Laura Ana Bustamante, PhD
@lauraabusta.bsky.social
Staff scientist @WashU👩🏻🔬 Neuro PhD @Princeton, researching cognitive control, decision making & neurodivergent in computational psychiatry, she/her, Latina 🇨🇺. Views my own. Stand Up for Science!
Reposted by Laura Ana Bustamante, PhD
NIH cuts: “Between the end of February and mid-August, funding ceased for 383 studies that were testing treatments for conditions including cancer, heart disease and brain disease. The cuts disproportionately impacted efforts to tackle infectious diseases like the flu, pneumonia and COVID-19”
NIH funding cuts have affected over 74,000 people enrolled in experiments, a new report says
A new report finds over 74,000 people enrolled in experiments have been affected by the National Institutes of Health’s funding cuts.
apnews.com
November 17, 2025 at 5:07 PM
NIH cuts: “Between the end of February and mid-August, funding ceased for 383 studies that were testing treatments for conditions including cancer, heart disease and brain disease. The cuts disproportionately impacted efforts to tackle infectious diseases like the flu, pneumonia and COVID-19”
Reposted by Laura Ana Bustamante, PhD
It's hard to express what it meant to watch Maurice, Natalia, Celeste, and Rhea tell their stories—in their own voices—this morning.
The segment revealed a brutal reality: homelessness at this scale isn't about personal failure. It's the result of policy choices and systems built to exploit people.
The segment revealed a brutal reality: homelessness at this scale isn't about personal failure. It's the result of policy choices and systems built to exploit people.
November 16, 2025 at 5:02 PM
It's hard to express what it meant to watch Maurice, Natalia, Celeste, and Rhea tell their stories—in their own voices—this morning.
The segment revealed a brutal reality: homelessness at this scale isn't about personal failure. It's the result of policy choices and systems built to exploit people.
The segment revealed a brutal reality: homelessness at this scale isn't about personal failure. It's the result of policy choices and systems built to exploit people.
Reposted by Laura Ana Bustamante, PhD
Alice was the first person to ever encourage my creative writing. She was a thoughtful editor and a beloved mentor. I learned so much about activism just by watching her move through the world. May her memory be a blessing to us all.
November 15, 2025 at 11:20 PM
Alice was the first person to ever encourage my creative writing. She was a thoughtful editor and a beloved mentor. I learned so much about activism just by watching her move through the world. May her memory be a blessing to us all.
Alice Wong’s writings had a tremendous impact on my understanding of #disability and my imaginings for a better future ❤️. I highly recommend reading her work and letting her move you too. #RestInPower
I don’t want to formulate words yet, but my friend Alice Wong, @sfdirewolf.bsky.social of the Disability Visibility Project, has passed.
Here are the words she left behind:
www.instagram.com/p/DREMDNBjnq...
Here are the words she left behind:
www.instagram.com/p/DREMDNBjnq...
Alice Wong on Instagram: "ID: Yellow background with black text "This is Alice's friend Sandy Ho, posting. Per Alice's wishes, this message is being shared at the time of her passing. Hi everyone, it ...
423 likes, 73 comments - alicatsamurai on November 14, 2025: "ID: Yellow background with black text "This is Alice's friend Sandy Ho, posting. Per Alice's wishes, this message is being shared at the t...
www.instagram.com
November 15, 2025 at 8:53 AM
Alice Wong’s writings had a tremendous impact on my understanding of #disability and my imaginings for a better future ❤️. I highly recommend reading her work and letting her move you too. #RestInPower
Reposted by Laura Ana Bustamante, PhD
It’s grad school application season, and I wanted to give some public advice.
Caveats:
-*-*-*-*
> These are my opinions, based on my experiences, they are not secret tricks or guarantees
> They are general guidelines, not meant to cover a host of idiosyncrasies and special cases
Caveats:
-*-*-*-*
> These are my opinions, based on my experiences, they are not secret tricks or guarantees
> They are general guidelines, not meant to cover a host of idiosyncrasies and special cases
November 6, 2025 at 2:55 PM
It’s grad school application season, and I wanted to give some public advice.
Caveats:
-*-*-*-*
> These are my opinions, based on my experiences, they are not secret tricks or guarantees
> They are general guidelines, not meant to cover a host of idiosyncrasies and special cases
Caveats:
-*-*-*-*
> These are my opinions, based on my experiences, they are not secret tricks or guarantees
> They are general guidelines, not meant to cover a host of idiosyncrasies and special cases
Reposted by Laura Ana Bustamante, PhD
If we’re talking about ‘generational investment’, Canada needs faculty positions for postdocs.
There have been virtually no cog psych/neuro jobs in the past three years.
There have been virtually no cog psych/neuro jobs in the past three years.
November 5, 2025 at 2:22 PM
If we’re talking about ‘generational investment’, Canada needs faculty positions for postdocs.
There have been virtually no cog psych/neuro jobs in the past three years.
There have been virtually no cog psych/neuro jobs in the past three years.
Reposted by Laura Ana Bustamante, PhD
Are you an Autistic adult or parent/carer to an Autistic child?
Would you or they like to contribute to a free booklet for Autistic children and young people that @gr0ve.bsky.social are creating?
Here is my contribution:
SUBMISSIONS forms.office.com/e/6Lg2Zx3g3N
By 23/11/25
Would you or they like to contribute to a free booklet for Autistic children and young people that @gr0ve.bsky.social are creating?
Here is my contribution:
SUBMISSIONS forms.office.com/e/6Lg2Zx3g3N
By 23/11/25
November 4, 2025 at 9:16 AM
Are you an Autistic adult or parent/carer to an Autistic child?
Would you or they like to contribute to a free booklet for Autistic children and young people that @gr0ve.bsky.social are creating?
Here is my contribution:
SUBMISSIONS forms.office.com/e/6Lg2Zx3g3N
By 23/11/25
Would you or they like to contribute to a free booklet for Autistic children and young people that @gr0ve.bsky.social are creating?
Here is my contribution:
SUBMISSIONS forms.office.com/e/6Lg2Zx3g3N
By 23/11/25
Reposted by Laura Ana Bustamante, PhD
🚀 We’re hiring - Join our lab 🚀
🔍 Hiring: PhD (75% TV-L) & Postdoc (100% TV-L)
🧠 fMRI, VR, EEG, modelling
We combine a range of cognitive neuroscience methods to study flexible behaviour.
📅 Start: Feb 2026 or later | ⏳ Apply by Nov 3!
More details:
tinyurl.com/ms3a9ajt
#CognitiveNeuroscience
🔍 Hiring: PhD (75% TV-L) & Postdoc (100% TV-L)
🧠 fMRI, VR, EEG, modelling
We combine a range of cognitive neuroscience methods to study flexible behaviour.
📅 Start: Feb 2026 or later | ⏳ Apply by Nov 3!
More details:
tinyurl.com/ms3a9ajt
#CognitiveNeuroscience
October 27, 2025 at 11:57 AM
🚀 We’re hiring - Join our lab 🚀
🔍 Hiring: PhD (75% TV-L) & Postdoc (100% TV-L)
🧠 fMRI, VR, EEG, modelling
We combine a range of cognitive neuroscience methods to study flexible behaviour.
📅 Start: Feb 2026 or later | ⏳ Apply by Nov 3!
More details:
tinyurl.com/ms3a9ajt
#CognitiveNeuroscience
🔍 Hiring: PhD (75% TV-L) & Postdoc (100% TV-L)
🧠 fMRI, VR, EEG, modelling
We combine a range of cognitive neuroscience methods to study flexible behaviour.
📅 Start: Feb 2026 or later | ⏳ Apply by Nov 3!
More details:
tinyurl.com/ms3a9ajt
#CognitiveNeuroscience
Reposted by Laura Ana Bustamante, PhD
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
Reposted by Laura Ana Bustamante, PhD
New paper in Journal of Affective Disorders led by Olivia Losiewicz: Daily spread of positive affect is associated with subsequent well-being: A study of idiographic network analysis and emotional inertia. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Daily spread of positive affect is associated with subsequent well-being: A study of idiographic network analysis and emotional inertia
Emotional inertia, or the persistence of affect over time, and emotion network density, a measurement of the interconnected or relatedness of one's em…
www.sciencedirect.com
October 29, 2025 at 5:17 PM
New paper in Journal of Affective Disorders led by Olivia Losiewicz: Daily spread of positive affect is associated with subsequent well-being: A study of idiographic network analysis and emotional inertia. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Laura Ana Bustamante, PhD
Phan, J. M.,et al. (2025). Bridging neurodiversity and open scholarship: How shared values can guide best practices for research integrity, social justice, & principled education Journal of Social Issues, 81(4) doi.org/10.1111/josi...
Thanks @stimpunks.org for fab pg!
stimpunks.org/philosophy/t...
Thanks @stimpunks.org for fab pg!
stimpunks.org/philosophy/t...
The Nested Intersecting Spheres of Neurodiversity
stimpunks.org
October 25, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Phan, J. M.,et al. (2025). Bridging neurodiversity and open scholarship: How shared values can guide best practices for research integrity, social justice, & principled education Journal of Social Issues, 81(4) doi.org/10.1111/josi...
Thanks @stimpunks.org for fab pg!
stimpunks.org/philosophy/t...
Thanks @stimpunks.org for fab pg!
stimpunks.org/philosophy/t...
Reposted by Laura Ana Bustamante, PhD
10 years ago she had (undiagnosed) lyme disease, which was debilitating for an entire year. She's well today (it's in remission). She did her own research and she helped figured out what was happening, working with a doctor. That set the stage for her advocacy today.
October 23, 2025 at 5:15 PM
10 years ago she had (undiagnosed) lyme disease, which was debilitating for an entire year. She's well today (it's in remission). She did her own research and she helped figured out what was happening, working with a doctor. That set the stage for her advocacy today.
Reposted by Laura Ana Bustamante, PhD
📢 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 Laura Ana Bustamante, PhD
Remote work is a game changer for people with disabilities
It can allow us to remain in the workforce longer, help us manage doctors appointments, flare ups and medication and create a better work/life balance.
I hope this landmark case is the first of many:
It can allow us to remain in the workforce longer, help us manage doctors appointments, flare ups and medication and create a better work/life balance.
I hope this landmark case is the first of many:
Woman wins right to work from home every day in landmark case
Australia’s Fair Work Commission rules there is no reasonable ground to refuse the request
www.independent.co.uk
October 23, 2025 at 10:53 AM
Remote work is a game changer for people with disabilities
It can allow us to remain in the workforce longer, help us manage doctors appointments, flare ups and medication and create a better work/life balance.
I hope this landmark case is the first of many:
It can allow us to remain in the workforce longer, help us manage doctors appointments, flare ups and medication and create a better work/life balance.
I hope this landmark case is the first of many:
Reposted by Laura Ana Bustamante, PhD
Looking for a PhD? Interested in cognitive computational neuroscience, motivation and decision-making? See our project listed in the BBSRC MIBTP competition for funding for a 4-year PhD in the @msnlab.bsky.social in the @thechbh.bsky.social. Deadline 27/11. More info: tinyurl.com/5d5vz8m7
The computational and neural dynamics of human motivation and cognitive control at University of Birmingham on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - The computational and neural dynamics of human motivation and cognitive control at University of Birmingham, listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com
October 23, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Looking for a PhD? Interested in cognitive computational neuroscience, motivation and decision-making? See our project listed in the BBSRC MIBTP competition for funding for a 4-year PhD in the @msnlab.bsky.social in the @thechbh.bsky.social. Deadline 27/11. More info: tinyurl.com/5d5vz8m7
Reposted by Laura Ana Bustamante, PhD
Kwok's dream: that his children's generation won't suffer from PD like he has.
Kwok's nexus of expertise and lived experience shape the conversation. How does exercise slow PD down when it does? Can we find biomarkers? How do patients with advanced PD optimize quality of life?
Kwok's nexus of expertise and lived experience shape the conversation. How does exercise slow PD down when it does? Can we find biomarkers? How do patients with advanced PD optimize quality of life?
October 22, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Kwok's dream: that his children's generation won't suffer from PD like he has.
Kwok's nexus of expertise and lived experience shape the conversation. How does exercise slow PD down when it does? Can we find biomarkers? How do patients with advanced PD optimize quality of life?
Kwok's nexus of expertise and lived experience shape the conversation. How does exercise slow PD down when it does? Can we find biomarkers? How do patients with advanced PD optimize quality of life?
Reposted by Laura Ana Bustamante, PhD
Understanding brain-body interactions can help inform new therapeutic developments and foster a more holistic approach to #BrainHealth.
Join us October 22 - 23 to learn about the current knowledge landscape and future directions for research: https://ow.ly/ZbUR50XbZH6
Join us October 22 - 23 to learn about the current knowledge landscape and future directions for research: https://ow.ly/ZbUR50XbZH6
October 16, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Understanding brain-body interactions can help inform new therapeutic developments and foster a more holistic approach to #BrainHealth.
Join us October 22 - 23 to learn about the current knowledge landscape and future directions for research: https://ow.ly/ZbUR50XbZH6
Join us October 22 - 23 to learn about the current knowledge landscape and future directions for research: https://ow.ly/ZbUR50XbZH6
Reposted by Laura Ana Bustamante, PhD
Save the date 📆. On Oct 22/23, @nationalacademies.org will hold a stellar virtual workshop on brain/body interations (open to all).
www.nationalacademies.org/en/our-work/...
www.nationalacademies.org/en/our-work/...
September 26, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Save the date 📆. On Oct 22/23, @nationalacademies.org will hold a stellar virtual workshop on brain/body interations (open to all).
www.nationalacademies.org/en/our-work/...
www.nationalacademies.org/en/our-work/...
Reposted by Laura Ana Bustamante, PhD
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 Laura Ana Bustamante, PhD
New preprint!
Working memory contents can be decoded from alpha band power. But does working memory maintenance really depend on these oscillations?
We say no, because we found that alpha power decoding only works for prioritized items, not deprioritized ones. 1/3
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Working memory contents can be decoded from alpha band power. But does working memory maintenance really depend on these oscillations?
We say no, because we found that alpha power decoding only works for prioritized items, not deprioritized ones. 1/3
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Sustained alpha oscillations serve attentional prioritization in working memory, not maintenance
Recent theory on the neural basis of working memory (WM) has attributed an important role to "activity-silent" mechanisms, suggesting that sustained neural activity might not be essential in the reten...
www.biorxiv.org
October 17, 2025 at 11:27 AM
New preprint!
Working memory contents can be decoded from alpha band power. But does working memory maintenance really depend on these oscillations?
We say no, because we found that alpha power decoding only works for prioritized items, not deprioritized ones. 1/3
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Working memory contents can be decoded from alpha band power. But does working memory maintenance really depend on these oscillations?
We say no, because we found that alpha power decoding only works for prioritized items, not deprioritized ones. 1/3
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Laura Ana Bustamante, PhD
Out today in Molecular Psychiatry our paper on multiverse computational factor modeling (i.e. a lotta lotta factor analyses). Thread below for the full rundown. Last PhD paper from @celinef.bsky.social YOU'RE FREE!! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
October 15, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Out today in Molecular Psychiatry our paper on multiverse computational factor modeling (i.e. a lotta lotta factor analyses). Thread below for the full rundown. Last PhD paper from @celinef.bsky.social YOU'RE FREE!! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Laura Ana Bustamante, PhD
Very excited to share that our work (together with co-first author Shanka Subhra Mondal and @neuroai.bsky.social ) on a brain-inspired architecture for planning with LLMs is now out in Nature Communications! www.nature.com/articles/s41... (thread below)
A brain-inspired agentic architecture to improve planning with LLMs - Nature Communications
Multi-step planning is a challenge for LLMs. Here, the authors introduce a brain-inspired Modular Agentic Planner that decomposes planning into specialized LLM modules, improving performance across tasks and highlighting the value of cognitive neuroscience for LLM design.
www.nature.com
October 6, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Very excited to share that our work (together with co-first author Shanka Subhra Mondal and @neuroai.bsky.social ) on a brain-inspired architecture for planning with LLMs is now out in Nature Communications! www.nature.com/articles/s41... (thread below)
Reposted by Laura Ana Bustamante, PhD
🚨 I am over the moon 🌓 to announce that I am joining University College Dublin @ucddublin.bsky.social as an Assistant Professor this fall to start the Uncertain Mind (UMI) lab 💫
I am looking for PhD/Postdoc candidates to join (more below 👇 ). Please RT as the deadline is pretty soon 🙏
I am looking for PhD/Postdoc candidates to join (more below 👇 ). Please RT as the deadline is pretty soon 🙏
September 24, 2025 at 3:18 PM
🚨 I am over the moon 🌓 to announce that I am joining University College Dublin @ucddublin.bsky.social as an Assistant Professor this fall to start the Uncertain Mind (UMI) lab 💫
I am looking for PhD/Postdoc candidates to join (more below 👇 ). Please RT as the deadline is pretty soon 🙏
I am looking for PhD/Postdoc candidates to join (more below 👇 ). Please RT as the deadline is pretty soon 🙏
Reposted by Laura Ana Bustamante, PhD
"This anti-ageing effect was strongest in expert tango dancers, whose brains were, on average, seven years younger than their chronological age." www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Creative hobbies could slow brain ageing at the molecular level
To keep the mind young, dance the tango.
www.nature.com
October 4, 2025 at 3:22 AM
"This anti-ageing effect was strongest in expert tango dancers, whose brains were, on average, seven years younger than their chronological age." www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Laura Ana Bustamante, PhD
New #job alert! Clinical research fellow / postdoc in #computationalpsychiatry at the @mpc-comppsych.bsky.social / @uclqsion.bsky.social and UCL psychiatry. We will aim to understand the computations engaged by serotonin in the treatment of depression. Please re-sky. www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
UCL – University College London
UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).
www.ucl.ac.uk
October 1, 2025 at 3:58 PM
New #job alert! Clinical research fellow / postdoc in #computationalpsychiatry at the @mpc-comppsych.bsky.social / @uclqsion.bsky.social and UCL psychiatry. We will aim to understand the computations engaged by serotonin in the treatment of depression. Please re-sky. www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...