Evolution and biochemistry. Reconstructing ancestral proteins. "Training" scientists. UChicago faculty. Ambivalent about twitter.

Chicago, IL
Joined May 2020
My first first-author paper is out! It was an amazing collaborative effort with a lot of amazing people including @ArvindSPillai1 and @JoeThorntonLab. Please read if you like things involving evolution and biochemistry. pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.24…
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If a univ. increases stipend by 15k per year with no compensation to labs, it also gives itself a big raise in overhead costs (~10k per year per student), which it takes from our grants, too. Does it really cost the university more to administer a higher stipend?
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I have been told that Caltech reduced the tuition they charge to lab budgets to compensate for increased stipends. (But this has not been independently verified.) See: lh3.googleusercontent.com/u/…
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Have they reduced the graduate tuition they take from your grant budgets? Reduced the overhead charges (typically 55-80%) that they impose on student stipends? Reduced the overhead they take on your salary as PI? Other ideas?
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Scientists at universities that have raised graduate student stipends: What have your administrations done to mitigate the costs to lab budgets so that the science itself doesn’t have to be curtailed? Examples of best practices would be appreciated.
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I am looking for *two* postdocs to join my lab at @VT_Biology next summer/fall. We work on the molecular basis of coloration and toxicity in poison-dart frogs. Please RT!! Job ad: tinyurl.com/mt28bdky Application link: tinyurl.com/3xs7tp23
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Replying to @pastramimachine
If you were helping to craft a statement for your department community, what would you want to say?
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region.... Please contact our offices if you need support or assistance during this difficult time." It includes info about State Dept. travel advisory and contacts for student wellness.
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has extended support to students affiliated with the region who may be directly affected. We recognize that the loss of life, casualties and escalating conflict bring pain and distress for those in our community, especially those with family members or other loved ones in the...
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Replying to @pastramimachine
Here's UChicago:, from the Dean of Students: "Dear Members of the University Community, The attack, ongoing conflict, and loss of life in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank have brought deep concern and sorrow to the University of Chicago community. Our Office of Intl Affairs...
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Yeonwoo's second chapter introduces a new, improved method to dissect the genetic architecture of proteins - including the extent of epistasis - from deep mutational scans. The findings are very surprising. Stay tuned for the paper very soon. We are very proud of you, Yeonwoo!
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In his first chapter, Yeonwoo discovered epistatic drift: the effects of most mutations wander gradually, randomly, and neutrally from their initial effects as proteins amass substitutions across long evolutionary timescales. bit.ly/42D9lkt
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Yeonwoo's thesis, “The Possible And The Accessible: Epistatis And Contingency In Protein Sequence Space”is a beautiful combination of experimental and computational work on epistasis in protein evolution. biologicalsciences.uchicago.…
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We are thrilled to congratulate our very own Yeonwoo Park @whatdoidohaha for winning UChicago's Best Dissertation Award across the entire Biological Sciences Division.
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Congratulations, Carlos! (And to all the awardees. This will be a great symposium.)
So honored to have been selected! To all attending #smbe2023, I can’t wait to share my work with you.
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Replying to @jbouie
Yeah, free breakfast for school children = terrorism, apparently.
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My lab works on the evolution of the proteins that enable microbial life. We resurrect ancient proteins and study their properties. If that sounds interesting to you, apply here - we are recruiting!
Are you interested in doing exciting research in modern microbiology? Do you hold an MSc or equiv in biology, biochemistry, genetics, bioinformatics, chemistry, physics or another relevant field? Apply now for 3-year fully-funded PhD projects @ imprs-marburg.de! Pls RT
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Replying to @mashaals @ccg_unam
Fantastic! Is the syllabus available?
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But universities don't have to take on the role of capitalists. Their function is to produce and disseminate knowledge and beauty and to build the capacity of society and its citizens. Students could be treated as partners in that enterprise, not as labor for amassing wealth.