Jaime Castrellon
@jjfcastrellon.bsky.social
Assistant Prof @UCLA | studying decision making & motivation | #LatinxInSTEM | #FirstGen | he/him
https://www.psych.ucla.edu/faculty-page/jcastrellon/
https://www.psych.ucla.edu/faculty-page/jcastrellon/
Reposted by Jaime Castrellon
We’re hiring a technician!!
We’re an inclusive team of behavioral neuroscientists trying to discover the brain circuits of learning, decision making, and habit. More info👇
wassumlab.psych.ucla.edu/join-the-lab/
Job posting:
jobs.ucla.edu/jobs/8968
We’re an inclusive team of behavioral neuroscientists trying to discover the brain circuits of learning, decision making, and habit. More info👇
wassumlab.psych.ucla.edu/join-the-lab/
Job posting:
jobs.ucla.edu/jobs/8968
November 3, 2025 at 3:52 PM
We’re hiring a technician!!
We’re an inclusive team of behavioral neuroscientists trying to discover the brain circuits of learning, decision making, and habit. More info👇
wassumlab.psych.ucla.edu/join-the-lab/
Job posting:
jobs.ucla.edu/jobs/8968
We’re an inclusive team of behavioral neuroscientists trying to discover the brain circuits of learning, decision making, and habit. More info👇
wassumlab.psych.ucla.edu/join-the-lab/
Job posting:
jobs.ucla.edu/jobs/8968
Reposted by Jaime Castrellon
📢 Thrilled to share our paper is out now in @natcomms.nature.com
Shared computations underlie how we acquire actions that are mutually beneficial, instrumentally harmful (benefits self at the expense of others), altruistic (benefit others at the expense of self), or mutually costly
🧵 rdcu.be/eL8mZ
Shared computations underlie how we acquire actions that are mutually beneficial, instrumentally harmful (benefits self at the expense of others), altruistic (benefit others at the expense of self), or mutually costly
🧵 rdcu.be/eL8mZ
Neurocomputational basis of learning when choices simultaneously affect both oneself and others
Nature Communications - When learning to make choices that simultaneously affect the self and others, asymmetric encoding of information guides future social behaviors across mutually beneficial,...
rdcu.be
October 22, 2025 at 4:42 PM
📢 Thrilled to share our paper is out now in @natcomms.nature.com
Shared computations underlie how we acquire actions that are mutually beneficial, instrumentally harmful (benefits self at the expense of others), altruistic (benefit others at the expense of self), or mutually costly
🧵 rdcu.be/eL8mZ
Shared computations underlie how we acquire actions that are mutually beneficial, instrumentally harmful (benefits self at the expense of others), altruistic (benefit others at the expense of self), or mutually costly
🧵 rdcu.be/eL8mZ
Reposted by Jaime Castrellon
@joann-trejo.bsky.social, @marymunson4.bsky.social and I have a commentary in @natcellbio.nature.com on recent attacks on DEI in biomedical research: "If scientific research, especially biomedical research, is meant to serve everyone, then it requires that everyone has an opportunity to participate"
Scaling back DEI programmes and the loss of scientific talent
Nature Cell Biology - Programmes that support diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in science are under attack in the USA. Data indicate that diversity in the scientific workforce increases...
www.nature.com
October 23, 2025 at 4:36 PM
@joann-trejo.bsky.social, @marymunson4.bsky.social and I have a commentary in @natcellbio.nature.com on recent attacks on DEI in biomedical research: "If scientific research, especially biomedical research, is meant to serve everyone, then it requires that everyone has an opportunity to participate"
Reposted by Jaime Castrellon
Thrilled to share our new preprint highlighting distinct neurocomputational mechanisms underlying how reward and punishment determine adaptive cognitive control - a massive fMRI study and collaborative team effort with the @shenhavlab.bsky.social 🧠
Link here:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Link here:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Neurocomputational mechanisms underlying the distinct motivational influences of reward and punishment on cognitive control
Human motivation is fundamentally shaped by one's expectations of the reward they could earn for good performance or the punishment they would avoid for poor performance. However, the extent to which ...
www.biorxiv.org
October 20, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Thrilled to share our new preprint highlighting distinct neurocomputational mechanisms underlying how reward and punishment determine adaptive cognitive control - a massive fMRI study and collaborative team effort with the @shenhavlab.bsky.social 🧠
Link here:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Link here:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Jaime Castrellon
I'm recruiting PhD students to join my new lab in Fall 2026! The Shared Minds Lab at @usc.edu will combine deep learning and ecological human neuroscience to better understand how we communicate our thoughts from one brain to another.
October 1, 2025 at 10:39 PM
I'm recruiting PhD students to join my new lab in Fall 2026! The Shared Minds Lab at @usc.edu will combine deep learning and ecological human neuroscience to better understand how we communicate our thoughts from one brain to another.
Reposted by Jaime Castrellon
So... I did some analysis of grants that did receive noncompetitive renewals.
In particular, I looked a those award where the title of the grant changed.
Warning: The results are just what I expected, but oooph...
1/4
In particular, I looked a those award where the title of the grant changed.
Warning: The results are just what I expected, but oooph...
1/4
a man with his eyes closed is wearing a plaid shirt and a blue jacket .
ALT: a man with his eyes closed is wearing a plaid shirt and a blue jacket .
media.tenor.com
September 9, 2025 at 11:22 PM
So... I did some analysis of grants that did receive noncompetitive renewals.
In particular, I looked a those award where the title of the grant changed.
Warning: The results are just what I expected, but oooph...
1/4
In particular, I looked a those award where the title of the grant changed.
Warning: The results are just what I expected, but oooph...
1/4
Reposted by Jaime Castrellon
New preprint🔊🧓: Why do we trust our friends more? We show that people are more efficient at evaluating information when making trust decisions about friends. This is preserved across the adult life span. W/ @jjfcastrellon.bsky.social . Feedback welcome: osf.io/tkpmv_v1
August 15, 2025 at 9:13 PM
New preprint🔊🧓: Why do we trust our friends more? We show that people are more efficient at evaluating information when making trust decisions about friends. This is preserved across the adult life span. W/ @jjfcastrellon.bsky.social . Feedback welcome: osf.io/tkpmv_v1
Reposted by Jaime Castrellon
How do children figure out what other people believe, especially when those beliefs are wrong?
And what kinds of mental effort does it take to get that right?
New paper out now:
And what kinds of mental effort does it take to get that right?
New paper out now:
May 14, 2025 at 5:21 PM
How do children figure out what other people believe, especially when those beliefs are wrong?
And what kinds of mental effort does it take to get that right?
New paper out now:
And what kinds of mental effort does it take to get that right?
New paper out now:
Reposted by Jaime Castrellon
I updated my NIH D-SPAN repo (github.com/wj-mitchell/...) to reflect the current state of the mechanism, which - like other diversity awards - is not good. It made my day the handful of times folks reached out to share how it helped. I'm leaving it otherwise unaltered in memoriam.
GitHub - wj-mitchell/DSPAN_Details: Information and Materials Related to My NIH DSPAN F99/K00 Award
Information and Materials Related to My NIH DSPAN F99/K00 Award - wj-mitchell/DSPAN_Details
github.com
April 10, 2025 at 7:16 PM
I updated my NIH D-SPAN repo (github.com/wj-mitchell/...) to reflect the current state of the mechanism, which - like other diversity awards - is not good. It made my day the handful of times folks reached out to share how it helped. I'm leaving it otherwise unaltered in memoriam.
Reposted by Jaime Castrellon
Exclusive: Weeks after President Donald Trump’s administration ordered NIH to pull $250 million in biomedical research grants to Columbia University, the agency is freezing all remaining grant money owed to the university until further notice. scim.ag/4if5Rg1
NIH freezes all research grants to Columbia University
Amid negotiations with Trump, the university could risk losing nearly $700 million
scim.ag
April 9, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Exclusive: Weeks after President Donald Trump’s administration ordered NIH to pull $250 million in biomedical research grants to Columbia University, the agency is freezing all remaining grant money owed to the university until further notice. scim.ag/4if5Rg1
Reposted by Jaime Castrellon
It’s here! It’s here! Our Black In Neuro Annual Report for FY23-24 (July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024) 🎉
We would like to thank our BIN team, Daniela Franco for preparing this report, and Ni-ka Ford for the beautiful cover art 😍
static1.squarespace.com/static/5f022...
🧵 1/8
We would like to thank our BIN team, Daniela Franco for preparing this report, and Ni-ka Ford for the beautiful cover art 😍
static1.squarespace.com/static/5f022...
🧵 1/8
April 5, 2025 at 8:32 PM
It’s here! It’s here! Our Black In Neuro Annual Report for FY23-24 (July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024) 🎉
We would like to thank our BIN team, Daniela Franco for preparing this report, and Ni-ka Ford for the beautiful cover art 😍
static1.squarespace.com/static/5f022...
🧵 1/8
We would like to thank our BIN team, Daniela Franco for preparing this report, and Ni-ka Ford for the beautiful cover art 😍
static1.squarespace.com/static/5f022...
🧵 1/8
Reposted by Jaime Castrellon
New work by Mercedes Munoz with @yarrowdunham.bsky.social @olsonista.bsky.social Kristin Pauker & May Ling Halim! White kids are above chance in ingroup biases in attitudes, resource allocation & interpersonal distance; results vary for Black, Latine, & Asian kids
online.ucpress.edu/collabra/art...
online.ucpress.edu/collabra/art...
Children’s Use of Race in Their Social Judgments: A Multi-Site, Multi-Racial Group Comparison
Studies assessing children’s use of race in social judgment have often focused on White participants and usually include targets of only one or two racial backgrounds. They have also employed a wide r...
online.ucpress.edu
April 4, 2025 at 8:48 PM
New work by Mercedes Munoz with @yarrowdunham.bsky.social @olsonista.bsky.social Kristin Pauker & May Ling Halim! White kids are above chance in ingroup biases in attitudes, resource allocation & interpersonal distance; results vary for Black, Latine, & Asian kids
online.ucpress.edu/collabra/art...
online.ucpress.edu/collabra/art...
Reposted by Jaime Castrellon
every person involved in this needs to be in prison
“One young man sobbed when a guard pushed him to the floor. He said, ‘I’m not a gang member. I’m gay. I’m a barber.’ I believed him. *** He “began to whimper,” as his head was roughly shaved, “folding his hands in prayer as his hair fell.” He “asked for his mother & cried as he was slapped again.”
What the Venezuelans Deported to El Salvador Experienced
Exclusive photos of the arrival of Venezuelan detainees deported from the U.S.
time.com
March 23, 2025 at 12:40 AM
every person involved in this needs to be in prison
Reposted by Jaime Castrellon
I’m at SAS! Come check out my poster during tomorrow’s session if you want to hear about my undergrad thesis work!
March 19, 2025 at 9:59 PM
I’m at SAS! Come check out my poster during tomorrow’s session if you want to hear about my undergrad thesis work!
Reposted by Jaime Castrellon
This is a fucking shitty ass day but at some point STEM faculty have to recognize that what we are seeing happen with federal funding of biomedical research through the NIH and NSF is being used and manipulated to punish and defund higher education institutions.
March 19, 2025 at 10:12 PM
This is a fucking shitty ass day but at some point STEM faculty have to recognize that what we are seeing happen with federal funding of biomedical research through the NIH and NSF is being used and manipulated to punish and defund higher education institutions.
Reposted by Jaime Castrellon
Le Monde reporting that a French scientist traveling to Houston to attend a conference was denied entry to US after a search of his phone & computer revealed messages critical of Trump's science cuts, "which [says CPB] conveyed hatred of Trump & could be qualified as terrorism". Computer confiscated
March 19, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Le Monde reporting that a French scientist traveling to Houston to attend a conference was denied entry to US after a search of his phone & computer revealed messages critical of Trump's science cuts, "which [says CPB] conveyed hatred of Trump & could be qualified as terrorism". Computer confiscated
Reposted by Jaime Castrellon
Los Angeles people: join us 12pm March 7 for a rally for science at the Federal Building in Westwood, and please spread the word to any pro-science folks you know. @standupforscience.bsky.social @latimes.com @ktla.com @abc7.bsky.social @kcrw.com @laist.com @crooked.com @nbcla.com @foxla.bsky.social
February 28, 2025 at 4:13 AM
Los Angeles people: join us 12pm March 7 for a rally for science at the Federal Building in Westwood, and please spread the word to any pro-science folks you know. @standupforscience.bsky.social @latimes.com @ktla.com @abc7.bsky.social @kcrw.com @laist.com @crooked.com @nbcla.com @foxla.bsky.social
Reposted by Jaime Castrellon
So excited to announce Curiosity, Information Seeking & Exploration conference: 30th Sept-1st Oct @Brown University. Amazing speakers sites.google.com/view/informa... and free!
Abstract submissions open until 7th July
w/ Romy Frömer, Ohad Dan, @hayleydorfman.bsky.social, Matt Nassar. Please share!
Abstract submissions open until 7th July
w/ Romy Frömer, Ohad Dan, @hayleydorfman.bsky.social, Matt Nassar. Please share!
CISE 2025
30th September - 1st October 2025
Brown University, Rhode Island
sites.google.com
February 25, 2025 at 2:26 PM
So excited to announce Curiosity, Information Seeking & Exploration conference: 30th Sept-1st Oct @Brown University. Amazing speakers sites.google.com/view/informa... and free!
Abstract submissions open until 7th July
w/ Romy Frömer, Ohad Dan, @hayleydorfman.bsky.social, Matt Nassar. Please share!
Abstract submissions open until 7th July
w/ Romy Frömer, Ohad Dan, @hayleydorfman.bsky.social, Matt Nassar. Please share!
Reposted by Jaime Castrellon
🚨📃New Wassum Lab Paper📃🚨
Out today, @jackiegio.bsky.social discovered brain pathways that support agency and habit and how chronic stress disrupts them to rob of us our agency and cause us to form rigid habits 🧵👇
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Free full text: rdcu.be/eaxEv
Out today, @jackiegio.bsky.social discovered brain pathways that support agency and habit and how chronic stress disrupts them to rob of us our agency and cause us to form rigid habits 🧵👇
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Free full text: rdcu.be/eaxEv
A dual-pathway architecture for stress to disrupt agency and promote habit - Nature
Adaptive decision-making often requires an understanding of our agency in a situation; however, chronic stress can disrupt agency and promote inflexible, habitual behaviour by turning off a brain path...
www.nature.com
February 19, 2025 at 11:37 PM
🚨📃New Wassum Lab Paper📃🚨
Out today, @jackiegio.bsky.social discovered brain pathways that support agency and habit and how chronic stress disrupts them to rob of us our agency and cause us to form rigid habits 🧵👇
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Free full text: rdcu.be/eaxEv
Out today, @jackiegio.bsky.social discovered brain pathways that support agency and habit and how chronic stress disrupts them to rob of us our agency and cause us to form rigid habits 🧵👇
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Free full text: rdcu.be/eaxEv
Reposted by Jaime Castrellon
Firings are happening right now at the National Science Foundation. Essential staff are being cut.
This isn’t about the budget. If it was, they’d be going after the military (17%) or state appropriations (38%). NSF is 0.7% of the federal budget. All federal employees make up only 4% of the budget.
This isn’t about the budget. If it was, they’d be going after the military (17%) or state appropriations (38%). NSF is 0.7% of the federal budget. All federal employees make up only 4% of the budget.
February 18, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Firings are happening right now at the National Science Foundation. Essential staff are being cut.
This isn’t about the budget. If it was, they’d be going after the military (17%) or state appropriations (38%). NSF is 0.7% of the federal budget. All federal employees make up only 4% of the budget.
This isn’t about the budget. If it was, they’d be going after the military (17%) or state appropriations (38%). NSF is 0.7% of the federal budget. All federal employees make up only 4% of the budget.
Reposted by Jaime Castrellon
Thanks to all of the NIHers and their friends who reached out to me. I am still here (DM me or Signal jeremymberg.78)
I still have a very incomplete picture but based on what I have been told, the damage to NIH and to many wonderful people who work(ed) there is/was impossible for me to imagine
1/n
I still have a very incomplete picture but based on what I have been told, the damage to NIH and to many wonderful people who work(ed) there is/was impossible for me to imagine
1/n
February 16, 2025 at 6:32 AM
Thanks to all of the NIHers and their friends who reached out to me. I am still here (DM me or Signal jeremymberg.78)
I still have a very incomplete picture but based on what I have been told, the damage to NIH and to many wonderful people who work(ed) there is/was impossible for me to imagine
1/n
I still have a very incomplete picture but based on what I have been told, the damage to NIH and to many wonderful people who work(ed) there is/was impossible for me to imagine
1/n
Reposted by Jaime Castrellon
The damage today (actually yesterday) to the intramural program appears to especially bad.
It also appears (although I need more confirmation) that most or all of the tenure track investigators in their first 2 years in several, and perhaps all, institutes were terminated.
7/n
It also appears (although I need more confirmation) that most or all of the tenure track investigators in their first 2 years in several, and perhaps all, institutes were terminated.
7/n
February 16, 2025 at 6:51 AM
The damage today (actually yesterday) to the intramural program appears to especially bad.
It also appears (although I need more confirmation) that most or all of the tenure track investigators in their first 2 years in several, and perhaps all, institutes were terminated.
7/n
It also appears (although I need more confirmation) that most or all of the tenure track investigators in their first 2 years in several, and perhaps all, institutes were terminated.
7/n
Reposted by Jaime Castrellon
Get in dorks, we're going protesting!
STAND UP FOR SCIENCE WITH US ON MARCH 7TH, 2025
WASHINGTON DC AND EVERY STATE CAPITOL
Because science is for everyone!
Find us at standupforscience2025.org
#standupforscience2025 #scienceforall #sciencenotsilence
STAND UP FOR SCIENCE WITH US ON MARCH 7TH, 2025
WASHINGTON DC AND EVERY STATE CAPITOL
Because science is for everyone!
Find us at standupforscience2025.org
#standupforscience2025 #scienceforall #sciencenotsilence
February 10, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Get in dorks, we're going protesting!
STAND UP FOR SCIENCE WITH US ON MARCH 7TH, 2025
WASHINGTON DC AND EVERY STATE CAPITOL
Because science is for everyone!
Find us at standupforscience2025.org
#standupforscience2025 #scienceforall #sciencenotsilence
STAND UP FOR SCIENCE WITH US ON MARCH 7TH, 2025
WASHINGTON DC AND EVERY STATE CAPITOL
Because science is for everyone!
Find us at standupforscience2025.org
#standupforscience2025 #scienceforall #sciencenotsilence
Reposted by Jaime Castrellon
BREAKING: 22 states sue NIH over Trump administration's new 15% cap on overhead for federal research grants. Suit filed federal court in Boston contends lifesaving research 'will grind to a halt' under the policy. Doc: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com
February 10, 2025 at 4:52 PM
BREAKING: 22 states sue NIH over Trump administration's new 15% cap on overhead for federal research grants. Suit filed federal court in Boston contends lifesaving research 'will grind to a halt' under the policy. Doc: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Reposted by Jaime Castrellon
F99/R00 AND K99/R00 DIVERSITY AWARD APPLICANTS
If you have applied for a F99/R00 or K99/R00 Diversity award and the study section for review is not listed on your eRA Commons page, please reach out to me.
DM me, email berg.grants.2029@gmail.com, Signal jeremymberg.78
THANK YOU
If you have applied for a F99/R00 or K99/R00 Diversity award and the study section for review is not listed on your eRA Commons page, please reach out to me.
DM me, email berg.grants.2029@gmail.com, Signal jeremymberg.78
THANK YOU
a picture of a cartoon character with the words call me on it
ALT: a picture of a cartoon character with the words call me on it
media.tenor.com
February 9, 2025 at 5:25 PM
F99/R00 AND K99/R00 DIVERSITY AWARD APPLICANTS
If you have applied for a F99/R00 or K99/R00 Diversity award and the study section for review is not listed on your eRA Commons page, please reach out to me.
DM me, email berg.grants.2029@gmail.com, Signal jeremymberg.78
THANK YOU
If you have applied for a F99/R00 or K99/R00 Diversity award and the study section for review is not listed on your eRA Commons page, please reach out to me.
DM me, email berg.grants.2029@gmail.com, Signal jeremymberg.78
THANK YOU