Moriah Szpara (also at @szparalab.bsky.social)

Studying comparative genomics & evolution of neurotropic viruses & chronic infections, @CIDDPSU and @PSUScience. We value diversity in STEM & beyond. she/her

[mBio @mbiojournal]

Showing the data is the first rule of figures. So it's good news that biologists increasingly show the data in their figures--but there is still room for improvement. https://t.co/ciTUlbNpQX #mBio

[Mukund Iyengar @mukundiyngr]

NIH slowdown hit women hardest.
Five years of gain erased in ~1.5 cycles.

Female PI-led R01 grants ⇣938 with $444M gone.
This chart is the cleanest capture of this loss.

Cuts landed where women lead: breast, ovarian, and gynecologic cancers.

Dig deeper & the gap keeps widening:
▫️ women start small: $0.94M vs $1.4M for men
▫️ larger losses: 57.9% vs 48.2% for men
▪️ early-career hit hardest: 59.8% of affected assistant professor grants are women led

This is how you reset a generation:
↳ cut funding → fewer labs
↳ fewer labs → fewer leaders
↳ fewer leaders → fewer women at the top

Pipelines don't bounce back, they just thin out silently.

If you are a woman in science,
now is the time to pay attention

Read more about this in first comment below

= = = = =
Source: NIH RePORTER via Jori (@jori_health)

Method: PI gender-inference is non-trivial. Jori classified 91% algorithmically, then we manually reviewed profiles to classify another 6% (ie, ~ 3% remain unclassified).

This chart reflects the 97% classified names with high confidence.
= = = = =

[Andrew Pekosz @andrewpekosz]

Very sad to hear about the passing of Bernard Roizman. A real powerhouse in virology whose trainees are numerous and many have also had a profound impact on virology: https://t.co/f5GO1B5hCd

[Moriah Szpara (also at @szparalab.bsky.social) @SzparaLab]

ASV members at your service -- check out your @AmerSocVirol ballot!

@SzparaLab
@LiangDenglab
@DrJDennehy
@SalehLabParis
@PaulTurnerLab
Also but not online: Louis Mansky, Kai Wu, Shou-Wei Ding, Cristina Rosa, Welkin Pope, David Buchholz & Patrick Creisher

[American Society for Virology @AmerSocVirol]

Do you want a say in the future of ASV leadership? Look for your election ballot for ASV Councilors and President Elect in your member email!

[Moriah Szpara (also at @szparalab.bsky.social) @SzparaLab]

@CameronLabUNC 🥳 Happy New Year’s Eve!

[Moriah Szpara (also at @szparalab.bsky.social) @SzparaLab]

Pro tip for PSU students looking for a spring general-education class: Viruses in our World (SC 130) starts anew in January! Check out Katie Herron's Daily Collegian article about the new class: https://t.co/J698bv88ZD

[Moriah Szpara (also at @szparalab.bsky.social) @SzparaLab]

@bryancmounce Congratulations, both!

[Moriah Szpara (also at @szparalab.bsky.social) @SzparaLab]

@CameronLabUNC We’re arriving in Palma tomorrow morning, on our way for a trek around the island. Maybe we’ll see you there or on your way home!

[Moriah Szpara (also at @szparalab.bsky.social) @SzparaLab]

@stgoldst @wanderer_jasnah Attendee & member feedback!

[Moriah Szpara (also at @szparalab.bsky.social) @SzparaLab]

One last reminder -- tomorrow is the last day to submit an abstract for ASV's annual meeting! We have a new, shorter schedule of just 4 awesome days -- July 14-17, 2025, in Montréal 🇨🇦. The ASV Program Committee is eagerly awaiting your excellent abstracts! ✍️

[American Society for Virology @AmerSocVirol]

The 2025 American Society for Virology meeting will be hosted by McGill University and held at the Palais des Congrès de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada from July 14 - 17, 2025. Abstract submission, travel award apps, and registration are now open! https://t.co/EigsASFr46

[Moriah Szpara (also at @szparalab.bsky.social) @SzparaLab]

Those individuals based at government agencies such as NIH, CDC, FDA who are planning to submit abstracts for ASV 2025 should contact the ASV office ([email protected]) if current restrictions impact their on-time abstract submission.

[Moriah Szpara (also at @szparalab.bsky.social) @SzparaLab]

Heads up, virologists! ASV's annual meeting is going to Montréal 🇨🇦 in July 2025, and abstract submission closes in <3 weeks -- Monday Feb. 3rd!!! 🔬 🧬 The ASV Program Committee is eagerly awaiting your excellent abstracts! ✍️

[American Society for Virology @AmerSocVirol]

The 2025 American Society for Virology meeting will be hosted by McGill University and held at the Palais des Congrès de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada from July 14 - 17, 2025. Abstract submission, travel award apps, and registration are now open! https://t.co/EigsASFr46

[Moriah Szpara (also at @szparalab.bsky.social) @SzparaLab]

@ViromeHunter @ubcLFS @UBC @ubcfarm Congratulations Paul! That’s awesome news! And how cool you & @AsherLeeks get to be colleagues! 🧬 🦠 🌿

[Max Wilkinson @maxewilkinson]

My favourite discovery ever has just come online. Can I please tell you about some seriously wacky molecular biology? The story starts with a reverse transcriptase that SOMEHOW defends bacteria from viruses.

(👇 I recommend sound ON for the video 🎹)
1/

[Dr Emma Hodcroft @firefoxx66]

One of the reasons I've been quiet on Twitter for a few months is because I've been working on something big - something I'm really happy to share now!
https://t.co/m7KHsR3H8c

A new, open-source database for pathogen sequence sharing. 👐🧬🌎

1/12

[Moriah Szpara (also at @szparalab.bsky.social) @SzparaLab]

Check out this & other @PSUScience classes about #viruses here: https://t.co/CJbI9lmMve

[Moriah Szpara (also at @szparalab.bsky.social) @SzparaLab]

Excited to start classes next at #PennState, welcoming one & all to a new gen-ed (SC297G) where we look at #viruses in art, science, society, & more. Last year's class looked for viruses in music, & came up with gems like this one: https://t.co/KO1a5lup63

[Moriah Szpara (also at @szparalab.bsky.social) @SzparaLab]

They enjoyed dissecting the science & #scicomm of #viruses in popular movies like Contagion & Outbreak, and real-world films like "Virus", about a Nipah outbreak in India. #lovevirology

[Moriah Szpara (also at @szparalab.bsky.social) @SzparaLab]

Feel free to reach out or DM me with any questions!

[Moriah Szpara (also at @szparalab.bsky.social) @SzparaLab]

Calling all #virology and #microbiology friends who are on the faculty job market: @PennStateBio department & @BMB_PSU have multiple faculty openings with ads up now! Link #1 of 4 here -- this one's theme is Evolutionary Genomics (open topic):
https://t.co/ePL93ptaKS

[Moriah Szpara (also at @szparalab.bsky.social) @SzparaLab]

Here is #4 of the new tenure-track faculty jobs @PSUScience and @PSUresearch. This one is in @BMB_PSU. Its theme is Genetics and Cellular & Developmental Biology. #Virology ties into all of these, so please apply!
https://t.co/WPGie22K0b