Barbara Pomiechowska
@bpomie.bsky.social
Cognitive neuroscientist fascinated by human development. Interested in learning, creativity, compositionality, abstract knowledge. Assistant professor @thechbh.bsky.social @bbabylab.bsky.social Uni of Birmingham
As if there were not enough bad news around:
Scientists are concerned that curiosity-driven research is set to be further cut back after three research councils confirmed they have paused funding opportunities. @jgro-the.bsky.social reports #academicsky #researchfunding
https://ow.ly/lpvO50Y67ku
https://ow.ly/lpvO50Y67ku
Three UK research councils suspend funding opportunities
Temporary block on grant applications by MRC, BBSRC and EPSRC heightens concerns over funding cuts
ow.ly
January 31, 2026 at 9:07 AM
As if there were not enough bad news around:
Reposted by Barbara Pomiechowska
We can use past experience to make predictions about the future. How do predictions affect our memory for the present? My own work (tinyurl.com/42kyukch) suggests that predictions compete with memory. But other recent work (tinyurl.com/2ekd4wr6) found the opposite--cooperation! What's going on here?
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
tinyurl.com
January 20, 2026 at 9:45 PM
We can use past experience to make predictions about the future. How do predictions affect our memory for the present? My own work (tinyurl.com/42kyukch) suggests that predictions compete with memory. But other recent work (tinyurl.com/2ekd4wr6) found the opposite--cooperation! What's going on here?
Reposted by Barbara Pomiechowska
I love this metaphor for having AI take over key tasks like writing summaries, doing literature reviews, etc...
Yes, please have your LLM buddy lift weights for you. You are now a gym nut
Yes, please have your LLM buddy lift weights for you. You are now a gym nut
Someone wise on here gave the perfect metaphor. When you’re in the gym, the weights don’t actually need to be moved. The outcome you’re looking for is what changes inside you when you move the weights.
January 19, 2026 at 9:26 AM
I love this metaphor for having AI take over key tasks like writing summaries, doing literature reviews, etc...
Yes, please have your LLM buddy lift weights for you. You are now a gym nut
Yes, please have your LLM buddy lift weights for you. You are now a gym nut
Reposted by Barbara Pomiechowska
Climate denialism, empowered by nihilists and know-nothings, undermining science & destroying the evidence that they previously just rejected. Meanwhile, out here in WA, roads are sliding into rivers (an unprecedented weather event) b/c it’s too damn warm to be raining this hard for this long.
Exclusive: The Trump administration is moving to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, according to a senior White House official, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
Trump moves to dismantle major US climate research center in Colorado
The Trump administration is breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
bit.ly
December 17, 2025 at 3:09 AM
Climate denialism, empowered by nihilists and know-nothings, undermining science & destroying the evidence that they previously just rejected. Meanwhile, out here in WA, roads are sliding into rivers (an unprecedented weather event) b/c it’s too damn warm to be raining this hard for this long.
Reposted by Barbara Pomiechowska
“Dutch people cycle an average of 2.6km each per day. If this pattern was replicated worldwide, annual carbon emissions would drop by 686 million tonnes.
This mammoth figure exceeds the entire carbon footprint of most countries, including the UK, Canada, Saudi Arabia and Australia.” @euronews.com
This mammoth figure exceeds the entire carbon footprint of most countries, including the UK, Canada, Saudi Arabia and Australia.” @euronews.com
Cycling like the Dutch would slash the world’s carbon footprint
If everybody cycled like the Dutch, we could offset the UK or Australia’s entire carbon footprint.
www.euronews.com
December 13, 2025 at 10:01 PM
“Dutch people cycle an average of 2.6km each per day. If this pattern was replicated worldwide, annual carbon emissions would drop by 686 million tonnes.
This mammoth figure exceeds the entire carbon footprint of most countries, including the UK, Canada, Saudi Arabia and Australia.” @euronews.com
This mammoth figure exceeds the entire carbon footprint of most countries, including the UK, Canada, Saudi Arabia and Australia.” @euronews.com
Reposted by Barbara Pomiechowska
Thanks to you, Ekolo ya Bonobo Reserve’s 2024 mammal diversity study is complete. The team identified 28 additional mammal species, and the camera traps captured a thriving ecosystem!
Learn more about your impact: savebonobos.org/2024
#YourImpact #EkoloYaBonobo #WildlifeConservation
Learn more about your impact: savebonobos.org/2024
#YourImpact #EkoloYaBonobo #WildlifeConservation
December 11, 2025 at 3:08 AM
Thanks to you, Ekolo ya Bonobo Reserve’s 2024 mammal diversity study is complete. The team identified 28 additional mammal species, and the camera traps captured a thriving ecosystem!
Learn more about your impact: savebonobos.org/2024
#YourImpact #EkoloYaBonobo #WildlifeConservation
Learn more about your impact: savebonobos.org/2024
#YourImpact #EkoloYaBonobo #WildlifeConservation
Reposted by Barbara Pomiechowska
Comparing this with @a38cycleway.bsky.social shows how much more cycling infra investment is needed in Birmingham. Circa 4 times more people are cycling in Manchester. Andy Burnham with Chris Boardman & Sarah Storey have been ambitious and are delivering, same needed here.
@brumgreens.bsky.social
@brumgreens.bsky.social
On Saturday 6th December 2025 there were 1,098 cyclists northbound and 915 cyclists southbound.
December 7, 2025 at 8:21 AM
Comparing this with @a38cycleway.bsky.social shows how much more cycling infra investment is needed in Birmingham. Circa 4 times more people are cycling in Manchester. Andy Burnham with Chris Boardman & Sarah Storey have been ambitious and are delivering, same needed here.
@brumgreens.bsky.social
@brumgreens.bsky.social
Reposted by Barbara Pomiechowska
It’s a great podcast (Bold Politics)… reassuringly Zack Polanski is a rare host who knows how to listen deeply and if he disagrees he does it intelligently and respectfully. Very well worth a listen even if you’re not a Greens voter
....and a million plays on the podcast too!
Thanks everyone for the support. Let's keep growing! 💚🙌🏼
Thanks everyone for the support. Let's keep growing! 💚🙌🏼
3.5m views on this across X & Insta.
£200k raised for the local elections.
Oh we are so putting out two episodes of the podcast this week
£200k raised for the local elections.
Oh we are so putting out two episodes of the podcast this week
December 1, 2025 at 9:48 AM
It’s a great podcast (Bold Politics)… reassuringly Zack Polanski is a rare host who knows how to listen deeply and if he disagrees he does it intelligently and respectfully. Very well worth a listen even if you’re not a Greens voter
Reposted by Barbara Pomiechowska
I had the joy of getting to meet some baby blue-winged parrots today 💚💙
December 1, 2025 at 6:17 AM
I had the joy of getting to meet some baby blue-winged parrots today 💚💙
Reposted by Barbara Pomiechowska
Super pleased with this one, led by the amazing PhD student and foraging expert @emmavscholey.bsky.social!
🧪Preprint!
How foragers depart from optimal models can tell us a lot about how they compute their decisions.
A strong but underexplored departure is that foragers widely vary when they leave identical patches.
A 🧵
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
With
@emmavscholey.bsky.social @brainapps.bsky.social
How foragers depart from optimal models can tell us a lot about how they compute their decisions.
A strong but underexplored departure is that foragers widely vary when they leave identical patches.
A 🧵
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
With
@emmavscholey.bsky.social @brainapps.bsky.social
November 12, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Super pleased with this one, led by the amazing PhD student and foraging expert @emmavscholey.bsky.social!
Reposted by Barbara Pomiechowska
It’s not just about what you remove (cars, noise, dirty air). It’s about what you add (people walking, a lot of bike parking, trees, outdoor dining, and room for kids to play safely). Amsterdam: 1986 and today.
Streets for people.
HT @hackneycyclist.bsky.social for the great before-and-after
Streets for people.
HT @hackneycyclist.bsky.social for the great before-and-after
November 11, 2025 at 4:24 AM
It’s not just about what you remove (cars, noise, dirty air). It’s about what you add (people walking, a lot of bike parking, trees, outdoor dining, and room for kids to play safely). Amsterdam: 1986 and today.
Streets for people.
HT @hackneycyclist.bsky.social for the great before-and-after
Streets for people.
HT @hackneycyclist.bsky.social for the great before-and-after
Reposted by Barbara Pomiechowska
Public transport in Birmingham is lamentable, cycling is too dangerous for many by design, and our streets have been surrendered to speeding cars and gridlocked traffic.
The saddest thing is that, as other cities have shown, it's not that difficult or expensive to fix this.
The saddest thing is that, as other cities have shown, it's not that difficult or expensive to fix this.
Fun* update: bus subcontractor lost the contract, new contractor has taken over line but changed the time table so that now if I want to get to campus for 9am on a bus I have to leave my house at 7.30. I live 4 miles from work. #BrumIsBroken
joy: get to my bus stop, check the bus tracker & find my commuting route literally no longer exists. Number reassigned, no timetables, zero warning or information. I fucking hate Birmingham’s crappy underfunded infrastructure sometimes. It makes it hard to live here & there’s zero accountability 😔
November 11, 2025 at 9:09 AM
Public transport in Birmingham is lamentable, cycling is too dangerous for many by design, and our streets have been surrendered to speeding cars and gridlocked traffic.
The saddest thing is that, as other cities have shown, it's not that difficult or expensive to fix this.
The saddest thing is that, as other cities have shown, it's not that difficult or expensive to fix this.
Reposted by Barbara Pomiechowska
We continue to live in a city created by the Victorians and Edwardians. Yet, we've chosen to prioritize only one type of Victorian and Edwardian transport technology, the automobile. Today, I'm talking at the @thevicsoc.bsky.social on why this came to be, and how the cycling city can exist again.
November 1, 2025 at 10:13 AM
We continue to live in a city created by the Victorians and Edwardians. Yet, we've chosen to prioritize only one type of Victorian and Edwardian transport technology, the automobile. Today, I'm talking at the @thevicsoc.bsky.social on why this came to be, and how the cycling city can exist again.
Reposted by Barbara Pomiechowska
🐦 Exciting news! Our new paper is out in PLOS Biology:
“A large-scale study across the avian clade identifies ecological drivers of neophobia.”
Led by the #ManyBirds Project - 129 researchers, 82 institutions, 24 countries 🌍
🔗 journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
@themanybirds.bsky.social
“A large-scale study across the avian clade identifies ecological drivers of neophobia.”
Led by the #ManyBirds Project - 129 researchers, 82 institutions, 24 countries 🌍
🔗 journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
@themanybirds.bsky.social
A large-scale study across the avian clade identifies ecological drivers of neophobia
Neophobia (the aversive response to novelty) varies considerably across species and individuals, and can impact adaptability and survival. This study assesses neophobia in 1400 subjects from 136 bird ...
journals.plos.org
October 14, 2025 at 6:45 PM
🐦 Exciting news! Our new paper is out in PLOS Biology:
“A large-scale study across the avian clade identifies ecological drivers of neophobia.”
Led by the #ManyBirds Project - 129 researchers, 82 institutions, 24 countries 🌍
🔗 journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
@themanybirds.bsky.social
“A large-scale study across the avian clade identifies ecological drivers of neophobia.”
Led by the #ManyBirds Project - 129 researchers, 82 institutions, 24 countries 🌍
🔗 journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
@themanybirds.bsky.social
Reposted by Barbara Pomiechowska
Great BBC coverage of our 'dinosaur highway' excavation, featuring @kirstymedgar.bsky.social @djemurdock.bsky.social & @peterfalkingham.com.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ficn...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ficn...
One of the world’s longest dinosaur trackways uncovered in UK | BBC News
YouTube video by BBC News
www.youtube.com
October 15, 2025 at 6:58 AM
Great BBC coverage of our 'dinosaur highway' excavation, featuring @kirstymedgar.bsky.social @djemurdock.bsky.social & @peterfalkingham.com.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ficn...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ficn...
Reposted by Barbara Pomiechowska
“Britain is a nation of neighbours, not strangers — and it’s time we built a politics of hope that reflects that.”
Zack Polanski with a message of unity and hope having been out door knocking Handsworth today.
Zack Polanski with a message of unity and hope having been out door knocking Handsworth today.
October 11, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Reposted by Barbara Pomiechowska
🧵🚨
The UK’s independent scientific bodies are highly vulnerable to politicisation - over the past 5 months I've been working with @martinmckee.bsky.social to map out their vulnerabilities and it's not good news.
Today our report is published!
www.ucl.ac.uk/policy-lab/n...
1/11
The UK’s independent scientific bodies are highly vulnerable to politicisation - over the past 5 months I've been working with @martinmckee.bsky.social to map out their vulnerabilities and it's not good news.
Today our report is published!
www.ucl.ac.uk/policy-lab/n...
1/11
UK’s arm’s length public bodies are highly vulnerable to politicisation
Seven in ten Britons say it is important for top scientific institutions to be independent in exclusive new polling.
www.ucl.ac.uk
October 9, 2025 at 3:47 PM
🧵🚨
The UK’s independent scientific bodies are highly vulnerable to politicisation - over the past 5 months I've been working with @martinmckee.bsky.social to map out their vulnerabilities and it's not good news.
Today our report is published!
www.ucl.ac.uk/policy-lab/n...
1/11
The UK’s independent scientific bodies are highly vulnerable to politicisation - over the past 5 months I've been working with @martinmckee.bsky.social to map out their vulnerabilities and it's not good news.
Today our report is published!
www.ucl.ac.uk/policy-lab/n...
1/11
Reposted by Barbara Pomiechowska
🦅PhD position 🦅 in my new group at @fbm-unil.bsky.social in Switzerland, studying how the social and resource landscapes shape the learning process for soaring flight. Deadline: Oct 30. Pls repost! career5.successfactors.eu/career?caree...
October 6, 2025 at 5:56 AM
🦅PhD position 🦅 in my new group at @fbm-unil.bsky.social in Switzerland, studying how the social and resource landscapes shape the learning process for soaring flight. Deadline: Oct 30. Pls repost! career5.successfactors.eu/career?caree...
Reposted by Barbara Pomiechowska
Brilliant effort from the Circle the City riders last night. 🌧💨 It was chucking it down and blowing a gale, but that didn’t stop them pedalling on. 💪
#CircleTheCity #KeepPedalling #TogetherWeRide #RainOrShine
#CircleTheCity #KeepPedalling #TogetherWeRide #RainOrShine
October 4, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Brilliant effort from the Circle the City riders last night. 🌧💨 It was chucking it down and blowing a gale, but that didn’t stop them pedalling on. 💪
#CircleTheCity #KeepPedalling #TogetherWeRide #RainOrShine
#CircleTheCity #KeepPedalling #TogetherWeRide #RainOrShine
Reposted by Barbara Pomiechowska
📢 New (economics) preprint 📢
(with Jiaxin Yu)
Excited to share our study on the cooperation in the infinitely repeated Prisoner's Dilemma, where we use payoff manipulations and all kinds of methods to disentangle strategies, beliefs, and preferences: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
(with Jiaxin Yu)
Excited to share our study on the cooperation in the infinitely repeated Prisoner's Dilemma, where we use payoff manipulations and all kinds of methods to disentangle strategies, beliefs, and preferences: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
October 3, 2025 at 11:23 AM
📢 New (economics) preprint 📢
(with Jiaxin Yu)
Excited to share our study on the cooperation in the infinitely repeated Prisoner's Dilemma, where we use payoff manipulations and all kinds of methods to disentangle strategies, beliefs, and preferences: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
(with Jiaxin Yu)
Excited to share our study on the cooperation in the infinitely repeated Prisoner's Dilemma, where we use payoff manipulations and all kinds of methods to disentangle strategies, beliefs, and preferences: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Reposted by Barbara Pomiechowska
🚨 New paper in Nature Methods:
HippoMaps: multiscale cartography of the human hippocampus
Open-source tools & data to explore structure and function of the 🍤🧠 (histology, in/ex vivo MRI, iEEG)
Led by @jordandekraker.bsky.social
docs: hippomaps.readthedocs.io
paper: doi.org/10.1038/s415...
HippoMaps: multiscale cartography of the human hippocampus
Open-source tools & data to explore structure and function of the 🍤🧠 (histology, in/ex vivo MRI, iEEG)
Led by @jordandekraker.bsky.social
docs: hippomaps.readthedocs.io
paper: doi.org/10.1038/s415...
October 2, 2025 at 11:50 AM
🚨 New paper in Nature Methods:
HippoMaps: multiscale cartography of the human hippocampus
Open-source tools & data to explore structure and function of the 🍤🧠 (histology, in/ex vivo MRI, iEEG)
Led by @jordandekraker.bsky.social
docs: hippomaps.readthedocs.io
paper: doi.org/10.1038/s415...
HippoMaps: multiscale cartography of the human hippocampus
Open-source tools & data to explore structure and function of the 🍤🧠 (histology, in/ex vivo MRI, iEEG)
Led by @jordandekraker.bsky.social
docs: hippomaps.readthedocs.io
paper: doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Reposted by Barbara Pomiechowska
We’re excited to share some leadership updates at the CHBH! After three years, Dr @katjakornysheva.bsky.social stepped down this month, we're grateful to Katja for her leadership. Prof @bagshaap.bsky.social will continue as Co-Director and we welcome Prof Stephane De Brito as Co-Director into 25/26.
September 30, 2025 at 10:36 AM
We’re excited to share some leadership updates at the CHBH! After three years, Dr @katjakornysheva.bsky.social stepped down this month, we're grateful to Katja for her leadership. Prof @bagshaap.bsky.social will continue as Co-Director and we welcome Prof Stephane De Brito as Co-Director into 25/26.
Looking for a postdoc or RA position?
Look no more! Consider applying (by Thu 2 Oct) to work with the wonderful Andy Bremner & team. Great impactful project, supportive & friendly lab with top-notch amenities. Join us in Birmingham ✨
Look no more! Consider applying (by Thu 2 Oct) to work with the wonderful Andy Bremner & team. Great impactful project, supportive & friendly lab with top-notch amenities. Join us in Birmingham ✨
Join us 🗓️ DEADLINE THIS THU 2 Oct! Last call for applications for two exciting & fun positions in the Birmingham BabyLab to work on multisensory development in term-born and preterm infancy w Andy Bremner, Monica Gori, and Andy Surtees. Please repost:
👉 lnkd.in/gczD5EwX (postdoc)
👉 lnkd.in/ga92z3sM
👉 lnkd.in/gczD5EwX (postdoc)
👉 lnkd.in/ga92z3sM
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
lnkd.in
September 29, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Looking for a postdoc or RA position?
Look no more! Consider applying (by Thu 2 Oct) to work with the wonderful Andy Bremner & team. Great impactful project, supportive & friendly lab with top-notch amenities. Join us in Birmingham ✨
Look no more! Consider applying (by Thu 2 Oct) to work with the wonderful Andy Bremner & team. Great impactful project, supportive & friendly lab with top-notch amenities. Join us in Birmingham ✨
Reposted by Barbara Pomiechowska
It was so great! Really lucky to have been able to listen and learn from Barbara, Liuba, & Benedek. Some of the most insightful research happening today, from just the absolutely nicest, coolest people.
Heading for my last day of the ESPP in Warsaw. Amazing to see philosophers and psychologists in one room. It was a privilege to talk about how symbols and compositionality emerge in babies alongside @ljubapi.bsky.social and @benedek.bsky.social 💕 to @ericman.bsky.social for organizing the symposium!
September 6, 2025 at 10:15 AM
It was so great! Really lucky to have been able to listen and learn from Barbara, Liuba, & Benedek. Some of the most insightful research happening today, from just the absolutely nicest, coolest people.
Reposted by Barbara Pomiechowska
I hope those reporting on Alpha read this thread (or better yet, the article). bsky.app/profile/vauh...
September 5, 2025 at 7:55 PM
I hope those reporting on Alpha read this thread (or better yet, the article). bsky.app/profile/vauh...