ABSTRACT First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Biology Open, helping researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Jessika Wise is first author on ‘ Gelatin-methacryloyl hydrogel stiffness influences epithelial-mesenchymal transition in MCF7 but not MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells in 3D culture’, published in BiO. Jessika conducted the research described in this article while a PhD candidate under co-supervision by Dr Elisabeth Phillips, Professor Khoon Lim, Professor Tim Woodfield and Associate Professor Margaret Currie at University of Otago Christchurch, Christchurch, New Zealand. She is now a Laboratory Manager/Research Fellow in the lab of Associate Professor Anna Pilbrow at University of Otago Christchurch, developing biomimetic 3D tumour models to explore how the physical and cellular tumour microenvironment shapes breast cancer behaviour.

Abstract Background Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global threat projected to become a leading cause of death by 2050. Persistent selective pressure from antimicrobial overuse has driven the adaptation of resistant strains. While many AMR pathways are mediated by the presence of AMR genes (ARGs), efflux pumps (EPs) represent an often overlooked contributor to multi-drug resistance (MDR). Enterobacterales such as Klebsiella pneumoniae contain chromosomal EPs and are identified as a critical threat on the WHO Bacterial Priority Pathogens List because of growing rates of MDR. Our goal is to leverage EP regulatory sequences with known ARG markers to better predict AMR from urinary tract infection (UTI) clinical isolates using next-generation sequencing. Methods We collected approximately 3000 genomic sequences with known phenotypes from the Bacterial and Viral Bioinformatics Resource Center (BV-BRC), identifying common ARGs with AMRFinder-plus. EPs and global regulators were characterized by aligning to a custom set of EP operons and global regulatory elements derived from type strains. Variant enrichment analysis was conducted to identify mutations in EP regulatory sequences that are significantly associated with resistant phenotypes. A machine learning model was developed and trained using the ARGs and enriched EP variants, then cross-validated using 369 clinical UTI isolates from our in-house strain collection. Results We examined aminoglycoside resistance in K. pneumoniae, typically mediated by ARGs such as aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes and 16S rRNA methyltransferases. A model including only ARGs predicted gentamicin resistance with 73% accuracy. Adding major efflux pumps (AcrAB-TolC, AcrD, OqxAB) and global regulators (SoxS, MarA, BaeSR) improved accuracy to 89%, suggesting a synergistic role of ARGs and efflux systems in resistance. Conclusion Incorporating EPs and regulatory sequences into AMR predictive models substantially increased sensitivity beyond ARGs alone. We identified signatures which might contribute to elevated EP capacity, and might be important genomic factors in resistance. We are continuing to adapt similar methods for additional resistance types found in K. pneumoniae, including fluoroquinolones and extended spectrum beta lactamases (ESBLs). Disclosures Gabor Fidler, PhD, Biotia Inc: Employee Mara Couto-Rodriguez, MS, Biotia: Employee Heather L. Wells, MPH, PhD Candidate, Biotia: Employee Sol Rey, BS, Biotia: Employee Tiara Rivera, B.S., Biotia: Employee John C. Papciak, BS, Biotia: Employee Ford Combs, PhD, Biotia: Employee Caitlin Otto, PhD, D(ABMM), Biotia: Employee Lorenzo Uccellini, PhD, Biotia: Employee Christopher E. Mason, PhD, Biotia: Board Member Niamh B. O'Hara, PhD, Biotia: Employee Dorottya Nagy-Szakal, MD PhD, Biotia: Employee David C. Danko, Ph.D., Biotia: Employee

Clinical Implementation of Simulation-Free Palliative Radiation Therapy: Consensus Recommendations From a Modified Delphi Study

ECR Spotlight is a series of interviews with early-career authors from a selection of papers published in Journal of Experimental Biology and aims to promote not only the diversity of early-career researchers (ECRs) working in experimental biology but also the huge variety of animals and physiological systems that are essential for the ‘comparative’ approach. Martin Dessart is an author on ‘ Acute and chronic sublethal chemical pollution affects activity, learning and memory in mosquito larvae’, published in JEB. Martin conducted the research described in this article while a PhD candidate in Claudio Lazzari's lab at Insect Biology Research Institute - UMR 7261 Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/University of Tours, France. Martin is now a Postdoctoral associate in the lab of Clement Vinauger at Virginia Tech - Blacksburg, USA, investigating how animals, particularly insects, integrate information from their environment to adapt their behaviour.

BackgroundConsumer and community involvement (CCI) is widely recognised as an ethical imperative in health and biomedical research. However, there is a lack of evidence and guidance regarding ethical approaches. The aim of this research was to test and refine an existing ethical framework for consumer partnerships in research to enhance understanding of ethical issues and approaches to CCI in research.MethodsA sub-analysis of a co-produced ethnographic study which explored the processes and outcomes of consumer engagement over three and a half years in a PhD research partnership, was conducted against an existing ethical framework for CCI. The framework included organisational ethics, research integrity, relational ethics, and research ethics. Participants included four consumers, two academics, and a PhD candidate in an Australian capital city. Two consumer co-researchers collaborated in this study across the research cycle. Data were obtained over three and a half years from six interviews, six focus groups, monthly online logs, field notes, and a reflexive diary. Descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis were used to analyse 2035 units of data.FindingsA total of 1911 (93.9%) units of data aligned to an ethical category. Hence, the research team were constantly encountering ethical decision-making. A combination of organisational ethics and relational ethics was most frequently coded (30.1%, n = 576), followed by relational ethics alone (24.3%, n = 465), and research integrity and relational ethics (n = 229, 12.0%). Qualitative analysis identified some ethical tensions and many more practical and planned ethical approaches to support meaningful research partnership and positive research processes and outcomes. Examples and quotes are provided against each of the four ethical categories to illustrate and expand on the framework. An update to the framework is provided.ConclusionsThe updated framework highlighted the complexities of CCI and focused beyond traditional research ethics to include relationships, organisational factors, and research integrity. The narrative of ethical issues being a challenge to overcome in CCI, needs to change. An emphasis on adopting a proactive approach to promote ethical and authentic team power sharing, reflection, and active communication is needed.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12910-025-01355-6.

This paper develops a dialogical methodology for collaborative knowledge production in border and migration studies, focusing on experiences of border violence at the European Union’s frontiers. Through the collaboration between Samer, a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Social Work and a war refugee from Syria, and Nina, an anthropologist conducting ethnography among people on the move, the paper critically examines the ethics and epistemologies of researching migration. Building on the notion of “migration experts by experience” (Čačinovič Vogrinčič et al. 2011), the authors propose a framework that acknowledges the expertise of people with migratory experience without reproducing hierarchical distinctions between the “researcher” and the “researched”. Conventional academic practices risk perpetuating structural and epistemic violence by speaking for, rather than with, those affected by border regimes. Drawing on Paulo Freire’s (1970) philosophy of dialogue, the paper advances dialogue not merely as conversation, but as a method of co-learning and mutual recognition that resists imposed frameworks of intelligibility. Through their respective engagements with Arabic- and Persian-speaking people on the move, the authors show how dialogical collaboration can generate ethically grounded, reflexive, and decolonial modes of anthropological inquiry, contributing to a rethinking of the politics of representation and expertise in border and migration studies.

ECR Spotlight is a series of interviews with early-career authors from a selection of papers published in Journal of Experimental Biology and aims to promote not only the diversity of early-career researchers (ECRs) working in experimental biology but also the huge variety of animals and physiological systems that are essential for the ‘comparative’ approach. Alexander Clark is an author on ‘ Biomechanics of raptorial dorsiflexion and tensile material properties of the m. tibialis cranialis tendon in the hindlimbs of hawks and owls’, published in JEB. Alexander is a PhD candidate in the lab of Jingmai O'Connor (however, Mark Westneat, a committee member, was the professor associated with this research) at University of Chicago, USA, investigating the evolution and interaction of avian morphology and behavior throughout time.

The widespread implementation of artificial intelligence in education and science poses new ethical challenges for the professional community. Where is the line between acceptable use of technology and academic abuse? The author sought the answer to this question together with Yuri Chekhovich, PhD Candidate in Physics and Mathematics, an expert in the fi eld of academic ethics, machine learning, and AI, head of Laboratory No. 42 at the Institute of Control Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and founder of the domate service for intelligent verification of academic papers. The concept of the ethical use of artificial intelligence in education and research currently raises more questions than answers. Ethics is essentially a self-regulatory mechanism for the professional community, designed to protect it from degradation and the erosion of norms. In the context of education, this principle becomes especially important, as the quality of specialist training is at stake.

Abstract Will AI replace social scientists? The real issue concerns reshaping rather than replacement. Confronting the integration of large language models (LLMs) into academic training establishes “prompt engineering” as the core interface for collaboration, defining it as a method to translate sociological thinking into precise instructions. LLMs are becoming essential partners across the research spectrum. They transform qualitative analysis from a solitary craft into a dialogical coding process and assist in theoretical localization and the construction of localized measurement scales. Beyond text analysis, they provide a low‐cost virtual testbed for experimental design through “silicon samples” and enable the deduction of complex social interactions via “generative agents.” In the quantitative realm, they act as translators connecting research intentions with statistical code. Ultimately, the core challenge facing researchers is not technical. It lies in proactively cultivating a critical “literacy for human‐AI collaboration” to master this paradigm shift.

ECR Spotlight is a series of interviews with early-career authors from a selection of papers published in Journal of Experimental Biology and aims to promote not only the diversity of early-career researchers (ECRs) working in experimental biology but also the huge variety of animals and physiological systems that are essential for the ‘comparative’ approach. Olivia Nunn and Tobias McCabe are authors on ‘ A method for mechanically blocking antennal joints in Drosophila’, published in JEB. Olivia is a PhD candidate in the lab of Marie Suver at Vanderbilt University, USA, investigating the neural circuit mediating sensory-motor integration in the antennae of Drosophila, with broader interests in understanding how the nervous system monitors and modulates motor output. Tobias is a PhD student in the lab of Marie Suver at Vanderbilt University, USA, investigating sensorimotor modulation to better understand how individual pieces come together to form a whole, dynamic functional unit.

The systematic transfer of expertise from senior to junior professionals is a critical challenge for organizations facing demographic shifts and rapid technological change. Organisations rely on universities to foster a mindset in future professionals that empowers them to both absorb and perpetuate this transfer. This paper explores how findings from 36 semi-structured interviews with different organisational perspectives resonated with the students from Bachelor and Master programmes. The research team combines industry knowledge and experience with award winning academic research experience. The difficulty of creating trust between colleagues – especially between older and younger ones – is a topic of growing interest in an aging continent and developed world. Solutions are proposed. Bettina Falckenthal (former CEO and PhD candidate at the University of Aveiro – Doctorate in Business and Innovation (DBI) program) has delivered a series of lectures to youths on senior-to-junior knowledge sharing in organizations. This we have seen has sparked a new thinking process and approach to future work by young scholars. The importance of human capital could not be more important, including and especially in the age of AI. How not to lose out on important knowledge when seniors retire? How to best capitalize on juniors in the enterprise - and to motivate them to succeed quickly and knowledgeably – in collaboration with senior experts, perhaps nearing retirement? These issues have been discussed on a par with the importance of tacit knowledge in organizational settings. How important is trust in this type of collaboration? Serious games, a concept that appeals to generations with a digital upbringing, as well as Senior-Junior tandems (JuSeTs), linked to which we are in the process of generating intellectual property, are central to the debate. A literature review has already been performed, and artificial intelligence (AI) discussed in conjunction with the need to share – does AI promote or inhibit trust and knowledge-sharing community building? The students in attendance have stated how interesting the lectures on the topic have been and wish to learn more. Our in-depth research results are to be shared with them as we see motivation as being highly impactful on the success of both seniors and juniors in the workplace. Should older people be discarded or treasured? Given the growing shortage of human capital, expertise and tacit knowledge in an aging Europe, the topic could not be more crucial to the competitiveness of organizations in an increasingly complex and uncertain world.

This article presents a conversation with Dr. Ioannis Kampourakis, Associate Professor of Law and Markets at Erasmus University Rotterdam, as part of Lund University’s Screening for Sustainability project. Kampourakis’ research explores the political economy of the green transition, focusing on how markets can be deliberately designed and steered – what he calls ‘market instrumentalism’ – to achieve sustainability goals. Drawing on Kampourakis’ research, Dr. Alezini Loxa and PhD candidate Mahesh Menon enter into a conversation about the political economy of green transition with a focus on the European Green Industrial Policy. They discuss with Kampourakis about the changing role of law in relation to state capitalism, the potential for democratic control over the green transition, the challenges that arise for countries in the Global South as well as the recent political backlash both in the EU and in the US to sustainability related policies.

Returning to higher education in your 50s may seem daunting, especially when compounded by dyslexia, financial constraints and decades away from academic study. But Neill Friedman’s journey from telecoms entrepreneur to biochemistry PhD candidate is a testament to the power of perseverance and passion. Having left school in South Africa in 1984, Neill’s educational path was far from traditional. After confronting serious health issues in midlife, his interest in health, exercise and nutrition ignited a deep desire to understand human metabolism at the cellular level. What began as a personal transformation evolved into academic ambition, culminating in a doctoral programme with a focus on mitochondrial function. In this feature, Neill shares the academic, financial and personal challenges he faced, along with the unexpected advantages of being a mature student. His story highlights how unconventional pathways can lead to meaningful scientific inquiry—and a second act with purpose.

Research under way on large-format metallic additive manufacturing for structural steel applications is highlighted. Dr. Ryan Sherman, Associate Professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, leads this study. Dr. Sherman’s research on steel bridge and ancillary highway structures encompasses large-scale laboratory testing, field monitoring, material characterization, and finite element simulation. Research interests include fatigue, fracture, and additive manufacturing for civil engineering infrastructure. The Terry Peshia Early Career Faculty Award (AISC), the Robert J. Dexter Memorial Award Lecture (Steel Bridge Task Force), and Georgia Tech’s Student Recognition of Excellence in Teaching are among Dr. Sherman’s accolades. An AISC Milek Fellowship, awarded in 2023, supports this research, building on work with Lincoln Electric Additive Solutions and funded by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). As part of that effort, AISC Undergraduate Research Fellow Shirin Raschid Farrokhi investigated fatigue performance under the mentorship of PhD candidate Hannah Kessler. Kessler, the 2025 Reidar Bjorhovde Outstanding Young Professional recipient, also conducted tension, impact, and fatigue testing for the FHWA project and, with PhD student Zachary de Haaff, has been integral to the research team. Selected highlights from completed and planned research are presented.

ABSTRACT First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Biology Open, helping researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Neha Jadhav Giridhar and Bita Hambrecht are co-first authors on ‘ Temporal transcriptomic profiling of human three-dimensional neuromuscular co-cultures’, published in BiO. Neha Jadhav is a PhD student in the lab of Dr Patrick Lüningschrör at Institute of Clinical Neurobiology, University Hospital Würzburg, Germany, investigating stem-cell-based models to unravel cellular and molecular mechanisms driving neurodegeneration and neuromuscular dysfunction. Bita conducted the research described in this article while a PhD candidate and postdoctoral researcher in Dr Patrick Lüningschrör's lab. She is now a postdoc in the lab of Dr Ola Grimsholm at Institute for Pathophysiology and Allergy Research at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, developing bioengineered human tissue and patient-derived in vitro models to study disease mechanisms in neurobiology and immune responses.

ABSTRACT ECR Spotlight is a series of interviews with early-career authors from a selection of papers published in Journal of Experimental Biology and aims to promote not only the diversity of early-career researchers (ECRs) working in experimental biology but also the huge variety of animals and physiological systems that are essential for the ‘comparative’ approach. Racine Rangel is an author on ‘ Factorial field manipulation reveals CO2 and temperature effects on a critical habitat-forming shellfish’, published in JEB. Racine conducted the research described in this article while a PhD Candidate at the University of California, Irvine, in Cascade Sorte's lab. She is now a UC President's Postdoctoral Fellow in the lab of Kristy Kroeker at Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, investigating how global change drivers impact marine systems, from individual organisms to ecosystem-level dynamics.

PhD Candidate: Sidsel Christensen Project title: INTERDIMENSIONAL ARTISTIC REFLECTION: Speculative movements through Spatial, Digital and Narrative Media Period: 2020 - 2024 Host institution: The Art Academy – Department of Contemporary Art, Faculty of Art, Music and Design, University of Bergen PhD supervisors: Brandon LaBelle, Frans Jacobi and Sher Doruff keywords:

No previously published repeatability and reliability data for The Sports Concussion Assessment Tool-6 (SCAT6) exists. We aimed to evaluate inter/intra-tester reliability of the off-field SCAT6 in a non-concussed adult population. Inter-rater and Intra-rater reliability study design. Single university site. Twenty active adults (mean age: 27.55±5.59years) with no recent history of concussion (Concussive injury within past year). Participants completed 3 SCAT6 tests on the same day, with 3 testers (Inter-rater testing). The same participants returned at 2 further time points to complete the remaining 2 SCAT6 tests with 1 tester (Intra-rater testing). Participants complete a total of 5 SCAT6 assessments in total across testers and time. Rater Background: Those completing the SCAT6 testing, our study rater team, comprised of 1 senior physiotherapist and PhD candidate, and 2 MSc Physiotherapy students. All raters were from Scotland, and had significant training in completing SCAT6 assessments. Off-field SCAT6 Domain scores. ICCs were used to establish inter and intra-rater reliability for continuous, ration and ordinal data components of the SCAT6. For nominal data sets, Fleiss's kappa was calculated. Kendall's W was used for non-parametric data. Percentage error scores were calculated for SCAT6 domains. Inter-tester: Symptom number, severity, and dual-task scoring demonstrated excellent reliability (ICC=0.981; 0.984; 0.913, respectively). Total concentration score was found to have good reliability (0.827). Dual-task errors (0.398), Total mBESS (0.199), and Month recall all returned poor scores (k=0.191). Intra-tester: Dual tasking was the only domain to report excellent reliability (ICC=0.943). Symptom number (0.868), severity (0.831), total concentration (0.787), total mBESS (0.813), and time tandem gait (0.834) yielded good reliability scores. Dual-task error testing returned poor reliability scores (Kendall's W =0.001). All remaining domains yielded moderate reliability. Percentage error rates ranges from 3% to 100%, demonstrating the variability between scores yielded for non-concussed individuals completing the same SCAT6 domain tests. SCAT6 ICC results reported good-excellent reliability for 4 and 6 domains, out of 13 domains, for inter-tester and intra-tester reliability, respectively. Notably, the domains which relied on tester error scoring yielded poor reliability results. Percentage error highlighted the failure of the SCAT6 to provide consistent domain score results in this population.

ECR Spotlight is a series of interviews with early-career authors from a selection of papers published in Journal of Experimental Biology and aims to promote not only the diversity of early-career researchers (ECRs) working in experimental biology but also the huge variety of animals and physiological systems that are essential for the ‘comparative’ approach. Marilia Fernandes Erickson is an author on ‘ Common grass blue butterflies (Zizina otis) are toxic throughout their geographic range’, published in JEB. Marilia is a PhD Candidate in the lab of Mariella Herberstein at Macquarie University, Australia, investigating the relative proportion of delicious animals to nasty ones.

Abstract While participatory autism research is a priority in supporting the evolution of research in the field of autism, there has been limited consideration of community involvement in higher degree by research (HDR) projects such as PhD study. This is an important issue in higher education that requires focus, as HDR projects should represent significant contributions at the forefront of relevant disciplines. Detailed in this paper is a collaborative autoethnographic approach used to highlight the experiences of a PhD project team that sought to overcome challenges inherent to HDR study to include an autistic adult in a co-researcher role throughout a PhD project. The team (a PhD candidate and two research supervisors who identify as neurotypical, and an autistic research partner) used recommended guidelines for including autistic adults in co-researcher roles as a framework for their reflections. Key findings informed by the reflections include: (a) the importance of prioritising participatory research elements early; (b) building trust through relationship building; (c) using organised communication methods; (d) navigating a balance between authentic participation and PhD project completion; and (e) advocating for flexibility in funding sources. Recommendations are provided for others intending to incorporate elements of participatory research in HDR projects and are relevant beyond the field of autism to other disciplines of HDR research with marginalised people.