Michael Beierlein
@mbeierlein.bsky.social
Principal Investigator at UTHealth - Houston
Cellular Neuroscience | Thalamocortical circuits in health and disease | Electrophysiology | Neuromodulation
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2210-3118
Cellular Neuroscience | Thalamocortical circuits in health and disease | Electrophysiology | Neuromodulation
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2210-3118
Reposted by Michael Beierlein
Excited to be on the organization meeting for the 6th annual NCM conference on Neural Circuits in Health & Disease. Terrific line up of speakers!
January 22, 2026 at 5:56 PM
Excited to be on the organization meeting for the 6th annual NCM conference on Neural Circuits in Health & Disease. Terrific line up of speakers!
Reposted by Michael Beierlein
Listening to a discussion about AI in university education with Amol Rajan & Prof Duncan Iveston on Radio 4 Today. Too short to get into the nuance of course, but an observation that copilot can do a literate review for you very quickly perfectly illustrates one of my main concerns with AI…1/1
January 19, 2026 at 8:58 AM
Listening to a discussion about AI in university education with Amol Rajan & Prof Duncan Iveston on Radio 4 Today. Too short to get into the nuance of course, but an observation that copilot can do a literate review for you very quickly perfectly illustrates one of my main concerns with AI…1/1
Reposted by Michael Beierlein
1. If the goal is to stop us from doing science, then doing science is more important than ever now.
2. We have radical uncertainty about the future. There is no sense in giving up in advance.
3. We have agency over the future. If you don't like what's happening, work to change what is happening.
2. We have radical uncertainty about the future. There is no sense in giving up in advance.
3. We have agency over the future. If you don't like what's happening, work to change what is happening.
Getting asked about how academics can continue to do science & inspire trainees even in the midst of a continued (escalated) assault on science, reason, truth, & human rights. I don’t have great answers.
I would love to hear from mentors about advice they’re giving to trainees/ colleagues.
I would love to hear from mentors about advice they’re giving to trainees/ colleagues.
January 18, 2026 at 1:24 AM
1. If the goal is to stop us from doing science, then doing science is more important than ever now.
2. We have radical uncertainty about the future. There is no sense in giving up in advance.
3. We have agency over the future. If you don't like what's happening, work to change what is happening.
2. We have radical uncertainty about the future. There is no sense in giving up in advance.
3. We have agency over the future. If you don't like what's happening, work to change what is happening.
Reposted by Michael Beierlein
Tracking the details of an experiment in successively cited Methods sections
January 17, 2026 at 9:05 AM
Tracking the details of an experiment in successively cited Methods sections
Reposted by Michael Beierlein
Excited to share our new study showing how subcortical inputs are routed through ventromedial (VM) thalamus to layer 1 interneurons in the medial PFC, all done by my graduate student Sanne Casello:
sannemcasello.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
sannemcasello.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
January 15, 2026 at 8:25 PM
Excited to share our new study showing how subcortical inputs are routed through ventromedial (VM) thalamus to layer 1 interneurons in the medial PFC, all done by my graduate student Sanne Casello:
sannemcasello.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
sannemcasello.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Michael Beierlein
Went on a short backpacking trip as I was finishing up my thesis last December. Compiled some of the footage into a YouTube video :)
We were at the great sand dunes in Colorado- so much snow! and sand! and wind! ❄️⏳⌛️
We were at the great sand dunes in Colorado- so much snow! and sand! and wind! ❄️⏳⌛️
Hiking and Camping in Great Sand Dunes National Park | sand & snow
YouTube video by Meredith
youtu.be
January 14, 2026 at 7:06 PM
Went on a short backpacking trip as I was finishing up my thesis last December. Compiled some of the footage into a YouTube video :)
We were at the great sand dunes in Colorado- so much snow! and sand! and wind! ❄️⏳⌛️
We were at the great sand dunes in Colorado- so much snow! and sand! and wind! ❄️⏳⌛️
Reposted by Michael Beierlein
We've got ISSUES. Literally.
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
January 13, 2026 at 8:27 AM
We've got ISSUES. Literally.
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
Reposted by Michael Beierlein
when doing neuroscience projects I often advocate for computational modelling, followed by data analysis to test model's predictions.
however a few times now I have had pushback from collaborators/reivewers suggesting it would be better to do the data analysis first, then the modelling.
thoughts?
however a few times now I have had pushback from collaborators/reivewers suggesting it would be better to do the data analysis first, then the modelling.
thoughts?
January 12, 2026 at 12:47 PM
when doing neuroscience projects I often advocate for computational modelling, followed by data analysis to test model's predictions.
however a few times now I have had pushback from collaborators/reivewers suggesting it would be better to do the data analysis first, then the modelling.
thoughts?
however a few times now I have had pushback from collaborators/reivewers suggesting it would be better to do the data analysis first, then the modelling.
thoughts?
Reposted by Michael Beierlein
Apply to the Neurobiology course at MBL! It is supercool. Apps due Feb 4.
January 10, 2026 at 9:17 PM
Apply to the Neurobiology course at MBL! It is supercool. Apps due Feb 4.
Reposted by Michael Beierlein
Please spread the word🔊My lab is looking to hire two international postdocs. If you want to do comp neuro, combine machine learning and awesome math to understand neural circuit activity, then come work with us! Bonn is such a cool place for neuroscience now, you don't want to miss out.
January 10, 2026 at 5:39 PM
Please spread the word🔊My lab is looking to hire two international postdocs. If you want to do comp neuro, combine machine learning and awesome math to understand neural circuit activity, then come work with us! Bonn is such a cool place for neuroscience now, you don't want to miss out.
Reposted by Michael Beierlein
The Neural Systems & Behavior Course (Marine Biol. Lab) is an amazing opportunity to learn about many different approaches to studying nervous system control of many behaviors. Learn from experts, expand your science network, go to "science summer camp"!
January 9, 2026 at 7:07 PM
The Neural Systems & Behavior Course (Marine Biol. Lab) is an amazing opportunity to learn about many different approaches to studying nervous system control of many behaviors. Learn from experts, expand your science network, go to "science summer camp"!
Reposted by Michael Beierlein
We've got a great lineup of speakers for our Thalamocortical Interactions GRS! Only a few spots remaining for poster presenters - apply soon!
If you're a trainee studying the thalamus, consider checking out our GRS on Thalamocortical Networks in Sensation, Behavior, and Disease: www.grc.org/thalamocorti.... Apply by Nov 16th to be considered for a talk!
January 8, 2026 at 7:40 PM
We've got a great lineup of speakers for our Thalamocortical Interactions GRS! Only a few spots remaining for poster presenters - apply soon!
Reposted by Michael Beierlein
What is the computational role of dendritic excitations? Byung Hun Lee and team mapped voltage dynamics throughout the dendritic trees of CA1 pyramidal neurons in mice navigating in virtual reality. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
January 4, 2026 at 6:17 AM
What is the computational role of dendritic excitations? Byung Hun Lee and team mapped voltage dynamics throughout the dendritic trees of CA1 pyramidal neurons in mice navigating in virtual reality. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Michael Beierlein
2025 has been the year of change for me. I said goodbye to people and things I hold dear, moved back to the other side of the globe, got a new job, rekindled some old relationships, and despite the lingering sadness in me, I have, surprisingly, found peace in this new way of life.
December 31, 2025 at 2:21 PM
2025 has been the year of change for me. I said goodbye to people and things I hold dear, moved back to the other side of the globe, got a new job, rekindled some old relationships, and despite the lingering sadness in me, I have, surprisingly, found peace in this new way of life.
Reposted by Michael Beierlein
Every week, Nature publishes yet another breathless puff piece about some AI startup, based only unpublished claims from the company and interviewing only those who work there.
How can the leading scientific journal publish piece after piece that would make Kevin Roose blush?
I think it's that...
How can the leading scientific journal publish piece after piece that would make Kevin Roose blush?
I think it's that...
December 30, 2025 at 10:08 PM
Every week, Nature publishes yet another breathless puff piece about some AI startup, based only unpublished claims from the company and interviewing only those who work there.
How can the leading scientific journal publish piece after piece that would make Kevin Roose blush?
I think it's that...
How can the leading scientific journal publish piece after piece that would make Kevin Roose blush?
I think it's that...
Reposted by Michael Beierlein
Anyone else have a coauthor who is so much fun to write with that you just find yourself grinning in some combination of satisfaction and pride as you edit a manuscript?
If not, get yourself one.
If not, get yourself one.
December 24, 2025 at 6:34 AM
Anyone else have a coauthor who is so much fun to write with that you just find yourself grinning in some combination of satisfaction and pride as you edit a manuscript?
If not, get yourself one.
If not, get yourself one.
Reposted by Michael Beierlein
@erictopol.bsky.social posted this diagram earlier today. When I pointed out the obvious AI slop and copious errors, he blocked me. But you can also find it on his substack. Topol poses as a serious medical person, but disseminating such graphical nonsense is disqualifying. Unfollow.
December 21, 2025 at 11:55 PM
@erictopol.bsky.social posted this diagram earlier today. When I pointed out the obvious AI slop and copious errors, he blocked me. But you can also find it on his substack. Topol poses as a serious medical person, but disseminating such graphical nonsense is disqualifying. Unfollow.
Reposted by Michael Beierlein
This smells distinctly like collider bias and/or selection bias and/or regression to the mean... You simply can't select teen prodigies, and world class athletes rom databases, and go run regressions without serious consideration of the selection process!
"Most top achievers (Nobel laureates and world-class musicians, athletes, chess players) demonstrated lower performance than many peers during their early years. Across the highest adult performance, peak performance is negatively correlated with early performance" www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Recent discoveries on the acquisition of the highest levels of human performance
Scientists have long debated the origins of exceptional human achievements. This literature review summarizes recent evidence from multiple domains on the acquisition of world-class performance. We re...
www.science.org
December 20, 2025 at 3:48 PM
This smells distinctly like collider bias and/or selection bias and/or regression to the mean... You simply can't select teen prodigies, and world class athletes rom databases, and go run regressions without serious consideration of the selection process!
Reposted by Michael Beierlein
Given all the recent buzz about how great ChatGPT has gotten, including its prowess with images, I figured I'd check in on its anatomical skills. Nope.
December 19, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Given all the recent buzz about how great ChatGPT has gotten, including its prowess with images, I figured I'd check in on its anatomical skills. Nope.
Reposted by Michael Beierlein
I've spent all day struggling to write a single page of a popular science article. I bang away at a word processor; give up; start diagramming on paper. Take some notes; draft a few sentences in pen; return to the computer...and very slowly I figure out what I was trying to say in the first place.
December 16, 2025 at 11:41 PM
I've spent all day struggling to write a single page of a popular science article. I bang away at a word processor; give up; start diagramming on paper. Take some notes; draft a few sentences in pen; return to the computer...and very slowly I figure out what I was trying to say in the first place.
Reposted by Michael Beierlein
absolutely losing it at my 14yo's biology homework
December 15, 2025 at 2:02 AM
absolutely losing it at my 14yo's biology homework
Reposted by Michael Beierlein
Fully funded PhD position between our lab in Göttingen and @tobiasackels.bsky.social in Bonn! Dual-color imaging 🔬🐁 in freely moving mice, behavioral analysis, olfactory 👃 and spatial coding in #hippocampus... It's a cool project in two fantastic labs. Reach out if interested! 🤙 #neuroskyence
PhD position in systems neuroscience!
Excited to start a new DFG-funded project together with @obarnstedt.bsky.social to study olfactory–spatial coding in CA1.
🔬 Dual-colour miniscope Ca2+ imaging
🐭 Freely moving behaviour & optogenetics
⏳ Start: April 2026 | Deadline: 31.01.2026
More info below ⬇️
Excited to start a new DFG-funded project together with @obarnstedt.bsky.social to study olfactory–spatial coding in CA1.
🔬 Dual-colour miniscope Ca2+ imaging
🐭 Freely moving behaviour & optogenetics
⏳ Start: April 2026 | Deadline: 31.01.2026
More info below ⬇️
December 11, 2025 at 11:57 AM
Fully funded PhD position between our lab in Göttingen and @tobiasackels.bsky.social in Bonn! Dual-color imaging 🔬🐁 in freely moving mice, behavioral analysis, olfactory 👃 and spatial coding in #hippocampus... It's a cool project in two fantastic labs. Reach out if interested! 🤙 #neuroskyence
Reposted by Michael Beierlein
Download our large database of postdoc fellowships in all fields of research.
Database freely available to all; 281 fellowships.
Download here: research.jhu.edu/rdt/funding-...
Database freely available to all; 281 fellowships.
Download here: research.jhu.edu/rdt/funding-...
December 13, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Download our large database of postdoc fellowships in all fields of research.
Database freely available to all; 281 fellowships.
Download here: research.jhu.edu/rdt/funding-...
Database freely available to all; 281 fellowships.
Download here: research.jhu.edu/rdt/funding-...
Reposted by Michael Beierlein
NSF
- Forced reorg
- POs down ~ 40% (DRP, most rotators not renewed, retirements)
- Forced move (and we have to pack and clean) to a building with no furniture, little to no conference space for panels, inadequate 🛜, …)
I personally love the boxes they gave us for packing.
“Details matter” 🙃
- Forced reorg
- POs down ~ 40% (DRP, most rotators not renewed, retirements)
- Forced move (and we have to pack and clean) to a building with no furniture, little to no conference space for panels, inadequate 🛜, …)
I personally love the boxes they gave us for packing.
“Details matter” 🙃
December 11, 2025 at 11:16 AM
NSF
- Forced reorg
- POs down ~ 40% (DRP, most rotators not renewed, retirements)
- Forced move (and we have to pack and clean) to a building with no furniture, little to no conference space for panels, inadequate 🛜, …)
I personally love the boxes they gave us for packing.
“Details matter” 🙃
- Forced reorg
- POs down ~ 40% (DRP, most rotators not renewed, retirements)
- Forced move (and we have to pack and clean) to a building with no furniture, little to no conference space for panels, inadequate 🛜, …)
I personally love the boxes they gave us for packing.
“Details matter” 🙃
Reposted by Michael Beierlein
How I contributed to rejecting one of my favorite papers of all times, Yes, I teach it to students daily, and refer to it in lots of papers. Sorry. open.substack.com/pub/kording/...
How I contributed to rejecting one of my favorite papers of all time
I believe we should talk about the mistakes we make.
open.substack.com
December 2, 2025 at 1:27 AM
How I contributed to rejecting one of my favorite papers of all times, Yes, I teach it to students daily, and refer to it in lots of papers. Sorry. open.substack.com/pub/kording/...