Mikkel Roald-Arbøl
@roald-arboel.com
Thinking about what brains are doing and how they ended up doing it.
🇩🇪 Postdoc at University of Bonn.
🪲 Quantitative ethology, neuroethology and behavioural ecology
🔧 Developing open science software (mostly #rstats) and hardware
🇩🇪 Postdoc at University of Bonn.
🪲 Quantitative ethology, neuroethology and behavioural ecology
🔧 Developing open science software (mostly #rstats) and hardware
Pinned
Mikkel Roald-Arbøl
@roald-arboel.com
· Nov 25
Hi Bluesky! I guess it's #introduction time!
🎓 I'm Mikkel, I'm a PhD student at University of Sussex dabbling at the intersections between computational ethology, #neuroethology and behavioural ecology.
🎓 I'm Mikkel, I'm a PhD student at University of Sussex dabbling at the intersections between computational ethology, #neuroethology and behavioural ecology.
Reposted by Mikkel Roald-Arbøl
New preprint:
Neural manifolds that orchestrate walking and stopping
Here we develop a new theory for neural generation of walking and how it can stop- Next we test the theory using Neuropixels probes in the lumber spinal cord of freely moving rats. See more:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Neural manifolds that orchestrate walking and stopping
Here we develop a new theory for neural generation of walking and how it can stop- Next we test the theory using Neuropixels probes in the lumber spinal cord of freely moving rats. See more:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 9, 2025 at 9:33 PM
New preprint:
Neural manifolds that orchestrate walking and stopping
Here we develop a new theory for neural generation of walking and how it can stop- Next we test the theory using Neuropixels probes in the lumber spinal cord of freely moving rats. See more:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Neural manifolds that orchestrate walking and stopping
Here we develop a new theory for neural generation of walking and how it can stop- Next we test the theory using Neuropixels probes in the lumber spinal cord of freely moving rats. See more:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
✨ Super stoked to announce that I will soon be joining the #SLEEB-Lab with @roesslerdaniela.bsky.social at @unibonn.bsky.social! Really excited for what’s to come!🕷️💤
Two awesome news for our #SLEEB-Lab @unibonn.bsky.social 1) we finally had a lab photoshoot and 2) I can now officially announce @roald-arboel.com is joining our team as a Postdoc starting in November!!! Sweet tracking stuff ahead. Welcome to the #spider #behavior fam, Mikkel!
October 3, 2025 at 8:05 AM
✨ Super stoked to announce that I will soon be joining the #SLEEB-Lab with @roesslerdaniela.bsky.social at @unibonn.bsky.social! Really excited for what’s to come!🕷️💤
Reposted by Mikkel Roald-Arbøl
Breaking News: Jane Goodall, one of the world’s most revered conservationists, died at 91. Her discoveries in the 1960s about how chimpanzees behaved in the wild broke new ground and represented what was called “one of the Western world’s great scientific achievements.” nyti.ms/42kpGxt
October 1, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Breaking News: Jane Goodall, one of the world’s most revered conservationists, died at 91. Her discoveries in the 1960s about how chimpanzees behaved in the wild broke new ground and represented what was called “one of the Western world’s great scientific achievements.” nyti.ms/42kpGxt
Reposted by Mikkel Roald-Arbøl
I’m super excited to finally put my recent work with @behrenstimb.bsky.social on bioRxiv, where we develop a new mechanistic theory of how PFC structures adaptive behaviour using attractor dynamics in space and time!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
September 24, 2025 at 12:04 PM
I’m super excited to finally put my recent work with @behrenstimb.bsky.social on bioRxiv, where we develop a new mechanistic theory of how PFC structures adaptive behaviour using attractor dynamics in space and time!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Mikkel Roald-Arbøl
And we are live!
Excited to announce the 2025 Multi-Agent Behavior Challenge on cross-lab supervised action recognition in mice 🐁🐀🖱️
Running on Kaggle until December 15th, with a $50,000 prize pool going to the top five submissions!
www.kaggle.com/competitions...
Excited to announce the 2025 Multi-Agent Behavior Challenge on cross-lab supervised action recognition in mice 🐁🐀🖱️
Running on Kaggle until December 15th, with a $50,000 prize pool going to the top five submissions!
www.kaggle.com/competitions...
September 18, 2025 at 6:24 PM
And we are live!
Excited to announce the 2025 Multi-Agent Behavior Challenge on cross-lab supervised action recognition in mice 🐁🐀🖱️
Running on Kaggle until December 15th, with a $50,000 prize pool going to the top five submissions!
www.kaggle.com/competitions...
Excited to announce the 2025 Multi-Agent Behavior Challenge on cross-lab supervised action recognition in mice 🐁🐀🖱️
Running on Kaggle until December 15th, with a $50,000 prize pool going to the top five submissions!
www.kaggle.com/competitions...
Reposted by Mikkel Roald-Arbøl
I'm sorry, worldwide, irrevocable, non-exclusive, transferable permission to my voice and likeness? For what now? In any manner for any purpose???
This is in academia/.edu's new ToS, which you're prompted to agree to on login. Anyway I'll be jumping ship. You can find my stuff at hcommons.org.
This is in academia/.edu's new ToS, which you're prompted to agree to on login. Anyway I'll be jumping ship. You can find my stuff at hcommons.org.
September 17, 2025 at 5:16 PM
I'm sorry, worldwide, irrevocable, non-exclusive, transferable permission to my voice and likeness? For what now? In any manner for any purpose???
This is in academia/.edu's new ToS, which you're prompted to agree to on login. Anyway I'll be jumping ship. You can find my stuff at hcommons.org.
This is in academia/.edu's new ToS, which you're prompted to agree to on login. Anyway I'll be jumping ship. You can find my stuff at hcommons.org.
Reposted by Mikkel Roald-Arbøl
👁️The retina — strikingly conserved across vertebrates, but an oddity among bilaterians!
So how did it evolve?
With @mikebok.bsky.social, @neurofishh.bsky.social and @denilsson.bsky.social, we argue that retinal complexity may 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑦𝑒 𝑖𝑡𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/n
So how did it evolve?
With @mikebok.bsky.social, @neurofishh.bsky.social and @denilsson.bsky.social, we argue that retinal complexity may 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑦𝑒 𝑖𝑡𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/n
a black and white dog is sitting on a couch with its tongue sticking out .
ALT: a black and white dog is sitting on a couch with its tongue sticking out .
media.tenor.com
September 12, 2025 at 12:58 PM
👁️The retina — strikingly conserved across vertebrates, but an oddity among bilaterians!
So how did it evolve?
With @mikebok.bsky.social, @neurofishh.bsky.social and @denilsson.bsky.social, we argue that retinal complexity may 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑦𝑒 𝑖𝑡𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/n
So how did it evolve?
With @mikebok.bsky.social, @neurofishh.bsky.social and @denilsson.bsky.social, we argue that retinal complexity may 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑦𝑒 𝑖𝑡𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/n
Reposted by Mikkel Roald-Arbøl
![Comic. [Building with large sign in front of it[ SIGN: Welcome to the *Biology Department* It has been [changeable sign: 3] days since we discovered something existentially horrifying about bugs that makes you question your whole reality](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreigvmzverlrjgqp4mazbkhm43fpvv2hdbkd2t2646dhihozrwdcy24@jpeg)
September 11, 2025 at 9:24 PM
Reposted by Mikkel Roald-Arbøl
🚨 PhD alert! IMPRS brain & behavior in Bonn just opened their calls for applications. Great PhD funding opportunities. Check it out! PS- I just joined their faculty, meaning you could do a rotation in my lab or even a PhD with me on spider sleep 🙃 Apply! 🚨
📢Apply now! Join our IMPRS for Brain&Behavior to pursue a #PhD in #neuroethology. Learn how brain circuits are linked to interesting animal behaviors!
📅 Deadline: October 31, 2025
🔗 imprs-brain-behavior.mpg.de
#neuroscience #Neuroskyence #neurojobs #sciencejobs #PhDsky #PhDOffers #FundedPhD
📅 Deadline: October 31, 2025
🔗 imprs-brain-behavior.mpg.de
#neuroscience #Neuroskyence #neurojobs #sciencejobs #PhDsky #PhDOffers #FundedPhD
September 6, 2025 at 8:48 AM
🚨 PhD alert! IMPRS brain & behavior in Bonn just opened their calls for applications. Great PhD funding opportunities. Check it out! PS- I just joined their faculty, meaning you could do a rotation in my lab or even a PhD with me on spider sleep 🙃 Apply! 🚨
Reposted by Mikkel Roald-Arbøl
This should have been big news!
Ten funding agencies from eight European countries have pledged to support a public infrastructure that is poised to replace academic journals:
FWF 🇦🇹
RCN 🇳🇴
Forte 🇸🇪
ARIS 🇸🇮
SRC 🇸🇪
FCT 🇵🇹
CSIC 🇪🇸
DFG 🇩🇪
Formas 🇸🇪
ANR 🇫🇷
Only two of them issued press releases in […]
Ten funding agencies from eight European countries have pledged to support a public infrastructure that is poised to replace academic journals:
FWF 🇦🇹
RCN 🇳🇴
Forte 🇸🇪
ARIS 🇸🇮
SRC 🇸🇪
FCT 🇵🇹
CSIC 🇪🇸
DFG 🇩🇪
Formas 🇸🇪
ANR 🇫🇷
Only two of them issued press releases in […]
Original post on mastodon.social
mastodon.social
September 3, 2025 at 12:34 PM
This should have been big news!
Ten funding agencies from eight European countries have pledged to support a public infrastructure that is poised to replace academic journals:
FWF 🇦🇹
RCN 🇳🇴
Forte 🇸🇪
ARIS 🇸🇮
SRC 🇸🇪
FCT 🇵🇹
CSIC 🇪🇸
DFG 🇩🇪
Formas 🇸🇪
ANR 🇫🇷
Only two of them issued press releases in […]
Ten funding agencies from eight European countries have pledged to support a public infrastructure that is poised to replace academic journals:
FWF 🇦🇹
RCN 🇳🇴
Forte 🇸🇪
ARIS 🇸🇮
SRC 🇸🇪
FCT 🇵🇹
CSIC 🇪🇸
DFG 🇩🇪
Formas 🇸🇪
ANR 🇫🇷
Only two of them issued press releases in […]
Reposted by Mikkel Roald-Arbøl
New paper: Drones & Computer Vision for Collective Animal Behavior 🐾
We show how edge AI + smart mission design turn drone footage into real-time behavior insights—with less disturbance.
🎥 Video Abstract: youtu.be/0DErP4Z5C7Q
📄 Paper: doi.org/10.1111/2041...
We show how edge AI + smart mission design turn drone footage into real-time behavior insights—with less disturbance.
🎥 Video Abstract: youtu.be/0DErP4Z5C7Q
📄 Paper: doi.org/10.1111/2041...
Studying collective animal behaviour with drones and computer vision
YouTube video by Jenna Kline
youtu.be
August 29, 2025 at 3:57 PM
New paper: Drones & Computer Vision for Collective Animal Behavior 🐾
We show how edge AI + smart mission design turn drone footage into real-time behavior insights—with less disturbance.
🎥 Video Abstract: youtu.be/0DErP4Z5C7Q
📄 Paper: doi.org/10.1111/2041...
We show how edge AI + smart mission design turn drone footage into real-time behavior insights—with less disturbance.
🎥 Video Abstract: youtu.be/0DErP4Z5C7Q
📄 Paper: doi.org/10.1111/2041...
#rstats folks, is anyone aware of whether it is possible to plot data loaded with @duckdb.org - say I want to generate a density plot on a data set that's too large for in-memory?
August 27, 2025 at 10:28 PM
#rstats folks, is anyone aware of whether it is possible to plot data loaded with @duckdb.org - say I want to generate a density plot on a data set that's too large for in-memory?
Reposted by Mikkel Roald-Arbøl
Are interoception and mental health linked? Many assume so, with interoception even described as a psychiatric “p-factor.” But in our latest preprint, we were surprised to find little evidence for such a connection. www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1... 🧵 Thread with our reflections on the matter 👇
Interoceptive Ability is Unrelated to Mental Health Symptoms: Evidence From a Large Scale Multi-Domain Psychophysical Investigation
Interoception-the sensing and perception of the internal viscera-is widely cast as a transdiagnostic mechanism linking brain-body interaction to mental illness. Prevailing models propose that altered ...
www.medrxiv.org
August 27, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Are interoception and mental health linked? Many assume so, with interoception even described as a psychiatric “p-factor.” But in our latest preprint, we were surprised to find little evidence for such a connection. www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1... 🧵 Thread with our reflections on the matter 👇
Could someone try to submit a fellowship to the #EU #Fellowship Database - and give some feedback on the form: Is everything clear? Have I missed anything? Feel free to just try it out with a fictive fellowship (please label the title as "FICTIVE").
opnform.com/forms/eu-fel...
#ECR #postdoc
opnform.com/forms/eu-fel...
#ECR #postdoc
August 26, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Could someone try to submit a fellowship to the #EU #Fellowship Database - and give some feedback on the form: Is everything clear? Have I missed anything? Feel free to just try it out with a fictive fellowship (please label the title as "FICTIVE").
opnform.com/forms/eu-fel...
#ECR #postdoc
opnform.com/forms/eu-fel...
#ECR #postdoc
Reposted by Mikkel Roald-Arbøl
Inspired by @deniswirtz.bsky.social and team, I'm collating a database of #PhD and #postdoc fellowships in the #EU. I'm standardising the information an entry needs, making it easier to (1) search and (2) contribute - and I would appreciate input, especially from other #ECR! Please share!
1/3
1/3
August 25, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Inspired by @deniswirtz.bsky.social and team, I'm collating a database of #PhD and #postdoc fellowships in the #EU. I'm standardising the information an entry needs, making it easier to (1) search and (2) contribute - and I would appreciate input, especially from other #ECR! Please share!
1/3
1/3
Inspired by @deniswirtz.bsky.social and team, I'm collating a database of #PhD and #postdoc fellowships in the #EU. I'm standardising the information an entry needs, making it easier to (1) search and (2) contribute - and I would appreciate input, especially from other #ECR! Please share!
1/3
1/3
August 25, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Inspired by @deniswirtz.bsky.social and team, I'm collating a database of #PhD and #postdoc fellowships in the #EU. I'm standardising the information an entry needs, making it easier to (1) search and (2) contribute - and I would appreciate input, especially from other #ECR! Please share!
1/3
1/3
Reposted by Mikkel Roald-Arbøl
Fellow #neuro / #animalbehaviour video tracking nerds: If you were to buy a brand new computer, your dream configuration (within reasonability), what would you go for and why? Would love some specs, models, GPU… asking for a friend (maybe 👀).
August 21, 2025 at 12:28 AM
Fellow #neuro / #animalbehaviour video tracking nerds: If you were to buy a brand new computer, your dream configuration (within reasonability), what would you go for and why? Would love some specs, models, GPU… asking for a friend (maybe 👀).
Fellow #neuro / #animalbehaviour video tracking nerds: If you were to buy a brand new computer, your dream configuration (within reasonability), what would you go for and why? Would love some specs, models, GPU… asking for a friend (maybe 👀).
August 21, 2025 at 12:28 AM
Fellow #neuro / #animalbehaviour video tracking nerds: If you were to buy a brand new computer, your dream configuration (within reasonability), what would you go for and why? Would love some specs, models, GPU… asking for a friend (maybe 👀).
Reposted by Mikkel Roald-Arbøl
New preprint!
tl;dr — We ran around late at night to record wild rats in NYC and figured out how to quantify their behavior and environment. 🧵
w/ Dima Batenkov, @zamakany.bsky.social, Emily Mackevicius
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
tl;dr — We ran around late at night to record wild rats in NYC and figured out how to quantify their behavior and environment. 🧵
w/ Dima Batenkov, @zamakany.bsky.social, Emily Mackevicius
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Computational Urban Ecology of New York City Rats
Urban rats are highly adaptable, thriving in the dynamic and often inhospitable conditions of modern cities. Despite substantial mitigation efforts, they remain an enduring presence in urban environme...
www.biorxiv.org
July 25, 2025 at 3:57 PM
New preprint!
tl;dr — We ran around late at night to record wild rats in NYC and figured out how to quantify their behavior and environment. 🧵
w/ Dima Batenkov, @zamakany.bsky.social, Emily Mackevicius
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
tl;dr — We ran around late at night to record wild rats in NYC and figured out how to quantify their behavior and environment. 🧵
w/ Dima Batenkov, @zamakany.bsky.social, Emily Mackevicius
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
I’m thinking of writing a #Julia package and then writing an #Rstats package that provides an interface to the functions.
Does anyone know which packages/frameworks that are best for this in 2025? Eyeing {JuliaCall}.
Does anyone have experience with this, pointers or other things to consider?
Does anyone know which packages/frameworks that are best for this in 2025? Eyeing {JuliaCall}.
Does anyone have experience with this, pointers or other things to consider?
July 22, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Reposted by Mikkel Roald-Arbøl
📜🪇[PUBLISHED]: NEW PREPRINT!🪇📜
I am incredibly excited to announce that we have published our paper on how "Dynamical independence reveals anaesthetic specific fragmentation of emergent structure in neural dynamics"
w@thomasandrillon.bsky.social @anilseth.bsky.social Barnett, Carter
Strap in!
1/n
I am incredibly excited to announce that we have published our paper on how "Dynamical independence reveals anaesthetic specific fragmentation of emergent structure in neural dynamics"
w@thomasandrillon.bsky.social @anilseth.bsky.social Barnett, Carter
Strap in!
1/n
Dynamical independence reveals anaesthetic specific fragmentation of emergent structure in neural dynamics
Conscious experience depends on the coordinated activity of neural processes that span multiple scales--from synapses to whole-brain dynamics. A recently introduced measure, dynamical independence, id...
www.biorxiv.org
July 20, 2025 at 8:20 AM
📜🪇[PUBLISHED]: NEW PREPRINT!🪇📜
I am incredibly excited to announce that we have published our paper on how "Dynamical independence reveals anaesthetic specific fragmentation of emergent structure in neural dynamics"
w@thomasandrillon.bsky.social @anilseth.bsky.social Barnett, Carter
Strap in!
1/n
I am incredibly excited to announce that we have published our paper on how "Dynamical independence reveals anaesthetic specific fragmentation of emergent structure in neural dynamics"
w@thomasandrillon.bsky.social @anilseth.bsky.social Barnett, Carter
Strap in!
1/n
What are y'all learning that is fundamentally new to you?
Having never done any geology, I'm currently having a blast going through a Geology 101 with Shawn Willsey on YouTube while travelling through the Andes. Next up will be some complexity courses from @sfiscience.bsky.social.
Having never done any geology, I'm currently having a blast going through a Geology 101 with Shawn Willsey on YouTube while travelling through the Andes. Next up will be some complexity courses from @sfiscience.bsky.social.
July 18, 2025 at 2:42 PM
What are y'all learning that is fundamentally new to you?
Having never done any geology, I'm currently having a blast going through a Geology 101 with Shawn Willsey on YouTube while travelling through the Andes. Next up will be some complexity courses from @sfiscience.bsky.social.
Having never done any geology, I'm currently having a blast going through a Geology 101 with Shawn Willsey on YouTube while travelling through the Andes. Next up will be some complexity courses from @sfiscience.bsky.social.
Reposted by Mikkel Roald-Arbøl
The "reproducibility crisis" in science constantly makes headlines. Repro efforts are often limited. What if you could assess reproducibility of an entire field?
That's what @brunolemaitre.bsky.social et al. have done. Fly immunity is highly replicable & offers lessons for #metascience
A 🧵 1/n
That's what @brunolemaitre.bsky.social et al. have done. Fly immunity is highly replicable & offers lessons for #metascience
A 🧵 1/n
July 10, 2025 at 8:23 AM
The "reproducibility crisis" in science constantly makes headlines. Repro efforts are often limited. What if you could assess reproducibility of an entire field?
That's what @brunolemaitre.bsky.social et al. have done. Fly immunity is highly replicable & offers lessons for #metascience
A 🧵 1/n
That's what @brunolemaitre.bsky.social et al. have done. Fly immunity is highly replicable & offers lessons for #metascience
A 🧵 1/n
Reposted by Mikkel Roald-Arbøl
“The goal of academic training is not to solve problems as efficiently and quickly as possible, but to develop skills for identifying and dealing with novel problems, which have never been solved before.”
If you agree with our 5 requests to our universities, please sign 🖊️ the open letter and don’t forget to confirm your email! ☺️🙏
openletter.earth/open-letter-...
openletter.earth/open-letter-...
July 12, 2025 at 8:33 PM
“The goal of academic training is not to solve problems as efficiently and quickly as possible, but to develop skills for identifying and dealing with novel problems, which have never been solved before.”
I need help identifying a #bumblebee!
I’m in the Peruvian Andes, cloud forest near Salkantay (and Machu Picchu). We spotted this monstrously big orange bumblebee, 3-4cm long (see picture. We actually spotted them twice, but only managed to photo once). My best ID so far is Bombus dahlbomii, but…
I’m in the Peruvian Andes, cloud forest near Salkantay (and Machu Picchu). We spotted this monstrously big orange bumblebee, 3-4cm long (see picture. We actually spotted them twice, but only managed to photo once). My best ID so far is Bombus dahlbomii, but…
June 13, 2025 at 1:57 AM
I need help identifying a #bumblebee!
I’m in the Peruvian Andes, cloud forest near Salkantay (and Machu Picchu). We spotted this monstrously big orange bumblebee, 3-4cm long (see picture. We actually spotted them twice, but only managed to photo once). My best ID so far is Bombus dahlbomii, but…
I’m in the Peruvian Andes, cloud forest near Salkantay (and Machu Picchu). We spotted this monstrously big orange bumblebee, 3-4cm long (see picture. We actually spotted them twice, but only managed to photo once). My best ID so far is Bombus dahlbomii, but…