Michaela Fenckova

1/6 This November, the Institute of Molecular Genetics, the leader in vertebrate functional genomics in Czechia, open a call for applications for its Director (starting 1.5. 2027). Whoever would seriously think about it, please, contact me. Thanks for RT. img.cas.cz/en/

🧠 New #ALBA-#IBRO digest out now! The webinar, “A Toolkit to Succeed in Neuroscience in Africa,” share insights, strategies and personal experiences aimed at empowering the next generation of African neuroscientists. 🔬 👉 Read the key takeaways here: buff.ly/7SA8S9n @IBROorg @network_alba

I think I’ll start posting about the lessons I’m learning as part of this new thing I’ve been doing (my attempt to change the landscape of scientific publishing and consequently how science is done) One lesson I’ve learned (and also unlearned…) is that it’s very convenient to put all the blame on journals. I’ve done it myself for years. And yes, many of the criticisms are valid. They make way too much money at our expense and are often not very good at distinguishing good science from bad science. Some of them (not all of them! There are good journals too!) bring very little value and can even slow scientific progress. They can be inefficient and biased, and journal names are a very poor substitute for quality. But the more I work on this, the harder it is for me to believe that journals are the only problem (even specifically when it comes just to publishing science). Universities are equally at fault. And I don’t just mean that we, the scientists doing the reviewing, are part of the problem (which we are, obviously). I mean the institutions we belong to, and the way they make decisions. Hiring, promotions, funding allocation - these processes are often opaque, subjective, and not particularly scientific. They are slow, inefficient, and they rely on journal brands as a shortcut. I used to think journals were driving this, but it’s obviously more like a loop. Journals could not stay the way they are if universities changed how they evaluate quality, because they would lose much of their justification to exist. But universities do not evaluate science directly, because there is too much of it and not enough experts available and time (or money to pay reviewers). So they rely on journal prestige, while journals rely on institutional reputation. Where you do your science ends up mattering more than what you discover, and this affects publication, which affects funding, which determines whether you can even pursue your ideas. This can be exploited, of course, but I don’t think institutions (or the responsible faculty/management) behave this way because they are evil or greedy. They do it because evaluating science properly is ridiculously hard and time-consuming, and the system does not reward doing it well. But the important question is can we change the way our universities work, or is it an impossible task? What I've learned working on this problem is that we can. In addition to engaging with management we can influence the system in other ways. In many cases we don’t need their approval. We are the ones who form the committees. I believe we can break the loop, if we target the mechanism of science evaluation. Journals will keep their power, shortcuts will keep dominating, and the same biases will keep reproducing themselves unless we change how we evaluate science (how we do review). If we can find ways to critically evaluate science at scale, rigorously and transparently, we can change how decisions are made.

👇I regret I am not a young scientist. I've seen a few of the Dream Chemistry Awards and it's been a nerdy cornucopia of ideas. There's a competition for biologist now. Please, spread the word! @OdedRechavi @ItaiYanai @NatanellaE @MeitalOren @PavelTomancak, I'm looking at you.

If you are navigating the transition to PI, check out what we discussed in this episode of #ALBA-IBRO Diversity Podcast @network_alba @LonelyPipette 🎧 The Link to the Episode: buzzsprout.com/1356877/episod…

@carmensandi10 Congratulations, Carmen. The choice could not be better!

Enormous thanks to the Chica & Heinz Schaller Foundation for this award! I am thrilled and truly humbled, & I share it with my lab and wonderful collaborators! A timely boost to keep our science moving! Thanks to everyone for your kind messages! Looking forward to #FENS2026

Neuroscientists! This is a great opportunity to recognize excellent colleagues for a prize and linked to give a talk at the @FENSorg Forum in 2026! Nominate or apply directly! Deadline: Oct 29th! ALBA-Elsevier Award for Neuroscience @network_alba @Roche

The connectome of the flies we actually use most often in our experiments - the males! is uncovered. Thank you @gsxej and the wonderful Drosophila neuro community🤗

Skvělá iniciativa!

Tento podzim startuje naše nová #Série_VEN! ✈️ 🌏 Chcete vyrazit za studiem nebo výzkumem do zahraničí, ale nevíte, kde začít? Rozhodnutí odejít ven je velký krok – a my vám ho chceme usnadnit 😎 V @czexpats propojujeme české vědkyně a vědce působící v zahraničí a věříme, že jejich zkušenosti mohou inspirovat i vás. Proto spouštíme tři online panelové diskuze, které vám ukážou, co zahraniční pobyt přináší v různých fázích studia a kariéry – od bakaláře až po postdok 👉 czexpats.org/clanek/serie-v… Co vás čeká: ▫️ Příběhy z první ruky: čtyři hostky a hosté, kteří otevřeně sdílí motivace i praktické zkušenosti. ▫️ Praktické tipy: stipendia, finance, bydlení. ▫️ Autentický pohled: administrativní úskalí i radosti života v nové zemi. 💻 Všechny besedy probíhají online, trvají cca 90 minut a nebude chybět ani prostor pro vaše dotazy 💡 Pokud znáte studenty v jakékoliv fázi kariéry, kteří zvažují studium v zahraničí, pozvěte je na naše diskuze – mohou se inspirovat a získat cenné informace!

Discussion webinar on experience with neuroscience postdoctoral training in USA and Europe. Already tomorrow!

Excellent @FENSorg @KavliFoundation FKNE scientific symposium 2025 in Crete! Great line up of speakers! fenskavlinetwork.org

Great chance for young or starting PIs in neuroscience, especially for those from countries and institutes where lab management courses are not available or accessible. Apply via the link below!

This is so sad. The most precious resource for Drosophila research, despite the support from researchers themselves is in danger 😢

thecrimson.com/article/2025/9… Harvard Funding Cuts Endanger the Massive Fruit Fly Database That Powers Genetic Research

Apply for a fully funded PhD studying CASK disease at Bristol University with @doctor_fruitfly @CASKResearch Drs Gaynor Smith, Ben Housden, Doretta Caramaschi, Sam Amin gw4biomed.ac.uk/towards-a-bett… Developing new preclinical models and therapies

The #FKNE Leadership and Soft Skills Online #Training Course for the Starting PI is open! Don't miss the opportunity to enhance your abilities and learn to tackle challenging moments as an early group leader! Application deadline: 15 Oct. 2025 👉rb.gy/6dhmxh

Consider joining us at Stanford as a postdoctoral fellow! If you have a published paper or a preprint, will graduate in the next period, and are excited to work in California, email me your CV and a brief statement of your research interests and trajectory by the end of August. No prior experience in stem cells, organoids, or assembloids needed (we generally recruit outside of the field). There are no preset projects—just come ready to tackle important questions in human brain development and disease.

Otevřený dopis: Návrh zákona o výzkumu, vývoji, inovacích a transferu znalostí přinese více české vědě více potíží než užitku vedazije.cz/clanek/clanek-…

Don't miss our scientific symposium @FRM2025Oslo in less than 2 weeks! Already excited for fantastic meeting and fierce discussions 🕵🏻‍♀️ 🇳🇴 @gerapti @uneniskytelab @FENSorg @KavliFoundation @FensKavliNet @ChariteBerlin @embl @VU_LT