Dani S. Bassett
@danisbassett.bsky.social
Networks, neuroscience, control theory, curiosity, science of science
🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️J Peter Skirkanich Professor, University of Pennsylvania
🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️J Peter Skirkanich Professor, University of Pennsylvania
Pinned
Dani S. Bassett
@danisbassett.bsky.social
· Jun 18
🧠 New paper out in 𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯
Why does tau pathology often begin in the entorhinal cortex in Alzheimer’s disease?
We show that brain-wide gradients of neuronal activity and amyloid-β may make this region particularly vulnerable to tau pathology.
academic.oup.com/brain/articl...
Why does tau pathology often begin in the entorhinal cortex in Alzheimer’s disease?
We show that brain-wide gradients of neuronal activity and amyloid-β may make this region particularly vulnerable to tau pathology.
academic.oup.com/brain/articl...
New work from postdoc Christoffer Alexandersen! Addressing an important open question in Alzheimer’s disease using mathematical modeling.
The group at Penn Talks Science is fantastic! Thanks so much for the opportunity to chat with you all.
📣Join us for our conversation with Penn Bioengineering professor @danisbassett.bsky.social, studying the connectivity of the brain.
We discuss Dr. Bassett's journey into academia, interdisciplinary approaches to scientific questions, and their perspective on scientific communication and advocacy! 📕🧠
We discuss Dr. Bassett's journey into academia, interdisciplinary approaches to scientific questions, and their perspective on scientific communication and advocacy! 📕🧠
June 18, 2026 at 3:12 PM
The group at Penn Talks Science is fantastic! Thanks so much for the opportunity to chat with you all.
So looking forward to this upcoming meeting.
Keynotes: @danisbassett.bsky.social Anne Collins, Eyiyemisi Damisah, Guillermo Horga, Frederike Petzschner
@adredish.bsky.social Don Robinaugh @aidangcw.bsky.social
Organizers: @xiaosigu.bsky.social @shirleybwang.bsky.social Al Powers @yiplab.bsky.social Katie Myerscough @francesghart.bsky.social
@adredish.bsky.social Don Robinaugh @aidangcw.bsky.social
Organizers: @xiaosigu.bsky.social @shirleybwang.bsky.social Al Powers @yiplab.bsky.social Katie Myerscough @francesghart.bsky.social
June 18, 2026 at 3:11 PM
So looking forward to this upcoming meeting.
New work from postdoc Christoffer Alexandersen! Addressing an important open question in Alzheimer’s disease using mathematical modeling.
🧠 New paper out in 𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯
Why does tau pathology often begin in the entorhinal cortex in Alzheimer’s disease?
We show that brain-wide gradients of neuronal activity and amyloid-β may make this region particularly vulnerable to tau pathology.
academic.oup.com/brain/articl...
Why does tau pathology often begin in the entorhinal cortex in Alzheimer’s disease?
We show that brain-wide gradients of neuronal activity and amyloid-β may make this region particularly vulnerable to tau pathology.
academic.oup.com/brain/articl...
June 18, 2026 at 3:08 PM
New work from postdoc Christoffer Alexandersen! Addressing an important open question in Alzheimer’s disease using mathematical modeling.
Reposted by Dani S. Bassett
Ever wondered how white matter tracts actually map onto the cortical hierarchy and cognition—beyond the usual “projection vs association” labels?
Our new preprint tackles exactly that! 🧠✨ doi.org/10.64898/202...
Thread below 🧵
Our new preprint tackles exactly that! 🧠✨ doi.org/10.64898/202...
Thread below 🧵
Anatomical White Matter Tracts Span the Cortical Hierarchy to Support Cognitive Diversity
Long-range white matter (WM) tracts support cognition by enabling communication between distant cortical regions, which are organized along a hierarchy defined by the sensorimotor-to-association (S-A)...
doi.org
January 5, 2026 at 4:21 PM
Ever wondered how white matter tracts actually map onto the cortical hierarchy and cognition—beyond the usual “projection vs association” labels?
Our new preprint tackles exactly that! 🧠✨ doi.org/10.64898/202...
Thread below 🧵
Our new preprint tackles exactly that! 🧠✨ doi.org/10.64898/202...
Thread below 🧵
Reposted by Dani S. Bassett
❗🧠 New review in IEEE RBME
How network math models are reshaping how we think about neurodegenerative disease, from brain dynamics to disease progression
"Network models of neurodegeneration: bridging neuronal dynamics and disease progression"
ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/113...
How network math models are reshaping how we think about neurodegenerative disease, from brain dynamics to disease progression
"Network models of neurodegeneration: bridging neuronal dynamics and disease progression"
ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/113...
January 18, 2026 at 6:47 PM
❗🧠 New review in IEEE RBME
How network math models are reshaping how we think about neurodegenerative disease, from brain dynamics to disease progression
"Network models of neurodegeneration: bridging neuronal dynamics and disease progression"
ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/113...
How network math models are reshaping how we think about neurodegenerative disease, from brain dynamics to disease progression
"Network models of neurodegeneration: bridging neuronal dynamics and disease progression"
ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/113...
Reposted by Dani S. Bassett
🤖 Robotic manipulation tasks grow combinatorially, but data collection still scales linearly.
Is there a better way to obtain expert datasets at scale?🤔
Excited to share our latest work, Iterative Compositional Data Generation for Robot Control.
📄 doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2512.10891
🧵👇
Is there a better way to obtain expert datasets at scale?🤔
Excited to share our latest work, Iterative Compositional Data Generation for Robot Control.
📄 doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2512.10891
🧵👇
December 19, 2025 at 5:56 PM
🤖 Robotic manipulation tasks grow combinatorially, but data collection still scales linearly.
Is there a better way to obtain expert datasets at scale?🤔
Excited to share our latest work, Iterative Compositional Data Generation for Robot Control.
📄 doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2512.10891
🧵👇
Is there a better way to obtain expert datasets at scale?🤔
Excited to share our latest work, Iterative Compositional Data Generation for Robot Control.
📄 doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2512.10891
🧵👇
Reposted by Dani S. Bassett
Honored to have been interviewed for the next edition of the Cognitive Neuroscience textbook. @wwnorton.bsky.social @ron-mangun.bsky.social @danisbassett.bsky.social
January 3, 2025 at 1:31 AM
Honored to have been interviewed for the next edition of the Cognitive Neuroscience textbook. @wwnorton.bsky.social @ron-mangun.bsky.social @danisbassett.bsky.social
Reposted by Dani S. Bassett
“Women leave or consider leaving [faculty positions] because of workplace climate more often than work-life balance.” www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Gender and retention patterns among U.S. faculty
Women faculty are more likely to leave their jobs than men, most often due to workplace climate, rather than work-life balance.
www.science.org
December 24, 2024 at 3:10 PM
“Women leave or consider leaving [faculty positions] because of workplace climate more often than work-life balance.” www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Dani S. Bassett
Thursday plans:
🖼️ Franco Matticchio
🖼️ Franco Matticchio
December 12, 2024 at 10:18 AM
Thursday plans:
🖼️ Franco Matticchio
🖼️ Franco Matticchio
How critically or favorably do we cite ourselves? How favorably do we cite collaborators? Do high h-index scholars cite more critically than low h-index scholars? Are some disciplines (or countries) more critical than others? Why? Check out our new manuscript: arxiv.org/abs/2411.09675
December 11, 2024 at 9:47 PM
How critically or favorably do we cite ourselves? How favorably do we cite collaborators? Do high h-index scholars cite more critically than low h-index scholars? Are some disciplines (or countries) more critical than others? Why? Check out our new manuscript: arxiv.org/abs/2411.09675
Reposted by Dani S. Bassett
My review of Alison Li's new biography of Harry Benjamin, Wondrous Transformations, has just been published in the American Historical Review - here's the free access link if you need it: academic.oup.com/ahr/article/...
Alison Li. Wondrous Transformations: A Maverick Physician, the Science of Hormones, and the Birth of the Transgender Revolution.
Harry Benjamin occupies a complex position in trans people’s emotional and political narratives of our history. His 1966 book The Transsexual Phenomenon in
academic.oup.com
December 9, 2024 at 1:56 PM
My review of Alison Li's new biography of Harry Benjamin, Wondrous Transformations, has just been published in the American Historical Review - here's the free access link if you need it: academic.oup.com/ahr/article/...
Reposted by Dani S. Bassett
"Overall, Black and Hispanic faculty received 7% more negative votes from college committees and were 44% less likely to receive unanimous “yes” votes than their white and Asian colleagues." - Kate Langin, Science
www.science.org/content/arti... #AcademicSky #PhDsky
www.science.org/content/arti... #AcademicSky #PhDsky
Racial bias can taint the academic tenure process—at one particular point
Black and Hispanic professors fare worse when voters include colleagues who are less familiar with their work, new study finds
www.science.org
December 1, 2024 at 10:25 PM
"Overall, Black and Hispanic faculty received 7% more negative votes from college committees and were 44% less likely to receive unanimous “yes” votes than their white and Asian colleagues." - Kate Langin, Science
www.science.org/content/arti... #AcademicSky #PhDsky
www.science.org/content/arti... #AcademicSky #PhDsky
Reposted by Dani S. Bassett
“But when the college committees were evaluating faculty with lower h-indices, evidence of bias against Black and Hispanic scholars surfaced—especially for women. In those situations, “underrepresented minorities, particularly women of color, are held to a different standard,” Madera says.”
…
…
"Overall, Black and Hispanic faculty received 7% more negative votes from college committees and were 44% less likely to receive unanimous “yes” votes than their white and Asian colleagues." - Kate Langin, Science
www.science.org/content/arti... #AcademicSky #PhDsky
www.science.org/content/arti... #AcademicSky #PhDsky
Racial bias can taint the academic tenure process—at one particular point
Black and Hispanic professors fare worse when voters include colleagues who are less familiar with their work, new study finds
www.science.org
December 2, 2024 at 12:36 AM
“But when the college committees were evaluating faculty with lower h-indices, evidence of bias against Black and Hispanic scholars surfaced—especially for women. In those situations, “underrepresented minorities, particularly women of color, are held to a different standard,” Madera says.”
…
…
Reposted by Dani S. Bassett
Psychologists and neuroscientists are calling for international pressure towards immediate ceasefire in Israel, Palestine & Lebanon, respect for international humanitarian law, end of the occupation, and release of all hostages.
Read & join us by signing here: tinyurl.com/PsychLetter
Read & join us by signing here: tinyurl.com/PsychLetter
Open letter of psychologists and neuroscientists for peace in the Middle East
We, psychologists and neuroscientists from around the world, call the international community to urgently put pressure towards an immediate ceasefire in Israel, Palestine and Lebanon, to demand that t...
tinyurl.com
November 27, 2024 at 5:24 AM
Psychologists and neuroscientists are calling for international pressure towards immediate ceasefire in Israel, Palestine & Lebanon, respect for international humanitarian law, end of the occupation, and release of all hostages.
Read & join us by signing here: tinyurl.com/PsychLetter
Read & join us by signing here: tinyurl.com/PsychLetter
Reposted by Dani S. Bassett
We had heard about the challenges posed by motherhood within academia, but what about the previous stage? @ecfreewoman.bsky.social & I wrote our story for @science.org on how the academic system makes it almost impossible for women to even plan for a family ❤️🩹: www.science.org/content/arti...
As women in academia, having children can feel impossible. Talking about it makes us feel less alone
The struggle is “balancing their careers not just with motherhood, but with what comes before: relationships and planning for a family,” these postdocs write
www.science.org
November 29, 2024 at 6:34 AM
We had heard about the challenges posed by motherhood within academia, but what about the previous stage? @ecfreewoman.bsky.social & I wrote our story for @science.org on how the academic system makes it almost impossible for women to even plan for a family ❤️🩹: www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Dani S. Bassett
hello friends!
My publisher is looking for an illustrator for my children’s book Jacob’s Transition Goals, which is about an 8 year old transgender boy who plays for his local boys football team.
Do any of you have suggestions?
- must be trans of some variety
Reskeets appreciated
My publisher is looking for an illustrator for my children’s book Jacob’s Transition Goals, which is about an 8 year old transgender boy who plays for his local boys football team.
Do any of you have suggestions?
- must be trans of some variety
Reskeets appreciated
November 28, 2024 at 5:29 PM
hello friends!
My publisher is looking for an illustrator for my children’s book Jacob’s Transition Goals, which is about an 8 year old transgender boy who plays for his local boys football team.
Do any of you have suggestions?
- must be trans of some variety
Reskeets appreciated
My publisher is looking for an illustrator for my children’s book Jacob’s Transition Goals, which is about an 8 year old transgender boy who plays for his local boys football team.
Do any of you have suggestions?
- must be trans of some variety
Reskeets appreciated
Reposted by Dani S. Bassett
So proud of our team!!
New paper out in @ScienceMagazine! In 8 studies (multiple platforms, methods, time periods) we find: misinformation evokes more outrage than trustworthy news, when it does it's shared more + ppl are less likely to read before sharing. w/ @killianmcl1 @Klonick @mollycrockett 🧵👇
November 28, 2024 at 7:42 PM
So proud of our team!!
Reposted by Dani S. Bassett
Our latest paper about the diversity-stability debate.
We study here the linear stability of meta-ecosystems on networks that describe how discrete patches are connected by dispersal between them.
Space and network sparsity can stabilize large #ecosystems
journals.aps.org/prresearch/a...
We study here the linear stability of meta-ecosystems on networks that describe how discrete patches are connected by dispersal between them.
Space and network sparsity can stabilize large #ecosystems
journals.aps.org/prresearch/a...
November 28, 2024 at 8:13 PM
Our latest paper about the diversity-stability debate.
We study here the linear stability of meta-ecosystems on networks that describe how discrete patches are connected by dispersal between them.
Space and network sparsity can stabilize large #ecosystems
journals.aps.org/prresearch/a...
We study here the linear stability of meta-ecosystems on networks that describe how discrete patches are connected by dispersal between them.
Space and network sparsity can stabilize large #ecosystems
journals.aps.org/prresearch/a...
Reposted by Dani S. Bassett
New paper out in @ScienceMagazine! In 8 studies (multiple platforms, methods, time periods) we find: misinformation evokes more outrage than trustworthy news, when it does it's shared more + ppl are less likely to read before sharing. w/ @killianmcl1 @Klonick @mollycrockett 🧵👇
November 28, 2024 at 7:07 PM
New paper out in @ScienceMagazine! In 8 studies (multiple platforms, methods, time periods) we find: misinformation evokes more outrage than trustworthy news, when it does it's shared more + ppl are less likely to read before sharing. w/ @killianmcl1 @Klonick @mollycrockett 🧵👇
Reposted by Dani S. Bassett
Really love this post by Nicole Tietz-Sokolsaya: www.ntietz.com/blog/support...
Supporting coworkers, employees, and friends in this time | nicole@web
www.ntietz.com
November 11, 2024 at 5:38 PM
Really love this post by Nicole Tietz-Sokolsaya: www.ntietz.com/blog/support...
Reposted by Dani S. Bassett
Python Test 218: Balancing test coverage with test costs - Nicole Tietz-Sokolskaya
podcast.pythontest.com/episodes/218...
Nicole is a software engineer and writer, and recently wrote about the trade-offs we make when deciding which tests to write and how much testing is enough.
podcast.pythontest.com/episodes/218...
Nicole is a software engineer and writer, and recently wrote about the trade-offs we make when deciding which tests to write and how much testing is enough.
April 18, 2024 at 6:32 PM
Python Test 218: Balancing test coverage with test costs - Nicole Tietz-Sokolskaya
podcast.pythontest.com/episodes/218...
Nicole is a software engineer and writer, and recently wrote about the trade-offs we make when deciding which tests to write and how much testing is enough.
podcast.pythontest.com/episodes/218...
Nicole is a software engineer and writer, and recently wrote about the trade-offs we make when deciding which tests to write and how much testing is enough.
Loved talking with @helenak.bsky.social at Nature @natureportfolio.bsky.social about @dalezhou.bsky.social's new paper in Science Advances on global styles of curiosity www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Study reveals three ways to disappear down a Wikipedia rabbit hole
Understanding how ‘hunters’ ‘dancers’ and ‘busybodies’ find information could help to improve the site and encourage better teamwork.
www.nature.com
November 22, 2024 at 2:31 PM
Loved talking with @helenak.bsky.social at Nature @natureportfolio.bsky.social about @dalezhou.bsky.social's new paper in Science Advances on global styles of curiosity www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Dani S. Bassett
Thanks Andy! In @theatlantic.bsky.social I describe why the panic over smartphones is more likely to distract from than solve the problems that young people are facing today. Gift link is below:
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
November 21, 2024 at 8:37 PM
Thanks Andy! In @theatlantic.bsky.social I describe why the panic over smartphones is more likely to distract from than solve the problems that young people are facing today. Gift link is below:
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...
Reposted by Dani S. Bassett
Nancy Mace has introduced a federal bathroom ban which would ban trans people from bathrooms in DCA and Dulles airports, national park bathrooms, museum bathrooms, and all federal building bathrooms.
November 20, 2024 at 4:20 PM
Nancy Mace has introduced a federal bathroom ban which would ban trans people from bathrooms in DCA and Dulles airports, national park bathrooms, museum bathrooms, and all federal building bathrooms.