Mostafa Safaie
@atmostafa.bsky.social
Neuroscience enthusiast.
Studying rodent behaviour and brain with @clopathlab.bsky.social and @juangallego.bsky.social at Imperial College London.
Studying rodent behaviour and brain with @clopathlab.bsky.social and @juangallego.bsky.social at Imperial College London.
Pinned
Mostafa Safaie
@atmostafa.bsky.social
· Dec 11
🎉Amazing news🎉
Thrilled that I got a Wellcome Trust Early Career Award @wellcometrust.bsky.social
It's going to be amazing!
Over the next 5 years, I will look into how brains learn to control Brain-Computer Interfaces and how we can use this knowledge to further improve BCI performance 1/2
Thrilled that I got a Wellcome Trust Early Career Award @wellcometrust.bsky.social
It's going to be amazing!
Over the next 5 years, I will look into how brains learn to control Brain-Computer Interfaces and how we can use this knowledge to further improve BCI performance 1/2
Reposted by Mostafa Safaie
This underestimates the problem because of the cost to science as a whole by distorting research priorities and encouraging fraud. We're well past this point.
Also this is published in Nature so let's note in passing their role in sustaining this system to generate profit.
Also this is published in Nature so let's note in passing their role in sustaining this system to generate profit.
"How can funders avoid crossing the Szilard point?"
The Szilard point is "the threshold at which the total cost of competing for a grant equals (or surpasses) the value of the available funding."
The Szilard point is "the threshold at which the total cost of competing for a grant equals (or surpasses) the value of the available funding."
Point of no returns: researchers are crossing a threshold in the fight for funding
With so little money to go round, the costs of competing for grants can exceed what the grants are worth. When that happens, nobody wins.
www.nature.com
December 19, 2025 at 9:35 AM
This underestimates the problem because of the cost to science as a whole by distorting research priorities and encouraging fraud. We're well past this point.
Also this is published in Nature so let's note in passing their role in sustaining this system to generate profit.
Also this is published in Nature so let's note in passing their role in sustaining this system to generate profit.
Congrats @juangallego.bsky.social! Amazing news! Looking forward to the science coming from the new lab!
👏 Congratulations Juan Álvaro Gallego on his project “SELECT” being selected in the ERC Consolidator 2025 Call!
🧠 SELECT will investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the learning, execution and adaptation of skilled movements at multiple brain areas
👉 www.fchampalimaud.org/news/two-lif...
🧠 SELECT will investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the learning, execution and adaptation of skilled movements at multiple brain areas
👉 www.fchampalimaud.org/news/two-lif...
December 10, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Congrats @juangallego.bsky.social! Amazing news! Looking forward to the science coming from the new lab!
Reposted by Mostafa Safaie
concise and informative review article on corticostriatal pathways in sensory process by @giladsilberberg.bsky.social et al . I find myself looking into it frequently and learn/cross check a new thing every time : www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Corticostriatal pathways for bilateral sensorimotor functions
Corticostriatal pathways are essential for a multitude of motor, sensory, cognitive, and affective functions. They are mediated by cortical pyramidal …
www.sciencedirect.com
November 24, 2025 at 6:04 PM
concise and informative review article on corticostriatal pathways in sensory process by @giladsilberberg.bsky.social et al . I find myself looking into it frequently and learn/cross check a new thing every time : www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Great threads on why and how using LLMs to review papers will make peer review worse.
My prediction is that LLM peer review will slow down science. It will do this for precisely the same reasons that contemporary peer review does and some extra ones. Start by reading @hansonmark.bsky.social thread below, then read on. 🧵
Just tried q.e.d. by @odedrechavi.bsky.social et al. with a few papers including by myself & others where I knew a claim within was flawed based on a misunderstanding of the signal.
1) it was impressive. I see what the hype is about.
2) it hallucinated.
www.qedscience.com
Overly long #SciPub🧵 1/n
1) it was impressive. I see what the hype is about.
2) it hallucinated.
www.qedscience.com
Overly long #SciPub🧵 1/n
November 7, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Great threads on why and how using LLMs to review papers will make peer review worse.
Reposted by Mostafa Safaie
🚨Job alert🚨
The lab has up to *3 postdoc openings* for comp systems neuroscientists interested in describing and manipulating neural population dynamics mediating behaviour
This is part of a collaborative ARIA grant "4D precision control of cortical dynamics"
euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/383909
The lab has up to *3 postdoc openings* for comp systems neuroscientists interested in describing and manipulating neural population dynamics mediating behaviour
This is part of a collaborative ARIA grant "4D precision control of cortical dynamics"
euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/383909
3 Postdoctoral Research Fellows
Champalimaud Foundation (Fundação D. Anna de Sommer Champalimaud e Dr.
euraxess.ec.europa.eu
November 4, 2025 at 5:11 PM
🚨Job alert🚨
The lab has up to *3 postdoc openings* for comp systems neuroscientists interested in describing and manipulating neural population dynamics mediating behaviour
This is part of a collaborative ARIA grant "4D precision control of cortical dynamics"
euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/383909
The lab has up to *3 postdoc openings* for comp systems neuroscientists interested in describing and manipulating neural population dynamics mediating behaviour
This is part of a collaborative ARIA grant "4D precision control of cortical dynamics"
euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/383909
Reposted by Mostafa Safaie
www.bbc.com/news/article... science ftw! Amazing work described here.
Huntington's disease successfully treated for first time
One of the most devastating diseases finally has a treatment that can slow its progression and transform lives, tearful doctors tell BBC.
www.bbc.com
September 24, 2025 at 5:16 PM
www.bbc.com/news/article... science ftw! Amazing work described here.
Reposted by Mostafa Safaie
🚨 I’m excited to say that my CIHR Project Grant was funded! My NHP lab is now full-speed-ahead, and I’m hiring experimentalists (postdoc, PhD student, and/or a tech/manager). We’ll do multi-region ephys during reaching/grasping in macaques, with behavioral and spinal perturbations.
August 13, 2025 at 4:23 PM
🚨 I’m excited to say that my CIHR Project Grant was funded! My NHP lab is now full-speed-ahead, and I’m hiring experimentalists (postdoc, PhD student, and/or a tech/manager). We’ll do multi-region ephys during reaching/grasping in macaques, with behavioral and spinal perturbations.
Reposted by Mostafa Safaie
#neuroskyence folks: as my postdoc grant is running out soon, I am looking for new opportunities in systems neuroscience!
Keywords: patch clamp ephys, opto, mouse behavior, (in vivo) voltage imaging. Would love to return to the Basal Ganglia.
Sharing appreciated, and happy #FluorescenceFriday !
Keywords: patch clamp ephys, opto, mouse behavior, (in vivo) voltage imaging. Would love to return to the Basal Ganglia.
Sharing appreciated, and happy #FluorescenceFriday !
June 13, 2025 at 1:33 PM
#neuroskyence folks: as my postdoc grant is running out soon, I am looking for new opportunities in systems neuroscience!
Keywords: patch clamp ephys, opto, mouse behavior, (in vivo) voltage imaging. Would love to return to the Basal Ganglia.
Sharing appreciated, and happy #FluorescenceFriday !
Keywords: patch clamp ephys, opto, mouse behavior, (in vivo) voltage imaging. Would love to return to the Basal Ganglia.
Sharing appreciated, and happy #FluorescenceFriday !
Wow... I'd never seen an AI summary this bad
There's a very decent case to be made for no AI overviews for medical searches.
Someone is going to search for this and panic...
Someone is going to search for this and panic...
May 31, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Wow... I'd never seen an AI summary this bad
This never gets old, exciting every old...
May 30, 2025 at 10:03 AM
This never gets old, exciting every old...
Reposted by Mostafa Safaie
Job Alert (please repost)!
We are looking to hire a Research Assistant to join us in an exciting project looking into Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) and how brains learn to control them.
We are looking to hire a Research Assistant to join us in an exciting project looking into Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) and how brains learn to control them.
April 14, 2025 at 11:04 AM
Job Alert (please repost)!
We are looking to hire a Research Assistant to join us in an exciting project looking into Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) and how brains learn to control them.
We are looking to hire a Research Assistant to join us in an exciting project looking into Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) and how brains learn to control them.
Reposted by Mostafa Safaie
A friend included this anti-acknowledgement section on her PhD thesis. She also added the proposition: “Systematic bullying and undermining of girls and women in STEM starts early on and is the reason why they do not stay in science and related fields.”
Absurd we still need to go through this
🧪👩🔬
Absurd we still need to go through this
🧪👩🔬
March 6, 2025 at 4:40 PM
A friend included this anti-acknowledgement section on her PhD thesis. She also added the proposition: “Systematic bullying and undermining of girls and women in STEM starts early on and is the reason why they do not stay in science and related fields.”
Absurd we still need to go through this
🧪👩🔬
Absurd we still need to go through this
🧪👩🔬
I was planning on going to SfN this year, for the first time, and I was really looking forward to it too. But over the past few weeks I decided not to go. I'm sad and happy about this at the same time 🤷
International scientists rethink U.S. conference attendance | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
International scientists rethink U.S. conference attendance
Opposition to Trump administration and fears of customs run-ins are shifting travel plans
www.science.org
April 4, 2025 at 10:36 AM
I was planning on going to SfN this year, for the first time, and I was really looking forward to it too. But over the past few weeks I decided not to go. I'm sad and happy about this at the same time 🤷
Reposted by Mostafa Safaie
I'm looking for a public dataset of young+older people doing a simple perceptual decision-making task, with sufficient trial + subject numbers. Ideally, multiple stimulus difficulty levels but no manipulations (conditions, task switching etc).
This must exist - tips for where to look? 🧒👨🦳🧠
This must exist - tips for where to look? 🧒👨🦳🧠
April 4, 2025 at 8:59 AM
I'm looking for a public dataset of young+older people doing a simple perceptual decision-making task, with sufficient trial + subject numbers. Ideally, multiple stimulus difficulty levels but no manipulations (conditions, task switching etc).
This must exist - tips for where to look? 🧒👨🦳🧠
This must exist - tips for where to look? 🧒👨🦳🧠
A very timely read:
academic.oup.com/brain/articl...
I'm sure many have similar stories, here's mine:
Imperial has a contractor for travel bookings. It is often more $$ than booking online, takes much longer to go through the process and is much less flexible (location, sharing w/ colleagues).
academic.oup.com/brain/articl...
I'm sure many have similar stories, here's mine:
Imperial has a contractor for travel bookings. It is often more $$ than booking online, takes much longer to go through the process and is much less flexible (location, sharing w/ colleagues).
On the responsibilities of intellectuals and the rise of bullshit jobs in universities
You may never have considered yourself to be one. Why would you? But if you’re reading this, there is more than a likelihood that you are one. If you’re a
academic.oup.com
March 17, 2025 at 6:28 PM
A very timely read:
academic.oup.com/brain/articl...
I'm sure many have similar stories, here's mine:
Imperial has a contractor for travel bookings. It is often more $$ than booking online, takes much longer to go through the process and is much less flexible (location, sharing w/ colleagues).
academic.oup.com/brain/articl...
I'm sure many have similar stories, here's mine:
Imperial has a contractor for travel bookings. It is often more $$ than booking online, takes much longer to go through the process and is much less flexible (location, sharing w/ colleagues).
🎉Amazing news🎉
Thrilled that I got a Wellcome Trust Early Career Award @wellcometrust.bsky.social
It's going to be amazing!
Over the next 5 years, I will look into how brains learn to control Brain-Computer Interfaces and how we can use this knowledge to further improve BCI performance 1/2
Thrilled that I got a Wellcome Trust Early Career Award @wellcometrust.bsky.social
It's going to be amazing!
Over the next 5 years, I will look into how brains learn to control Brain-Computer Interfaces and how we can use this knowledge to further improve BCI performance 1/2
December 11, 2024 at 6:04 PM
🎉Amazing news🎉
Thrilled that I got a Wellcome Trust Early Career Award @wellcometrust.bsky.social
It's going to be amazing!
Over the next 5 years, I will look into how brains learn to control Brain-Computer Interfaces and how we can use this knowledge to further improve BCI performance 1/2
Thrilled that I got a Wellcome Trust Early Career Award @wellcometrust.bsky.social
It's going to be amazing!
Over the next 5 years, I will look into how brains learn to control Brain-Computer Interfaces and how we can use this knowledge to further improve BCI performance 1/2
A very good list of you're a neuroscientist migrating from Twitter
Since this is getting busier, here's the #sensorimotor starter pack again go.bsky.app/U4oyFgw
There's still room to add more people, so ask to be added if not on the list
There's still room to add more people, so ask to be added if not on the list
November 24, 2024 at 12:27 PM
A very good list of you're a neuroscientist migrating from Twitter
Reposted by Mostafa Safaie
This is my "Hello World!" post and I can't think of a better thing to say than sharing this thread.
Hello World!
Hello World!
I came across a quote in an article, which I will paraphrase: the ultimate goal of neuroscience is to model the brain and derive laws that define the brain’s computational abilities. Statements like this are common and presented as self-evident, but I think they are wrong.
November 18, 2024 at 9:53 AM
This is my "Hello World!" post and I can't think of a better thing to say than sharing this thread.
Hello World!
Hello World!