Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Yael

The Viking (Gunnar Blohm) @gunnarblohm.bsky.social · Aug 26

Having fun facilitating this amazing group of young Profs at the #Neuro4Pros workshop with @kordinglab.bsky.social and @meganakpeters.bsky.social, @yaelniv.bsky.social, and Hannah Bayer.

Watch out world: this is the next generation of leaders!

compneurosci.com/Neuro4Pros/i...

2 11 67

Reposted by Yael

Norman Lab @ptoncompmemlab.bsky.social · Aug 13

Come work with us! @princetonneuro.bsky.social and the Department of Psychology at Princeton University are searching for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the area of human cognitive neuroscience, to be hired jointly in Psychology and Neuroscience: puwebp.princeton.edu/AcadHire/app...

puwebp.princeton.edu

2 64 69

Reposted by Yael

scott topics™️ @scottpb.bsky.social · Aug 7

a message; a word.

24 660 2.1K

Reposted by Yael

alix e. harrow @alixeharrow.bsky.social · Aug 6

cool & fun to live in an era that constantly promises magical scientific solutions to every problem, and then when there actually ARE magical scientific solutions (mRNA vaccines, renewables) they're like lol no fuck you

12 92 490

Yael @yaelniv.bsky.social · Aug 7

"Any selective admissions process that ignores income, privilege and structural access while targeting race‑based efforts to increase diversity isn’t leveling the playing field. It’s cementing it." www.nytimes.com/2025/08/07/u... (gift link)

Trump’s Deals With Top Colleges May Give Rich Applicants a Bigger Edge

www.nytimes.com

2 13

Yael @yaelniv.bsky.social · Jun 15

Friends who vote in New Jersey, can you please fill out this short 1-minute survey for GGCNJ? tinyurl.com/NJvoters2025 (feel free to share this link too)

1

Yael @yaelniv.bsky.social · Jun 12

So looking forward to the rest!

1

Yael @yaelniv.bsky.social · Jun 12

We're through the tutorials yesterday, workshops this morning (so much FOMO because they all sounded so interesting, but were in parallel sessions), the first speaker session (OMG, @catehartley.bsky.social and Michael Littman with a joint presentation for the Pantheon!) and 1 of 3 poster sessions

1 2

Yael @yaelniv.bsky.social · Jun 12

Another great #RLDM conference! Thank you @coolscontrol.bsky.social (general chair), Anne Collins and Stefano Albrecht (program chairs -- a TON of work!), @clairegillan.bsky.social and @redmondoconnell.bsky.social (local chairs -- a gazillion amount of work) and all others who made this happen!

1 1 22

Reposted by Yael

aaron bornstein @aaronbornstein.bsky.social · May 30

Congratulations to Dr. Jungsun Yoo (@jungsuy.bsky.social) on her successful PhD defense! We're sad that her time with us is past, but excited to see how her future research trajectory unfolds working with @yaelniv.bsky.social and @nathanieldaw.bsky.social

2 3 20

Reposted by Yael

Dan Mirea @danmirea.bsky.social · Jun 9

Thrilled to have received the 2025 Psychology of Technology Dissertation Award for my work on understanding mental health through digital behavior!

Thank you to the institute, and so grateful to my amazing advisors @yaelniv.bsky.social and @eriknook.bsky.social for their unwavering support!

Nate Fast @natefast.bsky.social · Jun 4

We're excited to announce the 2025 Psychology of Technology Dissertation Award winners! Please join us in congratulating them!

4 2 30

Reposted by Yael

Dan Mirea @danmirea.bsky.social · Jun 11

At #RLDM2025? Come to our workshop on real-world RL tomorrow! Including:
- amazing line-up: @bjornlindstrom.bsky.social, Aaron Heller, Sugandha Sharma, @arossotto.bsky.social + flash talks
- panel debate (chair: @yaelniv.bsky.social)
- group brainstorming session!

Mailing list: tinyurl.com/rlinwild

1 7 12

Reposted by Yael

Sev Harootonian @harootonian.bsky.social · May 19

🚨 New preprint alert! 🚨

Thrilled to share new research on teaching!
Work supervised by
@cocoscilab.bsky.social, @yaelniv.bsky.social, and @markkho.bsky.social.

This project asks:
When do people teach by mentalizing vs with heuristics? 1/3

osf.io/preprints/os...

2 14 33

Reposted by Yael

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · May 14

Shout out to all of the faculty and students who made it through this semester in particular. What a time to be teaching and learning in spaces that are directly under attack from people who benefited from having access to the same resources themselves.

10 180 750

Reposted by Yael

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · May 15

This is just not true. The majority view among researchers at this point is that work requirements do not work. There is a reason they do not cite a single study here.

The good news is that history shows us that work requirements work.

In 1996, President Bill Clinton and the speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, joined forces to enact bipartisan welfare reform with a work requirement at the heart of it. The results were astounding. As early as 1997, economists attributed a measurable increase in the national labor force participation rate and a decrease in dependency to welfare reform. That reform — combined with a strong economy and expanded tax credits for low-income workers — led to a steady decrease in rates of child poverty in the late 1990s. Today, the share of kids living in poverty is a quarter lower than it was in 1996. The 1996 welfare reform was so successful that Barack Obama, when he ran for president in 2008, admitted that he had been wrong about it.

69 630 2.1K

Reposted by Yael

Qihong (Q) Lu @qlu.bsky.social · May 8

I’m thrilled to announce that I will start as a presidential assistant professor in Neuroscience at the City U of Hong Kong in Jan 2026!
I have RA, PhD, and postdoc positions available! Come work with me on neural network models + experiments on human memory!
RT appreciated!
(1/5)

14 39 130

Reposted by Yael

Fred Callaway @fredcallaway.bsky.social · May 7

Despite the world being on fire, I can't help but be thrilled to announce that I'll be starting as an Assistant Professor in the Cognitive Science Program at Dartmouth in Fall '26. I'll be recruiting grad students this upcoming cycle—get in touch if you're interested!

17 24 140

Reposted by Yael

Communications Psychology @commspsychol.nature.com · Apr 28

Applying computational models of reinforcement learning can help to improve psychotherapeutic interventions by helping to identify the therapeutic mechanisms of change and identifying for whom therapies will be most effective.
@yaelniv.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s44...

Using computational models of learning to advance cognitive behavioral therapy - Communications Psychology

Applying computational models of reinforcement learning can help to improve psychotherapeutic interventions by helping to identify the therapeutic mechanisms of change and identifying for whom therapi...

www.nature.com

3 6

Reposted by Yael

Dr. Manhattan @thenewthinker.bsky.social · May 8

what’s happening in Gaza keeps me up at night

6 25

Reposted by Yael

Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · Apr 19

Last night was the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere's midnight ride to warn the Minutemen of approaching British troops.

I want to take a moment to share an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence's grievances against King George III.

Remind you of anyone?

740 13K 32K

Reposted by Yael

Susanne Ahmari @ahmarilab.bsky.social · Apr 18

Insult to injury: no new funding announcements this Friday, AND early expiration of HEAL initiative to "develop clinical-grade prototype devices..for safe, effective, non-addictive diagnostics/ treatments for pain/ opioid use disorder.'

NOT making America Healthy 🙃

grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...

NOT-EB-25-001: Notice of Early Expiration of RFA-EB-22-002, "HEAL Initiative: Translational Development of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Devices (R18 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)"

NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts: Notice of Early Expiration of RFA-EB-22-002,

grants.nih.gov

1 3 6

Yael @yaelniv.bsky.social · Apr 19

With no trial or charges in either country.

In this case, it is human trafficking. By the U.S. government.

Chris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · Apr 18

This is an obvious point, but cannot overstated. There is an enormous difference between deporting someone - where they get off a plane as a free citizen in their home country AND FUNNELING THEM INTO A BRUTAL PRISON FROM WHICH THEY HAVE NO CHANCE OF EVER EMERGING!!!

5

Yael @yaelniv.bsky.social · Apr 19

With no trial or charges in either country.

In this case, it is human trafficking. By the USA government.

Chris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · Apr 18

This is an obvious point, but cannot overstated. There is an enormous difference between deporting someone - where they get off a plane as a free citizen in their home country AND FUNNELING THEM INTO A BRUTAL PRISON FROM WHICH THEY HAVE NO CHANCE OF EVER EMERGING!!!

1

Yael @yaelniv.bsky.social · Apr 19

Even after due process -- what in our laws allows one country to send a person to prison in another country??? How is that even remotely legal?