Murielle Ålund (she/her)

Thank you German!

Photo collage of representative activities I've done at SVA this past year including microscoping, radio interviews, a sheep at the agriculture fair, a tick, flagging ticks in the forest and work with drones to disperse reindeer lichen.

Very happy to share that I get to continue working as a researcher at the Swedish Veterinary Agency for the foreseeable future, studying the impact of climate change on animals & humans in a One Health perspective, including vector surveillance & work towards safe food & water in a changing world.

🤔Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a part of ESA's Directorate of Connectivity and Secure Communications?

ESA Student Internships are now open and there are a few internships in our field! 🤩

jobs.esa.int/search/?crea...

#ESA #internship #satellites

Very interesting few days in Berlin meeting and training with colleagues of veterinary, food and public health agencies in Sweden and other Northern European countries!

Academic ecosystems must evolve to support a sustainable postdoc workforce - Nature Ecology & Evolution The postdoctoral experience is in need of reform. Here the authors outline concrete steps that institutions, postdocs and mentors can take to improve the landscape.

In honour of "Postdoc Appreciation Week", a plug for a paper I was involved in 5 years ago (w/ @bjmjarrett.bsky.social, @muriellealund.bsky.social and others) in which we highlighted how academia could better support postdocs. There is much here that remains relevant! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

X me

The deadline for these two fully-funded phd projects is fast approaching (5th May). Do share far and wide.

An Easter Monday treat...Puffins pitter patter into our #SpringArrivalSpotlight today! 😍

Arriving in April from the North Atlantic, their unmistakable colourful bills are the heralds of spring on our cliffs.

Look out for these adorable seabirds returning to nesting sites.

10,000 ticks wanted for new study on TBE - Radio Sweden 10,000 ticks are needed to get a better idea of ​​TBE risk areas in Sweden.A new study conducted by The Swedish Veterinary Agency and Uppsala University ...

If you're in #Sweden and you find a tick, my friend @muriellealund.bsky.social wants to have it!

www.sverigesradio.se/artikel/10-0...

Standing up for science in Lansing YouTube video by Jason Gallant

I got to speak at a political rally (video below). Today, I stood up for science in Michigan at the Hands Off Day of action in Lansing. Inspired talks and one hell of a crowd!! @50501mi.bsky.social

Happy to answer any questions you may have about working with the flycatcher project! 🪶

One week left to apply for a postdoc position in beautiful Edinburgh! Fully funded, 3 years, visa sponsorship. Explore interactions between host genomes and microbiomes during population declines using #museum collections ( #aDNA #popgen #hologenomics )!

Might save a life.

I made a Spotify playlist of @bwjones.bsky.social's absolute 🔥 set of female-led rock songs, plus a few that he got in the comments and a few that I thought belonged as well. A couple live performances weren't available so I substituted as best I could.

open.spotify.com/playlist/7gu...

48 Scientific Societies Representing Almost 100,000 Scientists Ask Congress to Protect the Future of Science 48 scientific societies representing almost 100,000 scientists signed on to a letter asking Congress to protect the future of science

In a remarkable show of unity, today 48 scientific societies representing almost 100,000 members call on Congress to protect the future of science. Our elected officials must act now so we have a hope of avoiding long-term damage to the US science enterprise. www.ucsusa.org/about/news/s...

A PhD position has opened up in my old lab group in Uppsala with Anna Qvarnström! I can't recommend Uppsala and the group highly enough. This is a really great opportunity! If anyone wants to learn more about life in Uppsala or in the department, I'm very happy to talk.

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In the high Andes, a dream to restore a special forest takes root Three years ago, while exploring the Mojanda mountain range in Ecuador, a team of researchers from a local NGO and a government research institute stumbled upon a small, unusual mouse. The expedition’...

More than 25,000 people from 200 communities have restored nearly 5,000 hectares of the high-altitude Polylepis forests and protected more than 11,250 hectares of woodland.

Acción Andina (Andean Action) is an initiative that has launched 23 projects in Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Argentina and Ecuador.

Rector of UNamur Annick Castiaux opened the conference strongly condemning recent attacks to science & diversity in the USA & highlighting the necessity for freedom in science & in teaching. Her comment on*that*executive order: "as if women needed to be protected by someone like Trump"👩‍🔬🧪💪 Thank you!

Program of the women and girls in science day at University of Namur on February 13th, 2025

Really looking forward to today's "Women and Girls in Science" conference at Université de Namur 🇧🇪 , where I'll give the first plenary. Can't wait to hear about all the cool science done by #ECR in #STEM !
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fin. Once we pivot into the world of humans, the biology of sex in stickleback (and how I simplify it slightly in my work) is irrelevant to the ethical standards by which we treat each other.

Wel, no surprise that Coyne used his blog (whyevolutionistrue) to argue with the SSE/SSB/ASN letter about definitions of sex. I'm not going to engage deeply with the letter here. Like any committee-drafted text it reflects compromises; I agree with some phrasing but some could have been clearer 1/N

Letter from the SSE/SSB/ASN councils on the scientific understanding of sex and gender, pls RT

a man in a black shirt is looking at a screen with a red background Alt: a man in a black shirt is looking at a screen with a red background

Worried about losing access to US federal data that may go off-line, or already is? You’re not alone—but duplication isn’t the answer.

Many ongoing efforts have already archived key datasets and many more are ongoing. Check out these existing resources and, if you can, support their work. 🧵

"These commitments — to reliable support for science, free scientific discourse, and inclusive opportunities to ensure that diverse people can participate in science — are not separate from our scientific mission but essential to its success."

“We will emphasize the crucial role of science in addressing society's most pressing challenges, including the reality of global climate change, importance of conservation, or the complex nature of sex and gender.”

Proud to be part of ASN — thank you, Dan, and thanks to the whole Executive Council

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New paper in G3 by David Wheatcroft, Niclas Backström, Ludovic Dutoit, S. Eryn McFarlane @erynmcfarlane.bsky.social, Carina F Mugal, Mi Wang, Murielle Ålund @muriellealund.bsky.social , Hans Ellegren & Anna Qvarnström @qvarnstromlab.bsky.social @animecol-uu.bsky.social
#evolution #speciation

Divergence in expression of a singing-related neuroplasticity gene in the brains of 2 Ficedula flycatchers and their hybrids Abstract. Species-specific sexual traits facilitate species-assortative mating by reducing mating across species and reducing hybrid sexual attractiveness.

New paper led by D. Wheatcroft: song learning varies between the closely related collared & pied flycatchers: why is 1 species more flexible than the other? We compare gene expression in relevant brain regions in males of the 2 species & their hybrids.
🪶🧪#evolution
academic.oup.com/g3journal/ar...

Applications for MEME are open! It's a research- and mobility-oriented Evolutionary Biology Master's Programme, where students have the opportunity to visit 4(+2) different universities in two years. Please spread the word! www.evobio.eu #EvoBio