Lucia Strader @LabStrader

Did you know plants have immune systems, too? Just like humans, plants need nutrients to survive and must defend themselves against harmful invaders. But sometimes, those two priorities compete. Iron, for example, is essential for plant growth, but harmful bacteria and fungi need it, too. So how do plants protect themselves without sacrificing the nutrients they need? Salk scientists have discovered how a protein called SRF3 helps plants strike that balance, coordinating their immune defenses with their need for iron. Led by Salk scientists Wolfgang Busch and Matthieu Pierre Platre, the research reveals new insights into how plants stay healthy while responding to threats. The findings could ultimately help scientists develop crops that are more resistant to disease, better equipped to handle environmental challenges, and more nutritious. Photo: A plant cell with computer circuitry integrated into its plasma membrane illustrates the “membrane computer” concept, in which cell surfaces act as computational hubs that convert the external world into actionable signals. Credit to Amy Cao, Salk Sr. Science Illustrator. 🔗 Read more: salk.edu/news-release/p… #SalkInstitute #PlantScience #PlantBiology #ScientificDiscovery

Happy to be part of this exciting work published in @ScienceAdvances , revealing how iron homeostasis shapes plant immunity and host–microbe interactions. Congratulations Matt, Wolfgang and all co-authors. @salkinstitute ! science.org/doi/10.1126/sc… @sbslab_IISERM @DBS_IISERM

Calling all college students: Your summer in science starts here! 🔬 Applications are now open for Salk's 2027 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)! This paid, nine-week program gives undergraduate students the opportunity to work alongside Salk scientists, gain hands-on research experience, and explore careers in STEM. No prior research experience is required! Interested in applying? Join one of our free virtual workshops to learn more about the program, get application tips, and ask questions. 📅 Upcoming workshops: Friday, October 23 | 10–11 a.m. PT Wednesday, November 18 | 2–3 p.m. PT ⏰ Application deadline: December 1, 2026. The program runs June 7-August 6, 2027, and includes paid research experience, mentorship, and professional development. Ready to take the next step in your science journey? Learn more, register for a workshop, and apply: salk.edu/about/our-comm… #SalkInstitute #SummerResearch #STEMOpportunities #UndergraduateResearch #FutureScientists

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One discovery at Salk helped change the future of cancer treatment. In 1979, Salk scientist Tony Hunter, PhD, discovered tyrosine phosphorylation, a molecular switch that helps control how cells grow and behave. The discovery opened an entirely new field of research and ultimately paved the way for more than 100 cancer drugs used today. Now, nearly five decades later, Hunter has received the 2026 Albany Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research, one of the world’s most prestigious honors in science and medicine. The $500,000 prize recognizes scientists whose discoveries have led to treatments that significantly improve patients’ lives. Hunter shares this year’s honor with UCLA oncologist Dennis Slamon, MD, PhD, for cancer biology discoveries that have helped save millions of lives worldwide. It’s a powerful reminder of where transformative treatments can begin: with curiosity, foundational science, and an unexpected discovery. Congratulations, Tony! Read more here: salk.edu/news-release/s… #CancerResearch #CancerTreatment #FoundationalScience #SalkInstitute

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Today's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine began with a question about pond algae. Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel wanted to understand how Chlamydomonas, a single-celled green alga, swims toward light. The answer was channelrhodopsin, a protein that opens a tiny channel when struck by blue light. Karl Deisseroth then placed that protein into brain cells, giving scientists a way to switch specific neurons on and off with a flash of light. The result is optogenetics, a tool that has transformed how researchers map the brain and study which circuits drive behavior and disease. It is also opening new paths toward treatment, including early work on restoring vision. Decades ago, Nobel Laureate Francis Crick, a longtime member of Salk's faculty, imagined exactly this. He proposed that the ideal way to turn neurons on and off would be light, while admitting the idea seemed "rather far-fetched." Today, that far-fetched idea earned a Nobel Prize. No one studying algae set out to change neuroscience, but that’s the power of foundational science. A curious question about how life works can become the basis for tools and therapies no one could have predicted. It's why Salk scientists, from plant biologists to neuroscientists, keep reaching across disciplines to ask those questions. Congratulations to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel! #NobelPrize #Optogenetics #FoundationalScience #Neuroscience #PlantBiology

The UGA Genetics Department is hiring! Please help spread the word. We have an opening for an Associate Professor/Professor in Genetics, Synthetic Biology, and Biological Engineering. See ad for details – and join us here in Athens, GA!

Transformative opportunity for early career faculty @hhmi_science #FreemanHrabowski Scholars competition opens 11/3/2026 but you can get started NOW: view application components, establish eligibility, and unlock example applications and other resources hhmi.org/programs/freem…

Apply for a job at California Institute of Technology - Biology and Biological Engineering : Tenure-Track Faculty Position - in Biology and Biological Engineering dlvr.it/TVWCZC

Come join us! In addition to being a core member of the amazing Mol Bio department at MGH, the recruit will be a part of my department at Harvard Medical School.

Vamsi Mootha @VamsiMootha

a month ago

Our MGH Dept of Molecular Biology is hiring. It’s an exceptional *basic* science dept with a longstanding track record for curiosity driven science, great colleagues / infrastructure and generous support. Assistant Professor nature.com/naturecareers/…

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Stanford Bioengineering faculty search: Apply by Sept 30! Bioengineering is defined broadly: if you are engineering at the level of biomolecules, cells, tissues, organisms, or using/developing advanced engineering techniques to study these systems - please apply! facultypositions.stanford.edu/jobs/assistant…

We have a new assistant professor position in the @weillinstitute on Biomedical and Translational Sciences. Come join us! apps.hr.cornell.edu/recruiting/fac…

The Department of Plant and Microbial Biology at UC Berkeley currently has two open Assistant Professor positions (aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05382 & aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05522). Interested individuals are welcome to apply to one or both searches.

My department at UCLA is hiring at the assistant professor level. We are biochemists, yes, but the department is also very diverse with strengths in metabolism, stem cell biology, and neuroscience in addition to biochemistry. So, if you're on the fence, apply!

UCLA Biological Chemistry @BC_UCLA

a month ago

🔔 We are hiring! 🔔 We are looking for great colleagues doing curiosity driven research at the molecular level across broad areas of science. Please consider applying and spread the word! recruit.apo.ucla.edu/JPF11308

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We are hiring! 🌟 Dept of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Chicago is searching for a tenure-track assistant professor. It's a broad search: we want great colleagues doing serious biological work at the molecular scale. Please share! apply.interfolio.com/191981

Another wonderful opportunity where UCSD School of Biological Sciences is hiring! We’re looking for an outstanding colleague with particular focus in structural biology and cryoelectron microscopy to join our vibrant scientific community. Come do exciting science with us in beautiful San Diego! apol-recruit.ucsd.edu/JPF04607 Please share widely!

#TansleyInsight: Nuclear auxin signaling and temperature: perception and response across scales Sageman-Furnas & Strader 👇 📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/np… #LatestIssue #PlantScience @LabStrader

Come be my colleague!! 🎉 We’re hiring an Assistant Professor in Developmental Biology at UCSD! If you’re doing exciting work in development or regeneration, come join us!! Please spread the word and apply! apol-recruit.ucsd.edu/JPF04591

1/ Do cells use phase separation to adapt biosynthetic output to changing demands? In our new preprint, we show that under nutrient limitation, the nucleolus enters a reversible ‘hibernation’ state that slows ribosome biogenesis. See doi.org/10.64898/2026.…

New @RibackLab preprint! The nucleolus's biophysical properties aren't fixed—they're tuned to energy availability. Under nutrient limitation nucleoli hibernate: stronger interactions, slower rRNA transport, rapid reversal upon refeeding. Led by incredible postdoc @Evdokiia_P 🧵👇

Evdokiia @Evdokiia_P

2 months ago

1/ Do cells use phase separation to adapt biosynthetic output to changing demands? In our new preprint, we show that under nutrient limitation, the nucleolus enters a reversible ‘hibernation’ state that slows ribosome biogenesis. See doi.org/10.64898/2026.…

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Nuclear auxin signaling and temperature: perception and response across scales nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/np… @LabStrader