Uma Karmarkar
@umakarma.bsky.social
Decision (neuro)scientist. Joint faculty between business and policy at UCSD. Neuroeconomics, psych, marketing, policy, snark, etc.
Pinned
Uma Karmarkar
@umakarma.bsky.social
· Nov 23
Hello #neuroeconomists and decision (neuro)scientists - did I miss you in this starterpack? Just reply to this post or DM if you'd like to be added!
go.bsky.app/1K9Suh
go.bsky.app/1K9Suh
This sentence floored me - "Until now, the ocean was largely overlooked in the standard accounting of the social cost of carbon"
Critical work from my colleague Kate Ricke.
gpsnews.ucsd.edu/study-finds-...
Critical work from my colleague Kate Ricke.
gpsnews.ucsd.edu/study-finds-...
Study Finds Ocean Impacts Nearly Double Economic Cost of Climate Change
The “blue” social cost of carbon provides a more complete measure of the monetary harm caused by global climate damages…
gpsnews.ucsd.edu
February 16, 2026 at 1:45 AM
This sentence floored me - "Until now, the ocean was largely overlooked in the standard accounting of the social cost of carbon"
Critical work from my colleague Kate Ricke.
gpsnews.ucsd.edu/study-finds-...
Critical work from my colleague Kate Ricke.
gpsnews.ucsd.edu/study-finds-...
Reposted by Uma Karmarkar
spoiler alert: this is one of the papers that will be included in the JEBO issue in honor of @cfcamerer.bsky.social stay tuned for more great papers in the issue.
PATERNALISM AFTER BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS - 22 years in the making, just out in Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization. @cfcamerer.bsky.social @lsolum.bsky.social @michael-sanders.bsky.social @katymilkman.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Paternalism after behavioral economics
The outpouring of empirical work on how and when human beings depart from perfect rationality has led to a wholesale rethinking of paternalism and its…
www.sciencedirect.com
February 12, 2026 at 2:11 PM
spoiler alert: this is one of the papers that will be included in the JEBO issue in honor of @cfcamerer.bsky.social stay tuned for more great papers in the issue.
I took a quick look, and this seems pretty great.
#SanDiego #SoCal #dashboard #news
BTW: If you or someone you know lives in San Diego, I created this dashboard to keep me abreast of news and weather in America's Finest City. Bookmark it if you find it useful.
One column layout on mobile 📱, three on laptop/tablet.
URL: www.leecoweb.com/sdnews/
BTW: If you or someone you know lives in San Diego, I created this dashboard to keep me abreast of news and weather in America's Finest City. Bookmark it if you find it useful.
One column layout on mobile 📱, three on laptop/tablet.
URL: www.leecoweb.com/sdnews/
February 15, 2026 at 10:29 PM
I took a quick look, and this seems pretty great.
Reposted by Uma Karmarkar
Franzi Schimmer captured this Grizzly bear in Brooks Falls, Alaska just floating along, tippy-tapping down the river, browsing the salmon.
Prior to hibernation, up to 40% of a bear's body mass is fat, which is less dense than water (~0.9 g/cm^2), so the murder-monster is also a floaty-boaty.
Prior to hibernation, up to 40% of a bear's body mass is fat, which is less dense than water (~0.9 g/cm^2), so the murder-monster is also a floaty-boaty.
February 14, 2026 at 9:47 PM
Franzi Schimmer captured this Grizzly bear in Brooks Falls, Alaska just floating along, tippy-tapping down the river, browsing the salmon.
Prior to hibernation, up to 40% of a bear's body mass is fat, which is less dense than water (~0.9 g/cm^2), so the murder-monster is also a floaty-boaty.
Prior to hibernation, up to 40% of a bear's body mass is fat, which is less dense than water (~0.9 g/cm^2), so the murder-monster is also a floaty-boaty.
Reposted by Uma Karmarkar
Please share: 2 weeks remain to submit a proposal for $3k for writing a paper using recent Pew-Templeton global datasets. We will support 19 projects. Submit by Monday, March 2.
https://www.pewresearch.org/2026/01/16/seeking-research-using-recent-pew-templeton-global-religious-futures-datasets/
https://www.pewresearch.org/2026/01/16/seeking-research-using-recent-pew-templeton-global-religious-futures-datasets/
February 14, 2026 at 8:51 PM
Please share: 2 weeks remain to submit a proposal for $3k for writing a paper using recent Pew-Templeton global datasets. We will support 19 projects. Submit by Monday, March 2.
https://www.pewresearch.org/2026/01/16/seeking-research-using-recent-pew-templeton-global-religious-futures-datasets/
https://www.pewresearch.org/2026/01/16/seeking-research-using-recent-pew-templeton-global-religious-futures-datasets/
Reposted by Uma Karmarkar
I saw a live birthed harbor seal pup for the first time in my life today. I thought it would be horrifying because I have a weak stomach, but it turned to UNGODLY CUTE very fast!
Using this thread for some moments in the minutes after. All shot on my z8, edited on phone for now. 🦭 🦑
Using this thread for some moments in the minutes after. All shot on my z8, edited on phone for now. 🦭 🦑
February 13, 2026 at 7:36 PM
I saw a live birthed harbor seal pup for the first time in my life today. I thought it would be horrifying because I have a weak stomach, but it turned to UNGODLY CUTE very fast!
Using this thread for some moments in the minutes after. All shot on my z8, edited on phone for now. 🦭 🦑
Using this thread for some moments in the minutes after. All shot on my z8, edited on phone for now. 🦭 🦑
Still one of my favorites.
Roses are red
I bet you'll agree
Which one is bouba
And which is kiki
I bet you'll agree
Which one is bouba
And which is kiki
February 14, 2026 at 6:36 PM
Still one of my favorites.
Reposted by Uma Karmarkar
I will be hiring a full-time pre-doctoral Research Professional to work with me at Chicago Booth.
Know someone interested in studying conversation and connection? Please help spread the word!
More details, including application instructions, are here: www.chicagobooth.edu/-/media/facu...
Know someone interested in studying conversation and connection? Please help spread the word!
More details, including application instructions, are here: www.chicagobooth.edu/-/media/facu...
www.chicagobooth.edu
February 13, 2026 at 5:51 PM
I will be hiring a full-time pre-doctoral Research Professional to work with me at Chicago Booth.
Know someone interested in studying conversation and connection? Please help spread the word!
More details, including application instructions, are here: www.chicagobooth.edu/-/media/facu...
Know someone interested in studying conversation and connection? Please help spread the word!
More details, including application instructions, are here: www.chicagobooth.edu/-/media/facu...
It seems like its going to be increasingly important to have a well-supported definition of "clinical" addiction that is specific to behavioral addictions?
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/t...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/t...
Instagram Chief Says Social Media Is Not ‘Clinically Addictive’ in Landmark Trial
www.nytimes.com
February 12, 2026 at 4:26 AM
It seems like its going to be increasingly important to have a well-supported definition of "clinical" addiction that is specific to behavioral addictions?
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/t...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/t...
Reposted by Uma Karmarkar
I'm looking for a postdoc to work on our NIH-funded R01 which is a longitudinal cohort of adolescents (13-20) doing EMA and passive text sensing! Please apply, especially if you have experience in the analysis OR collection of these data.
PLEASE SHARE!!
indiana.peopleadmin.com/postings/32132
PLEASE SHARE!!
indiana.peopleadmin.com/postings/32132
Postdoctoral Researcher
Postdoctoral Researcher Study of Affective Disorders’ Classification and Treatment (SADCAT) Lab Dr. Lorenzo-Lorenzo LuacesDepartment of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University Blooming...
indiana.peopleadmin.com
February 11, 2026 at 6:10 PM
I'm looking for a postdoc to work on our NIH-funded R01 which is a longitudinal cohort of adolescents (13-20) doing EMA and passive text sensing! Please apply, especially if you have experience in the analysis OR collection of these data.
PLEASE SHARE!!
indiana.peopleadmin.com/postings/32132
PLEASE SHARE!!
indiana.peopleadmin.com/postings/32132
Reposted by Uma Karmarkar
Getty Images used thermal imaging for these killer Winter Olympics photos, now i want a Thermal Cam option from NBC
February 11, 2026 at 5:56 PM
Getty Images used thermal imaging for these killer Winter Olympics photos, now i want a Thermal Cam option from NBC
Reposted by Uma Karmarkar
Depressed? Anxious? Lonely?
What if mental health doesn’t just result from media use, but shapes how we choose media?
In a new preprint, Valerie Klein, @gongxuanjun.bsky.social @aeden.bsky.social and I and I test this using a computational decision-making model: doi.org/10.21203/rs....
🧵Thread
What if mental health doesn’t just result from media use, but shapes how we choose media?
In a new preprint, Valerie Klein, @gongxuanjun.bsky.social @aeden.bsky.social and I and I test this using a computational decision-making model: doi.org/10.21203/rs....
🧵Thread
Using the Drift Diffusion Model to Examine Relationships Between Mental Health and Media Selection Dynamics
A substantial body of research has investigated how people’s transient affective state influences their media selection, as well as how selected media influences subsequent affective states. However, ...
doi.org
February 11, 2026 at 5:29 PM
Depressed? Anxious? Lonely?
What if mental health doesn’t just result from media use, but shapes how we choose media?
In a new preprint, Valerie Klein, @gongxuanjun.bsky.social @aeden.bsky.social and I and I test this using a computational decision-making model: doi.org/10.21203/rs....
🧵Thread
What if mental health doesn’t just result from media use, but shapes how we choose media?
In a new preprint, Valerie Klein, @gongxuanjun.bsky.social @aeden.bsky.social and I and I test this using a computational decision-making model: doi.org/10.21203/rs....
🧵Thread
Reposted by Uma Karmarkar
In a first-of-its-kind survey, the Globe asked hundreds of scientists about the impact of federal funding cuts.
The results were stark:
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/09/m...
The results were stark:
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/09/m...
Boston built a global biotech empire. Now the talent is quietly drifting away. - The Boston Globe
In a first-of-its-kind survey, the Globe asked hundreds of scientists about the impact of federal funding cuts.
www.bostonglobe.com
February 11, 2026 at 2:18 PM
In a first-of-its-kind survey, the Globe asked hundreds of scientists about the impact of federal funding cuts.
The results were stark:
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/09/m...
The results were stark:
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/09/m...
And we're off! Ad test in ChatGPT went up in the last two days, from what's been reported so far, brands involved include Target, Adobe, Williams-Sonoma, Ford and Mazda.
www.adweek.com/media/chatgp...
www.adweek.com/media/chatgp...
ChatGPT Gets Ads: Omnicom, WPP, and Dentsu Line Up Brands for OpenAI Pilot
OpenAI’s decision reflects both the competitive pressures AI companies face, as well as the financial reality of supporting massive use at scale.
www.adweek.com
February 11, 2026 at 4:30 PM
And we're off! Ad test in ChatGPT went up in the last two days, from what's been reported so far, brands involved include Target, Adobe, Williams-Sonoma, Ford and Mazda.
www.adweek.com/media/chatgp...
www.adweek.com/media/chatgp...
One of the baffling things about the tech world to me is that everyone suddenly understands how reinforcement learning works for algorithms, but no one seems to understand that reinforcement learning works for humans.
How does this man think that rewiring brains works www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/t...
February 10, 2026 at 9:34 PM
One of the baffling things about the tech world to me is that everyone suddenly understands how reinforcement learning works for algorithms, but no one seems to understand that reinforcement learning works for humans.
Reposted by Uma Karmarkar
*whispers* the finity stones
Yes, we talked to a geologist who curls about the very special geology of curling's stones, please enjoy
Why curling rocks come from just two spots on Earth
The rocks used in the Olympic sport of curling come from one island in Scotland and one quarry in Wales. What makes them so special?
www.scientificamerican.com
February 10, 2026 at 7:04 PM
*whispers* the finity stones
I am the biggest fan of Harvard's design school class "Paper or Plastic", taught by Teran and Teman Evans. This is a great summary of the class that includes a great summary of their philosophy for designing real products for real people.
news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...
news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...
Supermarket savvy — Harvard Gazette
Students hone eye-catching brand strategies in GSD course.
news.harvard.edu
February 10, 2026 at 9:28 PM
I am the biggest fan of Harvard's design school class "Paper or Plastic", taught by Teran and Teman Evans. This is a great summary of the class that includes a great summary of their philosophy for designing real products for real people.
news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...
news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...
Reposted by Uma Karmarkar
very on board with @jjaron.bsky.social's campaign for a biopic of Paul Erdős' life starring Jeff Goldblum www.newscientist.com/article/2514...
Jeff Goldblum should make a film about this legendary mathematician
Paul Erdős was one of the most prolific mathematicians to ever live, known for showing up at the door of others in the field and declaring they should host and feed him while they do maths together. H...
www.newscientist.com
February 10, 2026 at 1:42 PM
very on board with @jjaron.bsky.social's campaign for a biopic of Paul Erdős' life starring Jeff Goldblum www.newscientist.com/article/2514...
Plant People, brought to you by the team who created Left Shark.
This is my new favorite thing!
This is my new favorite thing!
It’s been really fun to watch Bad Bunny’s “plant people” go viral. That was by design. The team behind Left Shark also came up with the idea to have the grasses be people. Production designer Bruce Rodgers had a feeling they’d get memed. He just knows these things.
www.wired.com/story/bad-bu...
www.wired.com/story/bad-bu...
Inside Bad Bunny’s Historic Super Bowl Halftime Show
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance required 9,852 theatrical pyrotechnics, nearly 400 costumed extras, and a lot of ingenuity. And yes, that was a real couple featured in the wedding.
www.wired.com
February 10, 2026 at 4:36 PM
Plant People, brought to you by the team who created Left Shark.
This is my new favorite thing!
This is my new favorite thing!
RhetAI is an interdisciplinary group aiming to explore "the intersection of AI and Persuasion to foster safer technology" Their second summit is at UCI - if you're in southern California, please stop by! www.rhetai.com/register
February 9, 2026 at 4:20 PM
RhetAI is an interdisciplinary group aiming to explore "the intersection of AI and Persuasion to foster safer technology" Their second summit is at UCI - if you're in southern California, please stop by! www.rhetai.com/register
Reposted by Uma Karmarkar
I need a Bad Bunny x Kendrick Lamar crossover real bad.
February 7, 2026 at 1:31 AM
I need a Bad Bunny x Kendrick Lamar crossover real bad.
Wait, this is a professional direction a person can pursue? THIS IS AWESOME!
the NYU WILD Lab is hiring a new postdoc, to work on bird-window collision research and other wild animal welfare topics in the urban context. Feel free to contact me with questions. apply.interfolio.com/180942
Apply - Interfolio
{{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
apply.interfolio.com
February 7, 2026 at 11:59 PM
Wait, this is a professional direction a person can pursue? THIS IS AWESOME!
Reposted by Uma Karmarkar
another year of us not running a super bowl ad
February 6, 2026 at 7:42 PM
another year of us not running a super bowl ad
Reposted by Uma Karmarkar
If you’ve been taught to think of decisions as a tug-of-war 🪢 (e.g., DDM), our new chapter will try to convince you otherwise!
We show that these models miss key aspects of traditional choices, & prevent us from understanding non-traditional ones (e.g., whether/when/how many to choose).
🔗 below:
We show that these models miss key aspects of traditional choices, & prevent us from understanding non-traditional ones (e.g., whether/when/how many to choose).
🔗 below:
Excited to share our chapter "Breaking the Tug-of-War: What Neuroeconomics Can Gain by Moving Past Competition-Only Models" with Yi-Hsin Su, Romy Frömer, and @ashenhav.bsky.social, now out in the new volume, "Neuroeconomics: Core Topics and Current Directions"!
doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-02925-6_10
doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-02925-6_10
Breaking the Tug-of-War: What Neuroeconomics Can Gain by Moving Past Competition-Only Models
Popular models of decision-making characterize choice dynamics as a tug-of-war process, where evidence for competing options accumulates until a threshold is reached. While these models capture severa...
doi.org
February 5, 2026 at 10:09 PM
If you’ve been taught to think of decisions as a tug-of-war 🪢 (e.g., DDM), our new chapter will try to convince you otherwise!
We show that these models miss key aspects of traditional choices, & prevent us from understanding non-traditional ones (e.g., whether/when/how many to choose).
🔗 below:
We show that these models miss key aspects of traditional choices, & prevent us from understanding non-traditional ones (e.g., whether/when/how many to choose).
🔗 below: