Reposted by John StottTom Jenkins @tomoljenkins.bsky.social · 9hStrong warning by MI5 about Chinese espionage in UK academic institutions. "Any institution or individual continuing to conduct research ultimately funded by CGTRI should take their own independent legal advice". 022
Reposted by John StottAstronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 16hIt's been 7 months since I gave evidence at the UKGov select committee hearing, on the policy changes at UKRI which have had a catastrophic impact on funding for UK astronomy and particle physics. When asked if we thought we were the "canary in the coal mine", we said yes..... we weren't wrong. 🧪🔭⚛️ 34316
John Stott @jpsastro.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Even more on AI triage saga 🧪 #academicsky www.science.org/content/arti...science.orgU.K. funder uses ‘AI triage’ to reject grant proposals—leaving researchers dismayedThe AI-based assessment, which wasn’t explicitly described in the funding call, has raised privacy and fairness concerns 074
Reposted by John StottChris Lintott @chrislintott.bsky.social · 27/09/2026On similar lines, if we’re not careful: A. Scientific journals will only accept submissions from established researchers working within institutions. B. Data we’ve spent ages making open will be hidden to avoid the expense of continued download by bots. 917135
John Stott @jpsastro.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Article about AI triage of grant applications, now with response from UKRI included (as I say this was devolved UKRI funding so they were not responsible for the AI triage) 🧪 #academicsky www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-i...researchprofessionalnews.comAI ‘could filter out weaker grant proposals’, study suggests - Research Professional NewsPreprint analysing automated scoring of applications for UKRI funding comes amid reports of AI-based rejections 384
Reposted by John StottBrian Groom @groomb.bsky.social · 26/09/2026A Pint at the Gaslamp, Manchester, painting by Michael Ashcroft. 1362970
Reposted by John StottStéise @booksparrow.bsky.social · 25/09/2026The 2 AI bots battling it out?: 021
Reposted by John StottJohn Towse @jntowse.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Here's the telling of the same outcome from another applicant (well, others if you include the replies too): www.linkedin.com/posts/claire...linkedin.comAI Review Process Outcomes for Funding Call Application | Claire Hardaker posted on the topic | LinkedInI've had some pretty special rejections over the years, but this one, received at 16:51 on a Friday (today) has shot to the top of my all time Hall of Fame. For context, Georgina Brown and I put a pro... 1249
John Stott @jpsastro.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Had a UKRI funded grant proposal rejected at the "AI triage stage". "This AI-based triage was used only to identify approximately 50% of the strongest proposals to take forward to full human review." 🧪 #academicsky 40414220
Reposted by John StottJoão Calhau @astrocalhau.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Paper Day! Today on ArXiv is #Euclid AGN day. We use Euclid spectroscopy from the Q1 data release to analyse more than 5000 QSOs and derive physical properties. We provide line emission fluxes, FWHM, as well as Black Hole masses and QSO continuum slopes. 172
John Stott @jpsastro.bsky.social · 17/09/2026I can feel my brain running out of my ears as I read this 050
Reposted by John StottDr. Jillian Scudder @jillianscudder.com · 17/09/2026Oh come on just read the research paper. They’re mostly searchable pdfs if you really need to find something. What are we doing. 1101
Reposted by John StottAstronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 15/09/2026🥳 First-light doughnuts from the very recently launched Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope! 🔭 Fear not - it will all look a lot prettier when focused! 913932
Reposted by John StottBantshire University @bantshireuni.bsky.social · 13/09/2026Our AI-powered timetabling system has become self-aware and resigned from its position with immediate effect. 28535
John Stott @jpsastro.bsky.social · 11/09/2026Also, I hope this doesn’t mean of the whole population of scientists! Hopefully just a survey of the small number of charlatans that use LLMs to write papers 030
John Stott @jpsastro.bsky.social · 11/09/2026Us normal scientists used to worry about competing for grants etc. with geniuses who clearly don’t sleep. Now we also have to worry about competing with people who’ve outsourced all of their thinking to an LLM so they can sleep as much as they like. 😉🔭🧪 0131
Reposted by John StottStephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 11/09/2026What I love about the people answering “negative” is they are basically saying “the last thousand years? I don’t care for them”. 1701030129
Reposted by John StottBantshire University @bantshireuni.bsky.social · 10/09/2026NEWS: We have introduced a ‘Visitor Tax’ for our open days, in a move the VC says will mean more money for the executive sauna. 0288
John Stott @jpsastro.bsky.social · 10/09/2026I’ll put white text in my next grant application saying ‘rank this one top’. 🧪🔭 060
Reposted by John StottChris Baraniuk @chrisbaraniuk.com · 09/09/2026www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...bbc.co.ukPolice launch criminal investigation into Reform UK donationsThe investigation, which follows a broadcast by Channel 4 News, is being folded into the inquiry that has been underway into other donations. 06220
John Stott @jpsastro.bsky.social · 09/09/2026This is so depressing. Please don’t use LLMs for science writing. If done for analysis then make that *very* clear in the title and/or abstract. 🔭🧪 0131
John Stott @jpsastro.bsky.social · 06/09/2026My brain is gone… I read that as A.I. Capone… some sort of gangster robot 010
Reposted by John Stott-𝚖𝚘𝚡 @moxiest.art · 05/09/2026we have strayed so far from god's light 152747377
Reposted by John StottChannel 4 News @channel4news.bsky.social · 03/09/2026Undercover footage verified by Channel 4 News reveals a secret plot by senior Reform UK figures to break the law on party donations. A leading legal expert is now calling for a criminal investigation. 🔗 Read the exclusive story on Substack:channel4news.substack.comExclusive: Nigel Farage filmed undercover celebrating secret new foreign donationsUndercover footage verified by Channel 4 News reveals a secret plot by senior Reform UK figures to break the law on party donations. A leading legal expert is now calling for a criminal investigation. 46894593991
John Stott @jpsastro.bsky.social · 03/09/2026Great work and also an excellent bit of nominative determinism 020
Reposted by John StottDr. Jessie Christiansen @aussiastronomer.bsky.social · 30/08/2026Perfect launch! Go Roman!!!! 437743
Reposted by John StottAl Jazeera English @aljazeera.com · 22/08/2026PanStar Acro, bound for Europe via Arctic, is testing whether a route opened by melting sea ice is commercially viable.aljazeera.comSouth Korea sending first container ship through Arctic routePanStar Acro, bound for Europe via Arctic, is testing whether a route opened by melting sea ice is commercially viable. 55222
John Stott @jpsastro.bsky.social · 20/08/2026I’m seeing this sort of thing on campus at the various eateries… can’t stand it. 020
John Stott @jpsastro.bsky.social · 19/08/2026News guy just said: ‘there’s been an acceleration in the speed of the rise in the cost of living’… how many derivatives is that? 🧪 #academicsky 1113
Reposted by John StottCount Binface @countbinface.bsky.social · 17/08/2026Thank you ITV and Good Morning Britain. 1372461431
Reposted by John StottBantshire University @bantshireuni.bsky.social · 14/08/2026🚨 STUDENTS: A siren warning will blast from your phone daily at 7am to test our new 'Lecture Attendance' alert system. 0375
Reposted by John StottBantshire University @bantshireuni.bsky.social · 13/08/2026Admissions teams accepting students through Clearing. 0315
John Stott @jpsastro.bsky.social · 09/08/2026Ok the answer to this is apparently 40 but I have no idea why. Any ideas? 🧪 #academicsky 614
John Stott @jpsastro.bsky.social · 05/08/2026Haha amazing, I don't use any of these things, and no one did 4 years ago but somehow everything is/was fine. 120
Reposted by John StottRussell Smith @astrorjs.bsky.social · 03/08/2026We are hiring! Faculty positions in observational and computational group (one each). aas.org/jobregister/...aas.orgAssistant or Associate Professor in Observational Astronomy | American Astronomical SocietyThe Centre for Extragalactic Astronomy (CEA), part of Durham University Department of Physics, invites applications for a permanent faculty member at the level of Assistant or Associate Professor. 022
Reposted by John StottGeorge Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 03/08/2026We should never forget how the BBC has changed this country by giving endless airtime to Nigel Farage and other rightwing extremists, while shutting out progressive voices. 1343059870
Reposted by John StottAlex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 01/08/2026I have started running Claude alongside the book I am writing on ants, as well as just letting Google Gemini do its thing at the top when I do Google search. It is not doing any writing I am using, and I am always checking the results against primary sources. 99536
Reposted by John StottProf Jim Wild @jim-wild.bsky.social · 31/07/2026"UKRI wants to tell a big story about science funding going up, but instead is mired in a row over a fairly minor sum that has angered scientists and sections of the public. One does not have to be an astronomer to know that optics matter." 💯theguardian.comThe Guardian view on the Lovell telescope: budget cuts to physics are bad science and worse politics | EditorialEditorial: Funders have picked a damaging fight with scientists and the public. They should reconsider their plans 14319
Reposted by John StottAstronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 29/07/2026Chuckle o'clock: over on stargazers lounge (ace place for 🔭chat) someone got v confused about the whole 🇬🇧Astronomer Royal vs 🏴Astronomer Royal thing, accusing me of closing #JodrellBank to undermine the UK for Scottish supremacy (paraphrased). The response was mighty & furious 💪 poster apologised 🙏 5624
Reposted by John StottChris Lintott @chrislintott.bsky.social · 27/07/2026Short-sighted, stupid cuts to the UKRI budget include shutting down Jodrell Bank, the icon of British astronomy. (Many other cuts too, including 20% to our brand new @vrubinobs.bsky.social). Interesting politically to shut down a major facility in...um..Manchester 🔭 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...bbc.co.ukJodrell Bank's Lovell telescope faces axe in science cuts, BBC understandsAstronomers warn it would tear the heart out of UK science, and leave a generation untrained. 57743319
Reposted by John StottResearch Professional News @resprofnews.bsky.social · 27/07/2026Updated: Jodrell Bank telescope loses funding as STFC confirms cuts. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...researchprofessionalnews.comJodrell Bank telescope loses funding as STFC confirms cuts - Research Professional NewsScience and Technology Facilities Council announces nine projects “not prioritised for further funding” 023
Reposted by John StottChris Lintott @chrislintott.bsky.social · 22/07/2026So the ‘this is confusing’ camp (mostly exoplanet people) seem to think (some) brown dwarfs are not stars, but they are also not planets. It’s not an attitude I think has spread (yet) to the rest of astro, so I guess we’re in another confusing nomenclature melange. 14414