Tom Donoghue
@tomdonoghue.bsky.social
Cognitive & Computational Neuro Scientist - studying electrophysiological signals in human brains, mostly by writing Python code.
Lecturer of Cognitive Neuroscience @ University of Manchester.
https://tomdonoghue.github.io/
Lecturer of Cognitive Neuroscience @ University of Manchester.
https://tomdonoghue.github.io/
I'm blown away to see our 2020 spectral parameterization (fooof) paper is the 2nd most cited neuroscience paper of 2020 🤯
What an adventure it's been - now ~10 years on & ~8500 km from where I first started on the project, and still enthralled by the work!
www.thetransmitter.org/publishing/w...
What an adventure it's been - now ~10 years on & ~8500 km from where I first started on the project, and still enthralled by the work!
www.thetransmitter.org/publishing/w...
What are the most-cited neuroscience papers from the past 30 years?
Highly cited papers reflect the surge in artificial-intelligence research in the field and other technical advances, plus prizewinning work on analgesics, the fusiform face area and ion channels.
www.thetransmitter.org
November 10, 2025 at 7:43 PM
I'm blown away to see our 2020 spectral parameterization (fooof) paper is the 2nd most cited neuroscience paper of 2020 🤯
What an adventure it's been - now ~10 years on & ~8500 km from where I first started on the project, and still enthralled by the work!
www.thetransmitter.org/publishing/w...
What an adventure it's been - now ~10 years on & ~8500 km from where I first started on the project, and still enthralled by the work!
www.thetransmitter.org/publishing/w...
Reposted by Tom Donoghue
📣 🧠 We have a new PhD studentship at @fbmh-uom.bsky.social with Caroline Lea-Carnall & @tomdonoghue.bsky.social: Dopamine, brain networks & plasticity research. Computational modelling + multimodal neuroimaging: tinyurl.com/yr58xj8v
Application deadline Nov 15th!
Application deadline Nov 15th!
(Bicentenary) Modelling the effects of dopaminergic neuromodulation on brain state and function at The University of Manchester on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - (Bicentenary) Modelling the effects of dopaminergic neuromodulation on brain state and function at The University of Manchester, listed on FindAPhD.com
tinyurl.com
October 16, 2025 at 2:13 PM
📣 🧠 We have a new PhD studentship at @fbmh-uom.bsky.social with Caroline Lea-Carnall & @tomdonoghue.bsky.social: Dopamine, brain networks & plasticity research. Computational modelling + multimodal neuroimaging: tinyurl.com/yr58xj8v
Application deadline Nov 15th!
Application deadline Nov 15th!
📜🎉 I'm happy to share that my review of clinical research investigating aperiodic neural activity is now published!
It examines 177 reports of aperiodic activity in clinical disorders summarizing findings, discussion topics, & making some recommendations!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
It examines 177 reports of aperiodic activity in clinical disorders summarizing findings, discussion topics, & making some recommendations!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
A Systematic Review of Aperiodic Neural Activity in Clinical Investigations
This systematic literature review examines aperiodic neural activity in clinical disorders, summarizing current findings and discussion topics. One-hundred seventy-seven reports from across 38 distin...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
October 13, 2025 at 3:12 PM
📜🎉 I'm happy to share that my review of clinical research investigating aperiodic neural activity is now published!
It examines 177 reports of aperiodic activity in clinical disorders summarizing findings, discussion topics, & making some recommendations!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
It examines 177 reports of aperiodic activity in clinical disorders summarizing findings, discussion topics, & making some recommendations!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
📜 New preprint led by the wonderful Weijia Zhang on place cells: specifically if & how different methodological approaches used across human & rodent datasets may relate to differences in identified populations and implications for cross-species spatial cognition!
Check it out here:
Check it out here:
🚀 New Preprint from our team: comparing place cells across species!
Disentangling methods from biology provides a roadmap for cross-species insights into spatial coding 🌍
👉 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Disentangling methods from biology provides a roadmap for cross-species insights into spatial coding 🌍
👉 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
October 7, 2025 at 5:13 PM
📜 New preprint led by the wonderful Weijia Zhang on place cells: specifically if & how different methodological approaches used across human & rodent datasets may relate to differences in identified populations and implications for cross-species spatial cognition!
Check it out here:
Check it out here:
Reposted by Tom Donoghue
I've been waiting some years to make this joke and now it’s real:
I conned somebody into giving me a faculty job!
I’m starting as a W1 Tenure-Track Professor at Goethe University Frankfurt in a week (lol), in the Faculty of CS and Math
and I'm recruiting PhD students 🤗
I conned somebody into giving me a faculty job!
I’m starting as a W1 Tenure-Track Professor at Goethe University Frankfurt in a week (lol), in the Faculty of CS and Math
and I'm recruiting PhD students 🤗
a man wearing a white shirt and tie smiles in front of a window
ALT: a man wearing a white shirt and tie smiles in front of a window
media.tenor.com
September 23, 2025 at 1:00 PM
I've been waiting some years to make this joke and now it’s real:
I conned somebody into giving me a faculty job!
I’m starting as a W1 Tenure-Track Professor at Goethe University Frankfurt in a week (lol), in the Faculty of CS and Math
and I'm recruiting PhD students 🤗
I conned somebody into giving me a faculty job!
I’m starting as a W1 Tenure-Track Professor at Goethe University Frankfurt in a week (lol), in the Faculty of CS and Math
and I'm recruiting PhD students 🤗
Reposted by Tom Donoghue
🚨 NEW: Climate change is already causing 30,000 deaths per year - a global annual economic loss of $100-350B USD - but the true damage is probably 10x higher. Out TODAY in Nature Climate Change: the first systematic look at the science of "health impact attribution" 🔓 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
September 17, 2025 at 11:57 AM
🚨 NEW: Climate change is already causing 30,000 deaths per year - a global annual economic loss of $100-350B USD - but the true damage is probably 10x higher. Out TODAY in Nature Climate Change: the first systematic look at the science of "health impact attribution" 🔓 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Tom Donoghue
Mahmoud Khalil on exile, liberation and Ice detention: ‘It was a clear act of cruelty’
Mahmoud Khalil on exile, liberation and Ice detention: ‘It was a clear act of cruelty’
His grandparents survived the Nakba and he fled Assad’s Syria. Khalil is no stranger to political persecution, but not even Trump’s crackdown can silence him
www.theguardian.com
September 8, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Mahmoud Khalil on exile, liberation and Ice detention: ‘It was a clear act of cruelty’
Reposted by Tom Donoghue
Finally! 🤩 Our position piece: Against the Uncritical Adoption of 'AI' Technologies in Academia:
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
We unpick the tech industry’s marketing, hype, & harm; and we argue for safeguarding higher education, critical
thinking, expertise, academic freedom, & scientific integrity.
1/n
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
We unpick the tech industry’s marketing, hype, & harm; and we argue for safeguarding higher education, critical
thinking, expertise, academic freedom, & scientific integrity.
1/n
September 6, 2025 at 8:13 AM
Finally! 🤩 Our position piece: Against the Uncritical Adoption of 'AI' Technologies in Academia:
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
We unpick the tech industry’s marketing, hype, & harm; and we argue for safeguarding higher education, critical
thinking, expertise, academic freedom, & scientific integrity.
1/n
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...
We unpick the tech industry’s marketing, hype, & harm; and we argue for safeguarding higher education, critical
thinking, expertise, academic freedom, & scientific integrity.
1/n
📜 I've updated my perspective piece covering a brief history of the study of aperiodic neural activity - adding a bit more work and adding an update of what I think this history suggests for future research.
Preprint available on psyrxiv here:
osf.io/preprints/ps...
Preprint available on psyrxiv here:
osf.io/preprints/ps...
OSF
osf.io
September 1, 2025 at 1:00 PM
📜 I've updated my perspective piece covering a brief history of the study of aperiodic neural activity - adding a bit more work and adding an update of what I think this history suggests for future research.
Preprint available on psyrxiv here:
osf.io/preprints/ps...
Preprint available on psyrxiv here:
osf.io/preprints/ps...
Reposted by Tom Donoghue
Neurociencias Para Todos brings neuroscience education to remote communities in Mexico. @analog-ashley.bsky.social talked with founder Monica López-Hidalgo about the program’s efforts and the importance of making neuroscience accessible to all.
www.thetransmitter.org/community/br...
www.thetransmitter.org/community/br...
Bringing neuroscience to rural Mexico
Monica López-Hidalgo’s outreach program, Neurociencias Para Todos, gives schoolteachers tools to bring neuroscience to their communities.
www.thetransmitter.org
September 1, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Neurociencias Para Todos brings neuroscience education to remote communities in Mexico. @analog-ashley.bsky.social talked with founder Monica López-Hidalgo about the program’s efforts and the importance of making neuroscience accessible to all.
www.thetransmitter.org/community/br...
www.thetransmitter.org/community/br...
Reposted by Tom Donoghue
🧵 Authoritarianism, Democratization, and Coalition Politics.
The consensus around here is, more or less, that the United States is currently a consolidating authoritarian regime controlled by a mix of reactionary populists and fascists.
The consensus around here is, more or less, that the United States is currently a consolidating authoritarian regime controlled by a mix of reactionary populists and fascists.
August 30, 2025 at 8:10 PM
🧵 Authoritarianism, Democratization, and Coalition Politics.
The consensus around here is, more or less, that the United States is currently a consolidating authoritarian regime controlled by a mix of reactionary populists and fascists.
The consensus around here is, more or less, that the United States is currently a consolidating authoritarian regime controlled by a mix of reactionary populists and fascists.
Apparently in (Northern?) England it's common to name fast food places by putting "{American place name} Fried Chicken".
Just today I've walked past places called {Atlanta, Arizona, California, Georgia, Orlando, Michigan, Virginia} Fried Chicken - and my personal favourite:
"Toronto Fried Chicken"
Just today I've walked past places called {Atlanta, Arizona, California, Georgia, Orlando, Michigan, Virginia} Fried Chicken - and my personal favourite:
"Toronto Fried Chicken"
August 25, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Apparently in (Northern?) England it's common to name fast food places by putting "{American place name} Fried Chicken".
Just today I've walked past places called {Atlanta, Arizona, California, Georgia, Orlando, Michigan, Virginia} Fried Chicken - and my personal favourite:
"Toronto Fried Chicken"
Just today I've walked past places called {Atlanta, Arizona, California, Georgia, Orlando, Michigan, Virginia} Fried Chicken - and my personal favourite:
"Toronto Fried Chicken"
Reposted by Tom Donoghue
I’m sorry but the “should scientists be activists” train left the station for the last time when we started spending billions to build concentration camps. I feel like you guys are engaging with the science stuff as though the camps thing is like, happening on a different TV show
August 23, 2025 at 4:55 PM
I’m sorry but the “should scientists be activists” train left the station for the last time when we started spending billions to build concentration camps. I feel like you guys are engaging with the science stuff as though the camps thing is like, happening on a different TV show
I've updated my literature review of studies of aperiodic neural activity in clinical disorders, adding ~30 papers, taking it to 177 reports across 38 disorders!
It's got a review of results so far, discussion of themes & issues, & recommendations for future work!
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
It's got a review of results so far, discussion of themes & issues, & recommendations for future work!
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
A systematic review of aperiodic neural activity in clinical investigations
Aperiodic neural activity - activity with no characteristic frequency - has increasingly become a common feature of study, including in clinical work. Reports investigating aperiodic activity from pat...
www.medrxiv.org
August 21, 2025 at 3:37 PM
I've updated my literature review of studies of aperiodic neural activity in clinical disorders, adding ~30 papers, taking it to 177 reports across 38 disorders!
It's got a review of results so far, discussion of themes & issues, & recommendations for future work!
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
It's got a review of results so far, discussion of themes & issues, & recommendations for future work!
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Tom Donoghue
At this point, I am ready to become a dedicated patron to brands and businesses that have a principled stand against pushing AI as part of their offerings and vocally commit to smooth, lean/unbloated, pleasant basic customer experience.
As Adobe rolls out more generative AI features for the PDF, the era of chatbot-less software is firmly a thing of the past.
The AI-Powered PDF Marks the End of an Era
As Adobe rolls out more generative AI features for the PDF, the era of chatbot-less software is firmly a thing of the past.
wrd.cm
August 20, 2025 at 3:12 PM
At this point, I am ready to become a dedicated patron to brands and businesses that have a principled stand against pushing AI as part of their offerings and vocally commit to smooth, lean/unbloated, pleasant basic customer experience.
Reposted by Tom Donoghue
We have an opening for a post doc to help us quantify neurovascular coupling with simultaneous EEG/fNIRS data -- spread the word! With David Boas and Mike Esterman
MathJobs from the the American Mathematical Society
Mathjobs is an automated job application system sponsored by the AMS.
www.mathjobs.org
August 19, 2025 at 7:54 PM
We have an opening for a post doc to help us quantify neurovascular coupling with simultaneous EEG/fNIRS data -- spread the word! With David Boas and Mike Esterman
Reposted by Tom Donoghue
NWB just turned 10 years old! Researchers worldwide have downloaded 1.9 PB of NWB data from @dandiarchive.org. This animation shows the reach of NWB, facilitating collaboration across the globe. What impact has open neurophysiology data had on your science? Share your stories! 🧠
@openscience
@openscience
August 18, 2025 at 1:57 PM
NWB just turned 10 years old! Researchers worldwide have downloaded 1.9 PB of NWB data from @dandiarchive.org. This animation shows the reach of NWB, facilitating collaboration across the globe. What impact has open neurophysiology data had on your science? Share your stories! 🧠
@openscience
@openscience
Seems as good a time as any to re-share the "OpenLists" collection - an openly accessible set of lists of available resources in / for Cognitive Neuroscience!
Includes open M/EEG & iEEG datasets & open software / analysis tools, and resources for DSP, Python, git, etc:
openlists.github.io
Includes open M/EEG & iEEG datasets & open software / analysis tools, and resources for DSP, Python, git, etc:
openlists.github.io
OpenLists
Curated lists of Open Resources.
openlists.github.io
August 14, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Seems as good a time as any to re-share the "OpenLists" collection - an openly accessible set of lists of available resources in / for Cognitive Neuroscience!
Includes open M/EEG & iEEG datasets & open software / analysis tools, and resources for DSP, Python, git, etc:
openlists.github.io
Includes open M/EEG & iEEG datasets & open software / analysis tools, and resources for DSP, Python, git, etc:
openlists.github.io
Reposted by Tom Donoghue
Excited to share our new paper on theta-phase locking of single neurons during human spatial memory:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
With @lukaskunz.bsky.social, Joshua Jacobs, and our colleagues from the University of Freiburg
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
With @lukaskunz.bsky.social, Joshua Jacobs, and our colleagues from the University of Freiburg
August 11, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Excited to share our new paper on theta-phase locking of single neurons during human spatial memory:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
With @lukaskunz.bsky.social, Joshua Jacobs, and our colleagues from the University of Freiburg
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
With @lukaskunz.bsky.social, Joshua Jacobs, and our colleagues from the University of Freiburg
Manchester observations so far part 2:
- “Hiya”
- Zero based indexing for building floors
- Meal deal supremacy
- Triple checking every crossing for whichever side cars are on
- For real though, why is half of every store pre-packed sandwiches
- Surprise: tram on the road! No, the other side
- “Hiya”
- Zero based indexing for building floors
- Meal deal supremacy
- Triple checking every crossing for whichever side cars are on
- For real though, why is half of every store pre-packed sandwiches
- Surprise: tram on the road! No, the other side
Miscellaneous notes from 2 days in Manchester so far:
- friendly strangers
- unrefrigerated eggs
- kettles are so fast
- fairy liquid
- finding the pedestrian crossing light
- "please place your item in the bagging area"
- buying deodorant without having to break it out of pharmacy jail first
- friendly strangers
- unrefrigerated eggs
- kettles are so fast
- fairy liquid
- finding the pedestrian crossing light
- "please place your item in the bagging area"
- buying deodorant without having to break it out of pharmacy jail first
August 8, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Manchester observations so far part 2:
- “Hiya”
- Zero based indexing for building floors
- Meal deal supremacy
- Triple checking every crossing for whichever side cars are on
- For real though, why is half of every store pre-packed sandwiches
- Surprise: tram on the road! No, the other side
- “Hiya”
- Zero based indexing for building floors
- Meal deal supremacy
- Triple checking every crossing for whichever side cars are on
- For real though, why is half of every store pre-packed sandwiches
- Surprise: tram on the road! No, the other side
I have now started at the University of Manchester as a lecturer
(equivalent to assistant professor)!
I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone here and getting started on the next phase of my research!
(equivalent to assistant professor)!
I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone here and getting started on the next phase of my research!
August 4, 2025 at 1:35 PM
I have now started at the University of Manchester as a lecturer
(equivalent to assistant professor)!
I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone here and getting started on the next phase of my research!
(equivalent to assistant professor)!
I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone here and getting started on the next phase of my research!
Reposted by Tom Donoghue
Sad to hear that Margaret Boden, pioneer in cognitive science and artificial intelligence, has passed away.
Just a few days ago, someone reactivated the post below. I warmly recommend watching the video.
Thank you Margaret for founding and shaping our field.
www.sussex.ac.uk/broadcast/re...
Just a few days ago, someone reactivated the post below. I warmly recommend watching the video.
Thank you Margaret for founding and shaping our field.
www.sussex.ac.uk/broadcast/re...
July 28, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Sad to hear that Margaret Boden, pioneer in cognitive science and artificial intelligence, has passed away.
Just a few days ago, someone reactivated the post below. I warmly recommend watching the video.
Thank you Margaret for founding and shaping our field.
www.sussex.ac.uk/broadcast/re...
Just a few days ago, someone reactivated the post below. I warmly recommend watching the video.
Thank you Margaret for founding and shaping our field.
www.sussex.ac.uk/broadcast/re...
Reposted by Tom Donoghue
Israel committing genocide in Gaza, say Israel-based human rights groups
Israel committing genocide in Gaza, say Israel-based human rights groups
Reports detailing killing of children and elderly, forced displacement and starvation likely to add to pressure for action
*
Middle East crisis – live updates
Two leading human rights organisations based in Israel, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, say Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the country’s western allies have a legal and moral duty to stop it.
In reports published on Monday, the two groups said Israel had targeted civilians in Gaza only because of their identity as Palestinians over nearly two years of war, causing severe and in some cases irreparable damage to Palestinian society. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
July 28, 2025 at 11:15 AM
Israel committing genocide in Gaza, say Israel-based human rights groups
Miscellaneous notes from 2 days in Manchester so far:
- friendly strangers
- unrefrigerated eggs
- kettles are so fast
- fairy liquid
- finding the pedestrian crossing light
- "please place your item in the bagging area"
- buying deodorant without having to break it out of pharmacy jail first
- friendly strangers
- unrefrigerated eggs
- kettles are so fast
- fairy liquid
- finding the pedestrian crossing light
- "please place your item in the bagging area"
- buying deodorant without having to break it out of pharmacy jail first
July 26, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Miscellaneous notes from 2 days in Manchester so far:
- friendly strangers
- unrefrigerated eggs
- kettles are so fast
- fairy liquid
- finding the pedestrian crossing light
- "please place your item in the bagging area"
- buying deodorant without having to break it out of pharmacy jail first
- friendly strangers
- unrefrigerated eggs
- kettles are so fast
- fairy liquid
- finding the pedestrian crossing light
- "please place your item in the bagging area"
- buying deodorant without having to break it out of pharmacy jail first