@jontytownson
Postdoc doing microscopy and cell biology at the University of Oslo. I study cell dynamics, membrane contact sites and mechenosensing. Previously did my PhD developing optogenetic tools to control Notch signalling in flies at the University of Cambridge.
Mirror mirror on the wall, what is the fairest funding call?
@jontytownson.bsky.social covers two #preprints (@kristine-willis.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy & team) using data & social science to analyse how significant biological discoveries are made
#preLight⬇️
prelights.biologists.com/highlights/t...
Also, yet more evidence that journal level metrics have little significance when it comes to determining the quality of the work they contain. I am excited to later talk with one of the authors @kristine-willis.mstdn.science.ap.brid.gy to have an accompanying spotlight! (3/3)
Unfortunately, I'm not sure they told me what I need to propose for a successful #grant or how I will win a fancy prize for my work. But I did learn bioscience has gotten more clinical, and publications are better organised by who cites who, than by disciplinary journals (although they do ok). (2/3)
Happy to have written a piece with @prelights.bsky.social covering two preprints looking at funding and publications! A data science approach to analysing #funding decisions and #publications in #biosciences. (1/3) prelights.biologists.com/highlights/t...
I’m also grateful to the organisers for making the workshop available virtually and allowing me to give my talk online. It has been a good reminder that conferences can include online elements which help widen participation and can be more sustainable (3/3).
The whole workshop has been well organised and super interesting, I have taken a lot of inspiration away from the talks so far and I am excited to for the rest of the day/week. (2/3) #MembraneTrafficking #Organelles #Mechanobiology #Condensates
Today I gave a short talk at the @embo.org workshop on Intracellular and organelle mechanobiology. I’m grateful to have been able to share my postdoc project and for the questions/comments! (1/3)
Excited to share our Review on human PGC development covering the latest in vivo observations & in vitro developments, esp. in the last 5 years. Have a read! journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
From: @astar-gis.bsky.social @ki.se Warwick University, @gurdoninstitute.bsky.social
🚨 New call for preLighters!🚨
Help us highlight the most exciting biological #preprints. Share your insights, build your profile, and be part of a supportive community! 🌍
Interested? Apply today & help shape the future of science publishing! 📢
More info: prelights.biologists.com/news/join-th...
Something SPARC’d between us and left me Breathless: Haemolymph cells turn on repair in the Drosophila tracheal system
An exciting #preLight by @jontytownson.bsky.social talks about the work of Nourhene Ammar, Hadi Boukhatmi and the team.
Our preprint has been highlighted by @prelights.bsky.social and @jontytownson.bsky.social ! 🙏 Huge thanks for helping us share our work with this wonderful community
I have written another #preLight post, featuring the first work from the Boukhatmi lab. Always fun to read a #fly paper, especially with #microscopy too! Check it out if you like injury repair and tissue/ECM remodeling.
prelights.biologists.com/highlights/i...
#Repair #ImmuneCells #preprint #ECM
FOMO no more: NOMO and Calmin extend #mechanobiology to the ER. Julie Heffler and Jan Lammerding @LammerdingLab.bsky.social discuss recent studies from the @schliekerlab.bsky.social (doi.org/10.1083/jcb....) & @hennelab.bsky.social (doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...), in Spotlight: rupress.org/jcb/article/...
FocalPlane features... meets preLights Thursday 4 September 2025, 14:00 BST (UTC+1) FocalPlane logo Picture of Carmen Rodilla-Ramírez T cell protrusions enable fast, localised initiation of CAR signalling Carmen Rodilla-Ramírez (Freie Universität Berlin) Picture of Eva Mejia-Ramirez Targeting RhoA activity rejuvenates aged hematopoietic stem cells Eva Mejia-Ramirez (The Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research) preLights logo Hosted by preLighters Felipe Del Valle Batalla and Vibha Singh @focalplane.bsky.social @prelights.bsky.social #FocalPlaneFeatures #preprints
#FocalPlaneFeatures meets @prelights.bsky.social
@fadelvalle.bsky.social & Vibha Singh have picked 2 fantastic #cellbio preprints & will be presenting their preLights alongside research talks from @probablycarmen.bsky.social & Eva Mejia-Ramirez.
Register: focalplane.biologists.com/2025/08/20/f...
📢Call for speakers
We are looking for ECRs to speak in our mini-symposium run together with the popular membrane trafficking webinar series organised by @franbottanelli.bsky.social @felixmendu.bsky.social & @ishier.bsky.social.
focalplane.biologists.com/2025/07/14/f...
Apply by 24 August
Finally, I talked to Gauri Gharpure, who recently defended her PhD thesis. She explained her research on hoverfly physiology and the challenges/benefits of writing this up and publishing as a preprint. #Physiology #ClimateChange #ECR #preprint (5/5) www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiMe...
I met @matteoall.bsky.social, as well as discussing the impact of preprints, he explained his research on the nuclear pore complex and why sperm cells do not need as much transport in/out of the nucleus. #Cryotomography #NuclearPoreComplex (4/5) www.youtube.com/watch?v=42th...
I talked to Daniel Booth about work on cell division coming from his lab, with three preprints out in time for #biologists100. Check out the interview and read the preprints on chromosome coating, with some beautiful imaging! #Mitosis #CellDivision #Microscopy (3/5) www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk5E...
I spoke with Alejandra Clark and @danielgorelick.bsky.social about the fast and fair peer review initiative from @biologyopen.bsky.social. They’re cutting down review times and compensating peer reviewers for their work! #PeerReview #FastAndFair (2/5) www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM6m...
Better late than never, I am sharing the last #spotlight interviews I did with @prelights.bsky.social at #biologists100 in Liverpool. It was fantastic to get different perspectives on preprints and the publishing world, as well as to hear a bit about the cutting-edge research being presented. (1/5)
We currently have a call for support that has gone out to European labs, to support FlyBase-UK. We are asking our colleagues from labs in the US and other countries to wait for a similar call to them that will go out in the near future, to support the US sites. We thank you for your patience.
It was great talking to @giuliapaci.bsky.social about her work and #preprints at #biologists100 earlier this year.
And exciting that she is again talking (more science and less preprints) today for the Development presents… seminar
thenode.biologists.com/development-...
While I applaud Europe taking a step to fund bringing scientific excellence to Europe, the ERC’s current success rates at 10% for Europe based scientists is statistically at lottery levels. The total ERC budget should double across the board aiming at doubling funding rates.
Human, C. elegans, and fruit flies shared a common ancestor pre-Cambrian, which was at the very least 500-600 million years ago (mya), whereas angiosperms shared a common ancestor in late Jurassic (~160 mya), meaning Arabidopsis is more closely related to most crops than worms or flies are to human.
ICYMI, our FocalPlane reporter Margarida Araújo shares her Biologists @ 100 conference report. As well giving an overall of the event, Margarida picks out some of her highlights including talks on #climatechange and #imaging.
focalplane.biologists.com/2025/05/08/b...
#NoNeedForFOMO
I also caught up with Helena Crellin from @buckleylab.bsky.social @pdncambridge.bsky.social, who used a custom microscope to control actomyosin contractility in zebrafish and study how cellular forces can propagate along tissues. (3/3) youtu.be/6uce4whDt2M?...
I talked with Jenny Richens from @gurdoninstitute.bsky.social about her work, now out in @plosbiology.org, where the team developed tracking software and looked at vesicle trafficking and secretion in Drosophila ovaries. (2/3) youtu.be/eLwGRnBrIaU?...
At the @biologists.bsky.social #biologists100 conference, I worked with @prelights.bsky.social to interview some of the researchers presenting their #preprint. The first two have been published. (1/3)
It was great to meet @richardsever.bsky.social at #biologists100 in Liverpool. As part of a conference #spotLights series with @prelights.bsky.social, he very kindly agreed to answer a few questions on #preprints, and their past and future impact. Check it out: www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5O2...
What does openRxiv mean for bioRxiv/medRxiv? How did biologists embrace preprints? And what's the future of the scientific article?
Fun talking with @jontytownson.bsky.social at #biologists100
www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5O2...