Marta Lourenço

New post-doctoral research position in my phage-host interactions (Phi) laboratory in @otagomicroimmuno.bsky.social at @universityofotago.bsky.social New Zealand. The project is focused on defences against jumbo phages. Please share and if interested apply using the link in the comments.

🎉 We are thrilled to share our latest study revealing a new mechanism by which Legionella pneumophila evades antibiotic killing via reversible genetic variation mediated by integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs).
📖 Here for the full story:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

➡️ preprint from the lab! Bacteria have loads of antiviral defences in their mobile genetic elements (MGEs). So when MGEs move between bacteria, the defences move with them, generating a fast turnover of defences in bacteria. But what about the antiviral defence turnover in the MGEs themselves? 🤔

🧵👇

Very happy to see our microphysiological human mini-bladder published! 🎉

We show how urine composition affects tissue health and thus invasivness of UPEC, and how cell wall-deficient UPEC from the tissue reactive UTIs. 🦠

Check it out here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

#UTISky

New preprint out on bioRxiv!

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Can conjugative plasmids be used to control plasmid and pathogen spread?

Follow me down the rabbit hole that led to this story 🧵

Faculty position in Plant Molecular Biology (Associate Professor or Tenure-Track Assistant Professor) at Aarhus University, Denmark
mbg.au.dk/aktuelt/ledi...

A short research stay in 2019 (back in the pre-COVID era) at José R. Penadés lab turned into the third chapter of my PhD and today it finally sees the light.

I am seeking a postdoc to join my group at UCLA -- ideally the candidate would have some experience in either population genetics or microbes/microbiome (computational background needed). We have a range of projects and are happy to tailer to your interests. Please dm/email me if interested.

Spatial structure: shaping the ecology and evolution of microbial communities Spatial structure naturally emerges in microbial communities, shaping growth, interactions, and evolution, and revealing how microscale processes scale up

Most microbes don't live in shaking flasks; spatial structure shapes how microbes interact and evolve at every scale, as we discuss in our recent review @jeroenmeijer.bsky.social @simonvanvliet.bsky.social @bedutilh.bsky.social @bramvandijk.bsky.social and others
academic.oup.com/femsre/artic... 🧵👇

To celebrate #IDWGS2026, we're highlighting women who shaped microbiology but never got their flowers, starting with Fanny Hesse.

We're not stopping there; help us continue the work. Nominate a female microbiologist you know for a feature on our blog: buff.ly/kk7Ieye

#IDWGS #WomenInSTEM

Calling all curious minds!🧠💡

As part of the “CURIOSITY IS INFECTIOUS” initiative, @helmholtzhzi.bsky.social is offering 10 fully funded PhD positions in infection research across its five sites.
At #HIRI, we are especially excited to welcome PhD candidates who are passionate about all things #RNA.🧬

Unveiling hidden variables in stressed bacteria

@cp-cellreports.bsky.social Review by @divyach.bsky.social and @maxencevincent.bsky.social

www.cell.com/cell-reports...

Co-occurrence is associated with horizontal gene transfer across marine bacteria independent of phylogeny Abstract. Understanding the drivers and consequences of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is a key goal of microbial evolution research. Although co-occurring

Now out & nicely formatted in @isme-microbes.bsky.social

A big analysis of ocean genomes & metagenomes co-led by former postdocs, now PIs, @gmdouglas.bsky.social & @cyanophage.bsky.social along with co-PIs @lbobay.bsky.social & Samuel Chaffron.

A few highlights... 🧵 (1/n)

doi.org/10.1093/isme...

Epitranscriptomic control of stress adaptations in Escherichia coli Abstract. The impacts of various stressors on bacterial systems have been studied at the phenotypic, transcriptional, and translational levels during the e

Epitranscriptomic control of stress adaptations in Escherichia coli

@narjournal.bsky.social by Sebastián Riquelme-Barrios et al from @kirstenjunglab.bsky.social

academic.oup.com/nar/article/...

#MicroSky

(CODE M) Losing your head: how do bacterial viruses evolve into anti-competitor weapons? at The University of Manchester on FindAPhD.com PhD Project - (CODE M) Losing your head: how do bacterial viruses evolve into anti-competitor weapons? at The University of Manchester, listed on FindAPhD.com

🚨 PhD Studentship available! 🚨

We're hiring a UK student to start in Oct '26 via the BBSRC CODEM scheme. Full studentship plus £10k top-up PA. Study the mysterious ZOMBIE PHAGES 🧟 🦠 with our fabulous @mermanchester.bsky.social and @uommib.bsky.social communities!

www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

Registration fee is only 175€, some of the invited speakers: Charles Rice, Yasmine Belkaid, Bonnie Bassler, Daniel Mucida, Joy Bergelson, Matthew Chang, Carolina Lucas, Jeff Barrick, Carolina Tropini, Roy Kishony and more... Save the date now!

GIMM Fest returns September 17–19 with three days dedicated to the future of science and health, this year focusing on microbes. 🦠

Join researchers and innovators for a programme designed to promote scientific exchange and collaboration.

Interested in eco-evolutionary feedbacks? Microbial experimental evolution? Pleiotropy? Filamentous phages??

Check out our latest preprint, now up on BioRxiv!

biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

For a quick summary, peep the thread below...🧵 (1/10)

Secret Invasion: Strain Fate Across Microbiomes

New #BehindThePaper for our latest paper in @natcomms.nature.com (rdcu.be/e2qMK)
Secret Invasion: Strain Fate Across Microbiomes

Cover illustration by Helena Klein (@illuzation.bsky.social).
communities.springernature.com/posts/secret...

Amazing findings in geometry-based immune activation! Two bacterial defence systems detect phage-encoded ring oligomers, assemble high-order molecular complexes, and trigger abortive infection.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Evolution and diversity of oxidoreductases involved in redox balance and energy conservation - Nature Ecology & Evolution HORBEC are protein complexes involved in the regulation of redox balance and energy conservation. The authors develop a bioinformatic tool for HORBEC annotation in bacterial and archaeal genomes and r...

Passioned by #bioenergetics? Do not miss our new article on the evolutionary history of oxidoreductases with G. Borrel and @sgribaldo.bsky.social @archaeal.bsky.social @valdeanda.bsky.social @pasteur.fr @cnrs.fr @cnrsbiologie.bsky.social @natecoevo.nature.com (www.nature.com/articles/s41...).

Now with the final graphic ✨
Beautiful artwork by Sonia Monti (scientific-visualization-solutions.com). Design by @embo.org

🧬 The Rules of the Game
📍 @gimmfoundation.bsky.social, Oeiras (PT) | June 2–5, 2026
🗓️ Register by March 1st
👉 meetings.embo.org/event/26-cel...

Un poste de Maître de Conférence est ouvert pour rejoindre notre unité à Lyon !

Possibilité de rejoindre mon équipe pour travailler sur:
- caractérisation des mécanismes de défense anti-phage
- transfert horizontal et interactions entre éléments génétiques mobiles

N'hésitez pas à me contacter

My first paper from my undergraduate work is out today :)

📢 Join us in sunny Lisbon 🇵🇹 2-5 June for the @embo.org workshop ☀️

“The rules of the game: biophysical & molecular principles in cellular evolution”

Apply by March 1st!
Please repost to help spread the word!

meetings.embo.org/event/26-cel...
#EMBORulesOfTheGame @gimmfoundation.bsky.social

Plasmid mutation rates scale with copy number | PNAS Plasmids are extrachromosomal DNA molecules that spread by horizontal transfer and shape bacterial evolution. Plasmids are typically present at mul...

New paper out in PNAS!!! 🎉

Do more plasmid copies mean faster evolution?

🧵 Dive into the story

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

If you have been dreaming of moving to France as an ECR looking to build a long-term research career, now is your chance: @inrae-france.bsky.social yearly hiring for permanent research scientist positions is open: deadline March 5! jobs.inrae.fr/en/open-comp...

Postdoctoral position - Synthetic Biology / Bacterial Immunity - Research The Bikard lab at Institut Pasteur in Paris is seeking to hire postdoctoral researchers. We are investigating bacteria / bacteriophages interactions, and the genetic innovation that happens at this in...

🚨 Hiring Alert! 🚨My lab at Institut Pasteur is recruiting several Postdocs! We have exciting open projects in: 🦠 Synthetic Biology and🛡️ Bacterial Immunity. Come do great science with us in the middle of Paris! 🇫🇷🥐 research.pasteur.fr/en/job/postd...

Jobs View the current job vacancies at the Microbiology Society.

We are looking for new editors for Microbiology, the flagship journal of @microbiologysociety.org

Deadline for applications is 16 Feb 2026

microbiologysociety.org/who-we-are/j...

We are looking for a junior group leader in RNA biology to join us in Würzburg at the @helmholtz-hiri.bsky.social !

A generous funding package, a great collaborative environment, and a beautiful city are all included :)

Deadline for application is Feb 15; more information below 👇