James A Campbell
@rtbecard.bsky.social
(he/him) Former bird dude, current fish guy; currently based in Berlin. I'm into ecology, stats, bioacoustics, and artificial light.
Currently working as part of this ETN: https://www.msca-ribes.eu/
Currently working as part of this ETN: https://www.msca-ribes.eu/
Pinned
James A Campbell
@rtbecard.bsky.social
· Mar 17
New #FishSci #AcousticTelemetry positioning paper: PMC-TOA positioning.
I used adaptive importance sampling & mixture distributions to position fish in environments prone to tag reflections. Mixed with post-processing, this gives great tracks!
doi.org/10.1111/2041...
I used adaptive importance sampling & mixture distributions to position fish in environments prone to tag reflections. Mixed with post-processing, this gives great tracks!
doi.org/10.1111/2041...
This is a great podcast. Its very refreshing to hear senior researchers candidly discuss the (rather obvious) problems we have in academia currently.
Also, really good gossip about the RS & Elon Musk.
Also, really good gossip about the RS & Elon Musk.
Academia doesn’t need another minor tweak. It needs a total overhaul.
Welcome to the debut of Under Review, my podcast where we stop polite desk-shuffling and start reimagining a system that actually works.
Episode 1. @deevybee.bsky.social
Spotify
open.spotify.com/episode/0vdP...
1/3
Welcome to the debut of Under Review, my podcast where we stop polite desk-shuffling and start reimagining a system that actually works.
Episode 1. @deevybee.bsky.social
Spotify
open.spotify.com/episode/0vdP...
1/3
February 2, 2026 at 5:23 PM
This is a great podcast. Its very refreshing to hear senior researchers candidly discuss the (rather obvious) problems we have in academia currently.
Also, really good gossip about the RS & Elon Musk.
Also, really good gossip about the RS & Elon Musk.
A friend sent me this paper... I tried reading it... But i literally have no idea what this paper is even supposed to be.
Is this a legit paper? Or is this some AI bandwagon slop that got past the editors?
#ai #datascience #academiclife
Is this a legit paper? Or is this some AI bandwagon slop that got past the editors?
#ai #datascience #academiclife
Artificial intelligence tools expand scientists’ impact but contract science’s focus - Nature
Artificial intelligence boosts individual scientists’ output, citations and career progression, but collectively narrows research diversity and reduces collaboration, concentrating work in data-rich a...
www.nature.com
January 28, 2026 at 11:24 AM
A friend sent me this paper... I tried reading it... But i literally have no idea what this paper is even supposed to be.
Is this a legit paper? Or is this some AI bandwagon slop that got past the editors?
#ai #datascience #academiclife
Is this a legit paper? Or is this some AI bandwagon slop that got past the editors?
#ai #datascience #academiclife
Guardian did a nice podcast on the origins of the Trump Greenland thing...
It's exactly what you expect. Some New York nepo-billionair-baby with financial interests phoned him and told him to do it... And that's apparently all it takes to do an "inception" on Trump.
It's exactly what you expect. Some New York nepo-billionair-baby with financial interests phoned him and told him to do it... And that's apparently all it takes to do an "inception" on Trump.
Why Donald Trump really wants Greenland – podcast
Tom Burgis on Donald Trump’s friend Ronald Lauder, a billionaire with business interests in Greenland
www.theguardian.com
January 21, 2026 at 5:44 PM
Guardian did a nice podcast on the origins of the Trump Greenland thing...
It's exactly what you expect. Some New York nepo-billionair-baby with financial interests phoned him and told him to do it... And that's apparently all it takes to do an "inception" on Trump.
It's exactly what you expect. Some New York nepo-billionair-baby with financial interests phoned him and told him to do it... And that's apparently all it takes to do an "inception" on Trump.
Reposted by James A Campbell
Trump has been in office for one year. We at @nature.com did a deep dive looking at the administration's disruption of science in numbers.
Take a look—the numbers are staggering. By me, @dangaristo.bsky.social, Jeff Tollefson, @kimay.bsky.social, & help from @noamross.net @scott-delaney.bsky.social
Take a look—the numbers are staggering. By me, @dangaristo.bsky.social, Jeff Tollefson, @kimay.bsky.social, & help from @noamross.net @scott-delaney.bsky.social
US science after a year of Trump: what has been lost and what remains
A series of graphics reveals how the Trump administration has sought historic cuts to science and the research workforce.
www.nature.com
January 20, 2026 at 6:08 PM
Trump has been in office for one year. We at @nature.com did a deep dive looking at the administration's disruption of science in numbers.
Take a look—the numbers are staggering. By me, @dangaristo.bsky.social, Jeff Tollefson, @kimay.bsky.social, & help from @noamross.net @scott-delaney.bsky.social
Take a look—the numbers are staggering. By me, @dangaristo.bsky.social, Jeff Tollefson, @kimay.bsky.social, & help from @noamross.net @scott-delaney.bsky.social
Reposted by James A Campbell
This graph makes me want to cry.
This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again.
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
January 20, 2026 at 11:54 PM
This graph makes me want to cry.
Has anyone heard of the journal F1000Research? Is this a sketchy-ass journal?
I just got a review invitation for a paper there that was submitted more than three years ago already!?!? (first published: 17 Oct 2022).
Very confused, and opted to decline this one.
#academiclife
I just got a review invitation for a paper there that was submitted more than three years ago already!?!? (first published: 17 Oct 2022).
Very confused, and opted to decline this one.
#academiclife
January 16, 2026 at 2:39 PM
Has anyone heard of the journal F1000Research? Is this a sketchy-ass journal?
I just got a review invitation for a paper there that was submitted more than three years ago already!?!? (first published: 17 Oct 2022).
Very confused, and opted to decline this one.
#academiclife
I just got a review invitation for a paper there that was submitted more than three years ago already!?!? (first published: 17 Oct 2022).
Very confused, and opted to decline this one.
#academiclife
"I'm old, I'm white, I'm a man, so everything's against me. And so didn't apply...".
Says the president of the Royal society after being elected a second term.
It's the same a-hole who refuses to consider removing Elon from the RS.
Says the president of the Royal society after being elected a second term.
It's the same a-hole who refuses to consider removing Elon from the RS.
The whole interview is deeply problematic; but this statement, right near the start of it, when questioned as to background behind him applying and getting a 2nd term as President, really takes the cookie:
“I’m old, I’m white, I’m a man, so everything’s against me. And so I didn't apply...". [2/3]
“I’m old, I’m white, I’m a man, so everything’s against me. And so I didn't apply...". [2/3]
January 12, 2026 at 7:40 PM
"I'm old, I'm white, I'm a man, so everything's against me. And so didn't apply...".
Says the president of the Royal society after being elected a second term.
It's the same a-hole who refuses to consider removing Elon from the RS.
Says the president of the Royal society after being elected a second term.
It's the same a-hole who refuses to consider removing Elon from the RS.
The r/RealOrAI subreddit is a goldmine for learning the subtle tells of convincing AI videos...and also fucking horrifying.
Most things I see on there, i would have never second guessed them.
Most things I see on there, i would have never second guessed them.
RealOrAI
Unsure if an image, video, or audio is real or AI-generated? Post it here and we'll figure it out together!
www.reddit.com
January 9, 2026 at 7:15 PM
The r/RealOrAI subreddit is a goldmine for learning the subtle tells of convincing AI videos...and also fucking horrifying.
Most things I see on there, i would have never second guessed them.
Most things I see on there, i would have never second guessed them.
Reposted by James A Campbell
I've been sitting on this for over a month...but given how cross I am with @royalsociety.org at their ongoing inaction over #Elon #Musk I thought I'd share this.
They invited me to serve on their Public Engagement Committee; I could have been more eloquent, but I had to give a firm "no"...
They invited me to serve on their Public Engagement Committee; I could have been more eloquent, but I had to give a firm "no"...
January 9, 2026 at 6:30 PM
I've been sitting on this for over a month...but given how cross I am with @royalsociety.org at their ongoing inaction over #Elon #Musk I thought I'd share this.
They invited me to serve on their Public Engagement Committee; I could have been more eloquent, but I had to give a firm "no"...
They invited me to serve on their Public Engagement Committee; I could have been more eloquent, but I had to give a firm "no"...
Finally making it through Grant's (3brown1blue) talk on transformer models.
Is there some nobel-prize of math communication we can give this guy? If not, can we just give him a "sexiest man alive" award?
Dude deserves every accolade for his fantasic math animations.
Is there some nobel-prize of math communication we can give this guy? If not, can we just give him a "sexiest man alive" award?
Dude deserves every accolade for his fantasic math animations.
Visualizing transformers and attention | Talk for TNG Big Tech Day '24
YouTube video by Grant Sanderson
youtube.com
January 4, 2026 at 5:22 PM
Finally making it through Grant's (3brown1blue) talk on transformer models.
Is there some nobel-prize of math communication we can give this guy? If not, can we just give him a "sexiest man alive" award?
Dude deserves every accolade for his fantasic math animations.
Is there some nobel-prize of math communication we can give this guy? If not, can we just give him a "sexiest man alive" award?
Dude deserves every accolade for his fantasic math animations.
Reposted by James A Campbell
Trump is trying to force US oil companies to rebuild Venezuelan oil fields that are too expensive to invest in at current crude prices while a full blown energy revolution is happening with cheap solar and electrification growing exponentially.
This is a dying empire shit.
This is a dying empire shit.
a lot of interesting revelations between the lines of this story www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
January 4, 2026 at 1:34 AM
Trump is trying to force US oil companies to rebuild Venezuelan oil fields that are too expensive to invest in at current crude prices while a full blown energy revolution is happening with cheap solar and electrification growing exponentially.
This is a dying empire shit.
This is a dying empire shit.
Reposted by James A Campbell
“I propose academic journals submit to independent regulation through an international quality-management standard. Organisations must demonstrate operations are customer-focused, committed to continual improvement, underpinned by systematic management approaches & evidence-based decision-making”
Put pressure on publishers to follow best practice — external regulation is the answer
Journals that work hard to meet the needs of both authors and readers should be acknowledged publicly — encouraging others to follow suit.
www.nature.com
December 31, 2025 at 7:37 AM
“I propose academic journals submit to independent regulation through an international quality-management standard. Organisations must demonstrate operations are customer-focused, committed to continual improvement, underpinned by systematic management approaches & evidence-based decision-making”
Dear #rstats,
Is there a good review paper (or vignette) that details when/how to use the tuning parameters for `optim(control = list())`.
The inner workings of these optimization algorithms are currently a blind spot for me, and i just use the default params and pray everything is fine.
Is there a good review paper (or vignette) that details when/how to use the tuning parameters for `optim(control = list())`.
The inner workings of these optimization algorithms are currently a blind spot for me, and i just use the default params and pray everything is fine.
December 28, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Dear #rstats,
Is there a good review paper (or vignette) that details when/how to use the tuning parameters for `optim(control = list())`.
The inner workings of these optimization algorithms are currently a blind spot for me, and i just use the default params and pray everything is fine.
Is there a good review paper (or vignette) that details when/how to use the tuning parameters for `optim(control = list())`.
The inner workings of these optimization algorithms are currently a blind spot for me, and i just use the default params and pray everything is fine.
Reposted by James A Campbell
Universities embracing generative AI be like:
another robot highlight for 2025: man wearing humanoid mocap suit kicks himself in the balls
December 27, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Universities embracing generative AI be like:
Reposted by James A Campbell
Worth noting that the student admits that she just threw the thing together in 30 minutes without reading the paper she was supposed to be responding to.
December 23, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Worth noting that the student admits that she just threw the thing together in 30 minutes without reading the paper she was supposed to be responding to.
"...we occasionally have to mention specific concepts before properly introducing and/or defining them---we ask the reader to bear with us in these cases."
It's always a pleasure to read papers where the author explicitly empathizes with the reader.
It's always a pleasure to read papers where the author explicitly empathizes with the reader.
December 23, 2025 at 2:01 PM
"...we occasionally have to mention specific concepts before properly introducing and/or defining them---we ask the reader to bear with us in these cases."
It's always a pleasure to read papers where the author explicitly empathizes with the reader.
It's always a pleasure to read papers where the author explicitly empathizes with the reader.
Reposted by James A Campbell
Canada doing Radio Free Europe for Americans
BREAKING: WATCH the full 60 Minutes CECOT segment here. This was sent to me anonymously. It appears to be the segment CBS' Bari Weiss killed. www.muellershewrote.com/p/watch-the-...
WATCH: The 60 Minutes CECOT Segment
I was sent the CECOT segment anonymously in a group chat.
www.muellershewrote.com
December 23, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Canada doing Radio Free Europe for Americans
For the underwater noise folk. Oceannoise2026 conferende dates. Once again in Barcelona (pretty happy about that).
2026.oceanoise.com
2026.oceanoise.com
December 22, 2025 at 4:18 PM
For the underwater noise folk. Oceannoise2026 conferende dates. Once again in Barcelona (pretty happy about that).
2026.oceanoise.com
2026.oceanoise.com
I've been patiently waiting for the right moment to try out the legal cannabis i grew over the summer... This is perfect👌
December 21, 2025 at 9:31 PM
I've been patiently waiting for the right moment to try out the legal cannabis i grew over the summer... This is perfect👌
Reposted by James A Campbell
Just decline the peer review invitation.
What are you people even doing?
What are you people even doing?
More than half of researchers now use AI for peer review — often against guidance
A survey of 1,600 academics found that more than 50% have used artificial-intelligence tools while peer reviewing manuscripts.
www.nature.com
December 16, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Just decline the peer review invitation.
What are you people even doing?
What are you people even doing?
This sounds very cool! First time i've heard of random encounter modeling (estimating abundances from "encounters" rather than observations of individuals).
Looking forward to making some time to go through this paper in more detail.
Looking forward to making some time to go through this paper in more detail.
My newest paper and 1st chapter from the PhD is also officially out!
I test how random encounter models work on reef fish 🐠Also great for anyone with a healthy dose of scepticism about reef fish survey methods
*Contains one of the most painful tables I've ever written.
doi.org/10.1111/2041...
I test how random encounter models work on reef fish 🐠Also great for anyone with a healthy dose of scepticism about reef fish survey methods
*Contains one of the most painful tables I've ever written.
doi.org/10.1111/2041...
Random encounter modelling as a viable method to estimate absolute abundance of reef fish
Remote underwater video (RUV) surveys are increasingly replacing diver-based underwater visual censuses (UVCs) in fish ecology studies, especially on coral reefs. However, extracting reliable esti...
doi.org
December 13, 2025 at 4:43 PM
This sounds very cool! First time i've heard of random encounter modeling (estimating abundances from "encounters" rather than observations of individuals).
Looking forward to making some time to go through this paper in more detail.
Looking forward to making some time to go through this paper in more detail.
Reposted by James A Campbell
How the BBC upholds fossil fuel industry narratives, 09/12/2025: an article about a battery storage project featuring one (1) person objecting to the scheme. The opinion is presented as indicative of popular opposition. No other viewpoint is offered.
December 10, 2025 at 10:58 AM
How the BBC upholds fossil fuel industry narratives, 09/12/2025: an article about a battery storage project featuring one (1) person objecting to the scheme. The opinion is presented as indicative of popular opposition. No other viewpoint is offered.
That's me 👇! I'll be giving a quick overview of my #acoustictelemetry positioning and clock synchronization toolset this thursday at the OTN study hall.
This Thursday! Come chat with @rtbecard.bsky.social about kaltoa - a package for Kalman filtered time-of-arrival positioning of acoustic tag detection data. Check the User Guide linked here, and come by Study hall this Thursday for questions with James! rtbecard.gitlab.io/kaltoa/
December 8, 2025 at 2:00 PM
That's me 👇! I'll be giving a quick overview of my #acoustictelemetry positioning and clock synchronization toolset this thursday at the OTN study hall.
Reposted by James A Campbell
Excellent article. Paragraph after paragraph is damning.
December 7, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Excellent article. Paragraph after paragraph is damning.