Category Archives: Research

Review of: Daniel Hulsey, Kevin Zumwalt, Luca Mazzucato, David A. McCormick, Santiago Jaramillo. Decision-making dynamics are predicted by arousal and uninstructed movements. bioRxiv, doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.03.02.530651 By Philippa Johnson In a recent lab meeting, we discussed a preprint by Hulsey et al. (2023), which investigates whether fluctuations in arousal can account for some of the variabilityContinue reading “Preprint review: behavioural state shifts are predicted by fluctuations in arousal”

How to be an academic in a world on fire? As scientists concerned about the climate crisis, we set out to rethink the role and goals of the university in tackling the 21st century’s challenges. Inspired by Raworth’s Doughnut Economics, we propose seven new ways to thinking – not only to help us think, but alsoContinue reading “Doughnut science: rethinking academia in a time of climate crisis”

This week, a good friend (let’s call them W.) was facing a big decision: they got a job offer but were unsure whether to accept as it would come with some major life changes. W’s hesitation, doubt and slight panic reminded me of myself just 2 years ago. This quick blog describes some techniques forContinue reading “How to make big decisions”

The end of the year is near, and so here goes my selective review. This time, good and bad all mixed together.

Across many decision-making tasks, people and animals systematically repeat (or alternate) their choices – even when the choices they make are intrinsically uncorrelated. This phenomenon (also known as ‘sequential effect’ or ‘choice hysteresis’) has been known for at least a century, and may be a stable individual trait. How do these behavioral biases arise fromContinue reading “Individual choice repetition biases arise from persistent dynamics in parietal cortex”

I am proud and honoured to have received the Young talent award from the DNM Dutch Neuroscience society. This was the first time I explicitly talked about my climate activism in combination with my neuroscientific pursuits, which I hope contributes to more conversations about the climate crisis within the Dutch neuroscience community.

I participated in the fantastic Growing Up In Science series, founded at NYU, in which scientists tell their personal stories. It was great, as well as a bit terrifying, to tell my story and discuss with those who joined the session live. Always wanted to know about my career and life paths?

I hereby commit to flying less. This means that if you invite me for a conference, talk or visit that requires flying, I will likely decline. I am happy to travel by train and to give virtual talks. This not only reduces my carbon footprint, but also aims to question the social norm that scientistsContinue reading “Flying less”

The Covid-19 pandemic has propelled the scientific community into a world devoid of in-person conferences. Traditional ‘legacy’ conferences, which have long been the mainstay of academic networking and crucial for catching the latest science, have been largely replaced with virtual events. Moving conferences online is pandemic-proof, and brings myriad other advantages: reduced cost and travel-relatedContinue reading “Hybrid meetings and distributed local meetups: the good, the bad and the ugly”

I’m a sucker for end-of-year reflections, and this year brought no shortage of memorable events, unanticipated challenges and new life chapters. So here goes: my year in review, in pseudorandom order of my associative memory.