Alex Merz 🇺🇸🇨🇦🇺🇦

merz.bsky.social

12 May 2026 01:57

Maria is a brilliant and brave UW colleague. She is *exactly* the kind of person the NIH should be funding.

Chrystal Starbird

drstarbird.bsky.social

12 May 2026 01:54

They like to say people like me are too alarmist, and yet almost everything is coming true. It’s not about scaring everyone: it’s about acknowledging that things are shifting and strategizing so we can meet the challenges ahead and weather difficult times.

Chrystal Starbird

drstarbird.bsky.social

12 May 2026 01:54

And listen, postdocs ready to make the transition also fully deserve to have the same opportunities, so I know there are no easy answers here. But doing nothing is getting pretty old. We still have a majority telling us “everything is fine”

Chrystal Starbird

drstarbird.bsky.social

12 May 2026 01:54

I really can’t stand to see universities hiring at the same time they are letting people close their labs. There are so many wrongs in this time, but at bare minimum, can’t we work harder to commit to supporting those we already have?

Chrystal Starbird

drstarbird.bsky.social

12 May 2026 01:53

To open this story earlier and see a scientist that I have so much respect for is tough. How long are we going to keep pretending?!? The numbers are out: less funding is happening. Period. So what are we going to do?!?