Alyssa Smith (job market era)
@cetaceanneeded.bsky.social
she/her
Going on the job market in fall 2025
PhD candidate @nunetsi.bsky.social
website: https://asmithh.github.io/
NSF GRFP Awardee, narcoleptic, whale fan, and powerlifter
Going on the job market in fall 2025
PhD candidate @nunetsi.bsky.social
website: https://asmithh.github.io/
NSF GRFP Awardee, narcoleptic, whale fan, and powerlifter
Reposted by Alyssa Smith (job market era)
We didn’t spend free time on ERGs because we thought it would benefit shareholders, it was because it made our lives slightly less miserable as a cog in the machine and it let us consolidate what little power we had.
What gets me most about the snide remarks about rainbow capitalism is that the most immediate beneficiaries were *workers*
So many people could only imagine it from the perspective of being consumers, as if LGBT people working in those companies was an afterthought.
So many people could only imagine it from the perspective of being consumers, as if LGBT people working in those companies was an afterthought.
January 2, 2026 at 7:16 PM
We didn’t spend free time on ERGs because we thought it would benefit shareholders, it was because it made our lives slightly less miserable as a cog in the machine and it let us consolidate what little power we had.
hi i’m a tiny crumb of peanut dust
January 2, 2026 at 4:20 AM
hi i’m a tiny crumb of peanut dust
more cozyposting: just knit a chunky mobius strip cowl
December 23, 2025 at 2:23 AM
more cozyposting: just knit a chunky mobius strip cowl
thinking about that time in college when i posted about my sleep schedule on the polyphasic sleep subreddit and someone was like “bestie that’s not polyphasic that’s a sleep disorder” and i went “haha couldn’t be me” then got diagnosed with narcolepsy like 6+ years later
December 22, 2025 at 3:56 PM
thinking about that time in college when i posted about my sleep schedule on the polyphasic sleep subreddit and someone was like “bestie that’s not polyphasic that’s a sleep disorder” and i went “haha couldn’t be me” then got diagnosed with narcolepsy like 6+ years later
made a practice quilt for the creature to get better at longarm quilting and quilt binding. i don’t think she’s impressed.
December 19, 2025 at 7:49 PM
made a practice quilt for the creature to get better at longarm quilting and quilt binding. i don’t think she’s impressed.
this thread will just be me doing a puzzle because it’s nice to do something you’re bad at
December 17, 2025 at 6:22 PM
this thread will just be me doing a puzzle because it’s nice to do something you’re bad at
just found several interview transcripts for my undergrad thesis, along with an early draft of said thesis. past me did her qualitative coding with 3 highlighters and a lot of caffeine, near as i can tell. i need to go email my thesis advisor and thank her for putting up with me 🥺
December 16, 2025 at 8:39 PM
just found several interview transcripts for my undergrad thesis, along with an early draft of said thesis. past me did her qualitative coding with 3 highlighters and a lot of caffeine, near as i can tell. i need to go email my thesis advisor and thank her for putting up with me 🥺
Reposted by Alyssa Smith (job market era)
A note on learning physics ⚛️ for starting PhD students:
At the risk of saying something completely useless because everyone has it worked out
There is no magic trick, your classmates *may* be faster than you, but they are still studying as long as they need to and you are quite capable of the same
At the risk of saying something completely useless because everyone has it worked out
There is no magic trick, your classmates *may* be faster than you, but they are still studying as long as they need to and you are quite capable of the same
December 4, 2025 at 9:18 PM
A note on learning physics ⚛️ for starting PhD students:
At the risk of saying something completely useless because everyone has it worked out
There is no magic trick, your classmates *may* be faster than you, but they are still studying as long as they need to and you are quite capable of the same
At the risk of saying something completely useless because everyone has it worked out
There is no magic trick, your classmates *may* be faster than you, but they are still studying as long as they need to and you are quite capable of the same
Reposted by Alyssa Smith (job market era)
An excellent thread on structural bullshit in academia, how to avoid mental traps, and encouragement to people from marginalized backgrounds. The system isn’t fair, but it can be gamed and it’s designed to intimidate people into failing. Don’t let them fool you.
A note on learning physics ⚛️ for starting PhD students:
At the risk of saying something completely useless because everyone has it worked out
There is no magic trick, your classmates *may* be faster than you, but they are still studying as long as they need to and you are quite capable of the same
At the risk of saying something completely useless because everyone has it worked out
There is no magic trick, your classmates *may* be faster than you, but they are still studying as long as they need to and you are quite capable of the same
December 4, 2025 at 10:57 PM
An excellent thread on structural bullshit in academia, how to avoid mental traps, and encouragement to people from marginalized backgrounds. The system isn’t fair, but it can be gamed and it’s designed to intimidate people into failing. Don’t let them fool you.
Reposted by Alyssa Smith (job market era)
The United States welcomes human traffickers like Andrew Tate, but it defintely does not want you if you have ever worked to keep child pornography off the internet.
A strong statement of what passes for American values, I guess.
A strong statement of what passes for American values, I guess.
The US State Department is now targeting anyone applying for an H-1b visa who has worked on "activities such as misinformation, disinformation, content moderation, fact-checking, compliance and online safety, among others." www.yahoo.com/news/article...
Trump administration orders enhanced vetting for applicants of H-1B visa
WASHINGTON, Dec 3 (Reuters) - The Trump administration on Wednesday announced increased vetting of applicants for H-1B visas for highly skilled workers, with an internal State Department memo saying t...
www.yahoo.com
December 4, 2025 at 10:28 PM
The United States welcomes human traffickers like Andrew Tate, but it defintely does not want you if you have ever worked to keep child pornography off the internet.
A strong statement of what passes for American values, I guess.
A strong statement of what passes for American values, I guess.
Reposted by Alyssa Smith (job market era)
We need to be able to see that the line "accommodations have gone too far" is an expression of the ableist notion that disabled students do not belong in higher ed. Its fundamentally an anxiety about the fact that disabled students get an "advantage" over abled students.
December 2, 2025 at 6:05 PM
We need to be able to see that the line "accommodations have gone too far" is an expression of the ableist notion that disabled students do not belong in higher ed. Its fundamentally an anxiety about the fact that disabled students get an "advantage" over abled students.
Reposted by Alyssa Smith (job market era)
It's that time of year again... time for #DisabledInSTEM 2026 Mentorship applications! I'm so excited to be running this program for the sixth year and seeing the growth over the years!
Mentee form: forms.gle/um5DvYnBi3tn...
Mentor form: forms.gle/BvaxnQm8uhUR...
Applications due December 5th!
Mentee form: forms.gle/um5DvYnBi3tn...
Mentor form: forms.gle/BvaxnQm8uhUR...
Applications due December 5th!
October 20, 2025 at 4:44 PM
It's that time of year again... time for #DisabledInSTEM 2026 Mentorship applications! I'm so excited to be running this program for the sixth year and seeing the growth over the years!
Mentee form: forms.gle/um5DvYnBi3tn...
Mentor form: forms.gle/BvaxnQm8uhUR...
Applications due December 5th!
Mentee form: forms.gle/um5DvYnBi3tn...
Mentor form: forms.gle/BvaxnQm8uhUR...
Applications due December 5th!
Reposted by Alyssa Smith (job market era)
The #DisabledInSTEM Mentorship Program has almost an equal number of applicants for mentees and mentors!
Just sad to see interest extremely low this year. I’m not sure how I could reach people better so please share within your networks! 💜
Just sad to see interest extremely low this year. I’m not sure how I could reach people better so please share within your networks! 💜
November 26, 2025 at 7:07 PM
The #DisabledInSTEM Mentorship Program has almost an equal number of applicants for mentees and mentors!
Just sad to see interest extremely low this year. I’m not sure how I could reach people better so please share within your networks! 💜
Just sad to see interest extremely low this year. I’m not sure how I could reach people better so please share within your networks! 💜
dear hypergraph enthusiasts,
I am thinking about applying to do a satellite hackathon at @netsciconf.bsky.social focusing on our Bluesky starter pack dataset! if you work with higher-order networks and would be interested in giving a brief methods talk at this hypothetical session, please reach out!
I am thinking about applying to do a satellite hackathon at @netsciconf.bsky.social focusing on our Bluesky starter pack dataset! if you work with higher-order networks and would be interested in giving a brief methods talk at this hypothetical session, please reach out!
I loved working with this team, and I hope you'll use our dataset!! Check out the talk that @diesagar.bsky.social will be giving at the Software and Data for Supporting Network Science Workshop @netscience.bsky.social. It's going to be lit!!!
November 12, 2025 at 10:20 PM
dear hypergraph enthusiasts,
I am thinking about applying to do a satellite hackathon at @netsciconf.bsky.social focusing on our Bluesky starter pack dataset! if you work with higher-order networks and would be interested in giving a brief methods talk at this hypothetical session, please reach out!
I am thinking about applying to do a satellite hackathon at @netsciconf.bsky.social focusing on our Bluesky starter pack dataset! if you work with higher-order networks and would be interested in giving a brief methods talk at this hypothetical session, please reach out!
hot off the (virtual) press in @transstudies.bsky.social: a collaboration with @pranavgoel.bsky.social, @crazybrokeasian.bsky.social, and @diesagar.bsky.social on information flows in US local & national news about transgender people (spoiler alert: it’s complicated)
doi.org/10.57814/557...
doi.org/10.57814/557...
Locating the Asymmetry in Information Flow between Local and National Media on Transgender Discourses - Bulletin of Applied Transgender Studies
Mainstream news outlets set the agenda and terms of discussion for
public discourse. As transgender people experience increasingly
vitriolic attacks on their fundamental rights in the US, understandin...
doi.org
November 4, 2025 at 8:05 PM
hot off the (virtual) press in @transstudies.bsky.social: a collaboration with @pranavgoel.bsky.social, @crazybrokeasian.bsky.social, and @diesagar.bsky.social on information flows in US local & national news about transgender people (spoiler alert: it’s complicated)
doi.org/10.57814/557...
doi.org/10.57814/557...
hi researcher friends! if you conduct & record interviews with people and are concerned about the privacy risks of using online transcription services, i have good news, now with a minimal, kinda bad UI!
github.com/asmithh/tran...
github.com/asmithh/tran...
GitHub - asmithh/transcription
Contribute to asmithh/transcription development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
November 4, 2025 at 5:13 PM
hi researcher friends! if you conduct & record interviews with people and are concerned about the privacy risks of using online transcription services, i have good news, now with a minimal, kinda bad UI!
github.com/asmithh/tran...
github.com/asmithh/tran...
💜 this lab & these people
They wrote a story about me and the rest of @nusealab.bsky.social and the work we're doing around epistemic justice in social computing! It's first in a series, and focuses mostly on my own work and the lab's approach. Good to see the continued support. www.khoury.northeastern.edu/research-tha...
Research that hits home: Michael Ann DeVito and the case for a more just research approach - Khoury College of Computer Sciences
As director of the SEALab, Khoury–CAMD professor Michael Ann DeVito is advancing a research vision based on epistemic justice, and is elevating the communities she studies in the process.
www.khoury.northeastern.edu
November 4, 2025 at 3:12 PM
💜 this lab & these people
Reposted by Alyssa Smith (job market era)
Of course, people don't agree on what is "safe" and "fair" and that's why moderation is hard. But you can't solve a network-level problem with individual-level tools
October 7, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Of course, people don't agree on what is "safe" and "fair" and that's why moderation is hard. But you can't solve a network-level problem with individual-level tools
Reposted by Alyssa Smith (job market era)
Moderation isn't simply about taking things down, it's also about building a collectively safe space. Telling someone they can just "label" (or hide/block) something they don't like won't address their concern that their community isn't safe
October 7, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Moderation isn't simply about taking things down, it's also about building a collectively safe space. Telling someone they can just "label" (or hide/block) something they don't like won't address their concern that their community isn't safe
come network about networks with your network???
📌 Save the Date!
The flagship conference of the Network Science Society - 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗦𝗰𝗶 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 - is coming to Northeastern University’s Network Science Institute, 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟭-𝟱, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲.
Prepare to share ideas, discoveries & challenges in network science.
Registration opens soon! 🔗 www.netsci2026.com
The flagship conference of the Network Science Society - 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗦𝗰𝗶 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 - is coming to Northeastern University’s Network Science Institute, 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟭-𝟱, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲.
Prepare to share ideas, discoveries & challenges in network science.
Registration opens soon! 🔗 www.netsci2026.com
September 30, 2025 at 7:52 PM
come network about networks with your network???
Reposted by Alyssa Smith (job market era)
This morning at 11am, corner of Hathorn and Broadway in Somerville MA. 3 ICE vehicles idling on nearby corners. I was following two ICE cars that were cruising around the neighborhood.
This person was just walking down the sidewalk when two ICE vehicles stopped and officers jumped out to stop him.
This person was just walking down the sidewalk when two ICE vehicles stopped and officers jumped out to stop him.
September 20, 2025 at 4:44 PM
This morning at 11am, corner of Hathorn and Broadway in Somerville MA. 3 ICE vehicles idling on nearby corners. I was following two ICE cars that were cruising around the neighborhood.
This person was just walking down the sidewalk when two ICE vehicles stopped and officers jumped out to stop him.
This person was just walking down the sidewalk when two ICE vehicles stopped and officers jumped out to stop him.
Reposted by Alyssa Smith (job market era)
Why is this horrible for Universities?
Just about everyone who isn't a citizen or green card holder already who's hired for a tenure track faculty position is hired through an H1B and then, after 3-5 years, applies for a green card.
This is literally "No more foreign professors can be hired"
Just about everyone who isn't a citizen or green card holder already who's hired for a tenure track faculty position is hired through an H1B and then, after 3-5 years, applies for a green card.
This is literally "No more foreign professors can be hired"
Those on an H1B cannot return to the US from tomorrow (Sunday) unless paying $100K. This is an out-of-the blue presidential action. We’ll see software engineers stranded abroad.
One easy to predict outcome: those on US visas will travel less… for work, for conferences etc.
One easy to predict outcome: those on US visas will travel less… for work, for conferences etc.
September 20, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Why is this horrible for Universities?
Just about everyone who isn't a citizen or green card holder already who's hired for a tenure track faculty position is hired through an H1B and then, after 3-5 years, applies for a green card.
This is literally "No more foreign professors can be hired"
Just about everyone who isn't a citizen or green card holder already who's hired for a tenure track faculty position is hired through an H1B and then, after 3-5 years, applies for a green card.
This is literally "No more foreign professors can be hired"
Reposted by Alyssa Smith (job market era)
currently reading this and stopping every few pages to go Oh No
but i just wanted to emphasize the extent to which data, especially ill-gotten data or really dubious acts of quantification, get used to build up & justify dangerous rhetoric.
but i just wanted to emphasize the extent to which data, especially ill-gotten data or really dubious acts of quantification, get used to build up & justify dangerous rhetoric.
Words can damage people and nations. Words can be DELIBERATELY CRAFTED to undermine and hurt an adversary in wars that run hot or cold. Militaries know that. Propagandists know it. Can we please not pretend that all rhetoric is the same? Some words are not harmless. wwnorton.com/books/978039...
Stories Are Weapons
A <em> Book Riot </em> Best Book of 2024 <br /> One of <em>Publishers Weekly</em>'s Top 10 Politics/Current Events books of Spring 2024 <br /><br /> A sharp and timely exploration of the dark art o...
wwnorton.com
September 14, 2025 at 12:58 AM
currently reading this and stopping every few pages to go Oh No
but i just wanted to emphasize the extent to which data, especially ill-gotten data or really dubious acts of quantification, get used to build up & justify dangerous rhetoric.
but i just wanted to emphasize the extent to which data, especially ill-gotten data or really dubious acts of quantification, get used to build up & justify dangerous rhetoric.