Dr Samuel Finnerty
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samuelfinnerty.bsky.social
Dr Samuel Finnerty
@samuelfinnerty.bsky.social
510 followers 270 following 220 posts
Wellcome Trust Funded Senior Research Associate @LancasterUni. Research Culture, Personal & Collective Identity, Moral Values, Prosocial Action, Climate Activism https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/psychology/about-us/people/samuel-finnerty#publications
Posts Replies Media Videos
samuelfinnerty.bsky.social
New paper, expertly led by Matthew Ivory, on whether ChatGPT could pass a psychology degree. The answer was pretty much yes (albeit a low scoring pass). A lot to unpack in the paper but tldr is we really need to rethink how we assess our degrees and what we want students to get out of university.
February 11, 2026 at 12:43 PM
Reposted by Dr Samuel Finnerty
berglundoscar.bsky.social
Had a great chat to one of the best climate journalists in the world, @amywestervelt.bsky.social, about criminalisation & repression of climate & environmental protest around the world the other day. Here’s the result.
amywestervelt.bsky.social Amy Westervelt @amywestervelt.bsky.social · 8d
It's hard to feel like anything but punching Nazis matters right now, so we @drilledmedia.bsky.social have been busy connecting the dots between climate and everything we're seeing around the world. Today: repression of protest w/ @berglundoscar.bsky.social

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkbF...
How the Backlash to Climate Protest Laid the Groundwork for What's Happening in U.S. Cities Today
YouTube video by Drilled
www.youtube.com
February 4, 2026 at 8:47 AM
Reposted by Dr Samuel Finnerty
maddipow.bsky.social
The Call for Papers is up! 📣

"What does the future of rigorous qualitative research look like in an era of open science, generative AI, increasing authoritarianism/geopolitical shifts, climate crisis and increasing concerns around research security?"

think.taylorandfrancis.com/special_issu...
February 3, 2026 at 9:25 AM
Reposted by Dr Samuel Finnerty
madalina.bsky.social
What motivates people to engage in climate advocacy?

In a new PNAS Nexus megastudy [https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgaf400] led by @dgoldwert.bsky.social we tested 17 theoretical interventions on a large US sample (N=31,324) to increase public, political, and financial climate advocacy.

1/5
January 27, 2026 at 6:23 PM
Reposted by Dr Samuel Finnerty
kristiansn89.bsky.social
🌍 New megastudy on what motivates people to engage in climate advocacy 🥳

We tested 17 theory-driven behavior change interventions to increase public, political, and financial #climate advocacy in the United States (N = 31,324).

academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
A megastudy of behavioral interventions to catalyze public, political, and financial climate advocacy
Abstract. Addressing climate change depends on large-scale system changes, which require public advocacy. Here, we identified and tested 17 expert-crowdsou
academic.oup.com
January 29, 2026 at 10:00 AM
Reposted by Dr Samuel Finnerty
thierryaaron.bsky.social
Go see this film

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“It’s a tremendous piece of work”

“A powerful, thought provoking and inspirational film”

“Many, many people need to see this”

“It’s your first film, and yet still better than most #climate documentaries I’ve seen!”
January 24, 2026 at 9:50 AM
Reposted by Dr Samuel Finnerty
abeba.bsky.social
if you’re passionate about AI accountability research and enjoy working in a vibrant lab with a multi-disciplinary team but not interested in doing traditional academic work, this position might be for you
abeba.bsky.social Dr Abeba Birhane @abeba.bsky.social · 22d
I’m looking for my right-hand person to come help me run the @aial.ie

- Job Title: Lab Coordinator, AI Accountability Lab (0.8 FTE)
- Pay Scale: (€58,999 - €69,325 per annum pro-rata)
- Closing Date: 11-Feb-2026 12:00

Apply here: my.corehr.com/pls/trrecrui...

Main Responsibilities👇🏾
Main Responsibilities Operational and Financial Administration: • Coordinate the day-to-day operational and administrative activities of the AI Accountability Lab. • Oversee lab budgets and financial planning for research grants and cost centres; monitor expenditure and prepare financial reports for the PI and Faculty Finance Office. • Ensure adherence to Trinity and funder financial policies and procurement procedures. • Maintain internal administrative systems, documentation, and records to support efficient project delivery. • Liaise with central Finance, the Research Development Office, and external funding bodies on budgetary and governance matters. • Coordinate HR administrative processes for the lab, including recruitment, onboarding, contract administration, and research staff extensions in liaison with central HR and the Research Office. • Create and maintain shared resources, calendars, and internal documentation. • Coordinate relationships and collaboration with other research centres, government bodies, policy makers, civil society partners, and media as required by the research team. • Plan and schedule internal lab meetings, reading groups, invited speakers, collaborative work sessions, and other events as required. Research Coordination and Governance: • Track project timelines, deliverables, reporting schedules, and ethical compliance across multiple funded projects. • Ensure research activities meet Trinity and funder governance requirements (e.g., ethics, data management, GDPR, and reporting). • Coordinate workshops, seminars, and collaborative events with research centres and external partners as required. • Maintain shared documentation and project records to support effective collaboration. • Ensure that research outputs comply with ethical and scientific standards and satisfy the terms and conditions of relevant funding bodies. Communications and External Engagement • Coordinate internal and external communications for the lab, including its website, newsletters, and social media presence. • Liaise with policy makers, media, and stakeholder organisations on behalf of the lab, in consultation with the PI. • Support the dissemination of research outputs, such as academic publications, policy briefs, and public events in collaboration with ADAPT’s and TCD’s communications staff. • Work with Trinity Communications to prepare press releases and highlight lab achievements. • Representing the lab externally with media if required. Planning and Cross-Centre Coordination • Support the PI in delivering AIAL’s annual operational plan and reporting on progress against objectives. • Coordinate activities across multiple projects and partnerships to ensure consistency and alignment with institutional priorities. • Contribute to process improvements that strengthen the lab’s administrative and operational framework. • Act as a key contact for internal governance reviews, audits, and funder compliance checks. Any other duties or responsibilities as assigned by the PI or their delegate in support of the effective operation of the AI Accountability Lab and its objectives.
January 21, 2026 at 4:25 PM
Reposted by Dr Samuel Finnerty
abeba.bsky.social
I’m looking for my right-hand person to come help me run the @aial.ie

- Job Title: Lab Coordinator, AI Accountability Lab (0.8 FTE)
- Pay Scale: (€58,999 - €69,325 per annum pro-rata)
- Closing Date: 11-Feb-2026 12:00

Apply here: my.corehr.com/pls/trrecrui...

Main Responsibilities👇🏾
Main Responsibilities Operational and Financial Administration: • Coordinate the day-to-day operational and administrative activities of the AI Accountability Lab. • Oversee lab budgets and financial planning for research grants and cost centres; monitor expenditure and prepare financial reports for the PI and Faculty Finance Office. • Ensure adherence to Trinity and funder financial policies and procurement procedures. • Maintain internal administrative systems, documentation, and records to support efficient project delivery. • Liaise with central Finance, the Research Development Office, and external funding bodies on budgetary and governance matters. • Coordinate HR administrative processes for the lab, including recruitment, onboarding, contract administration, and research staff extensions in liaison with central HR and the Research Office. • Create and maintain shared resources, calendars, and internal documentation. • Coordinate relationships and collaboration with other research centres, government bodies, policy makers, civil society partners, and media as required by the research team. • Plan and schedule internal lab meetings, reading groups, invited speakers, collaborative work sessions, and other events as required. Research Coordination and Governance: • Track project timelines, deliverables, reporting schedules, and ethical compliance across multiple funded projects. • Ensure research activities meet Trinity and funder governance requirements (e.g., ethics, data management, GDPR, and reporting). • Coordinate workshops, seminars, and collaborative events with research centres and external partners as required. • Maintain shared documentation and project records to support effective collaboration. • Ensure that research outputs comply with ethical and scientific standards and satisfy the terms and conditions of relevant funding bodies. Communications and External Engagement • Coordinate internal and external communications for the lab, including its website, newsletters, and social media presence. • Liaise with policy makers, media, and stakeholder organisations on behalf of the lab, in consultation with the PI. • Support the dissemination of research outputs, such as academic publications, policy briefs, and public events in collaboration with ADAPT’s and TCD’s communications staff. • Work with Trinity Communications to prepare press releases and highlight lab achievements. • Representing the lab externally with media if required. Planning and Cross-Centre Coordination • Support the PI in delivering AIAL’s annual operational plan and reporting on progress against objectives. • Coordinate activities across multiple projects and partnerships to ensure consistency and alignment with institutional priorities. • Contribute to process improvements that strengthen the lab’s administrative and operational framework. • Act as a key contact for internal governance reviews, audits, and funder compliance checks. Any other duties or responsibilities as assigned by the PI or their delegate in support of the effective operation of the AI Accountability Lab and its objectives.
January 21, 2026 at 11:17 AM
Reposted by Dr Samuel Finnerty
doctorvive.bsky.social
As Bill Gates recommends a “strategic pivot” away from climate change, the Gates Foundation made record investments in fossil fuel companies in 2024, despite its 2019 pledge to divest.

No one should ever listen to Gates about climate change again.
Bill Gates charity trust's holdings in fossil fuel firms rise despite divestment claims Trust had $254m invested in companies such as Chevron, BP and Shell in 2024, a nine-year record, analysis shows
January 20, 2026 at 12:27 PM
Reposted by Dr Samuel Finnerty
rosaleenduffy.bsky.social
This ought to be a huge national news story. But the quiet dismantling of a key sector barely registers outside HE. Maybe someone will care when the local economies that Unis sustain start to go bust too. Important story from @patrickjack.bsky.social & @timeshighered.bsky.social
chrishavergal.bsky.social Chris Havergal @chrishavergal.bsky.social · 28d
Ninety UK universities to have posted accounts so far cut 13,300 jobs last year, spending £303 million on severance pay - sector-wide total clearly going to be well in excess of predicted 10,000. Great reporting by @patrickjack.bsky.social www.timeshighereducation.com/news/pay-spe...
Pay-off spend up by two-thirds as universities shed 13,000 jobs
Analysis of UK sector accounts shows number of job losses well above predictions, with experts warning cuts are not over yet
www.timeshighereducation.com
January 15, 2026 at 9:10 AM
Reposted by Dr Samuel Finnerty
thierryaaron.bsky.social
⚡2026 is a turning point. UK #climate & environmental activists face both crisis & opportunity.

Fascism rises, the #climate agenda is under attack, & political representation is urgent.

🧵A longish thread on why we must unite behind @zackpolanski.bsky.social & the @greenparty.org.uk 💚
January 8, 2026 at 9:46 AM
Reposted by Dr Samuel Finnerty
allouryesterdays.bsky.social
Interview with @abiperrin.bsky.social : “academia isn’t responding robustly to a world that’s literally and metaphorically on fire”

allouryesterdays.info/2026/01/08/i...
Interview with Abi Perrin: "academia isn’t responding robustly to a world that’s literally and metaphorically on fire" - All Our Yesterdays
Dr Abi Perrin, who was one of the presenters at November’s National Emergency Briefing kindly did an email interview. Her website is here. This post is especially worth your time. She is on Bluesky as...
allouryesterdays.info
January 8, 2026 at 10:06 AM
Reposted by Dr Samuel Finnerty
dieworkwear.bsky.social
I am pleased to announce that I have commandeered my neighbor's home. This home will be sold at its Market Price, and that money will be controlled by me, to ensure it is used to benefit my neighbor and me! Thank you for your attention to this matter!
January 7, 2026 at 2:44 AM
samuelfinnerty.bsky.social
Given the proliferation of LLM generated online discourse and synthetic data, why not read my latest paper involving speaking to actual real human beings in real life 'Scientists as Activists: An Ethnography of the 'Critical Moments' in Scientists' Transition to Activism' osf.io/preprints/ps...
OSF
osf.io
December 16, 2025 at 12:50 PM
Reposted by Dr Samuel Finnerty
johnvidler.co.uk
I've recently started a project to provide stable identifiers for 'artifacts' (mostly maker/research/hobby electronics) to help combat link rot and aid discoverability.

It works much like DOIs for papers, but is based on an open index maintained on GitHub - see hwidx.org for details :)
Hardware Index
hwidx.org
December 9, 2025 at 10:58 AM
Reposted by Dr Samuel Finnerty
bo-yao.bsky.social
🚀 Job alert for ML researchers who love "impossible" problems:

Detect inner speech from EEG signals. No labels. Lots of noise.

Standard methods failed. We will invent something new.

Deadline: Jan 4, 2026

hr-jobs.lancs.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx...

#DeepLearning #Neuroscience #AIResearch
Job Opportunity at Lancaster University: Senior Research Associate in Machine Learning for Spontaneous Inner Speech Detection
The Department of Psychology at Lancaster University is seeking to appoint a Senior Research Associate in Machine Learning (ML), at 0.8 FTE (4 days per week) to develop novel computational methods for...
hr-jobs.lancs.ac.uk
December 1, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Reposted by Dr Samuel Finnerty
thierryaaron.bsky.social
"What makes Sudan's crisis even more alarming is its invisibility. The world is not watching closely enough"

The Sudanese civil war is creating the world's worst humanitarian disaster with 12 million people now displaced

This 🧵traces the deep connections b/w this conflict & the #ClimateCrisis 1/n
"The cost of silence in Sudan’s civil war is too high"
As Sudan’s brutal civil war rages on, more than 12 million people have been displaced — deepening an already devastating protection and humanitarian crisis. In this episode of The Humans in Human Righ...
www.ohchr.org
November 27, 2025 at 10:43 AM
samuelfinnerty.bsky.social
🧪👩‍🔬 Scientist Advocacy & Public Trust — Webinar Now Available 📣
Last month I had the pleasure of joining a @newswise.bsky.social panel on Scientist Advocacy and Public Trust
I led the research segment, drawing on our new review
osf.io/preprints/ps...

vimeo.com/1124387582

1/n
Scientists, Advocacy, and Public Trust - Research to Practice Webinar
Part of the Newswise Research to Practice webinar series, this discussion panel explores how institutions can support researchers as they engage with media and policy…
vimeo.com
November 25, 2025 at 11:11 AM
Reposted by Dr Samuel Finnerty
anne-urai.bsky.social
My latest: with @fdabl.bsky.social and JW Bolderdijk we argue that environmental psychology needs formal theory to make progress and increase real-world impact

doi.org/10.1016/j.co...

Part of special issue Behavioral Science for Climate Change by @madalina.bsky.social & @neurograce.bsky.social
Redirecting
doi.org
November 24, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Reposted by Dr Samuel Finnerty
samuelfinnerty.bsky.social
Scientists are becoming more visible in public climate debates, but the effects of this engagement are far from straightforward. We often hear strong claims about credibility and trust, yet what does the evidence say? Our new preprint explores this osf.io/preprints/ps...

Thread 1/n
November 19, 2025 at 4:16 PM
samuelfinnerty.bsky.social
Great opportunity here to join the AI Accountability Lab with @abeba.bsky.social
abeba.bsky.social Dr Abeba Birhane @abeba.bsky.social · Nov 19
if you are considering submitting an application for this position, you still have just under 2 weeks to do so

any and all suitable candidates, please apply. everyone else, pls share with your networks
abeba.bsky.social Dr Abeba Birhane @abeba.bsky.social · Oct 30
📣 I am hiring a postdoc! aial.ie/hiring/postd...

applications from suitable candidates that are passionate about investigating the use of genAI in public service operations with the aim of keeping governments transparent and accountable are welcome

pls share with your networks
November 19, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Reposted by Dr Samuel Finnerty
lydiamessling.bsky.social
This is top maternity leave productivity here, if I say so myself* 👇🏻
Our preprint is perfect as a quick recce of the research into scientists’ advocacy and activism - the motivations, barriers, tricky bits, and what different people think is good and not so good, and what we might need next.
samuelfinnerty.bsky.social Dr Samuel Finnerty @samuelfinnerty.bsky.social · Nov 19
Scientists are becoming more visible in public climate debates, but the effects of this engagement are far from straightforward. We often hear strong claims about credibility and trust, yet what does the evidence say? Our new preprint explores this osf.io/preprints/ps...

Thread 1/n
November 19, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Reposted by Dr Samuel Finnerty
kristiansn89.bsky.social
⚠️ When “technology will save us” becomes a climate risk!

A new paper from great colleagues takes a careful look at techno-optimism — the belief that technology will largely solve climate change — and what it means for real-world climate action.
(1/4)👇
osf.io/preprints/ps...
November 19, 2025 at 4:26 PM
samuelfinnerty.bsky.social
Scientists are becoming more visible in public climate debates, but the effects of this engagement are far from straightforward. We often hear strong claims about credibility and trust, yet what does the evidence say? Our new preprint explores this osf.io/preprints/ps...

Thread 1/n
November 19, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Reposted by Dr Samuel Finnerty
profjohndrury.bsky.social
Research Fellow post on UKRI-funded interdisciplinary project on enhancing climate resilience among farming and pastoralist communities in eastern Africa

Come and work with us!
Please share

jobs.sussex.ac.uk/job/181bad99...
Research Fellow Ref 42079 (Fixed Term) - Job page - University of Sussex Job Search
jobs.sussex.ac.uk
November 12, 2025 at 1:42 PM