Multiple postdocs out to academic/industry jobs + 2 grant NOAs in = open postdoc position. Worms are great to work with, sensory biology is an endlessly fascinating topic, and we are a group of good humans. Please email if interested!

Opening for a lab manager/Res Asst! This is a great position if you want more research experience (& perhaps co-author a paper or two!) before heading to grad school. We are a sociable, supportive, inclusive, and dynamic group - come join us. https://t.co/gxC0OOoFLJ

🎉👏🏽Check out the brand new lab of our star (and much missed) ex-postdoc @nathanCSharris!!! He has a super cool planned research program and is going to be an awesome mentor. Go Nathan!!

We thought there wasn't much new to learn about the cell cycle. Turns out we were wrong! Our paper (out today @Nature) identifies a novel alternative cell cycle that regulates differentiation, not cell division. https://t.co/ayDhJtKK6U. 1/10

TL;DR: IFT & cilia structure shape responses to stimuli sensed by a single neuron type in different & unexpected ways. Alison untangles this complexity by conditionally manipulating IFT & measuring response dynamics to individual chemicals. Questions/comments welcome! 6/6

What about sensory response adaptation? By acute manipulation of IFT, Alison shows that IFT is needed for diacetyl but not pyrazine adaptation, likely by trafficking the diacetyl but not the pyrazine receptor. 5/6

So are cilia useless?! Well no 😅. Although odorant responses persist, there are desensitization & adaptation issues. Without IFT/cilia, odorant receptors mislocalize to branches from the cilia base, while the GRK-2 GPCR kinase stays in cilia, causing desensitization defects. 4/6

Completely unexpectedly, it turns out that w/o IFT, AWA shuttles many (but not all!) cilia-localized signaling molecules including odorant receptors to ectopic branches (arrows) that project from the cilia base. That allows odorant responses to be maintained even w/o cilia. 3/6

Alison used a ts kinesin allele that she generated (thanks to Chlamy ts screens!) to show that a) IFT is not necessary to maintain cilia of the AWA olfactory neurons, & b) even w/o cilia, AWA can respond to some food-related odorants. 2/6

🎉New lab preprint! 🔥🔥work by super postdoc @alison_marie1. C. elegans sensory neurons have gorgeous #cilia at their dendrite ends. We’ve always thought that a) no cilia = no sensory responses, & b) no IFT = no cilia. Punchline is we thought wrong. Read on for more. 1/6

Woo-hoo! Go invertebrates and small (not necessarily 'simple' circuits and of course, go @betenoire1 and Gerry Rubin!

Popping back on here to thank my mentors, colleagues and friends @BrandeisScience & elsewhere, my funders, & my very patient family. Most importantly, thank you to all the students & postdocs who chose to science along with me. And of course 🙏🏽 to our beloved worms!

Breaking a long silence on here to celebrate a few things: Two postdocs have tenure-track job offers Student's F31 funding approved Student's paper accepted My grant got a good score AND Our lab turns 28 today. Whew. (if anyone wants to do a postdoc w/us - please write!).

Friends - I have a three brand new codes available to the calmer bluer place. My bp stays low when I am over there. Steam does not come out of my nostrils. My head does not explode. If you want to come on over - DM or email me.

All 3 gone within a few mins. See you over there!

Anyone want invite codes to the calmer site? It's 🟦. I have 3 to give away. DM here or email.

I am pretty much only over on the 🔵 site now but have 3 codes to give away if anyone is interested in moving over to a (as of now) kinder, gentler, less volatile space with no bots.

Shubho Durga Puja to all those who celebrate. I never miss home as much as I do during this time every year. https://t.co/2TcRd5R2pY

I think that when you are in a position of power and are a leader, it is really important to think about the impact of your words even if they represent your personal and not professional opinion. And for those asking, I resigned from @eLife back on Sep 1.