Thread by @firefoxx66

3 years ago today I took my kitty under 1 arm & my bike under the other & boarded the plane to Basel

Today is another bittersweet day: I turned in my paperwork for the end of my time at @UniBasel @biozentrum

Monday, I start a new adventure w @C_Althaus @unibern @ISPMBern!

1/9

My time at the @biozentrum @UniBasel has been wonderful. I have been empowered & supported to do great research as part of a great community. The sense of community is strong- not always so easily found in academia!
And I am grateful to have benefitted from @antelope_unibas!

2/9

It seems like a small and obvious thing, but during my time here one of the things that sticks with me is that I have been able to *focus on doing my job* - because admin & support staff are clearly on my side! I haven't had to battle bureaucracy or beat against walls.

3/9

Needless to say, during the last 9 months that's been even more critical! When our compute cluster had to go down due to malicious activity, @UniBasel IT worked with us to ensure the @nextstrain #SARSCoV2 builds could keep going out!

4/9

@biozentrum @UniBasel have also supported me personally through an unforeseen rocketing in visibility! Even though I'm 'just' a post-doc, they have made me feel valued & supported my media activity - even arranging a socially-distanced photoshoot so I have proper pictures!

5/9

I am incredibly proud of the way that @biozentrum in particular has navigated the #COVID19 pandemic, & believe it has been a shining example in Basel. For example, the messages of support from @schierlab have been clear, open, & exemplary. (I forwarded them to my family!)

6/9

But now I turn a new page: Supported by the @snf_ch on a joint grant btwn @C_Althaus & @richardneher, I'll be continuing my work on #SARSCoV2 & @nextstrain! In particular, we'll be continuing to try to understand how #COVID19 has spread & is spreading in Switzerland & Europe

7/9

I will remain a key part of the @nextstrain team, so don't worry - I'm not going anywhere in that sense!

However, I am excited to join @ISPMBern @unibern with renowned colleagues working on epidemiology & public health! I'm 100% certain great science will come from this!

8/9

As part of @C_Althaus's group, I'll be exploring new ways to integrate epidemiology, modelling, & phylogenetics. Though it'll be #SARSCoV2 focused initially, it's work that will hopefully be useful to more pathogens in future!
So stay tuned - even more science coming soon!

9/9