Morteza Dehghani
@mdehghani.bsky.social
720 followers 270 following 42 posts
Professor of Psychology and Computer Science at USC
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mdehghani.bsky.social
We're looking for a PhD in Computer Science, Psychology, or Political Science with a strong computational background. ($84-85k salary).

usccareers.usc.edu/job/los-ange...

Happy to answer any questions!

#postdoc #hiring #USC #AI #ComputationalSocialScience #AIforGood
Postdoctoral Scholar - Research Associate at USC
Learn more about applying for Postdoctoral Scholar - Research Associate at USC
usccareers.usc.edu
mdehghani.bsky.social
Come work with us at USC! We're hiring an NSF-funded Postdoc for the Everyday Respect Project. 🤖

You'll work directly with me, Ben Graham, and Shri Narayanan, using cutting-edge AI to analyze police body-worn camera footage to improve police-community relations.
Postdoctoral Scholar - Research Associate at USC
Learn more about applying for Postdoctoral Scholar - Research Associate at USC
usccareers.usc.edu
Reposted by Morteza Dehghani
payampiray.bsky.social
New paper with @nathanieldaw.bsky.social in Nature Communications: an RL model that builds a successor map compositionally. The new model plans as well as the best models, and it links components of the map used for planning to neural codes in the medial entorhinal cortex.
rdcu.be/eAofi
Reconciling flexibility and efficiency: medial entorhinal cortex represents a compositional cognitive map
Nature Communications - How the brain creates compositional cognitive maps that support both flexible and efficient planning remains poorly understood. Here, authors propose a...
rdcu.be
mdehghani.bsky.social
Understanding this dynamic is crucial. External calls for regime change often backfire, strengthening the regime's narrative. The path forward is a psychological shift, not a political one. (2/2)
mdehghani.bsky.social
My new op-ed in the @nytimes.

I argue that Iranians are caught in a state of “moral paralysis,” a psychological trap set by the Islamic Republic itself. It pits two of our most sacred values against each other: liberation vs. self-determination. (1/2) www.nytimes.com/2025/06/28/o...
Opinion | The Moral Paralysis Facing Iranians Right Now
www.nytimes.com
mdehghani.bsky.social
Check up on your Iranian colleagues and students; this is a full-on war!
Reposted by Morteza Dehghani
mehdirhasan.bsky.social
Watch this montage of clips from Israel's Channel 14, filled with racist and genocidal bile, shocking stuff, ask yourself why you don't see these clips on US or UK mainstream news, and then read Prem's deep dive for Zeteo into Channel 14:
zeteo.com/p/inside-the...
mdehghani.bsky.social
This position is remote and can be anywhere in the U.S. If interested, send me a resume. I won’t be able to respond to all messages.
mdehghani.bsky.social
This is a unique opportunity to contribute fundamental research, while also applying and operationalizing your findings to build cutting-edge AI evaluation systems in a fast-paced, impactful environment!
mdehghani.bsky.social
We’re looking for a researcher to work on methods and building tools for AI evaluation. We are seeking candidates with expertise at the intersection of agentic systems and personalization, demonstrated by a strong publication record in relevant venues.
mdehghani.bsky.social
I am very sorry to hear that, Maddy.
Reposted by Morteza Dehghani
philklay.bsky.social
“There is no God but God, Muhammad is his messenger,” the paramedic is heard saying. He asks God for forgiveness and says he knows he is going to die.

“Forgive me, mother. This is the path I chose — to help people,” he said. “Allahu akbar,” God is great, he says.

www.nytimes.com/2025/04/04/w...
Video Shows Aid Workers Killed in Gaza Under Gunfire Barrage, With Ambulance Lights On
www.nytimes.com
Reposted by Morteza Dehghani
premthakker.bsky.social
BREAKING: Yuval Abraham, co-director of Oscar-winning documentary "No Other Land," says Israeli settlers beat his co-director Hamdan Ballal, injuring his head and stomach — and then Israeli soldiers invaded the ambulance he was in and seized him.

Ballal's whereabouts are now unknown.
Tweet from Yuval Abraham:
"A group of settlers just lynched Hamdan Ballal, co director of our film no other land. They beat him and he has injuries in his head and stomach, bleeding. Soldiers invaded the ambulance he called, and took him. No sign of him since."
mdehghani.bsky.social
Such a great read! Thanks
mdehghani.bsky.social
Anyway to share a version outside the paywall?
mdehghani.bsky.social
Very similar to the Islamic Republic
Reposted by Morteza Dehghani
lingprof.bsky.social
So Cal Stand Up for Science: Fri Mar 7 noon @the Wilshire Federal Building
mdehghani.bsky.social
The paper covers key considerations for using LLMs, including transparency, validation, and dealing with model updates. We also provide a checklist for ensuring high-quality research. This work was led by @sabdurah.bsky.social and @alirezaziabari.bsky.social
mdehghani.bsky.social
At @spspnews.bsky.social, many asked for guidelines on using LLMs in the social sciences. Our new paper in AMPPS addresses exactly that! We provide a primer for evaluating LLMs in social science research, focusing on methodological rigor, replicability, and validity: osf.io/preprints/ps...
mdehghani.bsky.social
Our new paper in PNAS Nexus. County morals > politics for carbon footprints? 🤯 We find that county-level values predict actual green behavior (emissions!), not just attitudes. Stronger than political leaning.
pnasnexus.org
A study finds that moral values predict environmental action as well as or better than political party affiliation. US counties where residents prioritize purity and fairness report higher environmental concerns and lower carbon emissions. In PNAS Nexus: academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
A woman with pro-environmental signs. Stock photo.
mdehghani.bsky.social
Very cool work on the intersection of interpretability and multi-lingual LLMs, led by @elnaz-rahmati.bsky.social