xuan (ɕɥɛn / sh-yen)
@xuanalogue.bsky.social
Assistant professor at NUS. Scaling cooperative intelligence & infrastructure for an increasingly automated future. PhD @ MIT ProbComp / CoCoSci. Pronouns: 祂/伊
Pinned
Finished teaching my first seminar course today! Had tons of fun introducing my students to the rational foundations of human-like cooperation. Now that the course is over, I'm sharing the syllabus more widely!
Reposted by xuan (ɕɥɛn / sh-yen)
Well this is exciting!
The Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences at Johns Hopkins University (@jhu.edu) invites applications for a full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty member in Cognitive Psychology, in any area and at any rank!
Application + more info: apply.interfolio.com/178146
The Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences at Johns Hopkins University (@jhu.edu) invites applications for a full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty member in Cognitive Psychology, in any area and at any rank!
Application + more info: apply.interfolio.com/178146
Apply - Interfolio
{{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
apply.interfolio.com
December 2, 2025 at 3:18 AM
Well this is exciting!
The Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences at Johns Hopkins University (@jhu.edu) invites applications for a full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty member in Cognitive Psychology, in any area and at any rank!
Application + more info: apply.interfolio.com/178146
The Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences at Johns Hopkins University (@jhu.edu) invites applications for a full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty member in Cognitive Psychology, in any area and at any rank!
Application + more info: apply.interfolio.com/178146
Reposted by xuan (ɕɥɛn / sh-yen)
starting fall 2026 i'll be an assistant professor at @upenn.edu 🥳
my lab will develop scalable models/theories of human behavior, focused on memory and perception
currently recruiting PhD students in psychology, neuroscience, & computer science!
reach out if you're interested 😊
my lab will develop scalable models/theories of human behavior, focused on memory and perception
currently recruiting PhD students in psychology, neuroscience, & computer science!
reach out if you're interested 😊
November 25, 2025 at 9:36 PM
starting fall 2026 i'll be an assistant professor at @upenn.edu 🥳
my lab will develop scalable models/theories of human behavior, focused on memory and perception
currently recruiting PhD students in psychology, neuroscience, & computer science!
reach out if you're interested 😊
my lab will develop scalable models/theories of human behavior, focused on memory and perception
currently recruiting PhD students in psychology, neuroscience, & computer science!
reach out if you're interested 😊
Reposted by xuan (ɕɥɛn / sh-yen)
Another fun project from @yangxiang.bsky.social. She asks the question: do people assign responsibility to personality traits in the same way that they assign reponsibility to people? The answer: sort of!
osf.io/preprints/ps...
osf.io/preprints/ps...
OSF
osf.io
December 6, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Another fun project from @yangxiang.bsky.social. She asks the question: do people assign responsibility to personality traits in the same way that they assign reponsibility to people? The answer: sort of!
osf.io/preprints/ps...
osf.io/preprints/ps...
all the LLM bros are obsessed with counting model weights, but me? I do weighted model counting 😎
Especially glad I started the PhD after the Russell-Domingos-Tenenbaum-etc synthesis of logic and symbolic representations with probability theory. We actually can have the best of both worlds!
December 6, 2025 at 3:05 PM
all the LLM bros are obsessed with counting model weights, but me? I do weighted model counting 😎
I know AI people don't really believe in Bayes these days, but sometimes I read AI papers from the 70s to 90s, where the predominant formalism was first order logic and I'm so glad I started my PhD after the Pearl-Kaelbing-Russell-etc synthesis of AI and Bayesian decision theory.
December 6, 2025 at 2:29 AM
I know AI people don't really believe in Bayes these days, but sometimes I read AI papers from the 70s to 90s, where the predominant formalism was first order logic and I'm so glad I started my PhD after the Pearl-Kaelbing-Russell-etc synthesis of AI and Bayesian decision theory.
okay I may have gone overly viral again T_T
December 5, 2025 at 11:46 AM
okay I may have gone overly viral again T_T
had a nightmare about going viral on the other site, probably I spend too much time there for my own good 🙃
December 3, 2025 at 12:20 AM
had a nightmare about going viral on the other site, probably I spend too much time there for my own good 🙃
me: *considers registering a .dev or .me domain under xuan-ai or xuanai since .ai domains are too expensive*
me: hmm let's see what other websites use that first, don't want to be confused for something else
me: *checks xuanai dot com*
me: welp, I'm never using that 😳🥲
me: hmm let's see what other websites use that first, don't want to be confused for something else
me: *checks xuanai dot com*
me: welp, I'm never using that 😳🥲
December 2, 2025 at 12:14 PM
me: *considers registering a .dev or .me domain under xuan-ai or xuanai since .ai domains are too expensive*
me: hmm let's see what other websites use that first, don't want to be confused for something else
me: *checks xuanai dot com*
me: welp, I'm never using that 😳🥲
me: hmm let's see what other websites use that first, don't want to be confused for something else
me: *checks xuanai dot com*
me: welp, I'm never using that 😳🥲
Reposted by xuan (ɕɥɛn / sh-yen)
📣 New BBS preprint out now! 📣
"Models casting egalitarian societies as crucibles of equality perpetuate the factually uninformed notion that foragers are somehow more noble. Critiques portray egalitarianism as romantic fantasy. Neither characterization is wholly justified."
doi.org/10.1017/S014...
"Models casting egalitarian societies as crucibles of equality perpetuate the factually uninformed notion that foragers are somehow more noble. Critiques portray egalitarianism as romantic fantasy. Neither characterization is wholly justified."
doi.org/10.1017/S014...
Egalitarianism is not Equality: Moving from outcome to process in the study of human political organisation | Behavioral and Brain Sciences | Cambridge Core
Egalitarianism is not Equality: Moving from outcome to process in the study of human political organisation
doi.org
November 18, 2025 at 8:05 AM
📣 New BBS preprint out now! 📣
"Models casting egalitarian societies as crucibles of equality perpetuate the factually uninformed notion that foragers are somehow more noble. Critiques portray egalitarianism as romantic fantasy. Neither characterization is wholly justified."
doi.org/10.1017/S014...
"Models casting egalitarian societies as crucibles of equality perpetuate the factually uninformed notion that foragers are somehow more noble. Critiques portray egalitarianism as romantic fantasy. Neither characterization is wholly justified."
doi.org/10.1017/S014...
maybe humans *should* block out the sun so that the machines have to rely on us for bioelectricity, because that way we can still extract natural resource rents in the full automation economy
November 17, 2025 at 12:24 PM
maybe humans *should* block out the sun so that the machines have to rely on us for bioelectricity, because that way we can still extract natural resource rents in the full automation economy
Reposted by xuan (ɕɥɛn / sh-yen)
a notable thing here is that Jin is about as powerful and privileged as you can be - first-tier Chinese aristocracy, basically, super-connected - and that still didn't prevent her from being harassed by Summers
The Harvard Crimson has ID'ed and published the name of a well-known economist who was the subject of emails between Larry Summers and Epstein.
Born in China, she did her B.A. – Ph.D. at Harvard.
The code name that Summers and Epstein used in their emails about her was "peril." What a vile pig.
Born in China, she did her B.A. – Ph.D. at Harvard.
The code name that Summers and Epstein used in their emails about her was "peril." What a vile pig.
As Summers Sought Clandestine Relationship With Woman He Called a Mentee, Epstein Was His ‘Wing Man’ | News | The Harvard Crimson
When former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers was pursuing a romantic relationship with a woman he described as a mentee, he turned to a longtime associate for guidance: convicted sex offender Jef...
www.thecrimson.com
November 17, 2025 at 3:07 AM
a notable thing here is that Jin is about as powerful and privileged as you can be - first-tier Chinese aristocracy, basically, super-connected - and that still didn't prevent her from being harassed by Summers
Reposted by xuan (ɕɥɛn / sh-yen)
The Harvard Crimson has ID'ed and published the name of a well-known economist who was the subject of emails between Larry Summers and Epstein.
Born in China, she did her B.A. – Ph.D. at Harvard.
The code name that Summers and Epstein used in their emails about her was "peril." What a vile pig.
Born in China, she did her B.A. – Ph.D. at Harvard.
The code name that Summers and Epstein used in their emails about her was "peril." What a vile pig.
As Summers Sought Clandestine Relationship With Woman He Called a Mentee, Epstein Was His ‘Wing Man’ | News | The Harvard Crimson
When former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers was pursuing a romantic relationship with a woman he described as a mentee, he turned to a longtime associate for guidance: convicted sex offender Jef...
www.thecrimson.com
November 17, 2025 at 2:16 AM
The Harvard Crimson has ID'ed and published the name of a well-known economist who was the subject of emails between Larry Summers and Epstein.
Born in China, she did her B.A. – Ph.D. at Harvard.
The code name that Summers and Epstein used in their emails about her was "peril." What a vile pig.
Born in China, she did her B.A. – Ph.D. at Harvard.
The code name that Summers and Epstein used in their emails about her was "peril." What a vile pig.
Reposted by xuan (ɕɥɛn / sh-yen)
Hello fellow nerds! The upcoming Australasian Mathematical Psych Conference (AMPC) is going to be on Feb 23-25, and they've just put out the call for abstracts.
Details below. This is one of my favourite conferences and this year it's in Singapore(!!) which should be awesome.
Details below. This is one of my favourite conferences and this year it's in Singapore(!!) which should be awesome.
November 13, 2025 at 7:33 AM
Hello fellow nerds! The upcoming Australasian Mathematical Psych Conference (AMPC) is going to be on Feb 23-25, and they've just put out the call for abstracts.
Details below. This is one of my favourite conferences and this year it's in Singapore(!!) which should be awesome.
Details below. This is one of my favourite conferences and this year it's in Singapore(!!) which should be awesome.
Finished teaching my first seminar course today! Had tons of fun introducing my students to the rational foundations of human-like cooperation. Now that the course is over, I'm sharing the syllabus more widely!
November 12, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Finished teaching my first seminar course today! Had tons of fun introducing my students to the rational foundations of human-like cooperation. Now that the course is over, I'm sharing the syllabus more widely!
my favourite part of pantheon is how everyone is a furry or sanrio character in the future, truly a world worth fighting for 🥹
November 11, 2025 at 11:04 AM
my favourite part of pantheon is how everyone is a furry or sanrio character in the future, truly a world worth fighting for 🥹
Fascinating study, in line with the general unreliability of LMs at ToM reasoning I've seen.
I expect they'll be unreliable about other propositional attitudes (want, hope, expect, suspect, etc.), and suspect this is bc they're not trained on data that grounds this vocabulary.
I expect they'll be unreliable about other propositional attitudes (want, hope, expect, suspect, etc.), and suspect this is bc they're not trained on data that grounds this vocabulary.
Large language models (LLMs) may not reliably acknowledge a user’s incorrect beliefs, according to a paper in Nature Machine Intelligence. The findings highlight the need for careful use of LLM outputs in high-stakes decisions. go.nature.com/48VRpIQ 🧪
November 6, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Fascinating study, in line with the general unreliability of LMs at ToM reasoning I've seen.
I expect they'll be unreliable about other propositional attitudes (want, hope, expect, suspect, etc.), and suspect this is bc they're not trained on data that grounds this vocabulary.
I expect they'll be unreliable about other propositional attitudes (want, hope, expect, suspect, etc.), and suspect this is bc they're not trained on data that grounds this vocabulary.
How do people flexibly integrate visual & textual information to draw mental inferences about agents we've never met?
In a new paper led by @lanceying.bsky.social, we introduce a cognitive model that achieves this by synthesizing rational agent models on-the-fly -- presented at #EMNLP2025!
In a new paper led by @lanceying.bsky.social, we introduce a cognitive model that achieves this by synthesizing rational agent models on-the-fly -- presented at #EMNLP2025!
November 5, 2025 at 3:55 PM
How do people flexibly integrate visual & textual information to draw mental inferences about agents we've never met?
In a new paper led by @lanceying.bsky.social, we introduce a cognitive model that achieves this by synthesizing rational agent models on-the-fly -- presented at #EMNLP2025!
In a new paper led by @lanceying.bsky.social, we introduce a cognitive model that achieves this by synthesizing rational agent models on-the-fly -- presented at #EMNLP2025!
Reposted by xuan (ɕɥɛn / sh-yen)
Obligatory pinned post: my new book, The Revenge of Reason, is now available to buy: www.urbanomic.com/book/the-rev...
November 3, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Obligatory pinned post: my new book, The Revenge of Reason, is now available to buy: www.urbanomic.com/book/the-rev...
Reposted by xuan (ɕɥɛn / sh-yen)
Nature suggests you use their "Manuscript Adviser" bot to get advice before submitting
I uploaded the classic Watson & Crick paper about DNA structure, and the Adviser had this to say about one of the greatest paper endings of the century:
I uploaded the classic Watson & Crick paper about DNA structure, and the Adviser had this to say about one of the greatest paper endings of the century:
November 3, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Nature suggests you use their "Manuscript Adviser" bot to get advice before submitting
I uploaded the classic Watson & Crick paper about DNA structure, and the Adviser had this to say about one of the greatest paper endings of the century:
I uploaded the classic Watson & Crick paper about DNA structure, and the Adviser had this to say about one of the greatest paper endings of the century:
Reposted by xuan (ɕɥɛn / sh-yen)
I'm now also looking for a postdoc with strong Bayesian background and interest in developing Bayesian cross-validation theory, methods and software. Apply by email with no specific deadline (see contact information at users.aalto.fi/~ave/).
Others, please share
Others, please share
I'm looking for a doctoral student with Bayesian background to work on Bayesian workflow and cross-validation (see my publication list users.aalto.fi/~ave/publica... for my recent work) at Aalto University.
Apply through the ELLIS PhD program (dl October 31) ellis.eu/news/ellis-p...
Apply through the ELLIS PhD program (dl October 31) ellis.eu/news/ellis-p...
ELLIS PhD Program: Call for Applications 2025
The ELLIS mission is to create a diverse European network that promotes research excellence and advances breakthroughs in AI, as well as a pan-European PhD program to educate the next generation of AI...
ellis.eu
October 29, 2025 at 2:37 PM
I'm now also looking for a postdoc with strong Bayesian background and interest in developing Bayesian cross-validation theory, methods and software. Apply by email with no specific deadline (see contact information at users.aalto.fi/~ave/).
Others, please share
Others, please share
Reposted by xuan (ɕɥɛn / sh-yen)
Now I'm also looking for a research software engineer to implement a pile of research results to R packages loo, posterior, bayesplot, projpred, priorsense, brms or/and Python packages ArviZ, Bambi and Kulprit. Apply by email with no specific deadline (see contact info at users.aalto.fi/~ave/)
I'm now also looking for a postdoc with strong Bayesian background and interest in developing Bayesian cross-validation theory, methods and software. Apply by email with no specific deadline (see contact information at users.aalto.fi/~ave/).
Others, please share
Others, please share
I'm looking for a doctoral student with Bayesian background to work on Bayesian workflow and cross-validation (see my publication list users.aalto.fi/~ave/publica... for my recent work) at Aalto University.
Apply through the ELLIS PhD program (dl October 31) ellis.eu/news/ellis-p...
Apply through the ELLIS PhD program (dl October 31) ellis.eu/news/ellis-p...
November 3, 2025 at 11:13 AM
Now I'm also looking for a research software engineer to implement a pile of research results to R packages loo, posterior, bayesplot, projpred, priorsense, brms or/and Python packages ArviZ, Bambi and Kulprit. Apply by email with no specific deadline (see contact info at users.aalto.fi/~ave/)
Reposted by xuan (ɕɥɛn / sh-yen)
shockingly, it can both be true that 1) we should improve labor conditions 2) the workers prefer what they have now to what they had before.
November 2, 2025 at 10:16 PM
shockingly, it can both be true that 1) we should improve labor conditions 2) the workers prefer what they have now to what they had before.
just had to do inverse planning for the gf bc she walked to the fridge and was like "wait, why did I walk here again?" and thankfully I'm an inverse planning expert ✨
November 2, 2025 at 10:31 PM
just had to do inverse planning for the gf bc she walked to the fridge and was like "wait, why did I walk here again?" and thankfully I'm an inverse planning expert ✨
Reposted by xuan (ɕɥɛn / sh-yen)
blog.arxiv.org/2025/10/31/a...
FYI the blog post for the updated policy is out. Our llm future is dire:/
FYI the blog post for the updated policy is out. Our llm future is dire:/
October 31, 2025 at 7:37 PM
blog.arxiv.org/2025/10/31/a...
FYI the blog post for the updated policy is out. Our llm future is dire:/
FYI the blog post for the updated policy is out. Our llm future is dire:/
Reposted by xuan (ɕɥɛn / sh-yen)
We have a really strong position paper that has been rejected multiple times from arxiv, both CS.AI and CS.CY, because our "submission does not contain sufficient original or substantive scholarly research and is not of interest to arXiv." Appealing has not helped. Any ideas of what we can do?
August 27, 2025 at 5:08 PM
We have a really strong position paper that has been rejected multiple times from arxiv, both CS.AI and CS.CY, because our "submission does not contain sufficient original or substantive scholarly research and is not of interest to arXiv." Appealing has not helped. Any ideas of what we can do?