Cherish Ardinger, PhD
@cherishardinger.bsky.social
Neuroscientist and NIAAA F32 postdoc fellow at Rutgers. Currently researching the role of astrocytes in addiction-related behaviors. 🐭🍻🧠. She/her. 🏳️🌈 | first-gen college student
cherishardinger.com
cherishardinger.com
Reposted by Cherish Ardinger, PhD
Thrilled to share our new paper, out now in @natneuro.nature.com, uncovering how estradiol, the most potent estrogen, modulates reinforcement learning and reward prediction errors across biological levels. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#blueprint 1/7
#blueprint 1/7
Estrogen modulates reward prediction errors and reinforcement learning - Nature Neuroscience
Dopamine encoding of reward prediction errors naturally fluctuates over females’ reproductive cycles with estrogenic signaling due to reduced expression of dopamine reuptake proteins.
www.nature.com
November 11, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Thrilled to share our new paper, out now in @natneuro.nature.com, uncovering how estradiol, the most potent estrogen, modulates reinforcement learning and reward prediction errors across biological levels. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#blueprint 1/7
#blueprint 1/7
Reposted by Cherish Ardinger, PhD
[just a little reminder that feminism and trans rights are part of the same fight for a better, fairer world for everyone]
November 8, 2025 at 3:42 PM
[just a little reminder that feminism and trans rights are part of the same fight for a better, fairer world for everyone]
Reposted by Cherish Ardinger, PhD
I must’ve been a postdoc at MIT or a new-ish engineering professor when I first heard the story of how Ben Barre overheard colleagues talking about how his research was so much better than his ‘sister’ Barbara’s.
We're disappointed to see Ben Barres's powerful book "The Autobiography of a Transgender Scientist" among the ~400 titles removed from the Naval Academy Library. Needless to say, we're proud to have published his book and will keep it — and his memory — alive.
The Coming Out of a Transgender Scientist
"I know that I am making the right decision because whenever I think about changing my gender role, I am flooded with feelings of relief."
thereader.mitpress.mit.edu
November 8, 2025 at 3:38 PM
I must’ve been a postdoc at MIT or a new-ish engineering professor when I first heard the story of how Ben Barre overheard colleagues talking about how his research was so much better than his ‘sister’ Barbara’s.
Reposted by Cherish Ardinger, PhD
We have at least TWO postdoctoral fellowship openings on our @unm.edu @casaa.bsky.social T32 NIAAA Training Grant, best consideration date for applications is Nov 15 2025. Join our phenomenal community and enjoy incredible quality of life in beautiful New Mexico. casaa.unm.edu/training/ins...
Application Process ::
Center on Alcohol, Substance use, And Addictions (CASAA) | The University of New Mexico
casaa.unm.edu
November 5, 2025 at 10:30 PM
We have at least TWO postdoctoral fellowship openings on our @unm.edu @casaa.bsky.social T32 NIAAA Training Grant, best consideration date for applications is Nov 15 2025. Join our phenomenal community and enjoy incredible quality of life in beautiful New Mexico. casaa.unm.edu/training/ins...
Reposted by Cherish Ardinger, PhD
Our Behavioural Brain Research special issue on Ultrasonic Communication in Rodents is growing, rapidly – and actually a lot faster than I manage to post about it. Nine new manuscripts got accepted since my last post. Quite impressive work. Check it out:
www.sciencedirect.com/special-issu...
www.sciencedirect.com/special-issu...
November 6, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Our Behavioural Brain Research special issue on Ultrasonic Communication in Rodents is growing, rapidly – and actually a lot faster than I manage to post about it. Nine new manuscripts got accepted since my last post. Quite impressive work. Check it out:
www.sciencedirect.com/special-issu...
www.sciencedirect.com/special-issu...
Reposted by Cherish Ardinger, PhD
The President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, PPFP, has been a jewel in the crown for faculty development and recruitment at the University of California for years and the results have been an expanded faculty with almost 100% tenure rates — unprecedented success.
November 2, 2025 at 11:01 AM
The President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, PPFP, has been a jewel in the crown for faculty development and recruitment at the University of California for years and the results have been an expanded faculty with almost 100% tenure rates — unprecedented success.
Reposted by Cherish Ardinger, PhD
How does drinking alcohol shape the aging brain? @neuronikki.bsky.social studies how heavy drinking impacts neurons as we age.
Research has shown that alcohol use disorder (AUD) in middle age increases the risk for developing Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia - but how?
Research has shown that alcohol use disorder (AUD) in middle age increases the risk for developing Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia - but how?
November 2, 2025 at 3:34 PM
How does drinking alcohol shape the aging brain? @neuronikki.bsky.social studies how heavy drinking impacts neurons as we age.
Research has shown that alcohol use disorder (AUD) in middle age increases the risk for developing Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia - but how?
Research has shown that alcohol use disorder (AUD) in middle age increases the risk for developing Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia - but how?
Reposted by Cherish Ardinger, PhD
Or microsoft word spell check still exists and has been fine, it's odd that folks use LLMs for grammar and spell check. The old tools are more efficient and don't sass back.
October 30, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Or microsoft word spell check still exists and has been fine, it's odd that folks use LLMs for grammar and spell check. The old tools are more efficient and don't sass back.
Reposted by Cherish Ardinger, PhD
The NIH has insisted there are no banned words
But, an analysis by @jeremymberg.bsky.social found over 700 hundred grants changed their titles from '24 to '25
Some see it as a small price to pay to keep their grant, but others are worried about what comes next
www.statnews.com/2025/10/29/n...
But, an analysis by @jeremymberg.bsky.social found over 700 hundred grants changed their titles from '24 to '25
Some see it as a small price to pay to keep their grant, but others are worried about what comes next
www.statnews.com/2025/10/29/n...
Scientists had to change more than 700 grant titles to receive NIH funding. Health disparities researchers fear what’s next
The titles of more than 700 multi-year NIH grants have been changed this year, according to an analysis by Jeremy Berg, a former agency official
www.statnews.com
October 29, 2025 at 2:00 PM
The NIH has insisted there are no banned words
But, an analysis by @jeremymberg.bsky.social found over 700 hundred grants changed their titles from '24 to '25
Some see it as a small price to pay to keep their grant, but others are worried about what comes next
www.statnews.com/2025/10/29/n...
But, an analysis by @jeremymberg.bsky.social found over 700 hundred grants changed their titles from '24 to '25
Some see it as a small price to pay to keep their grant, but others are worried about what comes next
www.statnews.com/2025/10/29/n...
Reposted by Cherish Ardinger, PhD
🧠✨ Genetic Tools Atlas 3.0 is here!
The GTA now has an additional 750 datasets, including 80+ mouse whole-brain light sheet microscopy images as well as the first macaque datasets.
🔗 https://portal.brain-map.org/genetic-tools/genetic-tools-atlas
#neuroskyence
The GTA now has an additional 750 datasets, including 80+ mouse whole-brain light sheet microscopy images as well as the first macaque datasets.
🔗 https://portal.brain-map.org/genetic-tools/genetic-tools-atlas
#neuroskyence
October 28, 2025 at 9:52 PM
🧠✨ Genetic Tools Atlas 3.0 is here!
The GTA now has an additional 750 datasets, including 80+ mouse whole-brain light sheet microscopy images as well as the first macaque datasets.
🔗 https://portal.brain-map.org/genetic-tools/genetic-tools-atlas
#neuroskyence
The GTA now has an additional 750 datasets, including 80+ mouse whole-brain light sheet microscopy images as well as the first macaque datasets.
🔗 https://portal.brain-map.org/genetic-tools/genetic-tools-atlas
#neuroskyence
Reposted by Cherish Ardinger, PhD
Maybe the thing that gives me a pulse-pounding throbbing headache is when I think of how techbros sold ChatGPT to universities as ‘revolutionizing’ higher education and our institutions just forked over money without even asking for actual evidence
When people learn with ChatGPT instead of following their own searches, they end up knowing less, caring less, and producing worse advice, even when the facts are the same.
Friction is an essential ingredient for learning! Convenience makes us shallow.
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
Friction is an essential ingredient for learning! Convenience makes us shallow.
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
Experimental evidence of the effects of large language models versus web search on depth of learning
Abstract. The effects of using large language models (LLMs) versus traditional web search on depth of learning are explored. A theory is proposed that when
academic.oup.com
October 28, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Maybe the thing that gives me a pulse-pounding throbbing headache is when I think of how techbros sold ChatGPT to universities as ‘revolutionizing’ higher education and our institutions just forked over money without even asking for actual evidence
Reposted by Cherish Ardinger, PhD
Anyone interested in learning about why journals make a proactive effort to increase women's participation in the peer review process should take the time look at some actual evidence about why this is needed. Ditto journalists covering such a story. Do some reporting! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Women are credited less in science than men - Nature
The difference between the number of men and women listed as authors on scientific papers and inventors on patents is at least partly attributable to unacknowledged contributions by women scientists.
www.nature.com
October 28, 2025 at 11:22 AM
Anyone interested in learning about why journals make a proactive effort to increase women's participation in the peer review process should take the time look at some actual evidence about why this is needed. Ditto journalists covering such a story. Do some reporting! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Cherish Ardinger, PhD
Commentary by @needhibhalla.bsky.social et al. on the recent attacks on DEI in biomedical research. Data show that diversity in the science increases creativity & success in tackling challenging problems.
🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
October 25, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Commentary by @needhibhalla.bsky.social et al. on the recent attacks on DEI in biomedical research. Data show that diversity in the science increases creativity & success in tackling challenging problems.
🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Cherish Ardinger, PhD
Want to make publication-ready figures come straight from Python without having to do any manual editing? Are you fed up with axes labels being unreadable during your presentations? Follow this short tutorial including code examples! 👇🧵
October 16, 2025 at 8:26 AM
Want to make publication-ready figures come straight from Python without having to do any manual editing? Are you fed up with axes labels being unreadable during your presentations? Follow this short tutorial including code examples! 👇🧵
Reposted by Cherish Ardinger, PhD
In about three years the entire university pivot to AI curricula and schools and programs is going to be so deeply embarrassing. We will all pretend it never happened and I will be standing there, looking at people with a mirror in my eyes. This is all so embarrassing.
October 17, 2025 at 12:16 PM
In about three years the entire university pivot to AI curricula and schools and programs is going to be so deeply embarrassing. We will all pretend it never happened and I will be standing there, looking at people with a mirror in my eyes. This is all so embarrassing.
Shame on IU
No news for IU.
The director of student media at Indiana University was fired after "meetings with IU Media School leadership in which it grew increasingly apparent they were expecting him to officially prohibit students from publishing news."
IU's dept of journalism was established in 1911.
The director of student media at Indiana University was fired after "meetings with IU Media School leadership in which it grew increasingly apparent they were expecting him to officially prohibit students from publishing news."
IU's dept of journalism was established in 1911.
“But he told IndyStar his firing follows a series of meetings with IU Media School leadership in which it grew increasingly apparent they were expecting him to officially prohibit students from publishing news.”
October 14, 2025 at 11:32 PM
Shame on IU
Reposted by Cherish Ardinger, PhD
OSU spent many thousands of $$ on booth registrations for SACNAS earlier this year. Now they said they would rather take the financial loss than let us recruit at this meeting of >6000 scientists.
Here is the email from the provost reversing the decision & saying we can attend if presenting research. However, we still cannot recruit or attend without research benefit. Also many students did have registration cancelled (or missed registration deadlines) when OSU was prohibiting attendance.
October 14, 2025 at 1:50 PM
OSU spent many thousands of $$ on booth registrations for SACNAS earlier this year. Now they said they would rather take the financial loss than let us recruit at this meeting of >6000 scientists.
Reposted by Cherish Ardinger, PhD
Thrilled to share this work from my postdoc with Tom Carmichael, available online @ Neuron! Long story short: we find even more evidence that all reactive astrocytes are not equal, and we can take advantage of those differences to improve repair after stroke.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Regionally mapped astrocytic responses to cortical and white matter stroke show differential roles in astrocyte-induced vascular remodeling
Stroke is a major cause of disability. Astrocytes respond to stroke in a gradated manner, but details of that response and its consequences for tissue…
www.sciencedirect.com
October 10, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Thrilled to share this work from my postdoc with Tom Carmichael, available online @ Neuron! Long story short: we find even more evidence that all reactive astrocytes are not equal, and we can take advantage of those differences to improve repair after stroke.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Cherish Ardinger, PhD
Best consideration deadline, Friday Oct 10:
#SCIMaP (scienceimacts.org) seeks to hire a Research Communications and Media Outreach Specialist at U-Maryland to facilitate public engagement related to federal investment in science and health research.
umd.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/UMCP/j...
#SCIMaP (scienceimacts.org) seeks to hire a Research Communications and Media Outreach Specialist at U-Maryland to facilitate public engagement related to federal investment in science and health research.
umd.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/UMCP/j...
October 8, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Best consideration deadline, Friday Oct 10:
#SCIMaP (scienceimacts.org) seeks to hire a Research Communications and Media Outreach Specialist at U-Maryland to facilitate public engagement related to federal investment in science and health research.
umd.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/UMCP/j...
#SCIMaP (scienceimacts.org) seeks to hire a Research Communications and Media Outreach Specialist at U-Maryland to facilitate public engagement related to federal investment in science and health research.
umd.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/UMCP/j...
Reposted by Cherish Ardinger, PhD
Please spread the word! I am recruiting a PhD student this cycle (Fall 2026 start) to join my team in a new venture: the neuroscience of mood.
If you are curious to learn more, this short talk provides a good overview of why, what and how.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjIK...
If you are curious to learn more, this short talk provides a good overview of why, what and how.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjIK...
Nicole Rust - The representation of mood in the primate insula (May 6, 2025)
YouTube video by Simons Foundation
www.youtube.com
October 7, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Please spread the word! I am recruiting a PhD student this cycle (Fall 2026 start) to join my team in a new venture: the neuroscience of mood.
If you are curious to learn more, this short talk provides a good overview of why, what and how.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjIK...
If you are curious to learn more, this short talk provides a good overview of why, what and how.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjIK...
Reposted by Cherish Ardinger, PhD
The new Wiley journal review system is an absolute nightmare. Editorial assistants have been replaced by a clunky, AI-enabled website that makes it harder to find and invite reviewers. Associate editor workloads have increased. I'm not convinced the invitations to reviewers are even going through.
October 6, 2025 at 3:22 PM
The new Wiley journal review system is an absolute nightmare. Editorial assistants have been replaced by a clunky, AI-enabled website that makes it harder to find and invite reviewers. Associate editor workloads have increased. I'm not convinced the invitations to reviewers are even going through.
Reposted by Cherish Ardinger, PhD
First lab paper out today! Student authors: Mikayla Cutler and Abhi Thati 🎉🤩
Hippocampus | Neuroscience Journal | Wiley Online Library onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Hippocampus | Neuroscience Journal | Wiley Online Library onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Drug‐Related Engrams and Their Role in the Persistence and Recurrence of Drug‐Related Behaviors
Memory is a cornerstone of human behavior, and addiction offers a compelling model of its persistence and plasticity. The scope of engram research has rapidly expanded to include addiction-related ph....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
October 6, 2025 at 3:38 PM
First lab paper out today! Student authors: Mikayla Cutler and Abhi Thati 🎉🤩
Hippocampus | Neuroscience Journal | Wiley Online Library onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Hippocampus | Neuroscience Journal | Wiley Online Library onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by Cherish Ardinger, PhD
Many of us come to study in the United States due to its commitment to freedom of expression & assembly -- rights that we in our home countries often lack. My own country would deport student protestors in a heartbeat. That the US used not to was a testament to its commitment to freedom.
March 31, 2025 at 2:14 AM
Many of us come to study in the United States due to its commitment to freedom of expression & assembly -- rights that we in our home countries often lack. My own country would deport student protestors in a heartbeat. That the US used not to was a testament to its commitment to freedom.
Reposted by Cherish Ardinger, PhD
I'm recruiting a PhD student to study how enkephalins affect cognitive processing in the rodent frontal cortex. The project uses pharmacology, multi-electrode recordings, and fiber photometry, and is funded by NIDA. Please share with trainees applying this cycle. Thanks!
October 3, 2025 at 3:43 PM
I'm recruiting a PhD student to study how enkephalins affect cognitive processing in the rodent frontal cortex. The project uses pharmacology, multi-electrode recordings, and fiber photometry, and is funded by NIDA. Please share with trainees applying this cycle. Thanks!
Reposted by Cherish Ardinger, PhD
We are looking for a new technician to join our lab and gain some hands on #zebrafish and molecular biology experience. Interested parties should apply here: jobs.rutgers.edu/postings/259... Happy to answer any and all questions about the lab! #STEMJobs
Laboratory/Technical Assistant
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey is seeking a Laboratory/Technical Assistant for the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience within the School of Arts and Sciences. Our mission is to un...
jobs.rutgers.edu
October 3, 2025 at 12:24 AM
We are looking for a new technician to join our lab and gain some hands on #zebrafish and molecular biology experience. Interested parties should apply here: jobs.rutgers.edu/postings/259... Happy to answer any and all questions about the lab! #STEMJobs