Alireza Modirshanechi
@modirshanechi.bsky.social
Postdoc at Helmholtz Munich (Schulz lab) and MPI for Biological Cybernetics (Dayan lab) || Ph.D. from EPFL (Gerstner lab) || Working on computational models of learning and decision-making in the brain; https://sites.google.com/view/modirsha
Pinned
New in @pnas.org: doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
We study how humans explore a 61-state environment with a stochastic region that mimics a “noisy-TV.”
Results: Participants keep exploring the stochastic part even when it’s unhelpful, and novelty-seeking best explains this behavior.
#cogsci #neuroskyence
We study how humans explore a 61-state environment with a stochastic region that mimics a “noisy-TV.”
Results: Participants keep exploring the stochastic part even when it’s unhelpful, and novelty-seeking best explains this behavior.
#cogsci #neuroskyence
This is a fantastic opportunity if you're interested in curiosity, exploration, and information-seeking!
📢Applications are open for the second cohort of our RTG! Learn more about the opportunities: www.uni-goettingen.de/de/open+posi...
🔔Join our info meeting on Dec 10, 1 p.m. CET. Register via: survey.academiccloud.de/index.php/34...
🔔Join our info meeting on Dec 10, 1 p.m. CET. Register via: survey.academiccloud.de/index.php/34...
Open Positions - Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Webseiten der Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
www.uni-goettingen.de
November 26, 2025 at 9:31 AM
This is a fantastic opportunity if you're interested in curiosity, exploration, and information-seeking!
Reposted by Alireza Modirshanechi
Two weeks left to apply! MIT's Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences is seeking a tenure-track Assistant Professor, working with nonhuman animals in some way. Application deadline is Dec. 1. Full posting: academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/30586
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences
Job #AJO30586, Assistant Professor level or higher, Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, US
academicjobsonline.org
November 18, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Two weeks left to apply! MIT's Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences is seeking a tenure-track Assistant Professor, working with nonhuman animals in some way. Application deadline is Dec. 1. Full posting: academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/30586
Reposted by Alireza Modirshanechi
📍Excited to share that our paper was selected as a Spotlight at #NeurIPS2025!
arxiv.org/pdf/2410.03972
It started from a question I kept running into:
When do RNNs trained on the same task converge/diverge in their solutions?
🧵⬇️
arxiv.org/pdf/2410.03972
It started from a question I kept running into:
When do RNNs trained on the same task converge/diverge in their solutions?
🧵⬇️
November 24, 2025 at 4:43 PM
📍Excited to share that our paper was selected as a Spotlight at #NeurIPS2025!
arxiv.org/pdf/2410.03972
It started from a question I kept running into:
When do RNNs trained on the same task converge/diverge in their solutions?
🧵⬇️
arxiv.org/pdf/2410.03972
It started from a question I kept running into:
When do RNNs trained on the same task converge/diverge in their solutions?
🧵⬇️
Reposted by Alireza Modirshanechi
This year, perturbation testing is becoming a thing: Model fitted to neural activity can predict how stimulation changes the animal's behavior
By @mschrimpf.bsky.social & @hannesmehrer.bsky.social :
arxiv.org/abs/2510.03684
Our work (being published at elife)
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
By @mschrimpf.bsky.social & @hannesmehrer.bsky.social :
arxiv.org/abs/2510.03684
Our work (being published at elife)
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Biologically informed cortical models predict optogenetic perturbations
A recurrent neural network fitted to large electrophysiological datasets may help us understand the chain of cortical information transmission. In particular, successful network reconstruction methods...
www.biorxiv.org
November 19, 2025 at 6:05 PM
This year, perturbation testing is becoming a thing: Model fitted to neural activity can predict how stimulation changes the animal's behavior
By @mschrimpf.bsky.social & @hannesmehrer.bsky.social :
arxiv.org/abs/2510.03684
Our work (being published at elife)
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
By @mschrimpf.bsky.social & @hannesmehrer.bsky.social :
arxiv.org/abs/2510.03684
Our work (being published at elife)
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Alireza Modirshanechi
@thetransmitter.bsky.social gathered citation metrics for the top neuroscience papers published over the past 30 years and assembled a list of the top 20 to try to capture a different view of the field’s changing landscape. www.thetransmitter.org/publishing/w...
#neuroskyence #StateOfNeuroscience
#neuroskyence #StateOfNeuroscience
The most-cited neuroscience papers from the past 30 years
Highly cited papers reflect the surge in artificial-intelligence research in the field and other technical advances.
www.thetransmitter.org
November 20, 2025 at 3:41 PM
@thetransmitter.bsky.social gathered citation metrics for the top neuroscience papers published over the past 30 years and assembled a list of the top 20 to try to capture a different view of the field’s changing landscape. www.thetransmitter.org/publishing/w...
#neuroskyence #StateOfNeuroscience
#neuroskyence #StateOfNeuroscience
Reposted by Alireza Modirshanechi
Happy to share my new paper published in @nathumbehav.nature.com: A critical look at statistical power in computational modeling studies, particularly those based on model selection.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
November 17, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Happy to share my new paper published in @nathumbehav.nature.com: A critical look at statistical power in computational modeling studies, particularly those based on model selection.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Alireza Modirshanechi
Two weeks left to apply. Join us as a Postdoctoral Researcher (fully funded) at the Helmholtz Institute for Human-Centered AI in Munich.
🚀 We are hiring! 🚀
🔍 Join us as a Postdoctoral Researcher (fully-funded) at the Helmholtz Institute for Human-Centered AI in Munich.
🔍 Join us as a Postdoctoral Researcher (fully-funded) at the Helmholtz Institute for Human-Centered AI in Munich.
November 17, 2025 at 11:25 AM
Two weeks left to apply. Join us as a Postdoctoral Researcher (fully funded) at the Helmholtz Institute for Human-Centered AI in Munich.
Reposted by Alireza Modirshanechi
1. New preprint resolving a conundrum in systems neuroscience with an AI scientist, and humans Reilly Tilbury, Dabin Kwon, @haydari.bsky.social, @jacobmratliff.bsky.social, @bio-emergent.bsky.social, @carandinilab.net, @kevinjmiller.bsky.social, @neurokim.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Characterizing neuronal population geometry with AI equation discovery
The visual cortex contains millions of neurons, whose combined activity forms a population code representing visual stimuli. There is, however, a discrepancy between our understanding of this code at ...
www.biorxiv.org
November 14, 2025 at 6:07 PM
1. New preprint resolving a conundrum in systems neuroscience with an AI scientist, and humans Reilly Tilbury, Dabin Kwon, @haydari.bsky.social, @jacobmratliff.bsky.social, @bio-emergent.bsky.social, @carandinilab.net, @kevinjmiller.bsky.social, @neurokim.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Alireza Modirshanechi
Looking for a #postdoc position? 🧠🔬🤖
Join our amazing lab in Munich! 🇩🇪👩🔬
We have a friendly, collaborative, and inclusive environment, where scientific rigour and curiosity are truly valued and celebrated. 🎉
#Jobs #ScienceJobs #cogsci #neuroskyence
Join our amazing lab in Munich! 🇩🇪👩🔬
We have a friendly, collaborative, and inclusive environment, where scientific rigour and curiosity are truly valued and celebrated. 🎉
#Jobs #ScienceJobs #cogsci #neuroskyence
🚀 We are hiring! 🚀
🔍 Join us as a Postdoctoral Researcher (fully-funded) at the Helmholtz Institute for Human-Centered AI in Munich.
🔍 Join us as a Postdoctoral Researcher (fully-funded) at the Helmholtz Institute for Human-Centered AI in Munich.
November 3, 2025 at 10:49 AM
Looking for a #postdoc position? 🧠🔬🤖
Join our amazing lab in Munich! 🇩🇪👩🔬
We have a friendly, collaborative, and inclusive environment, where scientific rigour and curiosity are truly valued and celebrated. 🎉
#Jobs #ScienceJobs #cogsci #neuroskyence
Join our amazing lab in Munich! 🇩🇪👩🔬
We have a friendly, collaborative, and inclusive environment, where scientific rigour and curiosity are truly valued and celebrated. 🎉
#Jobs #ScienceJobs #cogsci #neuroskyence
Reposted by Alireza Modirshanechi
🗓️ Mark your calendars: the next #BernsteinConference will take place September 28 to October 1, 2026, in Frankfurt am Main!
Follow the link below to meet the first confirmed speakers. More to come!
👉 bernstein-network.de/bernstein-co...
#BernsteinNetwork #CompNeuro
Follow the link below to meet the first confirmed speakers. More to come!
👉 bernstein-network.de/bernstein-co...
#BernsteinNetwork #CompNeuro
November 13, 2025 at 8:00 AM
🗓️ Mark your calendars: the next #BernsteinConference will take place September 28 to October 1, 2026, in Frankfurt am Main!
Follow the link below to meet the first confirmed speakers. More to come!
👉 bernstein-network.de/bernstein-co...
#BernsteinNetwork #CompNeuro
Follow the link below to meet the first confirmed speakers. More to come!
👉 bernstein-network.de/bernstein-co...
#BernsteinNetwork #CompNeuro
Reposted by Alireza Modirshanechi
"17 pairs of female friends (N = 34; ages 16-18 years) spent two nights in a sleep laboratory: one night online socialising with their friend in another room (WhatsApp + Netflix), and one night watching Netflix alone without socialising" pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41189527/ Sleep lab sleepover!
November 10, 2025 at 5:50 PM
"17 pairs of female friends (N = 34; ages 16-18 years) spent two nights in a sleep laboratory: one night online socialising with their friend in another room (WhatsApp + Netflix), and one night watching Netflix alone without socialising" pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41189527/ Sleep lab sleepover!
Reposted by Alireza Modirshanechi
Here’s the same data, but with trust broken down by political views (circles are trust among people on the left, +s the right).
It’s not just that the BBC is widely consumed — it also has solid trust on both left & right, whereas trust in the biggest US media brands is hugely polarised.
It’s not just that the BBC is widely consumed — it also has solid trust on both left & right, whereas trust in the biggest US media brands is hugely polarised.
November 10, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Here’s the same data, but with trust broken down by political views (circles are trust among people on the left, +s the right).
It’s not just that the BBC is widely consumed — it also has solid trust on both left & right, whereas trust in the biggest US media brands is hugely polarised.
It’s not just that the BBC is widely consumed — it also has solid trust on both left & right, whereas trust in the biggest US media brands is hugely polarised.
Reposted by Alireza Modirshanechi
Honored and excited to share that I am the winner of Nomis & Science Young Explorer Award!!
Also thrilled to share that my article describing my research is out now in @science.org today!
The normalization of (almost) everything www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
1/
Also thrilled to share that my article describing my research is out now in @science.org today!
The normalization of (almost) everything www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
1/
The normalization of (almost) everything: Our minds can get used to anything, and even crises start feeling normal
Our minds can get used to anything, and even crises start feeling normal
www.science.org
November 6, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Honored and excited to share that I am the winner of Nomis & Science Young Explorer Award!!
Also thrilled to share that my article describing my research is out now in @science.org today!
The normalization of (almost) everything www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
1/
Also thrilled to share that my article describing my research is out now in @science.org today!
The normalization of (almost) everything www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
1/
Reposted by Alireza Modirshanechi
Just 1 week to apply! 4 year @erc.europa.eu funded PhD position working in an interdisciplinary team to study #culturalEvolution as a process of reuse, recombination, and creative re-engineering of past solutions. Details 👉 hmc-lab.com/ERCPhDCultur... 🙏Please share!
November 5, 2025 at 10:24 AM
Just 1 week to apply! 4 year @erc.europa.eu funded PhD position working in an interdisciplinary team to study #culturalEvolution as a process of reuse, recombination, and creative re-engineering of past solutions. Details 👉 hmc-lab.com/ERCPhDCultur... 🙏Please share!
Reposted by Alireza Modirshanechi
This was a lot of fun! From my side, it started with a technical Q: what's the relation between two-side cavity and path integrals? Turns out it's a fluctuation correction - and amazingly, this also enable the "O(N) rank" theory by @david-g-clark.bsky.social and @omarschall.bsky.social. 🤯
Now in PRX: Theory linking connectivity structure to collective activity in nonlinear RNNs!
For neuro fans: conn. structure can be invisible in single neurons but shape pop. activity
For low-rank RNN fans: a theory of rank=O(N)
For physics fans: fluctuations around DMFT saddle⇒dimension of activity
For neuro fans: conn. structure can be invisible in single neurons but shape pop. activity
For low-rank RNN fans: a theory of rank=O(N)
For physics fans: fluctuations around DMFT saddle⇒dimension of activity
Connectivity Structure and Dynamics of Nonlinear Recurrent Neural Networks
The structure of brain connectivity predicts collective neural activity, with a small number of connectivity features determining activity dimensionality, linking circuit architecture to network-level...
journals.aps.org
November 5, 2025 at 9:15 AM
This was a lot of fun! From my side, it started with a technical Q: what's the relation between two-side cavity and path integrals? Turns out it's a fluctuation correction - and amazingly, this also enable the "O(N) rank" theory by @david-g-clark.bsky.social and @omarschall.bsky.social. 🤯
Reposted by Alireza Modirshanechi
Ten Simple Rules for AI-Assisted Coding in Science arxiv.org/abs/2510.22254 - our latest, led by @ericwbridgeford.bsky.social
Ten Simple Rules for AI-Assisted Coding in Science
While AI coding tools have demonstrated potential to accelerate software development, their use in scientific computing raises critical questions about code quality and scientific validity. In this pa...
arxiv.org
October 28, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Ten Simple Rules for AI-Assisted Coding in Science arxiv.org/abs/2510.22254 - our latest, led by @ericwbridgeford.bsky.social
Reposted by Alireza Modirshanechi
Pleased to share that our survey "Getting aligned on representational alignment" — on representational alignment across cognitive (neuro)science and machine learning — is now published in TMLR! openreview.net/forum?id=Hiq...
Kudos to @sucholutsky.bsky.social @lukasmut.bsky.social for leading this!
Kudos to @sucholutsky.bsky.social @lukasmut.bsky.social for leading this!
October 29, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Pleased to share that our survey "Getting aligned on representational alignment" — on representational alignment across cognitive (neuro)science and machine learning — is now published in TMLR! openreview.net/forum?id=Hiq...
Kudos to @sucholutsky.bsky.social @lukasmut.bsky.social for leading this!
Kudos to @sucholutsky.bsky.social @lukasmut.bsky.social for leading this!
Looking for a #postdoc position? 🧠🔬🤖
Join our amazing lab in Munich! 🇩🇪👩🔬
We have a friendly, collaborative, and inclusive environment, where scientific rigour and curiosity are truly valued and celebrated. 🎉
#Jobs #ScienceJobs #cogsci #neuroskyence
Join our amazing lab in Munich! 🇩🇪👩🔬
We have a friendly, collaborative, and inclusive environment, where scientific rigour and curiosity are truly valued and celebrated. 🎉
#Jobs #ScienceJobs #cogsci #neuroskyence
🚀 We are hiring! 🚀
🔍 Join us as a Postdoctoral Researcher (fully-funded) at the Helmholtz Institute for Human-Centered AI in Munich.
🔍 Join us as a Postdoctoral Researcher (fully-funded) at the Helmholtz Institute for Human-Centered AI in Munich.
November 3, 2025 at 10:49 AM
Looking for a #postdoc position? 🧠🔬🤖
Join our amazing lab in Munich! 🇩🇪👩🔬
We have a friendly, collaborative, and inclusive environment, where scientific rigour and curiosity are truly valued and celebrated. 🎉
#Jobs #ScienceJobs #cogsci #neuroskyence
Join our amazing lab in Munich! 🇩🇪👩🔬
We have a friendly, collaborative, and inclusive environment, where scientific rigour and curiosity are truly valued and celebrated. 🎉
#Jobs #ScienceJobs #cogsci #neuroskyence
Reposted by Alireza Modirshanechi
I will be recruiting 🌟PhD students🌟 for my newish lab! If you're interested in learning & memory mechanisms applied to individual, interactive & collective behavior using computational modeling, real-world experiments and fMRI, email me! RTs much appreciated 🙏 rouhanilab.com
Interactive Cognition Lab | USC
Interactive Cognition Lab at USC, led by principal investigator, Dr. Nina Rouhani.
rouhanilab.com
October 24, 2025 at 4:57 PM
I will be recruiting 🌟PhD students🌟 for my newish lab! If you're interested in learning & memory mechanisms applied to individual, interactive & collective behavior using computational modeling, real-world experiments and fMRI, email me! RTs much appreciated 🙏 rouhanilab.com
Reposted by Alireza Modirshanechi
#EPFL has an open faculty position - tenure track or tenured!! - in AI driven biophysics. Deadline is Nov 15th. Please spread the word!
www.epfl.ch/about/workin...
www.epfl.ch/about/workin...
Assistant/associate Professor of AI-assisted Biophysics at the Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and Group Leader at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI)
The School of Basic Sciences (Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics) at EPFL and the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) jointly seek to appoint a Tenure Track Assistant or tenured Associate Professor in AI-As...
www.epfl.ch
October 28, 2025 at 2:56 AM
#EPFL has an open faculty position - tenure track or tenured!! - in AI driven biophysics. Deadline is Nov 15th. Please spread the word!
www.epfl.ch/about/workin...
www.epfl.ch/about/workin...
Reposted by Alireza Modirshanechi
🚀 We’re hiring - Join our lab 🚀
🔍 Hiring: PhD (75% TV-L) & Postdoc (100% TV-L)
🧠 fMRI, VR, EEG, modelling
We combine a range of cognitive neuroscience methods to study flexible behaviour.
📅 Start: Feb 2026 or later | ⏳ Apply by Nov 3!
More details:
tinyurl.com/ms3a9ajt
#CognitiveNeuroscience
🔍 Hiring: PhD (75% TV-L) & Postdoc (100% TV-L)
🧠 fMRI, VR, EEG, modelling
We combine a range of cognitive neuroscience methods to study flexible behaviour.
📅 Start: Feb 2026 or later | ⏳ Apply by Nov 3!
More details:
tinyurl.com/ms3a9ajt
#CognitiveNeuroscience
October 27, 2025 at 11:57 AM
🚀 We’re hiring - Join our lab 🚀
🔍 Hiring: PhD (75% TV-L) & Postdoc (100% TV-L)
🧠 fMRI, VR, EEG, modelling
We combine a range of cognitive neuroscience methods to study flexible behaviour.
📅 Start: Feb 2026 or later | ⏳ Apply by Nov 3!
More details:
tinyurl.com/ms3a9ajt
#CognitiveNeuroscience
🔍 Hiring: PhD (75% TV-L) & Postdoc (100% TV-L)
🧠 fMRI, VR, EEG, modelling
We combine a range of cognitive neuroscience methods to study flexible behaviour.
📅 Start: Feb 2026 or later | ⏳ Apply by Nov 3!
More details:
tinyurl.com/ms3a9ajt
#CognitiveNeuroscience
Reposted by Alireza Modirshanechi
Want the freedom of a fancy fellowship, but not the year-long wait or arduous application?
Come join my lab! Work on neuroscience and AI, explore your creativity, be independent or work closely with me, collaborate widely, and have a lot of fun!
my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...
Come join my lab! Work on neuroscience and AI, explore your creativity, be independent or work closely with me, collaborate widely, and have a lot of fun!
my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...
October 23, 2025 at 10:46 AM
Want the freedom of a fancy fellowship, but not the year-long wait or arduous application?
Come join my lab! Work on neuroscience and AI, explore your creativity, be independent or work closely with me, collaborate widely, and have a lot of fun!
my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...
Come join my lab! Work on neuroscience and AI, explore your creativity, be independent or work closely with me, collaborate widely, and have a lot of fun!
my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...
Reposted by Alireza Modirshanechi
How does our brain excel at complex object recognition, yet get fooled by simple illusory contours? What unifying principle governs all Gestalt laws of perceptual organization?
We may have an answer: integration of learned priors through feedback. New paper with @kenmiller.bsky.social! 🧵
We may have an answer: integration of learned priors through feedback. New paper with @kenmiller.bsky.social! 🧵
October 24, 2025 at 2:00 PM
How does our brain excel at complex object recognition, yet get fooled by simple illusory contours? What unifying principle governs all Gestalt laws of perceptual organization?
We may have an answer: integration of learned priors through feedback. New paper with @kenmiller.bsky.social! 🧵
We may have an answer: integration of learned priors through feedback. New paper with @kenmiller.bsky.social! 🧵
Reposted by Alireza Modirshanechi
We are looking for PhD students via the @ellis.eu and @munichcenterml.bsky.social PhD programs!
🎓PhD application season is back!
We’re hiring ONLY through the ELLIS @ellis.eu and the MCML
@munichcenterml.bsky.social
📌Please denote Prof. Zeynep Akata @zeynepakata.bsky.social as your preferred supervisor!
👉 Link to ELLIS (ellis.eu/news/ellis-p...) and MCML (mcml.ai/opportunitie...)
We’re hiring ONLY through the ELLIS @ellis.eu and the MCML
@munichcenterml.bsky.social
📌Please denote Prof. Zeynep Akata @zeynepakata.bsky.social as your preferred supervisor!
👉 Link to ELLIS (ellis.eu/news/ellis-p...) and MCML (mcml.ai/opportunitie...)
October 24, 2025 at 10:27 AM
We are looking for PhD students via the @ellis.eu and @munichcenterml.bsky.social PhD programs!
Reposted by Alireza Modirshanechi
We have a new conference paper out just now! How do infants explore their own body? We show that in the first weeks of life, infants' self-touch actions allow them to gain information about their own body. ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/112...
Exploration Patterns in Spontaneous Self-Touch Actions in Infancy
Infants frequently touch their own bodies from the earliest months of life, raising questions about whether these self-directed actions reflect active body exploration. We hypothesize that infants’ se...
ieeexplore.ieee.org
October 23, 2025 at 11:46 AM
We have a new conference paper out just now! How do infants explore their own body? We show that in the first weeks of life, infants' self-touch actions allow them to gain information about their own body. ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/112...