Keely Brown
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keelybrownphd.bsky.social
Keely Brown
@keelybrownphd.bsky.social
Research Scientist at Danforth Plant Science Center
Interested in how and why genetic diversity is maintained in wild and agricultural plant and algae populations
Reposted by Keely Brown
My colleague, Dr. Vahid Abedini, was illegally detained by ICE on Saturday. He is currently being held without a court date in sight, despite being in the country legally. Please spread the word! We must ensure his due process rights are upheld. www.oudaily.com/news/ou-prof...
OU College of International Studies professor reportedly arrested by ICE
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reportedly arrested an OU professor at Will Rogers International Airport Saturday.
www.oudaily.com
November 24, 2025 at 11:05 PM
Reposted by Keely Brown
Are you an early-stage graduate student (2nd or 3rd year) or early-stage postdoc based in the US or Canada, working primarily in Drosophila? Would you like to help improve the experience of all trainees working in Drosophila research? If so, read on.

(Please repost to reach a broad audience.)
November 12, 2025 at 4:49 AM
Reposted by Keely Brown
New: After a long wait, the GRFP solicitation is live! Deadlines have been extended to early November, so applicants have a bit over a month to submit. www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
www.nsf.gov
September 26, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Check out our new paper led by Dr. Alicia Foxx detailing the goals of the New Roots for Restoration Biological Integration Institute, which is focused on understanding natural and agricultural perennial plants 🥳

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
New Roots for Restoration: Building a foundation for interdisciplinary work in plant organismal biology and ecology to advance restoration in natural and agricultural ecosystems
Soils are globally degraded due in part to conventional agriculture and wildland conversion. To address the global challenge of soil degradation, we formed an interdisciplinary, cross-institutional c....
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
September 9, 2025 at 4:50 PM
P2P provides training and career development for folks looking to transition to plant biology. I'm currently mentoring one of this year's Fellows, so feel free to reach out if you have questions about this incredible program!
Applications for the 2026 Pivot to Plants Fellows Program at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center are now open.

Location: St. Louis, MO
Application Deadline: October 15, 2025
Dates: Jan. 5, 2026 – Dec. 23, 2026
Estimated Stipend: $37,275

Learn more: www.danforthcenter.org/our-work/edu...
Pivot to Plants: Training Program for Plant and Data Science | Danforth Plant Science Center
The Pivot2Plants Fellows Program is a 1-year training program for people interested in pivoting to a career in plant science or data science but have limited research experience.
www.danforthcenter.org
September 5, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Reposted by Keely Brown
Applications for the 2026 Pivot to Plants Fellows Program at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center are now open.

Location: St. Louis, MO
Application Deadline: October 15, 2025
Dates: Jan. 5, 2026 – Dec. 23, 2026
Estimated Stipend: $37,275

Learn more: www.danforthcenter.org/our-work/edu...
Pivot to Plants: Training Program for Plant and Data Science | Danforth Plant Science Center
The Pivot2Plants Fellows Program is a 1-year training program for people interested in pivoting to a career in plant science or data science but have limited research experience.
www.danforthcenter.org
September 5, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Reposted by Keely Brown
Good news! KU's IRACDA program was reinstated! We are now taking applications for postdocs. Please spread the word.

sjobs.brassring.com/TGnewUI/Sear...
Postdoctoral Researcher - University of Kansas - Job Details
Job Details: The IRACDA Program at the University of Kansas (KU) is accepting applications for postdoctoral scholarships. W
sjobs.brassring.com
August 30, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Reposted by Keely Brown
Please share broadly: I am looking for a postdoctoral fellow to work on a collaborative project on the temporal population genomics of invasive Capeweed (using contemporary and herbarium genomics), with ‪‪@shaky-dingo.bsky.social‬ and colleagues
August 27, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Reposted by Keely Brown
Please share — Michigan State Plant Biology is searching for an Herbarium Director! Tenure stream, open rank faculty position balancing research, teaching, service, and admin responsibilities. Join us! Reach out to me or @emjo.bsky.social with questions!

plantbiology.natsci.msu.edu/job-postings...
plantbiology.natsci.msu.edu
August 20, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Reposted by Keely Brown
1) Are you an Assistant Professor studying evolutionary biology?

2) Are you in the US?

3) Would you like to give a research seminar in Iowa?

4) Are you available to travel September 4-6?

If you can answer YES x4, please DM me ASAP, or comment below.
August 14, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Reposted by Keely Brown
New paper out of the lab today: “Gene Expression Divergence Between Locally Adapted Inland Annual and Coastal Perennial Ecotypes of Mimulus guttatus Across Developmental Stages” onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Gene Expression Divergence Between Locally Adapted Inland Annual and Coastal Perennial Ecotypes of Mimulus guttatus Across Developmental Stages
The action of natural selection across heterogeneous natural landscapes drives local adaptation and the formation of plant ecotypes, the precursors to new species. Plant ecotypes typically differ sig...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
August 14, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Reposted by Keely Brown
Wonderful (and humble) essay on mentorship by Brandon Gaut, on occasion of Brandon receiving the inaugural Mentorship Award of @genetics-gsa.bsky.social. I hope this will be widely read!

academic.oup.com/genetics/art...
August 10, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Reposted by Keely Brown
#Viewpoint: Measuring #NaturalSelection on the transcriptome

John R. Stinchcombe & John K. Kelly 👇

📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

#LatestIssue
August 8, 2025 at 12:01 PM
"What you do for your mentees, do because it's right" - absolutely, and something I needed to be reminded of after a tough REU cohort
At a symposium where I'm one of the only PUI faculty and I've just been playing therapist to super kind and well-meaning R1 faculty to get them to not 👏take👏mentee👏behavior👏personally👏. 1/n
August 1, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Reposted by Keely Brown
I'm recruiting a US PhD student to come to Canada to work on the genetic and neural basis of female mating behaviour. Fellowship of ~$40k per year. Contact me if interested in submitting an application. Details of eligibility here!
grad.uwo.ca/finances/wes...
US-CAN Doctoral Excellence Award
Western University, in vibrant London, Ontario, delivers an academic and student experience second to none.
grad.uwo.ca
July 8, 2025 at 2:46 PM
So at least we'll have that to look forward to
on the last day of the United States, when this country has finally descended into civil war, i will do a thread on how to dress for summer
July 4, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Reposted by Keely Brown
Excited to share our new paper in @molbioevol.bsky.social , led by @galenm.bsky.social !!! We show that mutations affecting RNA secondary structure in *Arabidopsis thaliana* are shaped by selection and linked to gene expression and the environment.
🔗 academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...
Quantifying the Evolution of SNPs That Affect RNA Secondary Structure in Arabidopsis thaliana Genes
Abstract. Single-stranded RNA molecules can form intramolecular bonds between nucleotides to create secondary structures. These structures can have phenoty
academic.oup.com
June 25, 2025 at 3:19 AM
Reposted by Keely Brown
📣#PlantBio2025 daily highlight: Phenomics/Whole Plant Concurrent Session!🌱https://buff.ly/QRYD1aC

#plantscience
June 14, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Reposted by Keely Brown
I can’t get over this looming fear for my career. I was optimistic pre-2025. Now I can’t stop thinking about how many scientists of my generation will have to give up on science within a few years.
June 14, 2025 at 7:21 AM
Reposted by Keely Brown
Our work on the landscape genomics of *Vitis arizonica* is now published in @newphyt.bsky.social !!!

Big thanks to Jonás Aguirre-Liguori, Garren Gaut, and Brandon Gaut (all sadly not on bsky) for making this possible!
Mutational load and adaptive variation are shaped by climate and species range dynamics in Vitis arizonica
Genetic load can reduce fitness and hinder adaptation. While its genetic underpinnings are well established, the influence of environmental variation on genetic load is less well characterized, as i.....
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
May 27, 2025 at 1:46 AM
Reposted by Keely Brown
Absolutely thrilled to see Dr. Brandon Gaut receive the inaugural @genetics-gsa.bsky.social Mentorship Award! 🏆🎉

Brandon brings humanity back to science, supports inclusive training, and pushes back on the publish-or-perish culture. So well deserved—congrats! 👏🙌

genestogenomes.org/distinguishe...
Distinguished professor proves effective mentorship is both art and science
For the inaugural recipient of the Genetics Society of America Mentorship Award Dr. Brandon Gaut, leading a lab is not only scientific but personal.
genestogenomes.org
May 17, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Reposted by Keely Brown
Team BioQumulate is up next! Their Big Idea looks to plants to remove contaminants from unusable soil and toxic sites. Tune in to hear from @keelybrownphd.bsky.social, Anna Castro, and Josh Sumner: www.danforthcenter.org/live/
#BigIdeas2025
May 15, 2025 at 11:29 PM
Reposted by Keely Brown
My NSF postdoctoral fellowship was one of the grants terminated yesterday. Devastating is an understatement. Thankful for a supportive admin with a plan to support me for now.
April 19, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Reposted by Keely Brown
We have a postdoc position that just opened up in the Brady lab on reprogramming tomato root system architecture in response to changes in nutrient availability - please consider applying! recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07095
Postdoctoral Researcher- Brady Lab
University of California, Davis is hiring. Apply now!
recruit.ucdavis.edu
April 19, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Reposted by Keely Brown
Fight for the NEH like you would for NIH and NSF. The attack on one is an attack on all. Solidarity is required and needs to include K-12 educators and staff. The Trump administration is waging war against learning on multiple fronts.
aaup.org AAUP @aaup.org · Apr 4
DOGE has now turned its sights on a small agency that provides support for community programs in every state. The National Endowment for the Humanities, which funds museums, historic sites, libraries, educators and media outlets across the country, has been told to slash staff by 70-80 percent.🧵
April 5, 2025 at 3:23 AM