Was lucky enough to get to the ICSSI conference last week in Copenhagen. So as is traditional - here's my favourite Metro shot. I got to introduce three other conference attendees to the idea that you can sit at the front looking forward! #nevertooldtopretendtodriveatrain.

As a parent I remember with trepidation the announcement of next year’s class as the kids are shuffled between classes to balance classes and widen friendship groups etc Is there a good way to do this? Maths to the rescue:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057%2Fjors.2014.73

#backtoschool […]

@coatless Just used your https://github.com/coatless-mac/macrtools to fix my toolchain for running Stan models after upgrading to Sequoia broke it.

It's letting us do work like this, to improve diversity in research […]

Hot off the press - our report on gender disparities in grant seeking at the University of Cambridge (who applies for and who gets research grant funding) […]

[Original post on fosstodon.org]

Can generative AI write grant applications?

Should generative AI help write grant applications?

We asked researchers themselves.

Sam Gilbert and I ran a workshop with Villum Experiment researchers to get their views.

Shortest summary is: treat it as an […]

[Original post on fosstodon.org]

The Times Higher has an article on the value of QR (aka University block funding) this week - Becky Ioppolo and I are quoted talking about the study we did a few years ago.

https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/research/research-projects/value-qr-project/

We need QR to provide space for the […]

Interested in improving academic research?
Enjoy combining qualitative & quantitative methods?
Join a small multidisciplinary team working on research culture

One week to go!

We want Research Assoc & Assists to join us […]

[Original post on fosstodon.org]

Interested in improving academic research?
Enjoy combining qualitative & quantitative methods?
Want to join a small multidisciplinary team working on research culture?

We want Research Assoc & Assist to join us […]

[Original post on fosstodon.org]

This is the best nuanced take I've seen on the DeepSeek developments - and it’s a pretty good intro to current developments in LLMs as well.

https://stratechery.com/2025/deepseek-faq/

#deepseek
#llms
#considereddiscussion

Fancy a new year change?

Senior/Research Information Analyst

An opportunity to join the Research Information Office - my previous team - at #univeristyofcambridge. Lots of fascinating challenges in research information administration and management. Take a look […]

Looking for New Year's resolutions? How about writing, composing or singing in an opera?

Age 11 - 18, come and create a new opera with the #cambridgeyouthopera.

Completely free to take part and a great opportunity to experience story telling with music.

A […]

[Original post on fosstodon.org]

In case it saves someone else a morning of fruitless troubleshooting: looks like Apple have disabled hearing aid usage in the UK for iOS 18.2 (it worked for me in 18.1).

https://www.apple.com/uk/airpods-pro/feature-availability/

Somewhat bemused and frustrated. Bizarrely the main article (ie […]