aaron bornstein
@aaronbornstein.bsky.social
associate professor, cognitive sciences, uc irvine
https://aaron.bornstein.org/
@aaronbornstein@neuromatch.social
https://aaron.bornstein.org/
@aaronbornstein@neuromatch.social
Pinned
Assistant Professor - Cognitive Sciences
University of California, Irvine is hiring. Apply now!
recruit.ap.uci.edu
Come work with us! UC Irvine Cognitive Sciences is looking for a new Assistant Professor to join our team: recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF09896
I'm not on the committee, but happy to talk if you're interested.
I'm not on the committee, but happy to talk if you're interested.
Reposted by aaron bornstein
New paper in the Journal of Computational and Graphical Statistics. Kudos to Beniamino Hadj-Amar for leading the work.
The model uncovers evolving connectivity patterns in multivariate signals by combining switching dynamics with sparse graphs.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The model uncovers evolving connectivity patterns in multivariate signals by combining switching dynamics with sparse graphs.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Discrete Autoregressive Switching Processes with Cumulative Shrinkage Priors for Graphical Modeling of Time Series Data
We propose a flexible Bayesian approach for sparse Gaussian graphical modeling of multivariate time series. We account for temporal correlation in the data by assuming that observations are charact...
www.tandfonline.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:26 PM
New paper in the Journal of Computational and Graphical Statistics. Kudos to Beniamino Hadj-Amar for leading the work.
The model uncovers evolving connectivity patterns in multivariate signals by combining switching dynamics with sparse graphs.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The model uncovers evolving connectivity patterns in multivariate signals by combining switching dynamics with sparse graphs.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by aaron bornstein
This is the same problem that we see when law firms and universities strike “deals” w Trump to stop Trump from doing ILLEGAL things!! That’s not a contract or even a good faith agreement. That’s a shakedown.
One of the talking points I keep seeing from Democrats is that part of the deal is that it will "ensure federal workers receive back pay" but that's the existing law!
That's not something you've won in negotiations. That's just the letter of the law. You don't get to claim that as a win.
That's not something you've won in negotiations. That's just the letter of the law. You don't get to claim that as a win.
November 10, 2025 at 2:07 AM
This is the same problem that we see when law firms and universities strike “deals” w Trump to stop Trump from doing ILLEGAL things!! That’s not a contract or even a good faith agreement. That’s a shakedown.
Reposted by aaron bornstein
While administrators have been negotiating in secret, faculty and staff have been fighting. It just could not be more clear who gives a shit about the university as an ideal and who doesn’t.
November 7, 2025 at 1:10 AM
While administrators have been negotiating in secret, faculty and staff have been fighting. It just could not be more clear who gives a shit about the university as an ideal and who doesn’t.
Reposted by aaron bornstein
“A federal judge on Thursday excoriated the Trump administration’s blitz of hardball tactics against elite universities, warning that the government’s threats and investigations were undermining academic freedom at the University of California.”
Trump Pressure Risks Free Speech at University of California, Judge Warns
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:04 AM
“A federal judge on Thursday excoriated the Trump administration’s blitz of hardball tactics against elite universities, warning that the government’s threats and investigations were undermining academic freedom at the University of California.”
Reposted by aaron bornstein
Honored and excited to share that I am the winner of Nomis & Science Young Explorer Award!!
Also thrilled to share that my article describing my research is out now in @science.org today!
The normalization of (almost) everything www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
1/
Also thrilled to share that my article describing my research is out now in @science.org today!
The normalization of (almost) everything www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
1/
The normalization of (almost) everything: Our minds can get used to anything, and even crises start feeling normal
Our minds can get used to anything, and even crises start feeling normal
www.science.org
November 6, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Honored and excited to share that I am the winner of Nomis & Science Young Explorer Award!!
Also thrilled to share that my article describing my research is out now in @science.org today!
The normalization of (almost) everything www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
1/
Also thrilled to share that my article describing my research is out now in @science.org today!
The normalization of (almost) everything www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
1/
Reposted by aaron bornstein
Today is the opening day for AAUP v. Trump, in which a historic coalition of unions is suing the Trump administration for using funding threats to suppress free speech. I just listened to the judge's opening remarks and they were SCATHING to the defendants. www.courtlistener.com/docket/71360...
American Association of University Professors v. Trump, 3:25-cv-07864 - CourtListener.com
Docket for American Association of University Professors v. Trump, 3:25-cv-07864 — Brought to you by Free Law Project, a non-profit dedicated to creating high quality open legal information.
www.courtlistener.com
November 6, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Today is the opening day for AAUP v. Trump, in which a historic coalition of unions is suing the Trump administration for using funding threats to suppress free speech. I just listened to the judge's opening remarks and they were SCATHING to the defendants. www.courtlistener.com/docket/71360...
There is absolutely no need to comply with Trump's ridiculous demands at this time. No formal agreement, no force of law. A faculty-led lawsuit challenging the premise of the demand letter is being heard in court _tomorrow_. The only sensible explanation is that UC Regents *want* to comply.
I am very concerned about anticipatory compliance at UC. Provost Katherine Newman has opted to defund a critical program called the UC Presidents Postdoctoral Fellowship (PPFP). This incredibly selective postdoc has provided a route to UC faculty for many of my most valued colleagues. +
November 5, 2025 at 8:49 PM
There is absolutely no need to comply with Trump's ridiculous demands at this time. No formal agreement, no force of law. A faculty-led lawsuit challenging the premise of the demand letter is being heard in court _tomorrow_. The only sensible explanation is that UC Regents *want* to comply.
Reposted by aaron bornstein
Zohran Mamdani’s victory means so much — including a 'fuck you' to the Islamophobic weaponization of antisemitism... @theintercept.com theintercept.com/2025/11/04/z...
They Tried to Smear Zohran Mamdani as an Antisemite. Voters Saw Right Through It.
Mamdani’s mayoral victory in New York City means so much — including the repudiation of Islamophobic attacks and weaponization of antisemitism.
theintercept.com
November 5, 2025 at 5:23 AM
Zohran Mamdani’s victory means so much — including a 'fuck you' to the Islamophobic weaponization of antisemitism... @theintercept.com theintercept.com/2025/11/04/z...
Reposted by aaron bornstein
Nearly ready to go! Mechanistic Basis of Foraging 2025!
November 4, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Nearly ready to go! Mechanistic Basis of Foraging 2025!
Reposted by aaron bornstein
I wrote a thing on episodic memory and systems consolidation. I hope you all enjoy it and/or find it interesting.
A neural state space for episodic memories
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
#neuroskyence #psychscisky #cognition 🧪
A neural state space for episodic memories
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
#neuroskyence #psychscisky #cognition 🧪
A neural state space for episodic memories
Episodic memories are highly dynamic and change in nonlinear ways over time. This dynamism is not captured by existing systems consolidation theories …
www.sciencedirect.com
November 3, 2025 at 12:56 PM
I wrote a thing on episodic memory and systems consolidation. I hope you all enjoy it and/or find it interesting.
A neural state space for episodic memories
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
#neuroskyence #psychscisky #cognition 🧪
A neural state space for episodic memories
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
#neuroskyence #psychscisky #cognition 🧪
Reposted by aaron bornstein
‘Study after study shows that students want to develop these critical thinking skills, are not lazy, and large numbers of them would be in favor of banning ChatGPT and similar tools in universities’, says @olivia.science www.ru.nl/en/research/...
‘Opposing the inevitability of AI at universities is possible and necessary’ | Radboud University
Since the widespread release of ChatGPT in December of 2022, AI has taken over much of the world by storm – including academia. Most of this happened with very little pushback, despite a myriad of iss...
www.ru.nl
November 1, 2025 at 10:26 PM
‘Study after study shows that students want to develop these critical thinking skills, are not lazy, and large numbers of them would be in favor of banning ChatGPT and similar tools in universities’, says @olivia.science www.ru.nl/en/research/...
Reposted by aaron bornstein
The science is clear - SNAP reduces food insecurity, improves health outcomes, and lower healthcare costs.
Although fed judges ruled the admin can NOT withhold SNAP disbursements, it appears they plan to do just that.
We’re mobilizing a national food drive - join here👇
zurl.co/BrvG5
Although fed judges ruled the admin can NOT withhold SNAP disbursements, it appears they plan to do just that.
We’re mobilizing a national food drive - join here👇
zurl.co/BrvG5
November 2, 2025 at 1:50 PM
The science is clear - SNAP reduces food insecurity, improves health outcomes, and lower healthcare costs.
Although fed judges ruled the admin can NOT withhold SNAP disbursements, it appears they plan to do just that.
We’re mobilizing a national food drive - join here👇
zurl.co/BrvG5
Although fed judges ruled the admin can NOT withhold SNAP disbursements, it appears they plan to do just that.
We’re mobilizing a national food drive - join here👇
zurl.co/BrvG5
Reposted by aaron bornstein
New in @pnas.org.
Preschool teachers were less likely to accept participation attempts by children from working-class backgrounds, regardless of their perceived language level.
With a great team: @andreicimpian.bsky.social @sebastiengoudeau.bsky.social & Louise Goupil.
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
Preschool teachers were less likely to accept participation attempts by children from working-class backgrounds, regardless of their perceived language level.
With a great team: @andreicimpian.bsky.social @sebastiengoudeau.bsky.social & Louise Goupil.
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
September 5, 2025 at 1:21 PM
New in @pnas.org.
Preschool teachers were less likely to accept participation attempts by children from working-class backgrounds, regardless of their perceived language level.
With a great team: @andreicimpian.bsky.social @sebastiengoudeau.bsky.social & Louise Goupil.
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
Preschool teachers were less likely to accept participation attempts by children from working-class backgrounds, regardless of their perceived language level.
With a great team: @andreicimpian.bsky.social @sebastiengoudeau.bsky.social & Louise Goupil.
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
Reposted by aaron bornstein
With SNAP expiring, at least one Calif community is responding not by helping people get food, but by threatening hungry people with arrest
This is what we mean when we say policing is a policy choice that creates crime
Here’s the math that proves it 🧵
This is what we mean when we say policing is a policy choice that creates crime
Here’s the math that proves it 🧵
California police boost patrols at grocery stores as millions set to lose SNAP benefits
Over 5.5 million Californians, including 2 million children, are set to lose their SNAP benefits this Saturday.
www.foxla.com
October 31, 2025 at 2:07 PM
With SNAP expiring, at least one Calif community is responding not by helping people get food, but by threatening hungry people with arrest
This is what we mean when we say policing is a policy choice that creates crime
Here’s the math that proves it 🧵
This is what we mean when we say policing is a policy choice that creates crime
Here’s the math that proves it 🧵
Reposted by aaron bornstein
Thrilled that our paper is out today in Nature!
www.nature.com/articles/s4...
www.nature.com/articles/s4...
Sensory expectations shape neural population dynamics in motor circuits
Nature - Experiments with human volunteers and macaques show that expectations produced by probabilistic cueing of future sensory inputs shape motor circuit dynamics in order to increase the...
www.nature.com
October 29, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Thrilled that our paper is out today in Nature!
www.nature.com/articles/s4...
www.nature.com/articles/s4...
Reposted by aaron bornstein
Our experience of time is powerfully shaped by boundaries between events (i.e., going from one meeting to the next). But what about time *within an event*? In new work, we find reliable distortions of time based on internal event structure (e.g., beginnings, middles, and ends)! tinyurl.com/n8mn2sn7
Unfolding event structure distorts subjective time
Our experience of time is often distorted in striking ways. Although prior work has shown that boundaries between events can shape temporal perception…
www.sciencedirect.com
October 29, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Our experience of time is powerfully shaped by boundaries between events (i.e., going from one meeting to the next). But what about time *within an event*? In new work, we find reliable distortions of time based on internal event structure (e.g., beginnings, middles, and ends)! tinyurl.com/n8mn2sn7
Reposted by aaron bornstein
Sookud and colleagues found that individuals with higher compulsivity and intrusive thoughts develop a less certain internal understanding of the external world, and this mediates the link between symptoms and goal-directed behaviors.
Impaired goal-directed planning in transdiagnostic compulsivity is explained by uncertainty about learned task structure
Diminished use of goal-directed (“model-based”) decision-making is a hallmark of transdiagnostic
compulsivity, promoting an over-reliance on inflexible and habitual behaviours. However,
the origin of ...
www.biologicalpsychiatrycnni.org
October 27, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Sookud and colleagues found that individuals with higher compulsivity and intrusive thoughts develop a less certain internal understanding of the external world, and this mediates the link between symptoms and goal-directed behaviors.
Reposted by aaron bornstein
Please understand that the only reason this has been released is because of the UCLA faculty association who filed a request and challenged the refusal in court. If you are a UC faculty member, join your FA!
BREAKING: The California Supreme Court has DENIED the University of California's request that it block the release of a 28-page, $1.2-billion fine Trump administration UCLA settlement offer. UC is required to give a faculty group the document today. www.latimes.com/california/s...
UC must publicly release Trump administration's $1.2-billion settlement proposal
The California Supreme Court on Friday declined a request from the University of California to block the release of a roughly $1.2-billion Trump UCLA settlement. UCLA is required to share the document...
www.latimes.com
October 25, 2025 at 12:25 AM
Please understand that the only reason this has been released is because of the UCLA faculty association who filed a request and challenged the refusal in court. If you are a UC faculty member, join your FA!
Reposted by aaron bornstein
"UC warned that releasing the proposal would cause “irreparable harm” to its negotiations with Trump."
yes this is the fuckin problem
yes this is the fuckin problem
BREAKING: The California Supreme Court has DENIED the University of California's request that it block the release of a 28-page, $1.2-billion fine Trump administration UCLA settlement offer. UC is required to give a faculty group the document today. www.latimes.com/california/s...
UC must publicly release Trump administration's $1.2-billion settlement proposal
The California Supreme Court on Friday declined a request from the University of California to block the release of a roughly $1.2-billion Trump UCLA settlement. UCLA is required to share the document...
www.latimes.com
October 25, 2025 at 12:05 AM
"UC warned that releasing the proposal would cause “irreparable harm” to its negotiations with Trump."
yes this is the fuckin problem
yes this is the fuckin problem
Reposted by aaron bornstein
BREAKING: The California Supreme Court has DENIED the University of California's request that it block the release of a 28-page, $1.2-billion fine Trump administration UCLA settlement offer. UC is required to give a faculty group the document today. www.latimes.com/california/s...
UC must publicly release Trump administration's $1.2-billion settlement proposal
The California Supreme Court on Friday declined a request from the University of California to block the release of a roughly $1.2-billion Trump UCLA settlement. UCLA is required to share the document...
www.latimes.com
October 24, 2025 at 10:48 PM
BREAKING: The California Supreme Court has DENIED the University of California's request that it block the release of a 28-page, $1.2-billion fine Trump administration UCLA settlement offer. UC is required to give a faculty group the document today. www.latimes.com/california/s...
Reposted by aaron bornstein
psych departments post a faculty job that has nothing to do with AI challenge
September 10, 2025 at 11:02 AM
psych departments post a faculty job that has nothing to do with AI challenge
Reposted by aaron bornstein
I will be recruiting 🌟PhD students🌟 for my newish lab! If you're interested in learning & memory mechanisms applied to individual, interactive & collective behavior using computational modeling, real-world experiments and fMRI, email me! RTs much appreciated 🙏 rouhanilab.com
Interactive Cognition Lab | USC
Interactive Cognition Lab at USC, led by principal investigator, Dr. Nina Rouhani.
rouhanilab.com
October 24, 2025 at 4:57 PM
I will be recruiting 🌟PhD students🌟 for my newish lab! If you're interested in learning & memory mechanisms applied to individual, interactive & collective behavior using computational modeling, real-world experiments and fMRI, email me! RTs much appreciated 🙏 rouhanilab.com
University of California faculty push back against Big Brother cybersecurity mandate | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
University of California faculty push back against Big Brother cybersecurity mandate
School officials defend software as bulwark against ransomware, but professors fear potential surveillance of their devices
www.science.org
October 23, 2025 at 8:16 PM
University of California faculty push back against Big Brother cybersecurity mandate | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by aaron bornstein
Can AI simulations of human research participants advance cognitive science? In @cp-trendscognsci.bsky.social, @lmesseri.bsky.social & I analyze this vision. We show how “AI Surrogates” entrench practices that limit the generalizability of cognitive science while aspiring to do the opposite. 1/
AI Surrogates and illusions of generalizability in cognitive science
Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have generated enthusiasm for using AI simulations of human research participants to generate new know…
www.sciencedirect.com
October 21, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Can AI simulations of human research participants advance cognitive science? In @cp-trendscognsci.bsky.social, @lmesseri.bsky.social & I analyze this vision. We show how “AI Surrogates” entrench practices that limit the generalizability of cognitive science while aspiring to do the opposite. 1/
Reposted by aaron bornstein
the Muppets have been real quiet since the Louvre heist
October 19, 2025 at 10:19 PM
the Muppets have been real quiet since the Louvre heist