Marc Sommer
@neurocircuits.bsky.social
What is the brain?
Personal account, all views my own. Reposts meant as informative and not implying endorsement.
Personal account, all views my own. Reposts meant as informative and not implying endorsement.
Reposted by Marc Sommer
New tenure-track faculty position at Duke! The Neurobiology department is looking for a computational neuroscientist. Join a highly collaborative & interdisciplinary community. My time at Duke has been amazing so far & we would love the opportunity to collaborate with you! Applications due Dec 1.
Duke University, Neurobiology
Job #AJO32697, Tenure Track Assistant Professor - AI/ML Neurobiology, Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, US
academicjobsonline.org
September 16, 2026 at 3:28 PM
New tenure-track faculty position at Duke! The Neurobiology department is looking for a computational neuroscientist. Join a highly collaborative & interdisciplinary community. My time at Duke has been amazing so far & we would love the opportunity to collaborate with you! Applications due Dec 1.
Reposted by Marc Sommer
I’m on the faculty job market this fall! 🐦🧠
I’m an NIH K99/R00 awardee studying how the brain learns complex skills, using birdsong to connect molecules, synapses, circuits, behavior & computation.
Know of a search where I might fit? Please send it my way & share!
I’m an NIH K99/R00 awardee studying how the brain learns complex skills, using birdsong to connect molecules, synapses, circuits, behavior & computation.
Know of a search where I might fit? Please send it my way & share!
Drew Schreiner, Ph.D. | Neuroscience of Learning
I use birdsong to understand how the brain learns complex skills across molecules, synapses, circuits, behavior, and computation. On the 2026–27 faculty job market.
drewschreiner.github.io
September 9, 2026 at 5:50 PM
I’m on the faculty job market this fall! 🐦🧠
I’m an NIH K99/R00 awardee studying how the brain learns complex skills, using birdsong to connect molecules, synapses, circuits, behavior & computation.
Know of a search where I might fit? Please send it my way & share!
I’m an NIH K99/R00 awardee studying how the brain learns complex skills, using birdsong to connect molecules, synapses, circuits, behavior & computation.
Know of a search where I might fit? Please send it my way & share!
New frontrunner for the Barry Kidston chemistry innovation medal
“hello would you like to try the AI designed schizophrenia treatment i synthesized in my garage?”
September 9, 2026 at 3:20 AM
New frontrunner for the Barry Kidston chemistry innovation medal
Rewatching S5 of Mad Men and while Peggy overall steals the show, drunk Peggy is about the best thing ever televised. @jefftobias.bsky.social
September 8, 2026 at 6:02 AM
Rewatching S5 of Mad Men and while Peggy overall steals the show, drunk Peggy is about the best thing ever televised. @jefftobias.bsky.social
Reposted by Marc Sommer
I fear that placing too much emphasis on a specific interpretation of dimensionality, or treating dimensionality as an end-all quantification of some aspect of neural computation, may lead us down the wrong path, writes @mattperich.bsky.social.
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/neural-dynam...
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/neural-dynam...
Dimensionality—neuroscience’s red herring?
Placing too much emphasis on a specific interpretation of dimensionality may lead neuroscience down the wrong path.
www.thetransmitter.org
September 7, 2026 at 6:42 PM
I fear that placing too much emphasis on a specific interpretation of dimensionality, or treating dimensionality as an end-all quantification of some aspect of neural computation, may lead us down the wrong path, writes @mattperich.bsky.social.
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/neural-dynam...
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/neural-dynam...
Reposted by Marc Sommer
Has anyone taught a course of the Cognitive Neuroscience of Vision (w/ emphasis on the neuro side)? Would you be able and willing to share your slides etc. to help me develop a course?
September 3, 2026 at 8:03 PM
Has anyone taught a course of the Cognitive Neuroscience of Vision (w/ emphasis on the neuro side)? Would you be able and willing to share your slides etc. to help me develop a course?
Reposted by Marc Sommer
Pls Repost! I've set up a central resource of post doc opportunities for BME and related areas:
📌 For PIs & Lab Leaders: Submit your open postdoc positions here: go.unc.edu/BME-PD-Form
🔎 For Trainees & Job Seekers, browse current postdoc opportunities: go.unc.edu/BME-PD-Posti...
📌 For PIs & Lab Leaders: Submit your open postdoc positions here: go.unc.edu/BME-PD-Form
🔎 For Trainees & Job Seekers, browse current postdoc opportunities: go.unc.edu/BME-PD-Posti...
August 30, 2026 at 12:06 AM
Pls Repost! I've set up a central resource of post doc opportunities for BME and related areas:
📌 For PIs & Lab Leaders: Submit your open postdoc positions here: go.unc.edu/BME-PD-Form
🔎 For Trainees & Job Seekers, browse current postdoc opportunities: go.unc.edu/BME-PD-Posti...
📌 For PIs & Lab Leaders: Submit your open postdoc positions here: go.unc.edu/BME-PD-Form
🔎 For Trainees & Job Seekers, browse current postdoc opportunities: go.unc.edu/BME-PD-Posti...
Reposted by Marc Sommer
We're currently hiring a new director for the renowned UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain. The director will be appointed as a Professor in our psychology department:
recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07814
recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07814
Director of the Center for Mind and Brain & Professor of Psychology
University of California, Davis is hiring. Apply now!
recruit.ucdavis.edu
August 29, 2026 at 3:29 PM
We're currently hiring a new director for the renowned UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain. The director will be appointed as a Professor in our psychology department:
recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07814
recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07814
Reposted by Marc Sommer
Ottawa announces 64 new research chairs in international talent attraction strategy
universityaffairs.ca/news/ottawa-...
universityaffairs.ca/news/ottawa-...
Ottawa announces 64 new research chairs in international talent attraction strategy - University Affairs
Top-tier researchers from 13 countries to join Canadian universities in first wave of appointments.
universityaffairs.ca
August 27, 2026 at 8:37 PM
Ottawa announces 64 new research chairs in international talent attraction strategy
universityaffairs.ca/news/ottawa-...
universityaffairs.ca/news/ottawa-...
Reposted by Marc Sommer
Excited to share the lab’s first publication, co-led by talented postdoc Chuyi Su @chuyisu.bsky.social
We leveraged cell type-specific optogenetics in the macaque cerebral cortex to elucidate the role of excitatory and inhibitory neurons in visual form processing.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We leveraged cell type-specific optogenetics in the macaque cerebral cortex to elucidate the role of excitatory and inhibitory neurons in visual form processing.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Optotagging in primate cortex uncovers excitatory and inhibitory neuron specializations in form vision - Nature Communications
This study leverages cell type-specific optogenetics in the monkey cerebral cortex to elucidate the unique functional contributions of excitatory and inhibitory neurons in visual form processing. The ...
www.nature.com
August 26, 2026 at 6:24 PM
Excited to share the lab’s first publication, co-led by talented postdoc Chuyi Su @chuyisu.bsky.social
We leveraged cell type-specific optogenetics in the macaque cerebral cortex to elucidate the role of excitatory and inhibitory neurons in visual form processing.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We leveraged cell type-specific optogenetics in the macaque cerebral cortex to elucidate the role of excitatory and inhibitory neurons in visual form processing.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Marc Sommer
Most basic science departments at UCSF are having faculty searches this year. Biochemistry & Biophysics, Microbiology & Immunology, Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology and more. We're looking for new and exciting science and nice people. You'll find them all at aprecruit.ucsf.edu
Welcome - AP Recruit
University of California, San Francisco Online Faculty Recruitment
aprecruit.ucsf.edu
August 27, 2026 at 3:28 AM
Most basic science departments at UCSF are having faculty searches this year. Biochemistry & Biophysics, Microbiology & Immunology, Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology and more. We're looking for new and exciting science and nice people. You'll find them all at aprecruit.ucsf.edu
Reposted by Marc Sommer
🧪It was great talking with fellow Duke alum Katy Hansell about the future of digital twins and what they could mean for proactive healthcare. We covered HARVEY, AI, wearables, and where this technology is headed. Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4RL...
The Future of Medicine: How Digital Twins Can Predict Your Health
YouTube video by Katy Hansell: The Impact Whisperer® podcast
www.youtube.com
August 26, 2026 at 4:21 PM
🧪It was great talking with fellow Duke alum Katy Hansell about the future of digital twins and what they could mean for proactive healthcare. We covered HARVEY, AI, wearables, and where this technology is headed. Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4RL...
Reposted by Marc Sommer
Now out at PNAS! The final version includes a smart analysis suggested by a reviewer showing that biomarkers collected in blood track our neural population metrics. A very exciting connection between basic neurophys and translational approaches. Congrats to all! www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
August 25, 2026 at 4:52 PM
Now out at PNAS! The final version includes a smart analysis suggested by a reviewer showing that biomarkers collected in blood track our neural population metrics. A very exciting connection between basic neurophys and translational approaches. Congrats to all! www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
A smaller thing relative to the rest of Dolly Parton's generous philanthropy, but she was also involved in the Make a Wish Foundation. Giving her time, not just money. My daughter's best friend met Dolly through that program a few years ago - spent the day with her. What a soul. ❤️
August 25, 2026 at 9:03 PM
A smaller thing relative to the rest of Dolly Parton's generous philanthropy, but she was also involved in the Make a Wish Foundation. Giving her time, not just money. My daughter's best friend met Dolly through that program a few years ago - spent the day with her. What a soul. ❤️
Reposted by Marc Sommer
What is the causal relationship between microsaccadic #eye movements & peripheral #visual sensitivity? This study shows that the motor preparation of #microsaccades causally impacts peripheral sensitivity, informing the basis of visual perception & cognition @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4wNcM7A
August 24, 2026 at 12:55 PM
What is the causal relationship between microsaccadic #eye movements & peripheral #visual sensitivity? This study shows that the motor preparation of #microsaccades causally impacts peripheral sensitivity, informing the basis of visual perception & cognition @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4wNcM7A
Reposted by Marc Sommer
New opening for a Data Scientist with strong knowledge of electrophysiology data at the Raynor Cerebellum Project. Innovative research environment with a focus on real-world impact.
Team | RCP
Meet our RCP Governing Board, Foundation Staff, and Funder.
nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com
August 20, 2026 at 5:39 PM
New opening for a Data Scientist with strong knowledge of electrophysiology data at the Raynor Cerebellum Project. Innovative research environment with a focus on real-world impact.
Reposted by Marc Sommer
We looking for a postdoc with NHP electrophysiology experience to do simultaneous Neuropixel recordings across the corticothalamic motor circuit to better understand the neural control of reaching and grasping. We start looking at applications on August 31st. docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Pruszynski Postdoc 2026
Postdoctoral Researcher, Control Policies in the Primate Motor Circuit Pruszynski Lab @ Sensorimotor Superlab The Pruszynski Laboratory at Western University is seeking a postdoctoral researcher to j...
docs.google.com
August 18, 2026 at 8:16 PM
We looking for a postdoc with NHP electrophysiology experience to do simultaneous Neuropixel recordings across the corticothalamic motor circuit to better understand the neural control of reaching and grasping. We start looking at applications on August 31st. docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Didi vs mouse
She's great at finding and playing with them, but that's it 💃
She's great at finding and playing with them, but that's it 💃
August 16, 2026 at 3:45 AM
Didi vs mouse
She's great at finding and playing with them, but that's it 💃
She's great at finding and playing with them, but that's it 💃
Reposted by Marc Sommer
7 clinical trials, all in China
Meanwhile our politicians are fighting over Fauci's diary
Meanwhile our politicians are fighting over Fauci's diary
August 14, 2026 at 5:50 PM
7 clinical trials, all in China
Meanwhile our politicians are fighting over Fauci's diary
Meanwhile our politicians are fighting over Fauci's diary
Reposted by Marc Sommer
Duke Neurobiology is hiring!
AI/ML for Biology - 4 tenure-track assistant professor positions - Durham, North Carolina job with Duke University - Biochemistry & Cell Biology | 12862109
Discovery AI Initiative and Departments of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Integrative Immunobiology, Neurobiology, and Pharmacology & Cancer Biology
www.nature.com
August 10, 2026 at 3:45 PM
Duke Neurobiology is hiring!
Reposted by Marc Sommer
There are a few more places at the European Summer School on Eye Movements (ESSEM) in London 7th-12th September 2026! Apply now at essem2026.org #ESSEM2026 #theeyeshaveit #eyemovements
August 6, 2026 at 9:14 AM
There are a few more places at the European Summer School on Eye Movements (ESSEM) in London 7th-12th September 2026! Apply now at essem2026.org #ESSEM2026 #theeyeshaveit #eyemovements
Reposted by Marc Sommer
My new documentary short film Changes: The Story Of Sugar is out today! Watch the live premiere at 9a pacific/noon Eastern on YouTube with a Bob Mould Q&A afterward! youtu.be/Vl_vt9HTW4I?...
August 6, 2026 at 3:55 PM
My new documentary short film Changes: The Story Of Sugar is out today! Watch the live premiere at 9a pacific/noon Eastern on YouTube with a Bob Mould Q&A afterward! youtu.be/Vl_vt9HTW4I?...
Whether or not you're intrigued by the insula, a timely thread on the importance of experimental model selection
1/ New paper out today from my group, in @natneuro.nature.com, in which we review the anatomical & functional data on insula structure across species.
This was a "whole lab" project led by @joeycharbonneau.bsky.social. It's been a 5 year in the making (a full 3 years in review)!
rdcu.be/fyd7T
This was a "whole lab" project led by @joeycharbonneau.bsky.social. It's been a 5 year in the making (a full 3 years in review)!
rdcu.be/fyd7T
Comparative insights into insula structure and function
Nature Neuroscience - Charbonneau et al. compare how the insula is structured and functions in humans, monkeys and rodents, revealing similarities and differences across species that are likely to...
rdcu.be
August 6, 2026 at 6:20 PM
Whether or not you're intrigued by the insula, a timely thread on the importance of experimental model selection
Reposted by Marc Sommer
1/6 Opioids trigger a dopamine surge that can create dangerous reward associations—yet that same dopamine signal may help shape central pain perception.
Can the dopamine surge and reward associations be separated?
Our recent Nature study says yes
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Can the dopamine surge and reward associations be separated?
Our recent Nature study says yes
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
August 5, 2026 at 3:19 PM
1/6 Opioids trigger a dopamine surge that can create dangerous reward associations—yet that same dopamine signal may help shape central pain perception.
Can the dopamine surge and reward associations be separated?
Our recent Nature study says yes
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Can the dopamine surge and reward associations be separated?
Our recent Nature study says yes
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Marc Sommer
If you missed the news, I’ve directed a 20 minute short documentary about Bob Mould’s band Sugar & it’s coming out next week! Edited by my Other Music & Elephant 6 colleague Greg King, interviews with Bob & bandmates David Barbe & Malcolm Travis and tons of amazing archival. youtu.be/Vl_vt9HTW4I?...
Sugar - Changes: The Story of Sugar
YouTube video by Sugar Copper Blue
youtu.be
July 31, 2026 at 8:26 PM
If you missed the news, I’ve directed a 20 minute short documentary about Bob Mould’s band Sugar & it’s coming out next week! Edited by my Other Music & Elephant 6 colleague Greg King, interviews with Bob & bandmates David Barbe & Malcolm Travis and tons of amazing archival. youtu.be/Vl_vt9HTW4I?...