a penguin is sticking his head out of a hole next to a job application ALT: a penguin is sticking his head out of a hole next to a job application

🚨 JOB alert: 📢
We are looking for a PhD student to work on our international @wellcometrust.bsky.social project on information gathering in OCD and Schizophrenia!
If you have a background in computational psychiatry / neuroimnaging and speak German, apply here: devcompsy.org/wp-content/u...

The Self-Evidencing Agent What is it to be a human individual, an agent? According to Jakob Hohwy, it is to “self-evidence,” to actively seek out sensory evidence for one&...

"The Self-Evidencing Agent" - my new book - is out now with @mitpress.bsky.social

Can be purchased, or just download the whole thing for free, via the 'Open Access' option.

I'm grateful to @anilseth.bsky.social and Karl Friston for the generous endorsements.

mitpress.mit.edu/978026255389...

Maths! And Brains! In Melbourne!! Swoon 🧠

ECRs, you only have until 20th Feb to submit your abstracts. Registration is free (but you must attend) & prizes awarded to the highest quality posters and flash talks.

Submit your abstracts here & see 👇 for more lnkd.in/dZtndkH3

Oh sorry, 31st Mar, 2026

@ohbmofficial.bsky.social @ohbmtrainees.bsky.social
@ohbm-australia.bsky.social

@alexfornito.bsky.social @naotsuchiya.bsky.social @sharnajamadar.bsky.social

@novelli-leo.bsky.social @jchrispang.bsky.social @matthewdgreaves.bsky.social Moein Khajehnejad
@foroughhas.bsky.social Jace Cruddas

4/4

Registration:

Registration is free and mandatory, but if you aren't able to attend in person please don't register.

Register here: lnkd.in/dHZJ7-4j

3/4

Call for abstracts:

Early career researchers will have an opportunity to present their work, with prizes awarded to the highest quality posters and flash talks. Abstract submissions close on 20th Feb, 2026.

Please submit your abstracts here: lnkd.in/dZtndkH3

2/4

📢Maths in the Brain Workshop 2026 in Melbourne.

We will bring together researchers across Australia with a shared interest in understanding the brain from a quantitative perspective.

This year's keynote is delivered by Professor James Cole, University College London.

1/4🧵

Call for abstracts:

Early career researchers will have an opportunity to present their work, with prizes awarded to the highest quality posters and flash talks. Abstract submissions close on 20th Feb, 2026.

Please submit your abstracts here: lnkd.in/dZtndkH3

\frac{dX(t)}{dt} = f(x) + g(x)\frac{dW(t)}{dt}

Thread 2:

A way to see a stochastic differential equation is the equation below representing how X evolves in time. dW is a "stochastic increment" -- it is introducing "randomness". But a LOT changes because of that, and it is the reason the below representation is not actually a good one! (1/n)

What Is a Generative Model? Definitions, Disagreements, and Evaluation in Human Neuroimaging The term generative model is widely used in human neuroimaging; however, its meaning is often left implicit. Prompted by observations and discussions at the 2025 Organization for Human Brain Mapping (...

This work is led by Matthew Greaves (@matthewdgreaves.bsky.social) together with Leonardo Novelli (@novelli-leo.bsky.social), Michael Breakspear and myself.

Preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Interestingly, people agreed much more on how models should be evaluated: out-of-sample generalization, realism, & interpretability mattered more than labels.

Our takeaway is simple: clarity beats terminology. Say what you mean when you say “generative model.”

Prompted by discussions at #OHBM2025, we surveyed the neuroimaging community. The result?

✔️ Some agreement that generative models should simulate data

❌ Major disagreement about whether common, widely used methods count as “generative” at all.

What do we actually mean when we say “generative model” in neuroimaging?

The term is everywhere, in neuroscience and AI, but its meaning is often assumed rather than stated. In a new bioRxiv perspective, we asked how researchers really use and understand it.

🧵

A Quantifiable Information-Processing Hierarchy Provides a Necessary Condition for Detecting Agency As intelligent systems are developed across diverse substrates - from machine learning models and neuromorphic hardware to in vitro neural cultures - understanding what gives a system agency has becom...

Our new paper, led by Brett Kagan and Valentina Baccetti, proposes a quantifiable, substrate-independent hierarchy of information processing to identify necessary conditions for agency, grounding agency in measurable dynamics rather than vague labels.

arxiv.org/abs/2601.03498

I am in Karachi. Let’s meet if you like to talk about brains, models, and machines!

Image of robots struggling with a social dilemma.

1/ Why does RL struggle with social dilemmas? How can we ensure that AI learns to cooperate rather than compete?

Introducing our new framework: MUPI (Embedded Universal Predictive Intelligence) which provides a theoretical basis for new cooperative solutions in RL.

Preprint🧵👇

(Paper link below.)

Joint modelling of brain and behaviour dynamics with artificial intelligence - Nature Reviews Neuroscience Artificial intelligence is rapidly advancing our mechanistic understanding of the shared structure between the brain and higher-order behaviours. In this Review, Mathis and Mathis synthesize state-of-...

Joint modelling of brain and behaviour dynamics with artificial intelligence

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Please help us map current practices & guide future methodological standards.

@matthewdgreaves.bsky.social @novelli-leo.bsky.social
Michael Breakspear

Also attached is the QR code.

@ohbm-australia.bsky.social @ohbmossig.bsky.social

📢Generative Models in Neuroimaging Survey

We’re running a short survey on how neuroimaging (aka #OHBM) community defines, uses & evaluates generative models, from biophysical simulations to ML-based approaches

👉 t.co/lRQj4qmknO

@ohbmofficial.bsky.social @ohbmtrainees.bsky.social

I am so sorry to hear about his passing. Very shocking and unexpected news, his work and memory lives on.

Obituary – Jonathan Smallwood

Jonny Smallwood @themindwanders.bsky.social was a beloved friend and mentor. He was taken from us too soon. His was a beautiful mind who understood the beauty of minds. As ever before, his kind voice guides me and his work will continue. We miss you Jonny. www.cbs.mpg.de/news/obituar...

What is consciousness, and could AI have it? | The Voltaire Lecture 2025, with Professor Anil Seth Professor Anil Seth is a neuroscientist, author, and public speaker who has pioneered research into the brain basis of consciousness for more than 20 years

What is consciousness, and could AI have it? It's an honour to be giving the 2025 Voltaire Lecture, this Hallowe'en (Fri 31/10), for @humanists.uk, at @conwayhall.bsky.social in London, 19:30-21:00 (also livestreamed) humanists.uk/events/volta... 👻

Submit -- less than a week remaining!!

#NeuroAI

This is BIG. Nobody was expecting this cure to work or even if it was possible ever to treat HD!

Congratulations and looking forward to seeing what you do there!

We are hiring for our psilocybin clinical trial.

1. Research Officer (testing and screening), 2 positions
careers.pageuppeople.com/513/cw/en/jo...

2. Research Officer (Peer Navigator)
careers.pageuppeople.com/513/cw/en/jo...

DM if you have questions.

@wellcomeleap.bsky.social

Thank you very much @prelights.bsky.social and uMontreal Neuro team for coosing and covering our preprint.

Integrating and interpreting brain maps | doi.org/10.1016/j.ti...

Imaging and recording technologies make it possible to map multiple biological features of the brain. How can these features be conceptually integrated into a coherent understanding of brain structure and function? ⤵️