Prof. Rivka Isaacson
professional scientist; amateur artsy person; youtube.com/watch?v=92JExD… she/her
- I ❤️ Iris Murdoch #youdon'tsay - I'm so excited she has a new book out despite having died in 1999 and it's poetry - my fave - here are some of my thoughts: How I found an unexpected connection to science in the works of Iris Murdoch – by a molecular biophysicist theconversation.com/how-i-found-...
- Blown away by this incredible documentary by Hannah Berryman about Eileen Collins pioneering astronaut, pilot & mission commander. I remember these famous space missions esp Discovery but knew nothing of their heroine. Amazing Q&A w her afterwards too. Beg, borrow or steal a ticket-unmissable!
- Earlybird deadline has passed and we have our ideal number of delegates signed up but if anyone else would like to join us the venue has a little more capacity and we are still open to a few more applications and poster abstracts if anyone else would like to join us - it's gonna be a blast!
- Join us in Birmingham between 18-19 November for our Engineering Recombinant Proteins for Structural and Functional Studies meeting where we will discuss strategies for producing high-quality, pure, homogenous recombinant proteins. Secure your place today 🧪: ow.ly/ayVL50X4N47
- Earlybird deadline TODAY! We are nearly full-reserve your protein-making spot right now-we would love to see you in Birmingham-super fun interactive 2-day course-choose-your-own-adventure sessions for expression and purification; personalised trouble-shooting! www.eventsforce.net/biochemsoc/f...
- EARLYBIRD deadline 18th Sept! Places filling fast for our super-interactive protein-making workshop. Come join us in Brum at Thinktank Museum & learn to make top qual proteins start-to-finish. Limited numbers 4 max interaction/troubleshooting. My report from 2024: portlandpress.com/biochemist/a...
- It's Bandcamp Friday! daily.bandcamp.com/best-country... so far I've bought Folk Bitch Trio, Darkening Green, Kissing Other Ppl (all from attached) and David Hurn. I was gonna get Fancy Hagood who was wonderful supporting Ashley Monroe recently but don't think he's on. Further suggestions welcome...
- EARLYBIRD deadline 18th Sept! Places filling fast for our super-interactive protein-making workshop. Come join us in Brum at Thinktank Museum & learn to make top qual proteins start-to-finish. Limited numbers 4 max interaction/troubleshooting. My report from 2024: portlandpress.com/biochemist/a...
- 🧪I'm honoured & proud to say I've been appointed chair of the organising committee for Physics of Life 2027, our flagship conference @physicsoflifeuk.bsky.social, @instituteofphysics.bsky.social & @bbsociety.bsky.social which will be held in Edinburgh 22-25 March 2027. Stay tuned for many updates...
- @irismurdoch.bsky.social On Murdoch's Birthday why not consider joining the Iris Murdoch Society? irismurdochsociety.org.uk/product/memb... Receive the brilliant Iris Murdoch Review, keep up to date with scholarship, new publications, symposia etc via the newsletter & get reduced rates on IM events
- I wrote about my 7/7 experience for the 20th (!) anniversary: The art of ‘travelling hopefully’ ft.com/content/ac05... via @ftweekend.com This, from the comments section, is going on my CV: In a world of pontificating dim wits, a voice that is crystal clear on what it means to carry on fully awake
- 🧪25th @ccpnmr.bsky.social conference is go! Off to wonderful start with session on peptides featuring Anne Conibear, @kawamuragroup.bsky.social so far. We don't think anyone has been at all 25 CCPNs but search is on for top attendee. I'm 22/25 -missed first 2 living in US and 1 for giving birth...
- An outstanding afternoon at the cross-disciplinary 1st King's Multiscale Biofilm Research Hub Symposium. This is Prof. Jessica Mark Welch all the way from the US-just look at those incredible images! 🧪
- I am at something amazing-a book launch for 2 very different works-a coming-of-age lesbian novel by Katie Hall & a book about evil in Iris Murdoch by my friend Daniel Reid. Totally inspiring evening @kingstonunilib.bsky.social is a total travesty they have shut down humanities
- On the same day my son asked me how I wore my hair in the 'nineteen hundreds' & my daughter asked me whether the bike I rode in Cambridge was a penny farthing... #notthatold
- 🧪 I have an excellent review article on S-palmitoylation in health and disease written by a superb student I've been mentoring. I've been sniffing around for upcoming special issues on PTMs or lipids but no luck so far - anyone know of anything, or has interest in publishing this? NO SPAM please
- PGR symposium always a favourite day of the year. Our @kingsnmes.bsky.social chemistry PhD students are so awesome! Love this action shot of our fearless leader Isma telling us what an adventure the PhD journey can be...
- Absolute #dreamcometrue meeting the wonderful #MaryChapinCarpenter last night. The heartfelt dynamic between accomplished interviewer &lifelong superfan #NicoleTaylor and MCC was absolutely bewitching. Everyone was enraptured. Both so sweet & modest-privileged to hear the beautiful new songs. Lovely
- I had a great time at the #climateprotest last week - I know fun isn't really the goal but it was a beautiful day with inspiring talks and the reassurance of being around sensible people who care about the planet and are actually trying to do something about it @ScienceToPolitics.bsky.social #win
- I've got a crazy day on Tuesday but am still really hoping to put in an appearance - please come too 🧪
- To find out about inner workings of department stores I bought a book published in 2024-it all felt quite relevant & useful, if a bit pompous in style, until about half way through it mentioned deliveries by horse & wagon. I've since discovered it was first published in 1901-interesting experience!
- Every year I co-organise a popular protein engineering workshop with @Biochemsoc.bsky.social - this year we will be in Birmingham 18-19 Nov. Booking hasn't opened yet but interest can be registered here. We had a wonderful group last year-join us! www.biochemistry.org/events-and-t...
- 🧪Awesome Lizzie from the press office @kingsnmes.bsky.social has written a story about our new papers in Genes & Development @cshlpress.bsky.social which identify MdfA, a new protein that helps bacteria shut down their metabolism as they transform into spores: www.kcl.ac.uk/news/scienti...
- 🧪Amy @amycamp.bsky.social & I met in the Silver lab @danafarber.bsky.social in 2001 & we've collaborated ever since we both got our own labs. This paper about a new ClpCP adaptor, out today, is the work of about 10 years & we are very happy to see it fly the nest. genesdev.cshlp.org/content/earl...
- 🧪When bacteria meet unfavo(u)rable growth conditions and decide to become practically indestructible spores, MdfA helps them get rid of their metabolic enzymes in the ClpCP waste disposal chute, so that they can shut down metabolism and go dormant, until such time as environment improves...
- 🧪At some point we discovered that Kit Pogliano's lab at UCSD had discovered the same adaptor through completely different experimental approaches and we all worked together to publish back-to-back. Here's theirs: genesdev.cshlp.org/content/earl...
- 🧪And the great Peter Setlow, one of the sporulation patriarchs, kindly wrote a commentary about our two papers! genesdev.cshlp.org/content/earl...
- This week I did a careers fair at a huge state school for years 7-9. Hundreds of students over 4hrs. Bought a 500 piece jigsaw from Vinted for £2.50 & the kids all helped me do it gradually - worked great & finished in perfect time! Lots of kids said they hated science tho & I tried to argue back...
- Early bird deadline TODAY! Come join us in beautiful Harrogate...
- Reminder: the early bird registration for 'Physics of Life 2025' closes tomorrow 21 Feb 2025—secure your spot now! 📝 Poster submissions are still open (until 23 Feb 2025!) Register now: iop.eventsair.com/pol2025/
- The event I did in the Old King's Head now has a lovely write-up on the PubSci blog! I can't explain how much I enjoyed doing this - I found my milieu - sipping, supping, science - hope to do lots more of it... pubsci.info/2025/02/05/g...
- I haven't been yet but I hear good things and have got tickets to this: www.arcolatheatre.com/whats-on/as-... something thought-provoking in these dark and complex days - I will report back...
- I did leadership course with an incredible company 64 million artists-their online course Creative Courage is open-designed to give tools, time, space & community to build courage to make life changes, personal/professional. Strong recommend 4 inspiring trainers! 64millionartists.com/creativecour...
- Never imagined being published in the Journal of #Arachnid Science but hey, #dreamscancometrue thanks to our fab Aussie collab Sean Blamires & PLuS Alliance - this is a review for spidey peops on recombinant protein production... www.frontiersin.org/journals/ara...
- Happy 2025! If u fancy summat fun& vaguely educational to cheer up yr Jan, I've agreed to do 'Science in the Pub' event 15th nr London Bridge-will b accessible & entertaining (tho I do say so myself)-it's free (donations appreciated)-u can eat/drink throughout: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/how-ai-won...
- Beware the #rickshaw #cyclists are out in force hurtling around #London eliminating everyone on #Whamageddon #Scrooges #merryChristmas
- Shimmering city - feel very happy and lucky to live here! Took this on the way to our #chembio #Christmas meal on #Bankside #loveLondon
- Roll up, roll up, this will be a fantastic meeting - abstract submission extended until 15th Dec so please go for it!
- Registration is OPEN for Physics of Life 2025! 🌟 Explore biological physics, hear from top experts, and tackle big scientific challenges. 📅 Key Dates: Early bird reg deadline: 21 Feb 2025 Final reg deadline: 14 Mar 2025 Secure your spot now: iop.eventsair.com/pol2025
- Sharing current @oxunipress.bsky.social #discountcodes (incl 50% off audio book just till end of today-sorry so late) for incredible book on #eclipses edited & partly written by #TomMcLeish (he'd've loved BSky) & #HenrikeLange reviewed by me @naturephysics.bsky.social nature.com/articles/s41...
- Here's the audiobook discount link: www.audiobooks.co.uk/promotions/p...
- Wonderful #NMR #reunion this eve @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social am feeling #inspired, #drunk & #nostalgic in equal measure. I spent 10 happy years in this uni!
- Not sure #ConnectNMRUK has quite made it to the #bluesky yet but I'm loving the #Christmas newsletter that just dropped which includes new research on #NMR analysis of #Brusselssprouts & #metabolomics for tracking veg consumption: www.connectnmruk.ac.uk/connect-nmr-...
- Walking between our #central #London @kingsnmes.bsky.social campuses can be time-consuming but on crisp #sunnydays like this the self-guided #streetart #architecture #walking #tours really come into their own!
- Just for fun I put #sonnet18 into #AlphaFold3 & removed any letters that aren't #aminoacids (mostly O, U & B)-it's predicted #helical with low confidence. This sonnet has been ingrained in my brain ever since it was on all the bus shelters in #Manchester ~1994-at least it doesn't look amyloidogenic
- The #Shard has started its #Christmas twinkling-always a cheering sight! Happy #weekend everyone! #loveLondon
- My #reading life for the past month has been an odd mix of immersion in the #champagne world of #veuveclicquot in #Reims in #TheFrenchHouse by #HelenFripp whom I met in the loos at a 50th & a close reading of a friend's non-fiction draft on fascinating but stressful topic-will disclose in due course
- I'm in a human #clinicaltrial called #Heartbeet which examines the effect of beetroot on #cardiac #health it's a fascinating experience being part of a different kind of #science I'm loving my current capsules-I think they're the real thing & that I had the placebo a few weeks ago but who knows?!