grants fund salaries for students, academics, researchers, and people who work in all areas of public service.
“Pausing” grants means people don’t eat.
“Pausing” grants means people don’t eat.