The first paper of our lab is out! We investigate the processing of a mouse coronavirus RNA during infection. The viral RNA can exist in at least two states, with the transition between them being mediated by the poly(A) tail uridylases TUT4/7. [Thread] rdcu.be/dascE Coronaviruses are positive-strand RNA viruses featuring a 3’ poly(A) tail. The poly(A) tail changes in size within the cell, but we know little about this process.

(Kim et al., Cell, 2020)

Writing a scientific manuscript is extremely challenging. Writing a scientific manuscript without a framework is a waste of time.

These are the 7 steps I follow to write my manuscripts more effectively. A 🧵. Each step corresponds to one of the main sections of the manuscript. And the framework works best for me when I go in the following order.

1.0 Figures
2.0 Results
3.0 Introduction
4.0 Abstract
5.0 Title
6.0 Discussion
7.0 Methods

Here is why.

Bioinformatics can be fun, but with multiple steps and dependencies, things can get complex fast. And then the despair. How did I generate this intermediate file? What parameters did I use to run this script? Anxiety

The solution: A workflow manager

A 🧵 on how to get started What is a workflow manager to begin with?

In short, it is a language to build (bio)informatics pipelines.

Essentially you provide a list of input files, steps to execute, and output files, and the workflow runs the steps necessary to get the output files from the input files.

If you are in the job market for a principal investigator position in a human health-related field, I strongly recommend you apply to the NIH Stadtman program.
irp.nih.gov/careers/facult…

A 🧵 about why I believe so. Full disclosure, I am currently a Stadtman investigator at the National Institute of Environmental Sciences (NIEHS).