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Nikola Stikov

@stikov.bsky.social

1K followers 330 following 180 posts

Professor at École Polytechnique / University of Montreal Co-founder of NeuroLibre.org, qMRLab.org, MRBalkan.net and KANTAROT.MK

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Nikola Stikov @stikov.bsky.social · Jul 28

Hello Bluesky!

Here are some of my recent writings as a way of introducing myself

1. I dislike writing long and boring academic papers. I dislike it so much, I got a PhD from Stanford without publishing a single one

https://open.substack.com/pub/qantarot/p/10-page-pdfs

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Nikola Stikov @stikov.bsky.social · 6h

I moderated a fun debate at the @esmrmb.bsky.social microstructure workshop today. We asked the panelists to argue for and against the clinical potential of qMRI. Inspired by the Munk debates, we polled the audience before and after the discussion. It appears the pessimists won by a small margin:)

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Nikola Stikov @stikov.bsky.social · 22d

Another NeuroLibre publication that puts reproducibility at the forefront. Congratulations @evaalonsoortiz.bsky.social for getting it accepted in the Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences!

preprint.neurolibre.org/10.55458/neu...

Representation in Brain Imaging Research: A Quebec demographic overview - Representation in Brain Imaging Research

preprint.neurolibre.org

Reposted by Nikola Stikov

Magnetic Resonance News @nmr900.bsky.social · Sep 8

RT New York Structural Biology Center @NYSBC_Science 3rd NYC Integrative Structural Biology Symposium (NYC-ISB25) October 9-10, 2025, CUNY Advanced Science Research Center, New York, NY nyc-isb25.eventbrite.com free to register #NMRchat 🧲

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Nikola Stikov @stikov.bsky.social · Aug 28

Welcoming the new biomedical engineering graduate students to @polymtl.bsky.social

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Nikola Stikov @stikov.bsky.social · Aug 25

MAGMA is leading the way in open MRI, as demonstrated by this excellent editorial

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Advancing MRI, together: open science in MR research - Magnetic Resonance Materials in Physics, Biology and Medicine

Magnetic Resonance Materials in Physics, Biology and Medicine -

link.springer.com

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Nikola Stikov @stikov.bsky.social · Aug 17

Writing Japanese is a Sisyphean pleasure

Marco Giancotti @marco-giancotti.bsky.social · Aug 15

I Used to Know How to Write in Japanese
(Somehow, though, I can still read it)

aethermug.com/posts/i-use...

I Used to Know How to Write in Japanese

Somehow, though, I can still read it

aethermug.com

Nikola Stikov @stikov.bsky.social · Jul 11

Johnes Obungoloch (PhD) first visited us at @polymtl in 2019 for the first edition of the MRathon. Six years later, he is back in Montreal building a low-field MRI scanner with Udunna Anazodo

It was a pleasure welcoming him back to the NeuroPoly lab together with @jcohenadad.bsky.social

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Nikola Stikov @stikov.bsky.social · Jul 10

One of these days I'll return to OHBM, it's been a while...

In the meantime, let me know if you want to visit Abu Dhabi this fall. We have a couple of exciting events there this fall. Will DM when the news is out

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Reposted by Nikola Stikov

Magnetic Resonance News @nmr900.bsky.social · Jul 10

Alan Charles Evans, O.C.
Montréal, Quebec, Officer of The Order of Canada

Alan Evans has transformed brain imaging research, leading to major breakthroughs in understanding neuronal development, aging and Alzheimer’s disease www.gg.ca/en/order-can...

Order of Canada Appointees – June 30, 2025

Companions W. Ford Doolittle, C.C. Halifax, Nova Scotia

www.gg.ca

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Nikola Stikov @stikov.bsky.social · Jul 10

Good to be back in Montreal, just in time to celebrate Alan Evans' appointment to the order of Canada.

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Nikola Stikov @stikov.bsky.social · Jun 5

qantarot.substack.com

KANTAROT / КАНТАРОТ | Foundation KANTAROT | Substack

Science, culture and mental fitness / Наука, култура и ментална фискултура. Click to read KANTAROT / КАНТАРОТ, a Substack publication with hundreds of subscribers.

qantarot.substack.com

Nikola Stikov @stikov.bsky.social · Jun 5

Our foundation's Substack newsletter made it to the top 100 "Rising in science" list!

Subscribe now to keep us rising, link below

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Reposted by Nikola Stikov

Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives @hbhlmcgill.bsky.social · May 5

HBHL, @braincanada.bsky.social & @bhi-icc.bsky.social are looking for researchers to give TED-style talks on brain health for a public audience!

Selected PIs will speak at the 2025 Amazing Brain Science Talks, held in November at @banq-officiel.bsky.social. 🧠🧪

📬 Apply by June 2: mcgill.ca/x/ix5

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Reposted by Nikola Stikov

CONP_PCNO @conp-pcno.bsky.social · May 20

Great news for #OpenScience in Montreal! @BrainCanada is investing in six incredible platforms to drive innovation (t.ly/Aqfbz), including the Canadian Open Neuroscience Platform (‪@conp-pcno.bsky.social‬)! This funding will accelerate brain research and collaboration. #Neuroscience #BrainResearch

Driving Open Science Innovation

Brain Canada’s flagship Platform Support Grants program supports interdisciplinary collaboration and enhance Canada’s technical and research capabilities.

t.ly

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Nikola Stikov @stikov.bsky.social · May 20

Looking forward to working with an all-star team of Canadian neuroscientists 2/2

braincanada.ca/funded_grant...

The Canadian Open Neuroscience Platform

Donate today to support bold science for brain health

braincanada.ca

Nikola Stikov @stikov.bsky.social · May 20

Thrilled to announce that we received a $2.8M grant from @braincanada.bsky.social to continue our work on NeuroLibre through the Canadian Open Neuroscience Platform (‪@conp-pcno.bsky.social‬) 1/2

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Nikola Stikov @stikov.bsky.social · May 15

My Substack traffic shows that this post hit a nerve

Over 1.5K link clicks, most of them from people who are not subscribers nor followers on social media. Subscribe to the KANTAROT newsletter to receive My ISMRM blues vol. 2 straight in your inbox!

And thank you to everybody who reached out

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Nikola Stikov @stikov.bsky.social · May 14

The Highlights magazine marches on

Congratulations and thank you to Maria Eugenia Caligiuri, Mathieu Boudreau and the entire @mrmhighlights.bsky.social team for keeping the flame alive for ten whole years!

mrmhighlights.bsky.social @mrmhighlights.bsky.social · May 13

Excited to announce the release of the 2025 edition (Volume 10) of the MRM Highlights magazine, with an introduction by Highlights editor Maria Eugenia Caligiuri. Available in print at the ISMRM conference.

blog.ismrm.org/2025/05/11/m...

@ismrm.bsky.social
#ISMRM
#ISMRM25

MRM Highlights magazine – Volume 10 - ISMRM's MR Pulse Blog

By Maria Eugenia Caligiuri We’re excited to present the 2025 edition of MRM Highlights—available in digital format here and in print at the conference! As always, we invite members of the ISMRM commu...

blog.ismrm.org

Nikola Stikov @stikov.bsky.social · May 14

I think you described it pretty well. Electromagnetic pulses excite the tissue, the tissue generates an RF signal which then gets recorded. Different MRI vendors do this in slightly different ways. Happy to continue this in DM.

Nikola Stikov @stikov.bsky.social · May 14

Thanks for the support! Hope dies last, I would really like to see the new generation pick up some of these initiatives

Reposted by Nikola Stikov

Viljami Sairanen @viljamisairanen.bsky.social · May 14

One point on the opening lecture was that the number of members hasn't increased since 2017 but costs are rising and something has to change. And at the same time stuff like this doesn't get support? Seems weird.. Highlights was a true highlight. Sad it is gone.

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Nikola Stikov @stikov.bsky.social · May 13

It's more trivial than that. MRI manufacturers introduce uncertainty because their protocols are black boxes and they change them without notice. We need transparency in the pulse sequences and processing workflows to make MRI truly quantitative.

Nikola Stikov @stikov.bsky.social · May 13

Despite this (or maybe because of it), it was sidelined by the ISMRM. In future posts I will explain why this is symptomatic of a larger culture shift in the ISMRM, and what we can do about it. 3/3

qantarot.substack.com/p/no-highlig...

My ISMRM blues (1): Why there won't be a Highlights party in 2025

Thoughts about missing my first annual ISMRM meeting in 20 years

qantarot.substack.com

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Nikola Stikov @stikov.bsky.social · May 13

The Highlights party has been the most inclusive and the most sustainable party at the
@ismrm.bsky.social annual meeting. It did not take any money from the membership, it did not use public research funds, and everybody was invited. 2/3 #ismrm25 #ismrm2025

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Nikola Stikov @stikov.bsky.social · May 13

A part of me wishes I was at #ismrm2025 with my friends and colleagues, celebrating their successes and hearing about their research. However, I decided to skip the annual meeting and write this post instead, hoping it will make a difference in the long run. 1/3

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