Our Top Picks for July 19th 2018

⭃A medical researcher from the UK by the name of Lois, speaks about her own battle with sexual harassment during her pursuit of a Ph.D. In the article, "Why science breeds a culture of sexism," the authors discuss what she went through during her research and "how the hierarchy, working environment and male-dominated culture of science, not only in their university but in their specialism/discipline, makes tackling sexual misconduct more complex and challenging than in other academic fields and industries."

Flickr Image by Mike Lawrence. 

⭃Special thank you to Jacqueline McGinty for sharing the article, "Women Maintain NIH Funding Similar to Men: Study." While searching for reasons why women faculty members are underrepresented in the life sciences, researchers have looked at factors affecting the retention of female faculty, such as the ability to sustain funding. A new analysis finds that keeping the money rolling in doesn’t appear to be a factor. Of nearly 35,000 researchers who received funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) between 1991 and 2010, men and women maintain funding at roughly the same rates.

Flickr Image by Archives New Zealand. 

⭃Join the petition to remove sexual harassers from the National Academia of Sciences. It is not acceptable to allow people to be involved in illegal actions and not suffer the consequences, take a stand and allow your voice to be heard by signing the petition to the NAS here. 

⭃Check out the article, "How the Founder of All Girls Code is Shaking Up STEM in the Middle East," to read about how 20-year-old Aya Mouallem is encouraging the girls who attend her programs to pursue STEM degrees and careers. 

⭃Neuroscientist Brenda Miler turns 100 with style. Learn about her life and legacy in Stat New's article "If you’re neuroscientist Brenda Milner, this is how you turn 100 years old."


⭃It’s easier to make a case for a raise and promotion when you have a clear sense of your own performance. Unfortunately, that part is never easy. Check out the article, "Give yourself a performance review right now. Here’s how," for advice on how to navigate the ins and outs of being honest with yourself and others about your work output. 

Flickr image by Nick J Webb. 

⭃In the article "Twitter for Academics 101" neuroscientist Caitlin Vander Weele gives a crash course on academic Twitter in the new blog post found on Inscopix. She highlights the benefits of using social media as a scientist and gives tips on how to optimize the experience.

Job opportunities 

A postdoctoral position, supported by NIAAA funded T32, is open in the laboratory of Dr. Anushree Karkhanis in the Department of Psychology at Binghamton University in Binghamton, NY. The research program in our lab is guided by two overarching questions: (1) How does chronic stress impact neural substrates involved in shaping neuropsychiatric disorders (e.g.: anxiety, depression, PTSD, addiction, etc.)? and (2) What are the neural substrates responsible for the comorbidity between affective disorders (e.g.: PTSD, anxiety, depression, etc.) and alcohol and substance use disorders? A major emphasis is on understanding the neural substrates and mechanisms affected by stress, which then may lead to comorbid affective and addictive disorders. We utilize a combination of behavioral (operant oral and intravenous drug self-administration, real time conditioned place preference and aversion, elevated plus maze, forces swim stress) and neurochemical (ex vivo and in vivo voltammetry, in vivo microdialysis, HPLC) techniques along with optogenetics and chemogenetics.

For this position we are seeking a highly-motivated candidate with experience in studying behavioral and neurochemical effects of drugs of abuse to lead a NIAAA-funded project investigating impact of stress and drug exposure during adolescence on addiction vulnerability in adulthood. The successful candidate will join a highly-interactive neuroscience community and will work as part of a team that includes members of other laboratories in the Department of Psychology and the Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center. 

A recent Ph.D. degree in Psychology, Neuroscience or Pharmacology is preferred. Submit a formal application here: https://www.interviewexchange.com/jobofferdetails.jsp?JOBID=98878. Please also email the application materials directly to Anushree Karkhanis, Ph.D. (akarkhan@binghamton.edu). 

Our Top Picks for July 11th, 2018

GENDER BIAS GENDER BIAS and more GENDER BIAS 

Flickr image by HousingWorksPhotos. 

⭃Due to organizations, like BiasWatchNeuro, who are dedicated to keeping track of the female to male ratios associated with many different points along a person's transition into and through academia, we have much concrete evidence that gender bias is present at almost every turn. Since 1990 50% of all neuroscience Ph.D.'s have been earned by women, yet only 39% of neuroscience faculty positions are women. Furthermore, less than 39% of corresponding/senior authors in neuroscience journals were women, suggesting a steep drop off inequality after obtaining the Ph.D and transitioning into a scientific career. How do we stop this decline? Could a double-blind review process be the answer? Check out Christophe Bernard's, "Gender Bias in Publishing: Double-Blind Reviewing as a Solution," editorial to learn more.


⭃"Threats to objectivity in peer review: the case of gender," by Dr.'s Kaatz, Gutierrez, and Carnes explain that all humans are prone to be biased at least some of the time. They say, "Scientists strive to be objective in their peer review of grant applications and manuscript submissions. Nevertheless, all humans are susceptible to biases in decision-making. To illustrate how cognitive bias unrelated to the merit of the science could influence scientific peer review we describe the potential impact of applicant gender on the judgment of reviewers." Check out the full article to learn more. 


⭃Featured in Neuron, Marian Joels and Carol Mason write, "This year marks the first time that the largest Neuroscience societies in the U.S. and Europe are led by females. Here [article: "A Tale Of Two Sexes"] we discuss the challenges that women face in moving through the ranks of academia and propose ways to increase women's representation in the field."

Our Top Picks for July 6th, 2018

⭃Although it may appear intimidating, learning to stand up for yourself in the workplace will help build your confidence and career, according to Otegha Uwagba's article "Mind your language and step into your boss's shoes: how to speak up at work."

Flickr image by NASA Goddard Photo and Video.

⭃Getting the word out about gender inequalities is important, and social media is a great way to do that. Check out this Twitter thread discussing data that shows both male and female authors tend to suggest male article reviewers. 

⭃"For an older woman looking for mentorship through a career transition, creative stagnation or the second half of her career, there are increasingly few places to turn: there's no alumni network or old boys' club to step in and help." Read more about Why women need mid-career mentors in Julia Carpenter's article featured on the CNN website. 

⭃Check out the video below: Assessing Sex and Gender Integration in Peer Review 

Opportunities in science:

Nominate yourself or a colleague to become a speaker for the 2018-2019 Neuroscience Institute monthly series SPiNES (Seminars by PostDocs in Neuroscience: Extramural Series) by September 10th by using the link below.

https://med.nyu.edu/neuroscience/spines

Job opportunity:

A Post-doctoral position is available immediately for a highly motivated candidate with a strong background in molecular and cellular neuroscience to join the Sadri-Vakili NeuroEpigenetics Laboratory in the Department of Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Our laboratory is focused on determining the underlying molecular mechanisms that cause neurological and psychiatric disorders. In addition, we test the therapeutic potential of novel compounds for the treatment of neurodegenerative disease. We employ numerous techniques from assessing animal behavior to analyzing specific epigenetic modifications.

 Required:

·   A PhD degree in neuroscience, genetics, epigenetics, or pharmacology 

·   Expertise with other neurodegenerative disease or addiction is preferred 

·   Excellent organizational, interpersonal, and oral and written skills is necessary

 Key areas of responsibility include:

·   Skilled at rodent husbandry, handling, genotyping, and behavioral tests 

·   Maintaining cell lines 

·   Specimen and sample preparation 

·   Designing and performing experiments in order to produce reliable and precise data

·   Familiarity with or expertise in immunohistochemistry, immunoblotting, and microscopy

·   Familiarity with or expertise in RT-qPCR, ChIP, and FISH

·   Capable to Design and execute experiments

·   Prepare and present findings for conferences

·   Draft material for the preparation of manuscripts, grants, and presentations

·   Ability to work independently 

·   Willingness to work well with other lab members

·   Precision and attention to detail

·   Flexibility 

·   Ability to resolve technical problems and analytical skills is necessary

·   High degree of computer literacy

·   Able to quickly learn new skills and apply those skills in a fast-paced research environment

 Interested candidates please send your CV, statement of interest, relevant manuscripts, and name of three references to gsadrivakili@mgh.harvard.edu.

Our Top Picks For July 2nd, 2018

Flickr image by Laura Dahl. 

⭃The idea that men and women's differences stem from innate biological and anatomical differences has been a subject of debate for many years. It has already been proven that many gender differences are actually started and perpetuated by society's own predetermined gender roles; but how much of this would naturally be present regardless? This Atlantic article by Taylor Lorenz discusses leading neuroscientist's findings and beliefs on the matter.

Flickr image by Rachel. 

⭃We have read and heard many stats on the gender gap in STEM fields; both in regards to who the actual researchers doing science are, to the authors who are being published, but how do these two sectors of science compare to one another? For example, about 30% of grants and funding go to women in science both in the US and Europe, but in The Conversation's article, "Perish not Publish," Dr.'s Fine and Shen discuss that while they would have also expected about 30% of last authors in Science and Nature to be women, it was actually only 15%. Check out the article's analysis of the where journals and other publication pathways might be going wrong.


⭃Attaining gender equality does not automatically fix the racial inequality seen in STEM fields. This Eureka Street article by Laura La Rosa discusses how the feminist movement has always included women from all walks of life, and how some feminist leaders fail to remember that.


⭃Ed Yong, a writer for The Atlantic, wrote an article entitled "I Spent Two Years Trying to Fix the Gender Imbalance in My Stories," where he looks back at his own articles, and the sources he spoke too, and saw a huge imbalance of quotes from men compared to women. In this article, he shares some tips that he's learned through the years to help society's bias not be perpetuated through outlets such as science communication.

Flickr image from International Institute of Tropical Agriculture. 

⭃In collaboration with Sian Culley at University College London, this resource has been created to showcase and highlight female microscopists around the world and the specific areas of microscopy they specialize in to assist scientific and conference organizers in selecting excellent speakers for microscopy events and maintaining a positive gender balance.


⭃Check out some stats on Women in Neuroscience base on Neuroscience 2017 registrants here.

Find 10 recent job posts here:
https://jobflash.informz.net/informzdataservice/onlineversion/ind/bWFpbGluZ2luc3RhbmNlaWQ9MjM3MTY5MCZzdWJzY3JpYmVyaWQ9MzYxODMzMTEx

Check out this postdoc opening at Duke, info available on the Slack group PWN page. HARP Postdoc Ad and Job Description_2018-0607.pdf