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Vivian Paulun @vivianpaulun.bsky.social · 6h

Excited to see this fantastic spotlight by Sue Hespos and colleagues covering our recent paper on the neural representation of Things and Stuff 🧠🌊

Trends in Cognitive Sciences @cp-trendscognsci.bsky.social · 1d

Online Now: A world of things and stuff

A world of things and stuff

It appears simple that every entity in our perceptual array is a thing (object) or stuff (substance). Yet, a recent article by Paulun and colleagues reveals that there are many puzzles to be solved about how we perform this seemingly simple perception.

dlvr.it

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Reposted by Vivian Paulun

Rosanne Rademaker @rademaker.bsky.social · 9d

We’re looking for a postdoc to join our Max Planck group in Germany some time in 2026. If you have computational and/or neuroimaging expertise, and are interested in questions intersecting perception and cognition, please reach out! I’ll also be happy to chat at the #Bernsteinconference this week.

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Reposted by Vivian Paulun

Katie Carmichael @drkatcarm.bsky.social · 27d

::slowly stands while clapping::

Image of labubu doll labeled labubu next to image of spiky labubu doll labeled lakiki

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Vivian Paulun @vivianpaulun.bsky.social · 29d

Come join our department!

Brad Postle @bradpostle.bsky.social · 29d

The Dept. of Psychology at the U. Wisconsin–Madison has an opening for an Assistant Professor in the area of Computational Neuroscience and/or Cognitive Science, with an emphasis on artificial intelligence (AI).

Domain of behavior or cognition is open. Details at jobs.wisc.edu/jobs/assista...

Assistant Professor of Psychology - Madison, Wisconsin, United States

Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Workday to apply through the internal application process.Job Category:FacultyEmployment Type:Regula...

jobs.wisc.edu

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Vivian Paulun @vivianpaulun.bsky.social · Aug 1

So happy to this study finally out and on my last official day at MIT nonetheless!

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Vivian Paulun @vivianpaulun.bsky.social · Aug 1

These findings suggest that distinct mental algorithms are engaged when we perceive Things and Stuff, as they are in artificial physics engines. This raises a lot of interesting questions for future research.

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Vivian Paulun @vivianpaulun.bsky.social · Aug 1

3) Most importantly, we found a functional dissociation between Stuff and Things within both the dorsal and ventral visual pathways.

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Vivian Paulun @vivianpaulun.bsky.social · Aug 1

2) The Frontoparietal Physics Network’ which we know processes the physics of rigid objects also represents the physics of Stuff.

Brain map highlighting the frontoparietal physics network

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Vivian Paulun @vivianpaulun.bsky.social · Aug 1

1) The Lateral Occipital Complex (LOC) represents not only rigid 3D shapes but also deformable materials and Stuff that has no constant shape.

Brain map showing the Lateral Occipital Complex

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Vivian Paulun @vivianpaulun.bsky.social · Aug 1

We scanned volunteers using fMRI while they watched video clips of rigid and deformable “Things” as well as granular and liquid “Stuff”. Our study revealed 3 key results: ...

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Vivian Paulun @vivianpaulun.bsky.social · Aug 1

Super excited to share our new article: “Dissociable cortical regions represent things and stuff in the human brain” with @nancykanwisher.bsky.social, @rtpramod.bsky.social and @joshtenenbaum.bsky.social

Video abstract: www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0XR...

Paper: authors.elsevier.com/a/1lWxv3QW8S...

Things and Stuff: How the brain distinguishes oozing fluids from solid objects

YouTube video by McGovern Institute

www.youtube.com

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Reposted by Vivian Paulun

VisionBernie - Bernhard Egger @visionbernie.bsky.social · Jun 27

Today is your last chance to vote:
vote.illusionoftheyear.com

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Reposted by Vivian Paulun

RT Pramod @rtpramod.bsky.social · Jun 17

Thrilled to announce our new publication titled 'Decoding predicted future states from the brain's physics engine' with @emiecz.bsky.social, Cyn X. Fang, @nancykanwisher.bsky.social, @joshtenenbaum.bsky.social

www.science.org/doi/full/10....

(1/n)

Decoding predicted future states from the brain’s “physics engine”

Using fMRI in humans, this study provides evidence for future state prediction in brain regions involved in physical reasoning.

www.science.org

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Reposted by Vivian Paulun

Guido Maiello @guidomaiello.bsky.social · May 15

I’m excited to announce that I’m recruiting for a fully-funded 3.5-year PhD position in my lab in Southampton (UK). For details and to apply, see here: www.southampton.ac.uk/study/postgr...

Next Generation Ophthalmic Testing: “Continuous Psychophysics” for Rapid and User-Friendly Assessment of Visual, Movement, and Cognitive Disorders

Discover more about our research project: Next Generation Ophthalmic Testing: “Continuous Psychophysics” for Rapid and User-Friendly Assessment of Visual, Movement, and Cognitive Disorders at the U...

www.southampton.ac.uk

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Vivian Paulun @vivianpaulun.bsky.social · May 16

Starts in one hour!

Vivian Paulun @vivianpaulun.bsky.social · May 15

Kick off #VSS2025 with our symposium “25 Years of Seeing ‘Stuff’—Advances and Challenges in Material Perception” in Talk Room 2 on Friday morning 10:30am – 12:30pm.
We have a great lineup of speakers who will share deep insights and fun demos! 👀🧠🌊
@vssmtg.bsky.social #neuroskyence #visionscience

List of speakers for symposium: “25 Years of Seeing ‘Stuff’—Advances and Challenges in Material Perception”

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Vivian Paulun @vivianpaulun.bsky.social · May 15

Kick off #VSS2025 with our symposium “25 Years of Seeing ‘Stuff’—Advances and Challenges in Material Perception” in Talk Room 2 on Friday morning 10:30am – 12:30pm.
We have a great lineup of speakers who will share deep insights and fun demos! 👀🧠🌊
@vssmtg.bsky.social #neuroskyence #visionscience

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Reposted by Vivian Paulun

Martin Hebart @martinhebart.bsky.social · Apr 15

Proud to announce our primer on "Ten principles for reliable, efficient, and adaptable coding in psychology and cognitive neuroscience"

www.nature.com/articles/s44...

This primer is for beginners to get started, advanced programmers to improve, and PIs.

#psychology #psychsci #cogsci #neuroskyence

Ten principles for reliable, efficient, and adaptable coding in psychology and cognitive neuroscience - Communications Psychology

Programming is essential for modern research in neuroscience and psychology, but it can quickly become a source of frustration and error. This Primer introduces ten practical principles guiding resear...

www.nature.com

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Vivian Paulun @vivianpaulun.bsky.social · Mar 26

Come and join us!

Nancy Kanwisher @nancykanwisher.bsky.social · Mar 26

I’m hiring a full-time lab tech for two years starting May/June. Strong coding skills required, ML a plus. Our research on the human brain uses fMRI, ANNs, intracranial recording, and behavior. A great stepping stone to grad school. Apply here:
careers.peopleclick.com/careerscp/cl...
......

Technical Associate I, Kanwisher Lab

MIT - Technical Associate I, Kanwisher Lab - Cambridge MA 02139

careers.peopleclick.com

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Vivian Paulun @vivianpaulun.bsky.social · Mar 15

Challenging times to start a lab, but I’m excited to begin this new chapter! 🧠👩‍🔬🎓
Grateful to @thetransmitter.bsky.social for featuring me for this month's “Liftoff”!

The Transmitter @thetransmitter.bsky.social · Mar 14

This month’s “Liftoff” features @jocelynbreton.bsky.social discussing the importance of patience when opening a lab. And @vivianpaulun.bsky.social shares how she'll use a traditional German custom in her lab to foster a supportive and uplifting culture.

#neuroskyence

bit.ly/4hFNosx

Liftoff: New lab alerts

Learn about early-career scientists starting their own labs.

www.thetransmitter.org

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Reposted by Vivian Paulun

Nancy Kanwisher @nancykanwisher.bsky.social · Mar 8

Proud to speak at the StandUpForScience rally in Boston today!

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Reposted by Vivian Paulun

Tomer Ullman @tomerullman.bsky.social · Feb 13

Hello! I'm looking to hire a post-doc, to start this Summer or Fall.

It'd be great if you could share this widely with people you think might be interested.

More details on the position & how to apply: bit.ly/cocodev_post...

Official posting here: academicpositions.harvard.edu/postings/14723

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Reposted by Vivian Paulun

Guido Maiello @guidomaiello.bsky.social · Feb 7

Friends,
Sara is recovering well from surgery. Her cancer has progressed to a higher stage and needs more aggressive treatments. Please keep sharing/donating to help us make these crucial treatments possible, and thank you deeply for your love and support! gofund.me/357afe0a

Donate to Sara's Brain Cancer Treatments, organized by Guido Maiello

Dear Family and Friends, Old and New, We are the family of Sara Joy Hawkins, and this… Guido Maiello needs your support for Sara's Brain Cancer Treatments

gofund.me

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Reposted by Vivian Paulun

Tom Wallis @tsawallis.bsky.social · Jan 21

One week left to apply!

Tom Wallis @tsawallis.bsky.social · Jan 14

My lab has an opening for a postdoctoral fellow to work on our ERC consolidator grant SEGMENT. German language skills are a requirement due some teaching obligations. Please share!

www.career.tu-darmstadt.de/HPv3.Jobs/TU...

Wiss. Mitarbeiter:in (w/m/d) - ERC Grant, Projekt am Institut für Psychologie - AG Perception

Die TU Darmstadt steht für exzellente und relevante Wissenschaft. Die tiefgreifenden globalen Veränderungsprozesse – von Energiewende bis zu Künstlicher Intelligenz – gestalten wir durch herausragende...

www.career.tu-darmstadt.de

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Vivian Paulun @vivianpaulun.bsky.social · Jan 14

Congratulations on a dream come true and on celebrating the highs despite the lows 🥳🎢
Sending you lots of strengths, you’ve got this! 💪

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Reposted by Vivian Paulun

Kohitij Kar @kohitij.bsky.social · Dec 30

(1/3) 🌟New preprint with @lynnkasorensen.bsky.social and Jim DiCarlo

When animals learn new object discrimination tasks, how much does their IT cortex change?

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

The effects of object category training on the responses of macaque inferior temporal cortex are consistent with performance-optimizing updates within a visual hierarchy

How does the primate brain coordinate plasticity to support its remarkable ability to learn object categories? To address this question, we measured the consequences of category learning on the macaqu...

www.biorxiv.org

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