@jfcsteele
Structural biologist and biochemist with an interest in synthetic biology for green chemistry. Unapologetic geek passionate about science and biotechnology. Postdoc at Edinburgh University- all views are my own. He/Him.
A conical flask busting with a progress flag design. Art work by Dr Robin Hayward
Why were people obsessed with Nikola Tesla’s (lack of) sex life?
What happened when work took me to a country where being gay can mean life imprisonment?
Why did a queer astronaut take that secret to her grave?
Some of the many Qs I covered in my #LGBTHistoryMonth talk to @aktcharity.bsky.social
Synthetically-primed evolution enables emergence of Pseudomonas putida strains able to grow on explosive residue 2,4 DNT as sole C/N source. A case of *molecular negotiation* between the implanted pathway & the host’s regulatory & physiological network 🤔 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Please spread the word: the Structural Studies Division @mrclmb.bsky.social is looking for a new tenure-track, independent group leader with an exciting plan in any area of Structural (Molecular & Cell) biology, in discovery biology and/or methods development. 🥳
mrc.tal.net/vx/mobile-0/...
There's a lot of discussion whether economic growth & carbon emissions can be decoupled. Some critics say countries (e.g UK) reduce emissions while growing by offshoring pollution (i.e. to China).
This is a fantastic rebuttal- China continues to grow economically with reduced CO2 emissions.
Big career update:
I’m honored and humbled to serve as Chair of the Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). Looking forward to what we’ll build together! @ohsummi.bsky.social @ohsunews.bsky.social
No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
We got the cover of @cp-trendsbiotech.bsky.social !
www.cell.com/issue/S0167-...
Applications now open for Summer Studentships 2026!
Successful applicants will be:
🌿In receipt of £504.38 per week for a studentship period of up to 6 weeks
🌿Invited to write a blog for the BiPS website
🌿Invited to attend and present at the next BiPS Conference
Apply here: bit.ly/4qf2ZDG
with @kittyclouston.bsky.social, Connor Trotter, @louismarlow.bsky.social & @swallacelab.bsky.social we look at re-purposing photosynthetic bacteria for chemical production, how non-evolutionary microbe-solar interfaces can be engineered, and what this means for the future of sustainable chemistry.
You can't think about a sustainable chemical industry without considering our most abundant energy source: sunlight.
So how can we engineer microbes to harness this energy for our benefit?
rdcu.be/e1VfW
Paul Kenrick, Laura Cooper and Sean McMahon
Sandy Hetherington and Laura Cooper holding a bottle of fizz with balloons
The very first Dr from the group! Congratulations Laura @transitionalform.bsky.social @instmolplantsci.bsky.social for passing your viva yesterday!! 🎉🎉
Thanks so much @seanhmcmahon.bsky.social and Paul Kenrick for acting as examiners
@kurzgesagt.org have some fantastic videos. This could be a great opportunity and comes at a time when having accurate and trustworthy information is more vital than ever!
JOB ALERT! 📢 For the scientists who love science communication: we’re hiring at @kurzgesagt.org !🌍 Come join our team, the vibes are impeccable.
✍️ Scriptwriter (Remote) kurzgesagt.org/careers/scri...
🔍 Fact-Checker & Researcher (Munich/Berlin/Remote) kurzgesagt.org/careers/seni...
Interested in parasitology? Looking to do a PhD? Cone join me and @geordieparasit.bsky.social in Edinburgh as we try and work out how human parasites get their vitamins.
🪧 Upcoming Opportunities!
We recently updated our website with some exciting opportunities.
From scholarships specifically for Black students to PhD programmes across the country there are an incredible number of options.
Head to our website for more details: buff.ly/uVvFtBk
Are you looking for female speakers in CryoEM for seminars and conferences? Are you a woman in CryoEM and not yet on the ‚woman in CryoEM‘ list? Find your speakers and add/update name and affiliation! docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
An illustration of a carbonic anhydrase complex in a synthetic mini-carboxysome
Pleased to see this collaboration with a great PhD student Pei Cing Ng, from Prof. Luning Liu's lab at Liverpool University published. Structure of the H. neapolitanus carbonic anhydrase and localisation in a mini-carboxysome: www.pnas.org/doi/epdf/10....
A really nice paper! Your link didn't work for me though, I used www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Are you looking for a PhD in Plant Science? Check our our project on barley canopy architecture. Combine genetics and physics to understand how awns influence barley grain development. Find out more here: lnkd.in/eWhWammJ Apply by 14th December. #PhDPosition
#PlantSci @instmolplantsci.bsky.social
Check out this advertised professorship in Bern with my colleagues at the Institute of Plant Sciences! Please share widely to reach candidates from across the world and beyond our local academic bubbles. 🫧
#QueerInSTEM #DisabledInSTEM #BlackInSTEM #WomenInSTEM #CarersInSTEM #AcademicSky #HigherED
The Wallace Lab is expanding in 2026, with five new Postdoctoral Research Associate positions now open. If you're passionate about engineering biology for sustainability, we'd love to hear from you! 🧬 ♻️
Deadline: 12th November 2025, details below ⬇️
Very excited to announce that our collaborative manifesto for 🌱 #PlantScience #Education has now been published! Educators from >10 countries and 30 institutions have contributed to it and we are incredibly proud of the final output. Here is a short thread 🧵1/4 doi.org/10.1002/ppp3...
Do you enjoy teaching biochemistry? The University of Virginia Department of Chemistry is hiring a teaching-track assistant professor to teach lecture and/or laboratory biochemistry courses. #chemjobs #facultychemjobs
More details in the link below:
apply.interfolio.com/175929
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to give a seminar at the Fellows Conference, which will be held on 10 March 2026.
Candidates who win Fellowships will be offered a Tenure Track Group Leader position from the outset, initially for 5 years.
Find out more: www.jic.ac.uk/training-car...
Fully-funded #PhDposition in my lab @uniofeastanglia.bsky.social Apply before 🗓️ 2nd Dec 2025 👉 biodtp.norwichresearchpark.ac.uk/projects/mak... Making Drugs Out of Sunlight and "Thin Air" ☀️🌿🧬⚗️ with secondary supervision from Prof. Anne Osbourn @johninnescentre.bsky.social 🥼 #SynBio #OrgChem #PhD
Obsessed with this Journal of Immaterial Science article 🔥
If you can't see sidechains, can you really call the resolution 3.3 Å..? 👀
And if you can't see sidechains, how do you know the helical symmetry is right..?
The proliferation of tools to generate predictive protein structures just underscores how important CASP is. There is no better way to allow unbiased & fair comparisons between tools!
predictioncenter.org/index.cgi
Such a shame NIH didn't renew funding
Apple is entering the protein folding arena.
SimpleFold: Folding Proteins is Simpler than You Think arxiv.org/abs/2509.18480 🧬🖥️🧪 github.com/apple/ml-sim...
Ever wondered where your paracetamol comes from? Spoiler: crude oil. In this study – led by Nick Johnson from our lab in collaboration with @astra-zeneca.bsky.social – we show how biology and chemistry can work together to create a more sustainable alternative. (1/n)
www.nature.com/articles/s41...