Moataz Assem
@moatazassem.bsky.social
Neuroscientist - Wellcome Trust Early Career Fellow (Assistant Research Professor) at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge
https://neuroscience.cam.ac.uk/member/mimma2/
https://neuroscience.cam.ac.uk/member/mimma2/
Pinned
Moataz Assem
@moatazassem.bsky.social
· May 24
New preprint!
Category-biased patches encircle domain-general brain regions in the human lateral prefrontal cortex
t.co/Zx56W6wobj
#neuroscience #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky
Category-biased patches encircle domain-general brain regions in the human lateral prefrontal cortex
t.co/Zx56W6wobj
#neuroscience #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky
Now out with a really cool additional finding:
doi.org/10.1016/j.ne...
doi.org/10.1016/j.ne...
Join us next tuesdsy for this not to be missed free event!
What does it mean to be both animal and thinker? Join @moatazassem.bsky.social and John Duncan on 25 November at Murray Edwards College for the launch of John’s new book ‘The Animal and the Thinker.’ Get your tickets here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-animal...
November 18, 2025 at 10:37 PM
Join us next tuesdsy for this not to be missed free event!
Reposted by Moataz Assem
🚨New Results! Really excited to share this work -
Feedback doesn’t just signal right or wrong, it reorganizes population geometry of learning targets in vlPFC, moving representations toward future retrieval states. Notably, oscillations (TG-PAC & beta) gate when this transformation occurs.
🧵👇
Feedback doesn’t just signal right or wrong, it reorganizes population geometry of learning targets in vlPFC, moving representations toward future retrieval states. Notably, oscillations (TG-PAC & beta) gate when this transformation occurs.
🧵👇
November 17, 2025 at 6:11 PM
🚨New Results! Really excited to share this work -
Feedback doesn’t just signal right or wrong, it reorganizes population geometry of learning targets in vlPFC, moving representations toward future retrieval states. Notably, oscillations (TG-PAC & beta) gate when this transformation occurs.
🧵👇
Feedback doesn’t just signal right or wrong, it reorganizes population geometry of learning targets in vlPFC, moving representations toward future retrieval states. Notably, oscillations (TG-PAC & beta) gate when this transformation occurs.
🧵👇
Reposted by Moataz Assem
We are excited to announce #COGNESTIC 2026 @mrccbu.bsky.social in Cambridge, between 14-25 Sep 2026. Our 2-week summer school provides training in state-of-the-art methods for open neuroimaging analysis and great opportunities for professional networking:
www.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/events/cogne...
www.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/events/cogne...
November 17, 2025 at 10:18 AM
We are excited to announce #COGNESTIC 2026 @mrccbu.bsky.social in Cambridge, between 14-25 Sep 2026. Our 2-week summer school provides training in state-of-the-art methods for open neuroimaging analysis and great opportunities for professional networking:
www.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/events/cogne...
www.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/events/cogne...
It was a pleasure to help build neuroscience capacity in the middle east. I had so much fun!
Between October 13-17th we ran the second edition of Ibn Sina Neurotech School hosted and sponsored by NYUAD Center for Brain and Health and @ibroorg.bsky.social
We welcomed 18 students from across the world to learn hands-on about fMRI data collection and processing
We welcomed 18 students from across the world to learn hands-on about fMRI data collection and processing
October 27, 2025 at 10:54 PM
It was a pleasure to help build neuroscience capacity in the middle east. I had so much fun!
Come listen to John Duncan and myself discussing his new book on 25 Nov. So much insight into the human condition. Definitely not an event to miss!
What does it mean to be both animal and thinker? Join @moatazassem.bsky.social and John Duncan on 25 November at Murray Edwards College for the launch of John’s new book ‘The Animal and the Thinker.’ Get your tickets here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-animal...
October 22, 2025 at 11:14 AM
Come listen to John Duncan and myself discussing his new book on 25 Nov. So much insight into the human condition. Definitely not an event to miss!
Reposted by Moataz Assem
📣 New preprint from the Braga Lab! 📣
The ventral visual stream for reading converges on the transmodal language network
Congrats to Dr. Joe Salvo for this epic set of results
Big Q: What brain systems support the translation of writing to concepts and meaning?
Thread 🧵 ⬇️
The ventral visual stream for reading converges on the transmodal language network
Congrats to Dr. Joe Salvo for this epic set of results
Big Q: What brain systems support the translation of writing to concepts and meaning?
Thread 🧵 ⬇️
October 7, 2025 at 9:51 PM
📣 New preprint from the Braga Lab! 📣
The ventral visual stream for reading converges on the transmodal language network
Congrats to Dr. Joe Salvo for this epic set of results
Big Q: What brain systems support the translation of writing to concepts and meaning?
Thread 🧵 ⬇️
The ventral visual stream for reading converges on the transmodal language network
Congrats to Dr. Joe Salvo for this epic set of results
Big Q: What brain systems support the translation of writing to concepts and meaning?
Thread 🧵 ⬇️
Reposted by Moataz Assem
If you're interested in the cognitive neuroscience of memory feel free to email me!
I do experimental psychology, brain imaging (fMRI and MEG) and a bit of modelling. Lab is doing stuff on forgetting, aging, schemas, and event boundaries, but we're not limited to that.
#psychscisky #neuroskyence
I do experimental psychology, brain imaging (fMRI and MEG) and a bit of modelling. Lab is doing stuff on forgetting, aging, schemas, and event boundaries, but we're not limited to that.
#psychscisky #neuroskyence
It's that time of year when many start thinking about applying for PhDs. If you're applying for a UK PhD position, here is a blog post I wrote a while back that might be helpful
#cognition #psychscisky #neuroskyence #psychjobs
#cognition #psychscisky #neuroskyence #psychjobs
How to get PhD funding in the UK
It is that time of year again. The leaves are turning golden, red, and orange (or just brown), the nights are drawing in, and there is a chi...
aidanhorner.blogspot.com
October 6, 2025 at 6:41 PM
If you're interested in the cognitive neuroscience of memory feel free to email me!
I do experimental psychology, brain imaging (fMRI and MEG) and a bit of modelling. Lab is doing stuff on forgetting, aging, schemas, and event boundaries, but we're not limited to that.
#psychscisky #neuroskyence
I do experimental psychology, brain imaging (fMRI and MEG) and a bit of modelling. Lab is doing stuff on forgetting, aging, schemas, and event boundaries, but we're not limited to that.
#psychscisky #neuroskyence
If you are interested in a postdoc fellowship working on concurrent brain stimulation and imaging (e.g. TMS-fMRI doi.org/10.1101/2025...), then check out this unique opportunity and get in touch (deadline for expressions of interest is 13 Oct).
cambridgeneuroworks.org/programmes/f...
cambridgeneuroworks.org/programmes/f...
Fellowship Programme - Cambridge NeuroWorks
Fellowship programme Cambridge NeuroWorks is proud to introduce the Cambridge NeuroWorks Fellowship Programme, offering two transformative fellowship streams …
cambridgeneuroworks.org
October 1, 2025 at 2:25 PM
If you are interested in a postdoc fellowship working on concurrent brain stimulation and imaging (e.g. TMS-fMRI doi.org/10.1101/2025...), then check out this unique opportunity and get in touch (deadline for expressions of interest is 13 Oct).
cambridgeneuroworks.org/programmes/f...
cambridgeneuroworks.org/programmes/f...
This is hilarious 😂 and true
August 22, 2025 at 6:24 PM
This is hilarious 😂 and true
Reposted by Moataz Assem
Support a student to attend #ISNeurotech25
We are looking to support ten more students to attend the Ibn Sina Neurotech school to learn all about fMRI and brain science
www.zeffy.com/en-CA/donati...
We are looking to support ten more students to attend the Ibn Sina Neurotech school to learn all about fMRI and brain science
www.zeffy.com/en-CA/donati...
August 18, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Support a student to attend #ISNeurotech25
We are looking to support ten more students to attend the Ibn Sina Neurotech school to learn all about fMRI and brain science
www.zeffy.com/en-CA/donati...
We are looking to support ten more students to attend the Ibn Sina Neurotech school to learn all about fMRI and brain science
www.zeffy.com/en-CA/donati...
Love seeing strong evidence that network borders matter. Matches our weird 2024 finding (doi.org/10.1093/cerc...). Boundaries aren’t just lines. They may be where the action is!
(8) - Cognitive control tasks activated a set of regions, but rather than matching a single network, these sat near the borders of individual control networks (FP, DAN, CO).
This echoes recent work by @moatazassem.bsky.social and suggests borders could be sites of cross-network communication
(16/X)
This echoes recent work by @moatazassem.bsky.social and suggests borders could be sites of cross-network communication
(16/X)
August 14, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Love seeing strong evidence that network borders matter. Matches our weird 2024 finding (doi.org/10.1093/cerc...). Boundaries aren’t just lines. They may be where the action is!
Excellent work!
The lateral prefrontal cortex 🧠— which we think of as critical for goal driven behavior + is a target for psychiatric treatments— is fundamentally different in individuals relative to the group averages we’ve often studied.
👇see preprint and thread, led by Zach Ladwig
#neuroskyence #PsychSciSky
👇see preprint and thread, led by Zach Ladwig
#neuroskyence #PsychSciSky
August 14, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Excellent work!
Reposted by Moataz Assem
Heading to Amsterdam for #CCN2025? Come by our posters on Tuesday and Wednesday! 🧠🏘️🧀
Tuesday🗓️
Bassel Arafat & @DiedrichsenJorn 's posters on the Multi-task framework
Wednesday🗓️
My poster on task vs. rest fMRI
Tuesday🗓️
Bassel Arafat & @DiedrichsenJorn 's posters on the Multi-task framework
Wednesday🗓️
My poster on task vs. rest fMRI
August 10, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Heading to Amsterdam for #CCN2025? Come by our posters on Tuesday and Wednesday! 🧠🏘️🧀
Tuesday🗓️
Bassel Arafat & @DiedrichsenJorn 's posters on the Multi-task framework
Wednesday🗓️
My poster on task vs. rest fMRI
Tuesday🗓️
Bassel Arafat & @DiedrichsenJorn 's posters on the Multi-task framework
Wednesday🗓️
My poster on task vs. rest fMRI
Reposted by Moataz Assem
📢 Job announcement: Two (!) 3-year postdoc jobs in our lab at UCL 📢
🧠💫🔊 We are looking for postdocs interested in the abstract mechanisms underlying social cognition. Modelling, fMRI and non-invasive ultrasound, a new deep-brain stimulation method.
Please RT
www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
🧠💫🔊 We are looking for postdocs interested in the abstract mechanisms underlying social cognition. Modelling, fMRI and non-invasive ultrasound, a new deep-brain stimulation method.
Please RT
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
August 7, 2025 at 2:25 PM
📢 Job announcement: Two (!) 3-year postdoc jobs in our lab at UCL 📢
🧠💫🔊 We are looking for postdocs interested in the abstract mechanisms underlying social cognition. Modelling, fMRI and non-invasive ultrasound, a new deep-brain stimulation method.
Please RT
www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
🧠💫🔊 We are looking for postdocs interested in the abstract mechanisms underlying social cognition. Modelling, fMRI and non-invasive ultrasound, a new deep-brain stimulation method.
Please RT
www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
State-of-the-art of using implanted electrodes to stimulate cortical networks
🚨 New Preprint 🚨
Targeting intracranial electrical stimulation (ES) to network regions defined within individuals causes network-level effects
By Cyr et al.
***
Q: Can we use individualized network maps from precision fMRI to modulate a targeted network via intracranial ES?
A: Yes!
🧵:
Targeting intracranial electrical stimulation (ES) to network regions defined within individuals causes network-level effects
By Cyr et al.
***
Q: Can we use individualized network maps from precision fMRI to modulate a targeted network via intracranial ES?
A: Yes!
🧵:
August 5, 2025 at 8:18 PM
State-of-the-art of using implanted electrodes to stimulate cortical networks
Reposted by Moataz Assem
Is the Language of Thought == Language? A Thread 🧵
New Preprint (link: tinyurl.com/LangLOT) with @alexanderfung.bsky.social, Paris Jaggers, Jason Chen, Josh Rule, Yael Benn, @joshtenenbaum.bsky.social, @spiantado.bsky.social, Rosemary Varley, @evfedorenko.bsky.social
1/8
New Preprint (link: tinyurl.com/LangLOT) with @alexanderfung.bsky.social, Paris Jaggers, Jason Chen, Josh Rule, Yael Benn, @joshtenenbaum.bsky.social, @spiantado.bsky.social, Rosemary Varley, @evfedorenko.bsky.social
1/8
Evidence from Formal Logical Reasoning Reveals that the Language of Thought is not Natural Language
Humans are endowed with a powerful capacity for both inductive and deductive logical thought: we easily form generalizations based on a few examples and draw conclusions from known premises. Humans al...
tinyurl.com
August 3, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Is the Language of Thought == Language? A Thread 🧵
New Preprint (link: tinyurl.com/LangLOT) with @alexanderfung.bsky.social, Paris Jaggers, Jason Chen, Josh Rule, Yael Benn, @joshtenenbaum.bsky.social, @spiantado.bsky.social, Rosemary Varley, @evfedorenko.bsky.social
1/8
New Preprint (link: tinyurl.com/LangLOT) with @alexanderfung.bsky.social, Paris Jaggers, Jason Chen, Josh Rule, Yael Benn, @joshtenenbaum.bsky.social, @spiantado.bsky.social, Rosemary Varley, @evfedorenko.bsky.social
1/8
Reposted by Moataz Assem
Fantastic opportunity for mid-career researchers who would like to relocate their lab to the UK
Faraday Discovery fellowships
royalsociety.org/grants/farad...
Faraday Discovery fellowships
royalsociety.org/grants/farad...
Faraday Discovery Fellowships Accelerated International Route | Royal Society
The Faraday Discovery Fellowships Accelerated International Route provides a fast-track option for attracting mid-career researchers looking to relocate to the UK from overseas, providing up to £4m ov...
royalsociety.org
August 4, 2025 at 8:37 AM
Fantastic opportunity for mid-career researchers who would like to relocate their lab to the UK
Faraday Discovery fellowships
royalsociety.org/grants/farad...
Faraday Discovery fellowships
royalsociety.org/grants/farad...
Wowza!
1
To predict the behaviour of a primate, would you rather base your guess on a closely related species or one with a similar brain shape? We looked at brains & behaviours of 70 species, you’ll be surprised!
🧵Thread on our new preprint with @r3rt0.bsky.social , doi.org/10.1101/2025...
To predict the behaviour of a primate, would you rather base your guess on a closely related species or one with a similar brain shape? We looked at brains & behaviours of 70 species, you’ll be surprised!
🧵Thread on our new preprint with @r3rt0.bsky.social , doi.org/10.1101/2025...
July 27, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Wowza!
Join us for lots of cool science and fun!
What is the best way to advance a challenging-yet-inferentially-powerful combination of neurostimulation and neuroimaging? Come to Cancun to find out! Join us for the 3rd International Concurrent TMS-fMRI Workshop September 15-17 *literally* by the beach: www.tmsfmriworkshop.org
www.tmsfmriworkshop.org
www.tmsfmriworkshop.org
July 24, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Join us for lots of cool science and fun!
Reposted by Moataz Assem
2 Lecturer (Assistant Prof) positions available @yorkpsychology.bsky.social! Come join our department!
#neuroskyence #cognition #psychscisky #neurojobs
jobs.york.ac.uk/vacancy/lect...
#neuroskyence #cognition #psychscisky #neurojobs
jobs.york.ac.uk/vacancy/lect...
Jobs - The University of York
jobs.york.ac.uk
July 21, 2025 at 1:32 PM
2 Lecturer (Assistant Prof) positions available @yorkpsychology.bsky.social! Come join our department!
#neuroskyence #cognition #psychscisky #neurojobs
jobs.york.ac.uk/vacancy/lect...
#neuroskyence #cognition #psychscisky #neurojobs
jobs.york.ac.uk/vacancy/lect...
Reposted by Moataz Assem
Can humans use artificial limbs for body augmentation as flexibly as their own hands?
🚨 Our new interdisciplinary study put this question to the test with the Third Thumb (@daniclode.bsky.social), a robotic extra digit you control with your toes!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧵1/10
🚨 Our new interdisciplinary study put this question to the test with the Third Thumb (@daniclode.bsky.social), a robotic extra digit you control with your toes!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧵1/10
July 7, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Can humans use artificial limbs for body augmentation as flexibly as their own hands?
🚨 Our new interdisciplinary study put this question to the test with the Third Thumb (@daniclode.bsky.social), a robotic extra digit you control with your toes!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧵1/10
🚨 Our new interdisciplinary study put this question to the test with the Third Thumb (@daniclode.bsky.social), a robotic extra digit you control with your toes!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧵1/10
lol
Apparently becoming common to add prompts in white text to your paper, such that a review by a language model will be positive
July 6, 2025 at 4:25 PM
lol
Reposted by Moataz Assem
Big year for our lab at #OHBM2025!
Thrilled to present an exciting mix of posters, talks, and lots of brainy fun 🧠🤓
Come check us out! We’d love to connect!
@cognizelab.bsky.social
@ohbmofficial.bsky.social
#OHBM #OHBM2025 #Neuroimaging
Thrilled to present an exciting mix of posters, talks, and lots of brainy fun 🧠🤓
Come check us out! We’d love to connect!
@cognizelab.bsky.social
@ohbmofficial.bsky.social
#OHBM #OHBM2025 #Neuroimaging
June 25, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Big year for our lab at #OHBM2025!
Thrilled to present an exciting mix of posters, talks, and lots of brainy fun 🧠🤓
Come check us out! We’d love to connect!
@cognizelab.bsky.social
@ohbmofficial.bsky.social
#OHBM #OHBM2025 #Neuroimaging
Thrilled to present an exciting mix of posters, talks, and lots of brainy fun 🧠🤓
Come check us out! We’d love to connect!
@cognizelab.bsky.social
@ohbmofficial.bsky.social
#OHBM #OHBM2025 #Neuroimaging
Very cool tips that any conference can easily implement
It's a summer conference season, so I thought I'd tell you about the tremendous efforts our conservation biology colleagues have been making to make conferences more INCLUSIVE & friendly to early career researchers (ECRs) not fluent in English. I find their accomplishments truly inspiring. 🧵(1/10)
June 22, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Very cool tips that any conference can easily implement
Reposted by Moataz Assem
Funded PhD opportunity with @sjblakemore.bsky.social and I, at Cambridge. We are looking for someone interested in developmental science, to start in the coming academic year. Please share it with anyone you think might be interested (see details attached 😁).
drive.google.com/file/d/1RIvg...
drive.google.com/file/d/1RIvg...
Funded PhD opportunity.pdf
drive.google.com
May 27, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Funded PhD opportunity with @sjblakemore.bsky.social and I, at Cambridge. We are looking for someone interested in developmental science, to start in the coming academic year. Please share it with anyone you think might be interested (see details attached 😁).
drive.google.com/file/d/1RIvg...
drive.google.com/file/d/1RIvg...