Nicholas Russell
@NickRussell31
Applied Mathematics, Ph.D. from @UDelaware || Current Postdoc at @mpipz_cologne in @PauFormosa's lab || I'm sometimes interesting.
Last week we had a one day retreat with @PauFormosa group talking about theory aspects of developmental and cellular systems. It was particularly stimulating to look across different problems and discuss diversity of theoretical approches! @MPINB_outreach
I'm honored to have led this survey! Please give it a read, and thank you to the entire Survey Working Group! We discuss mental health, immigration, parenting, working conditions, the WissZeitVG, career development, and work atmosphere/bullying/discrimination.
🎉🎉🎉The wait is finally over! The results of the 2024 PostdocNet General Survey have finally been published. Read the Survey and the Executive Summary (in English and German) here: postdocnet.mpg.de/214512/2024-su… #WissZeitVG #postdoc #academia #academiclife #survey #mentalhealth
Interested in doing a PhD on modelling the dynamics of a differentiation wavefront in the Arabidopsis root @mpipz_cologne ? Just a few weeks left to apply!
We’re #hiring, please RT! Our #IMPRS @mpipz_cologne & @UniCologne recruits 7 PhD students. We look for candidates with a keen interest in experimental & computational plant biology to join us in 2025! Find details at mpipz.mpg.de/imprs/imprs-ap… and apply by Jan 5. #PlantSciJobs
🚨 We are pleased to present the report into the 2nd Leibniz PostDoc survey! 🚨 This has been a long-time coming but we are happy to see this report into the careers, working lives, and mental health of Leibniz PostDocs finally available. For more information, keep reading!
Understanding the needs, wants and concerns of postdocs is crucial to creating an academic landscape that works better for everyone go.nature.com/481jPP9
If you’re considering running a postdoc survey at your institution, here’s a checklist from @MPGpostdocnet and @LeibnizPostDocs to get you started. go.nature.com/3NrPDTL
My friends (@becker_regi, @NickRussell31) and I wrote a little something on efforts to improve the working lives of postdocs working in Germany. If you have time, please take a look! nature.com/articles/d4158…
Both @MPGpostdocnet and @LeibnizPostDocs conduct postdoc surveys. In @NatureCareers, we explain why we do this and how you can do it too! ✍️ with the amazing @harrywilliamsmx & @becker_regi nature.com/articles/d4158… #Postdocs #WissZeitVG #AcademicChatter #academia
❗🎉Calling all Postdocs in the Max Planck Society! 📢❗ Registration is open for our PostdocNet general meeting in November!
Always a pleasure to discuss this vital topic with some amazing panelists and an A-list host.
Great conversation reflecting on the power and impact of postdoc surveys with @becker_regi, @NickRussell31, and David from @NatureCareers. Let's do it again sometime! 😉
🚨 Attention postdocs! 🚨 Join us for a PAW event on postdoc surveys: "Postdoc Surveys – Benefits, Considerations & Opportunities for Improving the Postdoc Experience" 📝 📅 Sept 19 | ⏰ 12:00-13:00 🔗 Register: zoom.us/meeting/regist…
Check out this awesome work by @GauthierWeissb1, @PauFormosa, and @RoederLab! The important symbiosis between experiments, data/image analysis, and mathematical modeling is shown yet again.
🍃 Giant cells in leaves! We show that the pathway controlling giant cell formation in sepals also controls cell size in leaves, and that a cell-autonomous and stochastic specification leads to a non-random cellular pattern! See biorxiv.org/content/10.110… 1/6
Is giant cell patterning random in sepals and leaves? Check out our new work combining quantitative microscopy, computational methods and modeling, a great collaboration with Clark @Weissbart Wang @Roederl and co-authors! @mpipz_cologne @ceplas_1 @Cornell biorxiv.org/content/10.110…
If you thought you didn't have to pay attention to giant cells because they are only in sepals, think again. Giant cells are found in Arabidopsis leaves too, and their development is controlled by the same genes. @PauFormosa @GauthierWeissb1 biorxiv.org/content/10.110…
The 2024 @MPGpostdocnet Survey has begun! If you are an MPG Postdoc, please fill it out! Thank you to everyone in the Survey and Steering Groups who have made this happen. It's been awesome to work on this yet again. More information about our survey here: postdocnet.mpg.de/survey

Super excited to be part of this team!!!!!!! @soltislab @roszenil @AnnaSelmecki @RoederLab @dr_tialynn @Exp_EvoEco @PauFormosa @YvesVandePeer and many more! NSF Awards $12.5M to Duke Researchers and Colleagues to Explore Polyploidy medschool.duke.edu/news/nsf-award…
❗️PostdocNet is issuing a statement together with German postdoc networks on the Federal Cabinet's decision on the WissZeitVG amendment of March 27, 2024 due to their impact on academic careers and Germany's scientific competitiveness. 👉postdocnet.mpg.de/joint-statemen…
We (@Vijaya_Batthula, @PauFormosa, @RoederLab et. al) preprinted a highly interdisciplinary and collaborative work uncovering how giant cells maintain their endoreduplication, and interestingly, how they can de-differentiate. Read it here! biorxiv.org/content/10.110… #plants #biorxiv
Have a look at these simulations from @NickRussell31 with giant cells de-differentiation upon VLCFA inhibition, adapted from the preprint.
Giant cells specification relies on very long-chain fatty acids, as well as its fate maintenance. Thanks @RoederLab for sharing this journey with us, congrats @Vijaya_Battula @NickRussell31 @SaketBagde @jcfromme @msu_skirycz @swalsmugs and co-authors! biorxiv.org/content/10.110…