闵娅(Min Ya; Minya) PhD
@minyaaa.bsky.social
Assist Prof at UIUC Plant Bio #NewPI. NSF Postdoc UConn EEB. PhD Harvard OEB. Erasmus MEME evobio alumna. She/Her. Lover of ALL plants.
🧪🔬🌱🌾
Development; Evolution; Evo-Devo; Microscopy; Meristems.
Lived in 🇨🇳🇯🇵🇸🇪🇫🇷🇩🇪🇺🇸
www.minyaaa.com
🧪🔬🌱🌾
Development; Evolution; Evo-Devo; Microscopy; Meristems.
Lived in 🇨🇳🇯🇵🇸🇪🇫🇷🇩🇪🇺🇸
www.minyaaa.com
Pinned
Very happy to share that this paper is now online on @currentbiology.bsky.social !! 🥳🧪 Check out the final published verion here: www.cell.com/current-biol...
#mimuluspropaganda
#mimuluspropaganda
Reposted by 闵娅(Min Ya; Minya) PhD
Looking for SciComm experience? 👀🌿
Check out this Spring 2026 internship from Let’s Botanize — great opportunity for undergrad students in botany! $1,500 stipend or course credit.
Apply via: [email protected]
Check out this Spring 2026 internship from Let’s Botanize — great opportunity for undergrad students in botany! $1,500 stipend or course credit.
Apply via: [email protected]
![A green-toned flyer titled “Let’s Botanize Science Communication Internship Program Spring 2026.” At the top, a large stylized “Let’s Botanize” logo appears with a small leaf accent. Below, the internship is described as a program for undergraduate students interested in botany and science communication, running February 2–May 22, 2026 for about 12 hours a week. Sections include bullet lists for Key Responsibilities (media management, SciComm content creation, data and analytics), Qualifications (enrolled undergraduate in botany or related field, strong communication skills, familiarity with social media, teamwork, U.S. work authorization), and Benefits (experience in science communication, mentorship, nonprofit insight, flexible schedule, $1,500 stipend or course credit). The application process lists required materials such as proof of enrollment, resume, cover letter, and two references. At the bottom, candidates are instructed to email materials to letsbotanize@gmail.com with the subject line “Science Communication Internship Application [Your Last Name].” The background includes faint botanical illustrations in soft green.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:pbn7uj4zr5yukdiqflp3p3n7/bafkreifakls7aks4uvbn6p4v7zogw5xubqhq6hn4yhgaxoso6kmgxjyfmm@jpeg)
December 5, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Looking for SciComm experience? 👀🌿
Check out this Spring 2026 internship from Let’s Botanize — great opportunity for undergrad students in botany! $1,500 stipend or course credit.
Apply via: [email protected]
Check out this Spring 2026 internship from Let’s Botanize — great opportunity for undergrad students in botany! $1,500 stipend or course credit.
Apply via: [email protected]
Reposted by 闵娅(Min Ya; Minya) PhD
Our Science paper is out!
Huge congratulations to @huabin-zhou.bsky.social, Mike Rosen, and the brilliant @janhuemar.bsky.social @juliamaristany.bsky.social and @kieran-russell.bsky.social from our group
News: bit.ly/4avnkAr and bit.ly/3XBGVHS
Great perspective by @vram142.bsky.social +K Zhang
Huge congratulations to @huabin-zhou.bsky.social, Mike Rosen, and the brilliant @janhuemar.bsky.social @juliamaristany.bsky.social and @kieran-russell.bsky.social from our group
News: bit.ly/4avnkAr and bit.ly/3XBGVHS
Great perspective by @vram142.bsky.social +K Zhang
December 5, 2025 at 9:47 AM
Our Science paper is out!
Huge congratulations to @huabin-zhou.bsky.social, Mike Rosen, and the brilliant @janhuemar.bsky.social @juliamaristany.bsky.social and @kieran-russell.bsky.social from our group
News: bit.ly/4avnkAr and bit.ly/3XBGVHS
Great perspective by @vram142.bsky.social +K Zhang
Huge congratulations to @huabin-zhou.bsky.social, Mike Rosen, and the brilliant @janhuemar.bsky.social @juliamaristany.bsky.social and @kieran-russell.bsky.social from our group
News: bit.ly/4avnkAr and bit.ly/3XBGVHS
Great perspective by @vram142.bsky.social +K Zhang
Reposted by 闵娅(Min Ya; Minya) PhD
WE GOT FERNS, folks.
I hope you like ferns. If you don’t, just listen and you will like ferns. 🌿🌿🌿
Dr. Li is hilarious and charming and you will love him. And ferns.
In conclusion: ferns.
www.alieward.com/ologies/pter...
I hope you like ferns. If you don’t, just listen and you will like ferns. 🌿🌿🌿
Dr. Li is hilarious and charming and you will love him. And ferns.
In conclusion: ferns.
www.alieward.com/ologies/pter...
Pteridology (FERNS) with Dr. Fay-Wei Li — alie ward
Fronds. Forest dwellers. Spores. Houseplants. Queer icons. We’ve got ferns. The charming and hilarious professor and author of “Ferns: Lessons in Survival from Earth’s Most Adaptable Plants,” Dr. Fay-...
www.alieward.com
December 3, 2025 at 11:55 PM
WE GOT FERNS, folks.
I hope you like ferns. If you don’t, just listen and you will like ferns. 🌿🌿🌿
Dr. Li is hilarious and charming and you will love him. And ferns.
In conclusion: ferns.
www.alieward.com/ologies/pter...
I hope you like ferns. If you don’t, just listen and you will like ferns. 🌿🌿🌿
Dr. Li is hilarious and charming and you will love him. And ferns.
In conclusion: ferns.
www.alieward.com/ologies/pter...
Reposted by 闵娅(Min Ya; Minya) PhD
The @mortonarboretum.bsky.social NSF REU program is open for summer 2026! $7500 stipend + housing / travel. Apply by 31 Jan 2026 and share with your networks!
Details at https://mortonarb.org/science/opportunities-in-science/research-experiences-for-undergraduates-program/
Details at https://mortonarb.org/science/opportunities-in-science/research-experiences-for-undergraduates-program/
December 4, 2025 at 5:20 PM
The @mortonarboretum.bsky.social NSF REU program is open for summer 2026! $7500 stipend + housing / travel. Apply by 31 Jan 2026 and share with your networks!
Details at https://mortonarb.org/science/opportunities-in-science/research-experiences-for-undergraduates-program/
Details at https://mortonarb.org/science/opportunities-in-science/research-experiences-for-undergraduates-program/
Reposted by 闵娅(Min Ya; Minya) PhD
Reposted by 闵娅(Min Ya; Minya) PhD
Very interesting paper from Yi Liu's lab. Translation initiation regulation through 5' UTR can turn off codon usage effects in viruses. Adds to previous work in field that codon usage control feeds back to translation initiation www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Viral RNA blocks circularization to evade host codon usage control - Nature
Rather than adapting to the codon usage of their host, viruses use viral 5′ untranslated regions to initiate translation, which allows them to produce viral proteins in host cells efficiently despite ...
www.nature.com
December 3, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Very interesting paper from Yi Liu's lab. Translation initiation regulation through 5' UTR can turn off codon usage effects in viruses. Adds to previous work in field that codon usage control feeds back to translation initiation www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by 闵娅(Min Ya; Minya) PhD
New Current Biology study from @minyaaa.bsky.social and colleagues shows how early CYC expression patterns establish dorsal identity in Mimulus parishii meristems. A clear step forward in understanding floral symmetry and developmental evolution. 🧪 🧪
🔗 buff.ly/3JOjkV1
🔗 buff.ly/3JOjkV1
December 3, 2025 at 4:02 PM
New Current Biology study from @minyaaa.bsky.social and colleagues shows how early CYC expression patterns establish dorsal identity in Mimulus parishii meristems. A clear step forward in understanding floral symmetry and developmental evolution. 🧪 🧪
🔗 buff.ly/3JOjkV1
🔗 buff.ly/3JOjkV1
Huge thanks to Lanxi and @roederlab.bsky.social for writing a nice dispatch for our newest paper on Current Bio @currentbiology.bsky.social ! #mimuluspropaganda and #flowerpower FTW! 🥳🌸
Fun to get to highlight Minya's @minyaaa.bsky.social new paper in @currentbiology.bsky.social authors.elsevier.com/a/1mCCK3QW8S...
December 3, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Huge thanks to Lanxi and @roederlab.bsky.social for writing a nice dispatch for our newest paper on Current Bio @currentbiology.bsky.social ! #mimuluspropaganda and #flowerpower FTW! 🥳🌸
Reposted by 闵娅(Min Ya; Minya) PhD
A little over a year ago, I co-directed a short film as part of the Symbiosis Film competition, called "No Two Plants". I was paired with a filmmaker and we had a week to make a short film. I also made the score for the film.
I'm sharing it here, please enjoy!
I'm sharing it here, please enjoy!
No Two Plants
YouTube video by Nora Jane Long
youtu.be
December 2, 2025 at 3:59 PM
A little over a year ago, I co-directed a short film as part of the Symbiosis Film competition, called "No Two Plants". I was paired with a filmmaker and we had a week to make a short film. I also made the score for the film.
I'm sharing it here, please enjoy!
I'm sharing it here, please enjoy!
Reposted by 闵娅(Min Ya; Minya) PhD
What makes some Mimulus petals so special ? Work by @minyaaa.bsky.social Nice work to present in June at the flower meeting in France
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Spatiotemporal dynamics of CYCLOIDEA expression during early floral development in monkeyflower
The establishment of bilateral symmetry in flowers depends on the precise regulation of CYCLOIDEA (CYC) gene expression along the dorsal-ventral axis.…
www.sciencedirect.com
November 28, 2025 at 8:55 AM
What makes some Mimulus petals so special ? Work by @minyaaa.bsky.social Nice work to present in June at the flower meeting in France
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by 闵娅(Min Ya; Minya) PhD
Hey conference-organizers (sorry for addressing you in one of your professional capacities on a holiday).
I posted this 5 days ago, and 65 artists have already applied. Many of them are PSYCHED, and many of them are extremely qualified.
There's HUGE interest from artists in working w/scientists.
I posted this 5 days ago, and 65 artists have already applied. Many of them are PSYCHED, and many of them are extremely qualified.
There's HUGE interest from artists in working w/scientists.
ARTISTS!
I need your help!
In collab. w/the Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology, I'm organizing a group of artists to come to our Jan. meeting! We're looking for artists to create based on what they learn at the conference. $1000 stipend.
Application is V short! forms.gle/ah1i8KwNJinZ...
I need your help!
In collab. w/the Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology, I'm organizing a group of artists to come to our Jan. meeting! We're looking for artists to create based on what they learn at the conference. $1000 stipend.
Application is V short! forms.gle/ah1i8KwNJinZ...
November 27, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Hey conference-organizers (sorry for addressing you in one of your professional capacities on a holiday).
I posted this 5 days ago, and 65 artists have already applied. Many of them are PSYCHED, and many of them are extremely qualified.
There's HUGE interest from artists in working w/scientists.
I posted this 5 days ago, and 65 artists have already applied. Many of them are PSYCHED, and many of them are extremely qualified.
There's HUGE interest from artists in working w/scientists.
Reposted by 闵娅(Min Ya; Minya) PhD
Im so excited I wrote an article about it! www.canr.msu.edu/news/plantsg...
#PlantsGiving: Bringing plant relatives back into view
#PlantsGiving encourages us to appreciate the remarkable diversity behind holiday gatherings. Keep a tally of the plant families used in your holiday meal and share photos online with #PlantsGiving.
www.canr.msu.edu
November 26, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Im so excited I wrote an article about it! www.canr.msu.edu/news/plantsg...
Reposted by 闵娅(Min Ya; Minya) PhD
Is everyone ready for #Plantsgiving?!?!
Thank you @martinebotany.bsky.social for my favorite botanical tradition 🥹🌱
Thank you @martinebotany.bsky.social for my favorite botanical tradition 🥹🌱
November 26, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Is everyone ready for #Plantsgiving?!?!
Thank you @martinebotany.bsky.social for my favorite botanical tradition 🥹🌱
Thank you @martinebotany.bsky.social for my favorite botanical tradition 🥹🌱
Reposted by 闵娅(Min Ya; Minya) PhD
Is everyone ready for #Plantsgiving?!?!
Thank you @martinebotany.bsky.social for my favorite botanical tradition 🥹🌱
Thank you @martinebotany.bsky.social for my favorite botanical tradition 🥹🌱
November 26, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Reposted by 闵娅(Min Ya; Minya) PhD
Babe wake up, new monkeyflower research just dropped
Very happy to share that this paper is now online on @currentbiology.bsky.social !! 🥳🧪 Check out the final published verion here: www.cell.com/current-biol...
#mimuluspropaganda
#mimuluspropaganda
November 24, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Babe wake up, new monkeyflower research just dropped
Very happy to share that this paper is now online on @currentbiology.bsky.social !! 🥳🧪 Check out the final published verion here: www.cell.com/current-biol...
#mimuluspropaganda
#mimuluspropaganda
November 24, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Very happy to share that this paper is now online on @currentbiology.bsky.social !! 🥳🧪 Check out the final published verion here: www.cell.com/current-biol...
#mimuluspropaganda
#mimuluspropaganda
Reposted by 闵娅(Min Ya; Minya) PhD
Stomata In-Sight: Integrating Live Confocal Microscopy with Leaf Gas Exchange and Environmental Control url: academic.oup.com/plphys/artic... @tombuckleylab.bsky.social @lawrensack.bsky.social @sheffieldpps.bsky.social @scottmcadam.bsky.social @stanfordstomata.bsky.social
Stomata In-Sight: Integrating Live Confocal Microscopy with Leaf Gas Exchange and Environmental Control
The development of a tool to simultaneously measure stomatal conductance and aperture enables investigation into the role of stomatal anatomy in controllin
academic.oup.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Stomata In-Sight: Integrating Live Confocal Microscopy with Leaf Gas Exchange and Environmental Control url: academic.oup.com/plphys/artic... @tombuckleylab.bsky.social @lawrensack.bsky.social @sheffieldpps.bsky.social @scottmcadam.bsky.social @stanfordstomata.bsky.social
Reposted by 闵娅(Min Ya; Minya) PhD
BSA’s 2026 awards cycle is now open! Kaplan Lecture, Corresponding Member, two $10k dissertation awards, and Graduate Student Research Awards—all with early 2026 deadlines. Join or renew now to be eligible and take advantage of these opportunities.
www.botany.org/home/awards.html
#BSAawards
www.botany.org/home/awards.html
#BSAawards
November 24, 2025 at 3:02 PM
BSA’s 2026 awards cycle is now open! Kaplan Lecture, Corresponding Member, two $10k dissertation awards, and Graduate Student Research Awards—all with early 2026 deadlines. Join or renew now to be eligible and take advantage of these opportunities.
www.botany.org/home/awards.html
#BSAawards
www.botany.org/home/awards.html
#BSAawards
Had an awesome visit! People I met at the Plant Microbial Bio Department and the city of Minneapolis were amazing. Also U of M prob has the best plant conservatory teaching collection I have ever seen. Very impressed by everything I’ve seen here!
Flying to U Minnesota today to give a seminar - excited to visit Minneapolis! 🧪🙌
November 19, 2025 at 10:38 PM
Had an awesome visit! People I met at the Plant Microbial Bio Department and the city of Minneapolis were amazing. Also U of M prob has the best plant conservatory teaching collection I have ever seen. Very impressed by everything I’ve seen here!
Flying to U Minnesota today to give a seminar - excited to visit Minneapolis! 🧪🙌
November 17, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Flying to U Minnesota today to give a seminar - excited to visit Minneapolis! 🧪🙌
Reposted by 闵娅(Min Ya; Minya) PhD
I got the flower design job at Neoplants !!!! Gonna make very cool plants with da crew again. So very thankful for these folks believing in me, and my crazy ideas. What a huge relief in these so incredibly uncertain times. Gonna have real health insurance for once, lol.
🇫🇷🧬🌺
🇫🇷🧬🌺
November 13, 2025 at 11:20 PM
I got the flower design job at Neoplants !!!! Gonna make very cool plants with da crew again. So very thankful for these folks believing in me, and my crazy ideas. What a huge relief in these so incredibly uncertain times. Gonna have real health insurance for once, lol.
🇫🇷🧬🌺
🇫🇷🧬🌺
Wait New Phy @newphyt.bsky.social supports authors to show their real name (if non English) now?!?!? Omg I love it!!!!!! 🤩🤩🤩🤩
November 13, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Wait New Phy @newphyt.bsky.social supports authors to show their real name (if non English) now?!?!? Omg I love it!!!!!! 🤩🤩🤩🤩
Reposted by 闵娅(Min Ya; Minya) PhD
New preprint from former Lowry Lab postdoc, Kathy Toll, providing evidence that delayed flowering time by coastal perennial Mimulus guttatus may be advantageous through avoidance of high wind speeds and salt spray.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 10, 2025 at 2:32 PM
New preprint from former Lowry Lab postdoc, Kathy Toll, providing evidence that delayed flowering time by coastal perennial Mimulus guttatus may be advantageous through avoidance of high wind speeds and salt spray.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by 闵娅(Min Ya; Minya) PhD
Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are one of the "big three" research animal models for studying embryonic development & regeneration.
This is what the embryos look like under scanning electron microscopy. They look surprised 😮?
What looks like 'eyes' here are actually nostrils.
This is what the embryos look like under scanning electron microscopy. They look surprised 😮?
What looks like 'eyes' here are actually nostrils.
November 3, 2023 at 12:42 PM
Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are one of the "big three" research animal models for studying embryonic development & regeneration.
This is what the embryos look like under scanning electron microscopy. They look surprised 😮?
What looks like 'eyes' here are actually nostrils.
This is what the embryos look like under scanning electron microscopy. They look surprised 😮?
What looks like 'eyes' here are actually nostrils.
Perhaps the best paper title of the year has been dropped 🧪🎤
Former lab member @njorisfleck.bsky.social and colleagues just showed that some carnivorous plants do CAM photosynthesis! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
🌱☀️🧪
🌱☀️🧪
Yes, we CAM! First evidence of CAM photosynthesis in a carnivorous plant
Evidence for weak, facultative CAM is reported for the first time in a carnivorous plant, i.e., in Mexican representatives of Pinguicula (Lentibulariaceae).
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 12, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Perhaps the best paper title of the year has been dropped 🧪🎤