Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Gabriel Fajardo

Mark Thornton @markthornton.bsky.social · 4d

We're a month further into the job market - how are things looking? The good news is that the market does seem to have been delayed: ~150 new listings have appeared since my last post. The bad news is that the total is still substantially lower than what it was during the covid dip.

2 20 47

Gabriel Fajardo @gabefajardo.bsky.social · 6d

We are grateful to the curators of the StudyForrest dataset (studyforrest.org) for making this project possible. And special thanks to Mengting and Stefano - I could not have asked for kinder and sharper mentors to guide me through my first research project!

preprint: osf.io/preprints/ps...

studyforrest.org

1

Gabriel Fajardo @gabefajardo.bsky.social · 6d

Using artificial neural networks, we examined the relationship between multivariate response patterns in the auditory cortex, the two visual streams, and the rest of the brain, revealing that distinct portions of the STS combine information from the two visual streams with auditory information.

Fig. 2. a. Voxels showing significant effects (p < 0.05, FWE corrected) for the combination of auditory responses with responses in V3d and V5 (red), and auditory responses with responses in V3v and V4 (green). b. Voxels showing significant effects for the combination of responses in V3v and V4 with responses in V3d and V5 (blue). c. Fisher transformed Pearson correlation values between the auditory+dorsal and auditory+ventral combined-minus-max models, computed across the top 50 voxels in the STS (left) and the top 100 voxels across the whole brain (right) showing the greatest change in variance explained across both models. d. Pearson correlation values between combined-minus-max effect patterns from the auditory+dorsal and auditory+ventral models within an STS ROI. We computed these correlations across 500 splits of the participants into two equal groups, comparing pattern similarity within the same model across splits (e.g. AUD+dorsal and AUD+dorsal) to the similarity of patterns between different models across splits (e.g. AUD+dorsal in split 1 to AUD+ventral in split 2: “AD1 / AV2”).

1 2

Gabriel Fajardo @gabefajardo.bsky.social · 6d

Does the STS function as a centralized hub, combining auditory input with visual input from both streams? Or do distinct regions separately integrate auditory information with ventral and dorsal visual inputs?

1 1

Gabriel Fajardo @gabefajardo.bsky.social · 6d

The superior temporal sulcus (STS) combines auditory and visual information. However, the division of the visual system into a ventral and a dorsal stream prompts questions about their relative contributions in this process.

1 1

Gabriel Fajardo @gabefajardo.bsky.social · 6d

I’m excited to share my 1st first-authored paper, “Distinct portions of superior temporal sulcus combine auditory representations with different visual streams” (with @mtfang.bsky.social and @steanze.bsky.social ), now out in The Journal of Neuroscience!
www.jneurosci.org/content/earl...

Fig. 1. a. Visual and auditory regions of interest (ROIs). b. Responses in a combination of visual (e.g., early dorsal visual stream; Fig. 1a, middle panel) and auditory regions were used to predict responses in the rest of the brain using MVPN. c. In order to identify brain regions that combine responses from auditory and visual regions, we identified voxels where predictions generated using the combined patterns from auditory regions and one set of visual regions jointly (as shown in Fig. 1b) are significantly more accurate than predictions generated using only auditory regions or only that set of visual regions.

1 10 19

Reposted by Gabriel Fajardo

Youngki Hong @youngkihong.bsky.social · 28d

I’m admitting 1–2 Ph.D. students to join my lab in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at CU Boulder, starting Fall 2026. We study person perception, stereotyping and prejudice, and intervention science.

Application info: www.colorado.edu/psych-neuro/...
Lab info: www.svmlab.org

Colorado Social Vision & Mind Lab

The Social Vision & Mind Lab (Director: Youngki Hong, Ph.D.) at the University of Colorado Boulder explores how people perceive and make sense of the physica...

www.svmlab.org

1 12 21

Reposted by Gabriel Fajardo

Youngki Hong @youngkihong.bsky.social · Aug 28

Job alert: I'm hiring a postdoc for my lab at CU Boulder starting Fall 2026!

We study person perception, stereotyping & prejudice, and intervention science using behavioral & neuroimaging methods.

Link: jobs.colorado.edu/jobs/JobDeta...

Review starts Nov 1 and continues until filled.

Postdoctoral Associate

jobs.colorado.edu

19 20

Reposted by Gabriel Fajardo

DongWon OH | 오동원 | 吳東源 @dongwonoh.bsky.social · 15d

Six years in the making, a postdoc project with @freemanjb.bsky.social is finally now out in print. Many thanks to Jon and @hennavartiainen.bsky.social and everyone who made this important work possible.

Jon Freeman @freemanjb.bsky.social · 19d

New findings from my lab in Nature Communications suggest that racial stereotypes can lead the brain's perceptual system to temporarily "see" weapons where they don't exist.

Led by: @dongwonoh.bsky.social

Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

(1/6)

8 21

Reposted by Gabriel Fajardo

Landry Bulls @landrybulls.bsky.social · 22d

Excited to share the preprint for my 1st 1st-author manuscript! @markthornton.bsky.social and I show that people hold robust, structured beliefs about how individual mental states unfold in intensity over time. We find that these beliefs are reflected in other domains of mental state understanding.

2 6 33

Reposted by Gabriel Fajardo

Mark Thornton @markthornton.bsky.social · Sep 4

Today, SCRAP Lab returned (right) to the Path of Life Garden in Windsor, VT - the site of our first in-person get-together as a lab 5 years ago (left) - to welcome our newest member, graduate student @gabefajardo.bsky.social!

4 16

Reposted by Gabriel Fajardo

Mark Thornton @markthornton.bsky.social · Sep 3

The psych job market may not be dead... but it is gravely injured 😬 So far it's looking like the Trump administration's attacks on higher ed/research are going to have more than 2x the impact on the job market as the covid-19 pandemic. #psychjobs #neurojobs #academicjobs

Bar plot showing the number of psychology jobs posted each year by area. There are major dips in 2020 due to covid, and in 2025 (now).

14 73 160

Reposted by Gabriel Fajardo

Jon Freeman @freemanjb.bsky.social · Jun 18

In a TiCS paper, @chujunlin.bsky.social & I propose a high-dimensional model of social impressions.

Existing models focus on 2–4 latent dimensions (e.g. trustworthy/warm), but they often fall apart across different contexts, cultures, & perceivers. We need a paradigm shift.

shorturl.at/7GD1n (1/8)

A high-dimensional model of social impressions

People form social impressions from visual cues such as faces, which are argued by various models to arise from some limited set of fixed dimensions (e.g., trustworthiness and dominance). We argue tha...

www.cell.com

3 18 56

Reposted by Gabriel Fajardo

Youngki Hong @youngkihong.bsky.social · Jun 2

Excited to share that I’ll be joining the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at @colorado.edu as an Assistant Professor this fall! My lab will study social cognition, focusing on the cognitive and neural bases of stereotyping and bias interventions.

Home

colorado.edu

3 5 36

Reposted by Gabriel Fajardo

Jon Freeman @freemanjb.bsky.social · May 21

🚨 A new rule would let career scientists like NSF/NIH program officers be replaced by political appointees

Already 14,000+ public comments, deadline is Friday

📣 Comments can be short. Courts consider them—and scientists with NSF/NIH experience are especially impactful

Speak up! shorturl.at/WKuBj

26 520 540

Reposted by Gabriel Fajardo

Chujun Lin @chujunlin.bsky.social · May 21

🥳Excited to share that I am joining Columbia July 2025
@columbiauniversity.bsky.social

Looking for🚨lab managers🚨postdocs🚨grad students! Pls REPOST🙏

We study⭐️person perception⭐️social cognition using experimental, cross-cultural, & computational methods!

App👉shorturl.at/5UVPl
More👉shorturl.at/q18GM

10 19 54

Reposted by Gabriel Fajardo

Emily Finn @esfinn.bsky.social · May 9

Despite everything going on, I may have funds to hire a postdoc this year 😬🤞🧑‍🔬 Open to a wide variety of possible projects in social and cognitive neuroscience. Get in touch if you are interested! Reposts appreciated.

3 100 130

Reposted by Gabriel Fajardo

Mark Thornton @markthornton.bsky.social · Apr 26

SCRAP Lab had a great time at #SANS2025! Can't wait till next year!

5 38

Gabriel Fajardo @gabefajardo.bsky.social · Apr 25

Thanks :)

Gabriel Fajardo @gabefajardo.bsky.social · Apr 21

Now accepting applications! 🚨 As the current lab manager, I can confidently say this is an incredible opportunity to gain lots of hands-on research experience and prepare for grad school. You'll be part of a vibrant community (+ city) and work alongside many brilliant scientists - don't miss out!

Jon Freeman @freemanjb.bsky.social · Apr 21

Job alert 🚨

We’re hiring a full-time research staff assistant at Columbia starting Fall 2025! The position will focus on several topics in the lab, including the cognitive & neural mechanisms underlying dynamic social perception using fMRI & natural language processing.

Link: freemanlab.org/ra2025

1 7

Reposted by Gabriel Fajardo

Cientifico Latino, Inc. @cientificolatino.com · Apr 8

Applying to STEM grad programs? 🎓

Sign ups are ✨OPEN✨ for #GSMI2025! 🤩

The GSMI program supports applicants through 1-on-1 mentorship, fee waivers, professional development, and community building!

Applications accepted on a ROLLING basis until 5/31!
cientificolatino.com/gsmi

MORE INFO in 🧵 1/

Graduate School Mentorship Intiative (GSMI). Our mission is to help STEM students from underserved communities get accepted into graduate programs. Apply by 5/31/25 to be one of our 100 scholars.
Program benefits:
* Personal STEM mentor
* Application Advice
* Supportive community
* Fee waivers
* Mock interviews
* Webinars and resources.
For more info: cientificolatino.com/gsmi
Cientifico Latino and Simons Foundation logos.

2 13 13

Gabriel Fajardo @gabefajardo.bsky.social · Apr 16

Thanks!!

1

Gabriel Fajardo @gabefajardo.bsky.social · Apr 15

Thank you!!!

1

Gabriel Fajardo @gabefajardo.bsky.social · Apr 15

I'm THRILLED to announce that this fall, I will be joining the Psychological and Brain Sciences department at Dartmouth as a PhD student!!! I'll will be working with the amazing @markthornton.bsky.social and the SCRAP Lab! 🌲🧠

2 4 38

Reposted by Gabriel Fajardo

William J. Brady @williambrady.bsky.social · Feb 20

Gabriel Fajardo & @freemanjb.bsky.social have created a new connectionist model of trait formation (impression from faces). High dimension, dynamic models may buy us better model outcomes and situational variability #spsp2025 #comppsych

1 6 14