iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ian Oldenburg @ianoldenburg.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Big shout out to all the people who made this possible. This was led by Masashi Hasegawa who's now starting his own lab in Univ Heidelberg. With help from @barbgruszka.bsky.social, @vikath.bsky.social, Mike Finch, and @neurosutras.bsky.social.

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Ian Oldenburg @ianoldenburg.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

We think this speaks to the 'rate' vs 'timing' code debate. While we still think rate codes matter, our data argues that the temporal structure is very important. There's more there too, so check out the full paper. Differences in timing dependence of E and I, population coupling, and more.

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Ian Oldenburg @ianoldenburg.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

But most exciting to me, as we find that the between cell synchrony matters a lot! Just 5ms of offset between cells is enough to prevent a group of cells from evoking a movement. The same cells are activated in the same way, but as one synchronous group or three rapidly interleaved.

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Ian Oldenburg @ianoldenburg.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Strangely, which neurons you stimulate doesn't seem to matter nearly as much as when you drive them. We (with the help of @neurosutras.bsky.social lab) made a model that shows you can predict if a movement would be evoked based on the activity in the second before you turned on your laser.

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Ian Oldenburg @ianoldenburg.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

We find that activating a few dozen random neurons in L2/3 of the motor cortex is sufficient to drive movements in untrained animals. The probability of evoking a movement varies a lot, but is related to how many neurons you drive and how strongly.

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Ian Oldenburg @ianoldenburg.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Really excited to share our new preprint. Here we use our holographic optogenetics to ask a key question about how neurons need to fire to drive movements. We find a bunch of interesting things about what does, and doesn't drive movements. Brief summary below www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

biorxiv.org

The Importance of Synchrony in the Neural Control of Movement

Throughout the mammalian cortex, populations of neurons must work together to enact behaviors. While population recordings in motor cortex have revealed many aspects of when neurons fire during behavi...

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Aaron Milstein @neurosutras.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

Excited to share this preprint from @ianoldenburg.bsky.social . To evoke movement with holo stim, you need the right pattern at the right time! Interestingly, the preparatory state before spont motion is not the same as the state permissive for evoked motion. Dig in! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

biorxiv.org

The Importance of Synchrony in the Neural Control of Movement

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Ian Oldenburg @ianoldenburg.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

We are hiring a postdoc! We study neural activity and movement using holographic optogenetics, imaging, and recordings in awake mice. My first postdoc, Masashi, is starting his own lab, so now we have an opening. Seeking candidates excited about circuits, optics, coding, or ephys. oldenburglab.com

oldenburglab.com

Oldenburg Lab

Decoding the motor system through the use of multiphoton holographic optogenetics.

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Ian Oldenburg @ianoldenburg.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

Last summer @cshlaboratory.bsky.social I met their poet-in-residence Liza Katz Duncan, and we ended up talking about one of academia’s biggest problems: our lack of communication with the broader public. She wrote a great essay about it. www.strangepilgrims.com/p/we-need-to...

strangepilgrims.com

We Need To Tell Better Stories About Science by Liza Katz Duncan

"Why are stories of fear and violence so much more powerful, more memorable, than ones of gratitude and community, humility and learning? " | Essay #5

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Ian Oldenburg @ianoldenburg.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

Rutgers Health put together a gorgeous new research video, with lots of shots from our lab throughout. They even lit our holography rig in wildly impractical but very snazzy colors! vimeo.com/1158839664?f... @rutgersupress.bsky.social @rutgersbhi.bsky.social

vimeo.com

The Impact of Rutgers Research

This is "The Impact of Rutgers Research" by Rutgers University on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

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Mark Histed @markhisted.org · 21/12/2025

The Constitution is being shredded by this president and his Project 2025 team now in the White House- from abolishing agencies created by Congress, to seizing spending power, to accepting bribes (emoluments), to war and tariffs without Congress. We must not normalize this.

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Ian Oldenburg @ianoldenburg.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

With Masashi launching his new lab, we’ll be recruiting a new postdoc in the Oldenburg Lab. Work: high-precision multiphoton holography, neural coding, motor cortex circuits, all-optical physiology. If you’re interested, just reach out.

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Ian Oldenburg @ianoldenburg.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

Proud to share that my first postdoc, Masashi Hasegawa, will be starting his own lab as a Chica and Heinz Schaller Research Group Leader at Heidelberg University! He’ll be continuing our holography-based work on cortical circuits. Phenomenal scientist, even better human.

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Mark Histed @markhisted.org · 13/11/2025

A bad thing is unfolding at NIH this week: It looks like the Trump administration is trying to replace key civil servant scientific leaders, the Institute Directors, with political hires. These directors control the NIH budget, tens of billions. A bit of a video explainer here: 1/ 🧪

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Scott Delaney @scott-delaney.bsky.social · 16/06/2025

THIS IS IT! THIS IS HUGE!! PLAINTIFF'S WIN!! Judge Young rules that the NIH grant terminations at issue in these cases are illegal and therefore vacated. BOOM!

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Pacific Optica @pacificoptica.bsky.social · 16/06/2025

Riddle: When is an "optical invariant" is not so invariant? How can you get a larger field-of-view for free? No change in resolution or scan speed. No more stitching needed! For #MicroscopyMonday here's a new preprint to check out. 1/9

A two-photon view of the living brain in action. Single snapshot. Large field-of-view.

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Ian Oldenburg @ianoldenburg.bsky.social · 16/06/2025

We're looking for another postdoc here at Oldenburg Lab. Interested in becoming a holographer? Let me know. oldenburglab.com jobs.rutgers.edu/postings/253...

oldenburglab.com

Oldenburg Lab

Decoding the motor system through the use of multiphoton holographic optogenetics.

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Mark Rossi @markrossi.bsky.social · 16/06/2025

We are hiring a new research assistant! Official job post to follow. Please reach out or visit markrossilab.org if you are interested.

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Catie Oldenburg, ScD @catieoldenburg.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

They told me graduation is a formal event, I’m ready. #vaccinescauseadults

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Hayley Bounds @hayleybounds.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

Excited to share my PhD paper! In it, we use targeted 2-photon optogenetic stimulation to determine how V1 activity is read-out in a detection task. We found that network influence, not visual coding properties, predicted the impact of ensembles on behavior - contradicting our expectations (1/5).

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Ian Oldenburg @ianoldenburg.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

I know a lot of folks are worried about funding right now, this position is funded by (most likely) stable sources. We have a couple of funded projects looking for owners, but I'm always excited to explore new directions. If you're interested please send me an email

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Ian Oldenburg @ianoldenburg.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

The Oldenburg lab is looking for another postdoc! If you want to use holographic optogenetics to answer questions about neural codes let me know. We like shooting lasers and thinking about movement. We're located at Rutgers in Piscataway NJ (its like ~45 min from NYC). oldenburglab.com/positions/

oldenburglab.com

Positions

Join the lab We are looking for curious, motivated, and talented people from all different backgrounds to join our team at all levels. Mentoring is simply one of the best parts of being an academic sc...

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Carlos Brody @carlosbrody.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

we're crowd-sourcing a searchable repository of tangible benefits stemming from federally-funded research. Come enjoy the great stories; or send in an idea; or volunteer to join the team. publicusaresearchbenefits.com please share and re-share so we get more great stories in there!

publicusaresearchbenefits.com

Searchable database of tangible benefits that federally-funded research gave us.

A crowd-sourced site. Health and Well-being. National Security. Prosperity.

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Princeton Neuroscience Institute @princetonneuro.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

In 1981, PNI's John Hopfield received an NSF grant (~$300K) for the, then, obscure field of artificial neural networks. Today, that research powers a multibillion dollar AI economy and earned him a Nobel Prize. www.npr.org/2025/05/08/n...

npr.org

Economists warn Trump's research cuts could have dire consequences for GDP

President Trump has proposed slashing federal scientific funding. Economists say the long-term consequences could be dire.

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Ian Oldenburg @ianoldenburg.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

Send me an email if you're interested. We're looking for all kinds of scientists interested in using or developing these new technologies. Electrophysiologists, optical engineers, imaging people, etc are all encouraged to apply.

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Ian Oldenburg @ianoldenburg.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

The Oldenburg Lab is looking for another postdoc! The news these days is scary but we're pushing on. If you want to use Holographic Optogenetics to understand neural codes, the motor system, or something else fun let me know. We have federal and non-federal (aka stable) funds. oldenburglab.com

oldenburglab.com

Oldenburg Lab

Decoding the motor system through the use of multiphoton holographic optogenetics.

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Mark Histed @markhisted.org · 20/03/2025

"Evidence suggests the local recurrent network encodes the structure of natural sensory input. & that it does so via active filtering, transforming network inputs to boost those associated w/ nat'l sensation" Amidst <waves hands> all this, I have a new review article that... arxiv.org/abs/2501.1...

arxiv.org

Active filtering: a predictive function of recurrent circuits of...

Our brains encode many features of the sensory world into memories: we can sing along with songs we have heard before, interpret spoken and written language composed of words we have learned, and...

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Andrea Stocco @andreastocco.com · 08/02/2025

"it's difficult to read this as anything other than an attempt to crush scientific research in the US. The harm that will be done to research (...) may be viewed as a bonus by a populist political movement that has shown a consistent disdain for expertise." arstechnica.com/science/2025...

arstechnica.com

National Institutes of Health radically cuts support to universities

Sudden and drastic change will make it hard for researchers to keep the lights on.

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Nancy Kanwisher @nancykanwisher.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Academic workers across the country are organizing to call on our congressional representatives on Thursday, 1/30, at 3pm ET / 12pm PT to demand these restrictions be lifted immediately. There will be a training over zoom at the beginning of the event. Join us! form.jotform.com/250226137228...

form.jotform.com

Join researchers across the country in fighting restrictions on the NIH

Please click the link to complete this form.

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Deborah Pearlstein @debpearlstein.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

A coalition of states plans to file suit later today challenging the order to freeze all federal loans & grants. “My office will be taking imminent legal action against this administration’s unconstitutional pause on federal funding,” NY AG Letitia James said. www.nytimes.com/live/2025/01...

nytimes.com

Update from Mattathias Schwartz

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Ardem Patapoutian @ardemp.bskyverified.social · 28/01/2025

All Democrats in Congress and the Senate will fight this—it’s illegal. But Republican lawmakers NEED to hear from their constituents! Priority order: call, then email. Be clear about how this will hurt education, the economy, and health! 🧪 www.nytimes.com/live/2025/01...

nytimes.com

White House Orders Pause in All Federal Grants and Loans

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Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

This is legit - the organizers (including unions) are organizing. When I ask those in the know what we can do that will actually matter, the answer includes collective action of this type. I'm joining @nancykanwisher.bsky.social and all the others for this Thurs 3p ET effort. I hope you do too!

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Rep. Shontel Brown @repshontelbrown.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

President Trump's effort to freeze nearly all federal funding is lawless, reckless, and unconstitutional. And it will hurt people in Northeast Ohio.

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Ian Oldenburg @ianoldenburg.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

If you are worried about the recent cessation of NIH communication, the canceling of programs and the politicization of science funding, now is the time to contact your congressional representatives! Link to find and contact your representative: www.house.gov/representati...

house.gov

Find Your Representative | house.gov

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Ian Oldenburg @ianoldenburg.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

People use use craigslist for things other than finding appropriately priced free furniture?

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Ian Oldenburg @ianoldenburg.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

Where do people post advertisements for technicians? We're looking for someone who wants to be the all around 'pinch hitter' for lab projects (and whacky Ian ideas). Rutgers has its listing (jobs.rutgers.edu/postings/240...) but I'm not sure how most people would find it.

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Annika Barber @annikabarber.bsky.social · 10/09/2024

Want to live in bucolic NJ (I'm serious)? With a quick commute to NYC and Philly? Have collaborative colleagues, including yours truly? While this job posting is in psychology, the position is in behavioral neuroscience across systems. Including #drosophila 🧪 jobs.rutgers.edu/postings/152...

jobs.rutgers.edu

Assistant Professor in Behavioral & Systems Neuroscience Psychology, Tenure Track

The Department of Psychology in the Rutgers University School of Arts and Sciences, New Brunswick, New Jersey invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position at the Assistant Professor level ...

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Ian Oldenburg @ianoldenburg.bsky.social · 30/08/2024

Nice! Greg is a truly fantastic collaborator. I keep looking for excuses to work with him more!

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Ian Oldenburg @ianoldenburg.bsky.social · 30/08/2024

Yea, I don’t love the university’s fixation with $ either. I talked with the chairs, the posting was supposed to convey needing a track record of funding. Without a strict rule. It’s been changed. FWIW I’ve found the dept super supportive financially (even post negotiations) and career wise.

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Martin Haesemeyer @haesemeyerlab.bsky.social · 23/08/2024

Great paper on the transformation of vibro-tactile stimuli from the periphery to somatosensory cortex. Very detailed analysis of changes from a phase-locked code at the periphery to a rate code of stimulus tuned neurons in thalamus and cortex. #neuroscience 🧪 www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...

cell.com

Transformation of neural coding for vibrotactile stimuli along the ascending somatosensory pathway

Lee et al. show that the transformation of the vibrotactile temporal code found in the periphery into a rate code along the ascending somatosensory pathway involves thalamic processing, particularly t...

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Ian Oldenburg @ianoldenburg.bsky.social · 23/08/2024

My department at Rutgers looking to hire Neuroscience Assistant (and Assoc) Professor(s)! We're trying to move quickly this year, so don't delay applying. I think our first application reviews are even in September! jobs.rutgers.edu/postings/234...

jobs.rutgers.edu

Assistant or Associate Professor (Tenured or Tenure-Track)

The Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS), the Rutgers Child Health Institute (CHI), and the Rutgers Brain Health Institute (BHI) seek outst...

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Ian Oldenburg @ianoldenburg.bsky.social · 13/08/2024

Not sure if we've hit critical mass here on bsky yet, but the lab is hiring! We've gotten some good news grants recently, and now have some funded projects that are looking for people to champion them. All projects use Holographic Optogenetics to study motor systems. oldenburglab.com/positions/

oldenburglab.com

Positions, Oldenburg Lab

Join the lab We are looking for curious, motivated, and talented people from all different backgrounds to join our team at all levels.

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Ian Oldenburg @ianoldenburg.bsky.social · 03/01/2024

Our work using holographic optogenetics to study recurrent activity in visual cortex is out in Nature Neuro! This work was only possible due to the great collaboration between the Adesnik and Doiron labs, especially co-firsts Greg Handy, Will Hendricks, and me. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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