Varsha Rajshekar

This work was made possible through a joyful collaboration bridging experiments and theory between the Karpen and Safran Groups!

The journey of discovery features heterochromatin donuts 🍩(!!), combining fly genetics with wetting theory 🫧(the physical rules of how materials interact and spread), and very photogenic nuclei 🔬!

We show this in the context of two of the largest nuclear condensates and neighbors: the nucleolus and heterochromatin, using the Drosophila model system.

Hierarchical interactions between nucleolar and heterochromatin condensates are mediated by a dual-affinity protein - Nature Cell Biology Rajshekar et al. show that a hierarchy of affinities layers pericentromeric heterochromatin around nucleoli, with the RNA helicase Pitchoune (DDX18) acting as a key dual-affinity linker in Drosophila ...

Excited to share my postdoc paper! We reveal a design principle for how the nucleus organizes multiple membrane-less compartments (condensates) in 3D space: through a hierarchy of interaction strengths and dual-affinity linker proteins. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Sinners!

Long-term ex ovo culture of Caenorhabditis elegans embryos The genetic tractability, transparency and invariant development of the C. elegans embryo have led to its broad adoption as a model system for the study of cell and developmental biology. Its impermea...

New preprint! Grad student Clover Stubbert and undergrad Cherry Soe worked out a serum-free media that sustains eggshell-less C. elegans embryos all the way through development, now making it possible to access any embryonic developmental stage with small molecules
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Text reads "Congratulations to the 2025 Leading Edge Fellows" followed by the Leading Edge logo and www.leadingedgesymposium.org. Below are the headshots and names of the 40 new Leading Edge Fellows. They are Cel Welch Lianna Wat Maria Toro Moreno Sarah Talley Xulu Sun Ines Sturmlechner Virginia Savy Amelie Raz Kali Pruss Caterina Profaci Sarah Pierce Melissa Pamula Kehinde Odufowora Patricia Nano Ariana Musa de Aquino Nour El Houda Mimouni Kathleen Martin Brea Manuel Mable Lam Miri Krupkin Elaine Kouame Megan Kirchgessner Sumin Kim Shubhangini Kataruka Geraldine Jowett Andrea Jones Leanne Iannucci Emily Heckman Allison Girasole Florencia Fernandez Chiappe Tonie Farris Hannah Elam Erin Doherty Xiaoyun Ding Maria Bustillo Julia Brunner Debadrita Bhattacharya Lorena Benedetti Ashley Anderson Krisha Aghi

We are thrilled to announce the 2025 Leading Edge Fellows! 40 outstanding postdoctoral fellows doing pioneering research in a wide range of biological and biomedical disciplines.

Learn more about these exceptional scientists:

www.leadingedgesymposium.org/fellows

Hi Madhulika! See you at the Fly Meeting :)

Headshots of 102 women and non-binary scientists who are now assistant professors. At the bottom is the Leading Edge logo and www.leadingedgesymposium.org

Leading Edge is celebrating a milestone: 100 (actually 102!) new assistant professors!!! 🎉🥳🎊

Learn more about them:
www.leadingedgesymposium.org/fellows/

Applications are now open for the 2025 Leading Edge cohort! (Deadline Feb 3).

You do NOT need to be ready for the job market to apply.

If you’re a federal govt employee targeted for leave or termination on the basis of your DEI work, please file an EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity) complaint & retain legal counsel.

I’m a former NIH PI. Happy to refer you to a law firm that has successfully sued the govt many times!

Pls repost 🙏❤️