Jennifer Bussell PhD
@jenbussell.bsky.social
Neuroscientist studying information seeking and curiosity via mouse models in the Axel lab at Columbia University. Formerly at Vosshall Lab at Rockefeller University. Mom in Brooklyn, former S Carolinian www.jenniferbussell.org
Pinned
Representations of information value in mouse orbitofrontal cortex during information seeking
bioRxiv - the preprint server for biology, operated by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, a research and educational institution
www.biorxiv.org
Absolutely thrilled to share my postdoc work in the Axel lab. We found odor-evoked representations of the intrinsic value of information in mouse orbitofrontal cortex and showed that mice desire knowledge as its own reward. Now on bioRxiv! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Jennifer Bussell PhD
“It is not acceptable to recruit a variety of students into the laboratory, subject them to a variety of stress tests and abuses, and then keep the students who thrive under abuse and get rid of the students who aren't able to thrive in the lab. That's straight-up exploitation.”
👏👏👏
👏👏👏
You know those labs that keep harming students, again and again? Some reflections on why it's so hard to stop this from happening and where our responsibilities lie.
scienceforeveryone.science/bad-mentors-... 🧪
scienceforeveryone.science/bad-mentors-... 🧪
Bad mentors hurt people
What to do about bad mentors?
scienceforeveryone.science
November 26, 2025 at 3:35 AM
“It is not acceptable to recruit a variety of students into the laboratory, subject them to a variety of stress tests and abuses, and then keep the students who thrive under abuse and get rid of the students who aren't able to thrive in the lab. That's straight-up exploitation.”
👏👏👏
👏👏👏
Reposted by Jennifer Bussell PhD
Check out the newest Editors' (that would be me and Eunjoon Kim) Choice issue in Current Opinion in Neurobiology.
Superbly guest edited by Stephen Liberles and @zknight.bsky.social
>20 review articles on Interoception
www.sciencedirect.com/special-issu...
Superbly guest edited by Stephen Liberles and @zknight.bsky.social
>20 review articles on Interoception
www.sciencedirect.com/special-issu...
Current Opinion in Neurobiology | Interoception 2025 | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier
Read the latest articles of Current Opinion in Neurobiology at ScienceDirect.com, Elsevier’s leading platform of peer-reviewed scholarly literature
www.sciencedirect.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Check out the newest Editors' (that would be me and Eunjoon Kim) Choice issue in Current Opinion in Neurobiology.
Superbly guest edited by Stephen Liberles and @zknight.bsky.social
>20 review articles on Interoception
www.sciencedirect.com/special-issu...
Superbly guest edited by Stephen Liberles and @zknight.bsky.social
>20 review articles on Interoception
www.sciencedirect.com/special-issu...
Reposted by Jennifer Bussell PhD
LOVED this paper from @constantinoplelab.bsky.social showing how estrogen modulates reinforcement learning in @natureportfolio.nature.com
Was also stoked to write the commentary for this paper with our superstar postdoc Masa Taira.
Check it out 👇 🧠🧪
Was also stoked to write the commentary for this paper with our superstar postdoc Masa Taira.
Check it out 👇 🧠🧪
Bonus on this paper:
there is also a commentary from Masakazu Taira & @melissajsharpe.bsky.social that is certainly worth reading-
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#RewardSignals #neuroskyence
there is also a commentary from Masakazu Taira & @melissajsharpe.bsky.social that is certainly worth reading-
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#RewardSignals #neuroskyence
November 20, 2025 at 10:21 PM
LOVED this paper from @constantinoplelab.bsky.social showing how estrogen modulates reinforcement learning in @natureportfolio.nature.com
Was also stoked to write the commentary for this paper with our superstar postdoc Masa Taira.
Check it out 👇 🧠🧪
Was also stoked to write the commentary for this paper with our superstar postdoc Masa Taira.
Check it out 👇 🧠🧪
Reposted by Jennifer Bussell PhD
'Approximately 1 in 30 trials and more than 74 000 trial participants were affected by grant funding disruptions. Affected trials disproportionately studied infectious diseases, prevention, and behavioral interventions, and were based in the Northeastern US or in other countries.'
Clinical Trials Affected by Research Grant Terminations at the National Institutes of Health
This cross-sectional study summarizes the number of trials with terminated grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and calculates the proportion of affected trials among those with previou...
jamanetwork.com
November 17, 2025 at 7:38 PM
'Approximately 1 in 30 trials and more than 74 000 trial participants were affected by grant funding disruptions. Affected trials disproportionately studied infectious diseases, prevention, and behavioral interventions, and were based in the Northeastern US or in other countries.'
Reposted by Jennifer Bussell PhD
My paper is out!
Computational modeling of error patterns during reward-based learning show evidence that habit learning (value free!) supplements working memory in 7 human data sets.
rdcu.be/eQjLN
Computational modeling of error patterns during reward-based learning show evidence that habit learning (value free!) supplements working memory in 7 human data sets.
rdcu.be/eQjLN
A habit and working memory model as an alternative account of human reward-based learning
Nature Human Behaviour - In this study, Collins proposes an alternative dual-process (working memory and habit) model of reinforcement learning in humans.
rdcu.be
November 17, 2025 at 5:18 PM
My paper is out!
Computational modeling of error patterns during reward-based learning show evidence that habit learning (value free!) supplements working memory in 7 human data sets.
rdcu.be/eQjLN
Computational modeling of error patterns during reward-based learning show evidence that habit learning (value free!) supplements working memory in 7 human data sets.
rdcu.be/eQjLN
Reposted by Jennifer Bussell PhD
Who wore it better? Our new paper shows that rat OFC supports Bayesian inference of hidden states! With neural correlates of inferred state transitions at the level of single neurons and population-level latent factors. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
November 17, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Who wore it better? Our new paper shows that rat OFC supports Bayesian inference of hidden states! With neural correlates of inferred state transitions at the level of single neurons and population-level latent factors. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Jennifer Bussell PhD
come check out this #SfN25 minisymposium happening today at 2pm!
we will discuss recent approaches to make sense of multi-area population dynamics
www.jneurosci.org/content/45/4...
we will discuss recent approaches to make sense of multi-area population dynamics
www.jneurosci.org/content/45/4...
November 17, 2025 at 5:43 PM
come check out this #SfN25 minisymposium happening today at 2pm!
we will discuss recent approaches to make sense of multi-area population dynamics
www.jneurosci.org/content/45/4...
we will discuss recent approaches to make sense of multi-area population dynamics
www.jneurosci.org/content/45/4...
Reposted by Jennifer Bussell PhD
Interested in spatiotemporal decoding of choice and feedback in the human brain?
My lab’s postdoc Rohit Yadav will present these beautiful MEG results from our novelty bandit at #SFN2025 Sunday 11/16, PSTR094.23 / LL8 (top row: explore vs exploit; bottom: reward vs nonreward)
My lab’s postdoc Rohit Yadav will present these beautiful MEG results from our novelty bandit at #SFN2025 Sunday 11/16, PSTR094.23 / LL8 (top row: explore vs exploit; bottom: reward vs nonreward)
November 15, 2025 at 2:11 AM
Interested in spatiotemporal decoding of choice and feedback in the human brain?
My lab’s postdoc Rohit Yadav will present these beautiful MEG results from our novelty bandit at #SFN2025 Sunday 11/16, PSTR094.23 / LL8 (top row: explore vs exploit; bottom: reward vs nonreward)
My lab’s postdoc Rohit Yadav will present these beautiful MEG results from our novelty bandit at #SFN2025 Sunday 11/16, PSTR094.23 / LL8 (top row: explore vs exploit; bottom: reward vs nonreward)
Reposted by Jennifer Bussell PhD
Texas A&M University adopts a policy requiring professors to get approval from the school president to discuss certain race and gender issues.
Texas A&M University professors now need approval for some race and gender topics
Texas A&M University has adopted a new policy requiring professors to first get approval to discuss some race and gender topics.
bit.ly
November 13, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Texas A&M University adopts a policy requiring professors to get approval from the school president to discuss certain race and gender issues.
Reposted by Jennifer Bussell 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 Jennifer Bussell PhD
CUNY is waiving its application fee from Nov. 10-21 for New York State high school seniors on pace to graduate next year. You can apply to up to six of our colleges with one application! Go to cuny.edu/apply.
November 10, 2025 at 6:00 PM
CUNY is waiving its application fee from Nov. 10-21 for New York State high school seniors on pace to graduate next year. You can apply to up to six of our colleges with one application! Go to cuny.edu/apply.
Reposted by Jennifer Bussell PhD
All talks of the 2025 UCL #Neuropixels course are now available: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
For more information on the course see the website: www.ucl.ac.uk/neuropixels/...
And for those at #SfN, come say hi at the #Neuropixels booth (Number 3731) or at my Poster 👋.
Happy Neuropixeling!
For more information on the course see the website: www.ucl.ac.uk/neuropixels/...
And for those at #SfN, come say hi at the #Neuropixels booth (Number 3731) or at my Poster 👋.
Happy Neuropixeling!
2025 UCL Neuropixels Course - YouTube
Lectures at the 2025 UCL Neuropixels course (https://www.ucl.ac.uk/neuropixels/training/2025-neuropixels-course)
www.youtube.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:48 PM
All talks of the 2025 UCL #Neuropixels course are now available: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
For more information on the course see the website: www.ucl.ac.uk/neuropixels/...
And for those at #SfN, come say hi at the #Neuropixels booth (Number 3731) or at my Poster 👋.
Happy Neuropixeling!
For more information on the course see the website: www.ucl.ac.uk/neuropixels/...
And for those at #SfN, come say hi at the #Neuropixels booth (Number 3731) or at my Poster 👋.
Happy Neuropixeling!
Reposted by Jennifer Bussell PhD
How do VTA DA neurons sculpt downstream representations to reinforce actions? VERY excited about our new preprint (by Alex Pan Vazquez & @czimmerman.bsky.social )
VTA dopamine neuron activity produces spatially organized value representations https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.04.685995v1
November 7, 2025 at 8:46 PM
How do VTA DA neurons sculpt downstream representations to reinforce actions? VERY excited about our new preprint (by Alex Pan Vazquez & @czimmerman.bsky.social )
Reposted by Jennifer Bussell PhD
The Ctr for Urban Research at @thegraduatecenter.bsky.social (led by @jomoko.bsky.social) has prepared an online map for tonight's NYC mayoral results. Link below in #thread. For now the map is blank, but it'll fill in w/unofficial returns tonight.
The map will do more than show the 2025 #s.
1/n
The map will do more than show the 2025 #s.
1/n
November 4, 2025 at 7:14 PM
The Ctr for Urban Research at @thegraduatecenter.bsky.social (led by @jomoko.bsky.social) has prepared an online map for tonight's NYC mayoral results. Link below in #thread. For now the map is blank, but it'll fill in w/unofficial returns tonight.
The map will do more than show the 2025 #s.
1/n
The map will do more than show the 2025 #s.
1/n
Reposted by Jennifer Bussell PhD
N-gram novelty is widely used as a measure of creativity and generalization. But if LLMs produce highly n-gram novel expressions that don’t make sense or sound awkward, should they still be called creative? In a new paper, we investigate how n-gram novelty relates to creativity.
November 4, 2025 at 3:08 PM
N-gram novelty is widely used as a measure of creativity and generalization. But if LLMs produce highly n-gram novel expressions that don’t make sense or sound awkward, should they still be called creative? In a new paper, we investigate how n-gram novelty relates to creativity.
Reposted by Jennifer Bussell PhD
For the past 3 years, I've taught a course on Machine Learning for Climate Change to undergrads. At times, people have asked if the course lectures could be made available online. While I can't offer that, I have decided to start making "5 Minute Papers on AI for the Planet" videos. Hope its useful!
5 Minute Papers on AI for the Planet
AI is more than just chatbots! Learn about how AI can be used to protect biodiversity, fight climate change, and just better understand our planet through 5-minute explainers covering academic papers ...
www.youtube.com
June 20, 2025 at 1:55 AM
For the past 3 years, I've taught a course on Machine Learning for Climate Change to undergrads. At times, people have asked if the course lectures could be made available online. While I can't offer that, I have decided to start making "5 Minute Papers on AI for the Planet" videos. Hope its useful!
Reposted by Jennifer Bussell PhD
"My candy is more of a comment"
October 31, 2025 at 5:53 PM
"My candy is more of a comment"
Reposted by Jennifer Bussell PhD
Are humans really the only rational animals? Our NEW PAPER 🎉 out in @science.org suggests otherwise! In a large collaboration led with my joint first author @hanna-schleihauf.bsky.social, we show that “Chimpanzees rationally revise their beliefs” 🧵
Chimpanzees rationally revise their beliefs
The selective revision of beliefs in light of new evidence has been considered one of the hallmarks of human-level rationality. However, tests of this ability in other species are lacking. We examined...
www.science.org
October 30, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Are humans really the only rational animals? Our NEW PAPER 🎉 out in @science.org suggests otherwise! In a large collaboration led with my joint first author @hanna-schleihauf.bsky.social, we show that “Chimpanzees rationally revise their beliefs” 🧵
Reposted by Jennifer Bussell PhD
Thinking what this will mean for STEM labs and departments, especially at places like UFlorida
Florida's governor is telling public universities to stop hiring anyone on a H-1B visa. Expect other red states to follow suit.
Florida’s Public Universities Should No Longer Hire Foreign Employees, DeSantis Says
The Republican governor’s directive on H-1B visas comes as President Trump has initiated his policy of charging employers a new $100,000 fee to hire people from outside the United States.
www.chronicle.com
October 30, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Thinking what this will mean for STEM labs and departments, especially at places like UFlorida
Reposted by Jennifer Bussell PhD
What does mating look like when you only have a single shot at getting it right?
Very excited to share our work on an almost-invisible female control, rapidly evolving mating recognition systems, and species that break the rules and take over the world. IN MOSQUITOES>
Very excited to share our work on an almost-invisible female control, rapidly evolving mating recognition systems, and species that break the rules and take over the world. IN MOSQUITOES>
October 28, 2025 at 8:57 PM
What does mating look like when you only have a single shot at getting it right?
Very excited to share our work on an almost-invisible female control, rapidly evolving mating recognition systems, and species that break the rules and take over the world. IN MOSQUITOES>
Very excited to share our work on an almost-invisible female control, rapidly evolving mating recognition systems, and species that break the rules and take over the world. IN MOSQUITOES>
Reposted by Jennifer Bussell PhD
As NSF GRFP is in the news, PLEASE spread the word about the new EGFP program they have for past GRFP honorable mentions. Universities in eligible states can apply to get funding for HMs in the same amount as GRFP. My impression is that many depts don't know this exists and so don't apply.
September 30, 2025 at 7:15 AM
As NSF GRFP is in the news, PLEASE spread the word about the new EGFP program they have for past GRFP honorable mentions. Universities in eligible states can apply to get funding for HMs in the same amount as GRFP. My impression is that many depts don't know this exists and so don't apply.
Reposted by Jennifer Bussell 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 Jennifer Bussell PhD
At Reviewer Zero, we see both problems and strengths of peer review and have been working for over 5 years to make change for the better. I have found working with Reviewer Zero to be incredibly important and fulfilling. We rarely look to add to our organizing team, but now we are! Please see below!
🚨 We are seeking a Digital Presence Coordinator!
Open to psych/neuro grad students, postdocs & faculty who are passionate about improving fairness in peer review.
Job details:
💻 Managing website, socials, newsletters
🕒 4–8 hrs/month | 💵 $500 honorarium | 📅 1-year term
Apply 👉 go.iu.edu/8vxh
Open to psych/neuro grad students, postdocs & faculty who are passionate about improving fairness in peer review.
Job details:
💻 Managing website, socials, newsletters
🕒 4–8 hrs/month | 💵 $500 honorarium | 📅 1-year term
Apply 👉 go.iu.edu/8vxh
go.iu.edu
October 28, 2025 at 7:26 PM
At Reviewer Zero, we see both problems and strengths of peer review and have been working for over 5 years to make change for the better. I have found working with Reviewer Zero to be incredibly important and fulfilling. We rarely look to add to our organizing team, but now we are! Please see below!
Reposted by Jennifer Bussell PhD
But what if there are two co-first authors and the first-first author is actually also co-corresponding author with the last author but the second-first author isn’t?
October 27, 2025 at 1:53 PM
But what if there are two co-first authors and the first-first author is actually also co-corresponding author with the last author but the second-first author isn’t?
Reposted by Jennifer Bussell PhD
Here it is: the Trump Administration "draft proposal" to the University of California. Published bc faculty sued for its disclosure.
Its terms go beyond what Trump demands in similar compacts to other universities.
EVERYONE should read: faculty, students, admins, alumni.
ucop.edu/communicatio...
Its terms go beyond what Trump demands in similar compacts to other universities.
EVERYONE should read: faculty, students, admins, alumni.
ucop.edu/communicatio...
ucop.edu
October 25, 2025 at 12:42 AM
Here it is: the Trump Administration "draft proposal" to the University of California. Published bc faculty sued for its disclosure.
Its terms go beyond what Trump demands in similar compacts to other universities.
EVERYONE should read: faculty, students, admins, alumni.
ucop.edu/communicatio...
Its terms go beyond what Trump demands in similar compacts to other universities.
EVERYONE should read: faculty, students, admins, alumni.
ucop.edu/communicatio...