Dr. Stepfanie Aguillon 😷
@s-m-aguillon.bsky.social
Asst Prof at UCLA | genomics, hybridization, & speciation 🧬🐤🐟 | cross-stitching extraordinaire 🪡 | lover of the desert 🌵| dog enthusiast 🐕 | she/her
Opinions are my own.
www.stepfanieaguillon.com
Opinions are my own.
www.stepfanieaguillon.com
Pinned
The first Aguillon Lab paper is officially out in early view at Evolution!! Led by postdoc @devonderaad.bsky.social, we’ve explored the hybrid zone between black-headed and rose-breasted grosbeaks in the Great Plains. #ornithology #hybridization #speciation #evolution doi.org/10.1093/evol...
Reposted by Dr. Stepfanie Aguillon 😷
“While the AI industry claims its models can “think,” “reason,” and “learn,” their supposed achievements rest on marketing hype and stolen intellectual labor. In reality, AI erodes academic freedom, weakens critical reading, and subordinates the pursuit of knowledge to corporate interests.”
AI Is Hollowing Out Higher Education
Olivia Guest & Iris van Rooij urge teachers and scholars to reject tools that commodify learning, deskill students, and promote illiteracy.
www.project-syndicate.org
November 15, 2025 at 5:24 PM
“While the AI industry claims its models can “think,” “reason,” and “learn,” their supposed achievements rest on marketing hype and stolen intellectual labor. In reality, AI erodes academic freedom, weakens critical reading, and subordinates the pursuit of knowledge to corporate interests.”
Reposted by Dr. Stepfanie Aguillon 😷
The Paleontological Research Institution in Ithaca, NY, has been in financial trouble for a while. I'm biased because I currently have my life-size giant snail and clam on display, but they're a bunch of great people doing great work.
Read how you can help here: www.priweb.org/mortgage-cam...
Read how you can help here: www.priweb.org/mortgage-cam...
October 30, 2025 at 4:58 AM
The Paleontological Research Institution in Ithaca, NY, has been in financial trouble for a while. I'm biased because I currently have my life-size giant snail and clam on display, but they're a bunch of great people doing great work.
Read how you can help here: www.priweb.org/mortgage-cam...
Read how you can help here: www.priweb.org/mortgage-cam...
Reposted by Dr. Stepfanie Aguillon 😷
1) 'Why I Resigned' from UVa Prez 100% worth reading www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
2) Events were forced by NYT story w leaked info that he was under pressure to resign. UVa prez has 'no idea' where leaks came from (See below.)
3) FWIW same NYT team did leaked "Harvard will cave" stories
2) Events were forced by NYT story w leaked info that he was under pressure to resign. UVa prez has 'no idea' where leaks came from (See below.)
3) FWIW same NYT team did leaked "Harvard will cave" stories
November 14, 2025 at 10:35 PM
1) 'Why I Resigned' from UVa Prez 100% worth reading www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
2) Events were forced by NYT story w leaked info that he was under pressure to resign. UVa prez has 'no idea' where leaks came from (See below.)
3) FWIW same NYT team did leaked "Harvard will cave" stories
2) Events were forced by NYT story w leaked info that he was under pressure to resign. UVa prez has 'no idea' where leaks came from (See below.)
3) FWIW same NYT team did leaked "Harvard will cave" stories
Reposted by Dr. Stepfanie Aguillon 😷
WE WON!!!
The US District Court for the Northern District of California has issued a preliminary injunction in AAUP et al v. Trump et al (the wall to wall union lawsuit challenging the administration’s unlawful use of Title VI to reshape the University of California system.
Read the order here:
The US District Court for the Northern District of California has issued a preliminary injunction in AAUP et al v. Trump et al (the wall to wall union lawsuit challenging the administration’s unlawful use of Title VI to reshape the University of California system.
Read the order here:
democracyforward.org
November 15, 2025 at 1:21 AM
WE WON!!!
The US District Court for the Northern District of California has issued a preliminary injunction in AAUP et al v. Trump et al (the wall to wall union lawsuit challenging the administration’s unlawful use of Title VI to reshape the University of California system.
Read the order here:
The US District Court for the Northern District of California has issued a preliminary injunction in AAUP et al v. Trump et al (the wall to wall union lawsuit challenging the administration’s unlawful use of Title VI to reshape the University of California system.
Read the order here:
Reposted by Dr. Stepfanie Aguillon 😷
Reposted by Dr. Stepfanie Aguillon 😷
BREAKING: In AAUP et al v. Trump (wall-to-wall union lawsuit challenging the administration’s unlawful use of TItle VI to reshape the University of California system), the faculty and staff of the UC system WON!!!
We were granted our preliminary injunction! @aaup.org
We were granted our preliminary injunction! @aaup.org
November 14, 2025 at 11:55 PM
BREAKING: In AAUP et al v. Trump (wall-to-wall union lawsuit challenging the administration’s unlawful use of TItle VI to reshape the University of California system), the faculty and staff of the UC system WON!!!
We were granted our preliminary injunction! @aaup.org
We were granted our preliminary injunction! @aaup.org
Reposted by Dr. Stepfanie Aguillon 😷
BREAKING: NSF will be relocating to the "Randolph Building," about half a mile from its current location in Alexandria, where they will co-locate with the US Patent and Trademark Office. The lease will begin January 1, 2026.
Below is a transcription of an email shared with me by NSF staff.
Below is a transcription of an email shared with me by NSF staff.
November 14, 2025 at 4:03 PM
BREAKING: NSF will be relocating to the "Randolph Building," about half a mile from its current location in Alexandria, where they will co-locate with the US Patent and Trademark Office. The lease will begin January 1, 2026.
Below is a transcription of an email shared with me by NSF staff.
Below is a transcription of an email shared with me by NSF staff.
Reposted by Dr. Stepfanie Aguillon 😷
We are hiring: 4 PhD Positions in Ecology / Data Science and one Ecological Data Scientist. For more information, see www.uni-regensburg.de/universitaet...
We are hiring: 4 PhD Positions in Ecology / Data Science and one Ecological Data Scientist
We are looking for 4 PhD Positions and one Scientific Programmer / Ecological Data Scientist to join the AG Hartig (Theoretical Ecology)
www.uni-regensburg.de
November 13, 2025 at 4:14 PM
We are hiring: 4 PhD Positions in Ecology / Data Science and one Ecological Data Scientist. For more information, see www.uni-regensburg.de/universitaet...
Reposted by Dr. Stepfanie Aguillon 😷
My department at UT Austin is looking to hire an Assistant Professor in Evolutionary Biology, broadly defined. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have.
apply.interfolio.com/177547
apply.interfolio.com/177547
Apply - Interfolio
{{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
apply.interfolio.com
November 13, 2025 at 3:23 PM
My department at UT Austin is looking to hire an Assistant Professor in Evolutionary Biology, broadly defined. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have.
apply.interfolio.com/177547
apply.interfolio.com/177547
Reposted by Dr. Stepfanie Aguillon 😷
After a bruising 42-day shutdown, the government has finally reopened. We took a look at what's next for federal science—how quickly things will get back up to speed and whether there will be long-term consequences.
With Jeff Tollefson and @alexwitze.bsky.social:
With Jeff Tollefson and @alexwitze.bsky.social:
The US government shutdown is over: what’s next for scientists
Government researchers are heading back to work, but questions about the size of research-budget cuts will extend into next year.
www.nature.com
November 13, 2025 at 3:40 PM
After a bruising 42-day shutdown, the government has finally reopened. We took a look at what's next for federal science—how quickly things will get back up to speed and whether there will be long-term consequences.
With Jeff Tollefson and @alexwitze.bsky.social:
With Jeff Tollefson and @alexwitze.bsky.social:
Reposted by Dr. Stepfanie Aguillon 😷
I am so excited to share new work on a TE insertion that regulates iridescence in swordtails, led by fantastic grad student @nadiahaghani.bsky.social and with help from many coauthors! In a time that has been so difficult to navigate, this & other projects have kept my spirits up: shorturl.at/NE65A
Insertion of an invading retrovirus regulates a novel color trait in swordtail fish
For over a century, evolutionary biologists have been motivated to understand the mechanisms through which organisms adapt to their environments. Coloration and pigmentation are remarkably variable wi...
shorturl.at
November 12, 2025 at 8:34 PM
I am so excited to share new work on a TE insertion that regulates iridescence in swordtails, led by fantastic grad student @nadiahaghani.bsky.social and with help from many coauthors! In a time that has been so difficult to navigate, this & other projects have kept my spirits up: shorturl.at/NE65A
Reposted by Dr. Stepfanie Aguillon 😷
Beyond excited to share my PhD work thus far, now up as a preprint! We found that a transposable element insertion is responsible for the recent evolution of an novel color trait. Feeling thankful to everyone who has helped in this project and thrilled to continue learning about "sparkle"!
I am so excited to share new work on a TE insertion that regulates iridescence in swordtails, led by fantastic grad student @nadiahaghani.bsky.social and with help from many coauthors! In a time that has been so difficult to navigate, this & other projects have kept my spirits up: shorturl.at/NE65A
Insertion of an invading retrovirus regulates a novel color trait in swordtail fish
For over a century, evolutionary biologists have been motivated to understand the mechanisms through which organisms adapt to their environments. Coloration and pigmentation are remarkably variable wi...
shorturl.at
November 12, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Beyond excited to share my PhD work thus far, now up as a preprint! We found that a transposable element insertion is responsible for the recent evolution of an novel color trait. Feeling thankful to everyone who has helped in this project and thrilled to continue learning about "sparkle"!
Reposted by Dr. Stepfanie Aguillon 😷
There's a lot going on in the world. But a positive thing is that when our local fusion reactor shoots something that could fry our electronics:
1) Earth still manages to shield us
2) We go outside, take pictures of the pretty lights, and show them to our friends.
1) Earth still manages to shield us
2) We go outside, take pictures of the pretty lights, and show them to our friends.
The Sun just produced an X5.1 class #SolarFlare. This is the largest flare of 2025 so far, and 6th largest of the past two years. It triggered a strong ‘Radio Blackout’ and moderate ‘Solar Radiation Storm’ at Earth, and released what is most likely an Earth-directed coronal mass ejection!
November 12, 2025 at 1:54 PM
There's a lot going on in the world. But a positive thing is that when our local fusion reactor shoots something that could fry our electronics:
1) Earth still manages to shield us
2) We go outside, take pictures of the pretty lights, and show them to our friends.
1) Earth still manages to shield us
2) We go outside, take pictures of the pretty lights, and show them to our friends.
Reposted by Dr. Stepfanie Aguillon 😷
A week after the arXiv was forced to tighten down on submissions because of overwhelming volumes of AI slop, bioRxiv is throwing the doors wide open.
disappointed that @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social is implicitly endorsing the use of LLMs to replace scientific thought
@richardsever.bsky.social this is a short-sighted move and a net negative for science
@richardsever.bsky.social this is a short-sighted move and a net negative for science
IT'S HAPPENING! 💥 I'm psyched to launch the collaboration between @qedscience.bsky.social & @openrxiv.bsky.social @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social! Preprint + q.e.d = your science is out there, and anyone can appreciate it. Let's care about making discoveries, and not on “getting published” (1/3) 👇
November 7, 2025 at 1:59 PM
A week after the arXiv was forced to tighten down on submissions because of overwhelming volumes of AI slop, bioRxiv is throwing the doors wide open.
Reposted by Dr. Stepfanie Aguillon 😷
Almost PhDone! I'll be giving my PhD exit seminar in the morning (Thursday), and defending on Friday.
November 6, 2025 at 5:25 AM
Almost PhDone! I'll be giving my PhD exit seminar in the morning (Thursday), and defending on Friday.
Reposted by Dr. Stepfanie Aguillon 😷
The US funds the bulk of biomedical research globally by far. It's not like other countries can simply take up the slack. The more likely: people leave research, new people don't become researchers. There is no happy ending. www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...
Top researchers consider leaving U.S. amid funding cuts: 'The science world is ending'
A poll from the journal Nature found that 75% of researchers in the U.S. are considering leaving the country. That includes a man who’s been dubbed the "Mozart of Math." Stephanie Sy examines what’s b...
www.pbs.org
November 1, 2025 at 8:15 PM
The US funds the bulk of biomedical research globally by far. It's not like other countries can simply take up the slack. The more likely: people leave research, new people don't become researchers. There is no happy ending. www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...
Reposted by Dr. Stepfanie Aguillon 😷
Funders must recognise that great discoveries often come from studies that seeks to advance knowledge for its own sake
go.nature.com/3X5lbUg
go.nature.com/3X5lbUg
From MRI to Ozempic: breakthroughs that show why fundamental research must be protected
Nature - In these financially straitened times, funders must recognize that great discoveries often arise from work that was looking for something completely different.
go.nature.com
November 1, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Funders must recognise that great discoveries often come from studies that seeks to advance knowledge for its own sake
go.nature.com/3X5lbUg
go.nature.com/3X5lbUg
Reposted by Dr. Stepfanie Aguillon 😷
"The project that was terminated was on this hummingbird, the white-necked jacobin....I suspect that it has something to do with studying a species that doesn’t fit the binary." Researcher @jjinsing.bsky.social interviewed by @carlzimmer.com #birds #nature #science #fundscience #nonbinary 🧪
He Studied Why Some Female Birds Look Like Males
www.nytimes.com
October 31, 2025 at 2:03 PM
"The project that was terminated was on this hummingbird, the white-necked jacobin....I suspect that it has something to do with studying a species that doesn’t fit the binary." Researcher @jjinsing.bsky.social interviewed by @carlzimmer.com #birds #nature #science #fundscience #nonbinary 🧪
Reposted by Dr. Stepfanie Aguillon 😷
Yet another example of the importance of natural history collections. Here, helping to address two questions:
• Responses to climate change (here, temperature and precipitation mattered in different ways)
• What sets range limits
🧪
• Responses to climate change (here, temperature and precipitation mattered in different ways)
• What sets range limits
🧪
Herbarium specimens reveal shifts in species' elevational ranges
Zu et al.
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/VB8MUG...
Zu et al.
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/VB8MUG...
October 30, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Yet another example of the importance of natural history collections. Here, helping to address two questions:
• Responses to climate change (here, temperature and precipitation mattered in different ways)
• What sets range limits
🧪
• Responses to climate change (here, temperature and precipitation mattered in different ways)
• What sets range limits
🧪
Reposted by Dr. Stepfanie Aguillon 😷
Check out the recent publication in Annual Reviews of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics where the authors explore genomic species delimitation in depth. You'll see a number of #sciart figures I created to help explain some of the concepts!
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
October 29, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Check out the recent publication in Annual Reviews of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics where the authors explore genomic species delimitation in depth. You'll see a number of #sciart figures I created to help explain some of the concepts!
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Reposted by Dr. Stepfanie Aguillon 😷
Why fundamental research is fundamental to progress, seeding major breakthroughs
Editorial @nature.com this week
And 7 basic science discoveries that changed the world
nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com/articles/d41...
Editorial @nature.com this week
And 7 basic science discoveries that changed the world
nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com/articles/d41...
October 29, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Why fundamental research is fundamental to progress, seeding major breakthroughs
Editorial @nature.com this week
And 7 basic science discoveries that changed the world
nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com/articles/d41...
Editorial @nature.com this week
And 7 basic science discoveries that changed the world
nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Dr. Stepfanie Aguillon 😷
Majority of grants in my portfolio did not change titles... but they did have to edit their summaries and narratives. Mostly to remove any indication that their training grant would work to be inclusive and support a diverse cohort.
New story up on the non-existent banned words from NIH grants (based on my grant title, word cloud analysis)
www.statnews.com/2025/10/29/n...
1/3
www.statnews.com/2025/10/29/n...
1/3
Scientists had to change more than 700 grant titles to receive NIH funding. Health disparities researchers fear what’s next
The titles of more than 700 multi-year NIH grants have been changed this year, according to an analysis by Jeremy Berg, a former agency official
www.statnews.com
October 29, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Majority of grants in my portfolio did not change titles... but they did have to edit their summaries and narratives. Mostly to remove any indication that their training grant would work to be inclusive and support a diverse cohort.
Reposted by Dr. Stepfanie Aguillon 😷
New story up on the non-existent banned words from NIH grants (based on my grant title, word cloud analysis)
www.statnews.com/2025/10/29/n...
1/3
www.statnews.com/2025/10/29/n...
1/3
Scientists had to change more than 700 grant titles to receive NIH funding. Health disparities researchers fear what’s next
The titles of more than 700 multi-year NIH grants have been changed this year, according to an analysis by Jeremy Berg, a former agency official
www.statnews.com
October 29, 2025 at 12:07 PM
New story up on the non-existent banned words from NIH grants (based on my grant title, word cloud analysis)
www.statnews.com/2025/10/29/n...
1/3
www.statnews.com/2025/10/29/n...
1/3
Reposted by Dr. Stepfanie Aguillon 😷
I cannot tell you how many tech journalists at prominent media organizations do not understand this
Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.
October 27, 2025 at 3:32 PM
I cannot tell you how many tech journalists at prominent media organizations do not understand this
Reposted by Dr. Stepfanie Aguillon 😷
Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.
June 19, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.