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Prof Kate Watkins

@kateewatkins.bsky.social
1.2K followers 476 following 27 posts

Brain, speech and language research. Works @StAnnesCollege and @OxExpPsy University of Oxford. Co-E-i-C @jneurolang. Owned by Koko.

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Reposted by Prof Kate Watkins
Asifa Majid @asifamajid.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
It's hard to believe that OECS has now published 200 articles!🎉 A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed to OECS—our authors, reviewers, readers, and fantastic section editors, and especially @mcxfrank.bsky.social frank.bsky.social and @hbaum.bsky.social Excited for the next chapter!
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Toby Miller @tobytram.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
I’ve been standing stock still in this wood for about 10 minutes while I mess about with a photo on my phone. I look up, notice the shape, and slowly crouch down to film This has made me so happy I feel I could cry. It’s as close to magic as I hope to get.
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Per Ahlberg @perahlberg.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
The strangest thing happened today. We went to the uninhabited island of Lunga, west of Mull, to look at the puffins nesting there. I was just taking photos when I felt a thump as something landed quite heavily in my head. It was a puffin! It stayed for about a minute before flying off.
A man with his back to the camera, wearing a blue jacket and a grey woolen hat. A puffin is sitting on top of his head. On the left, an arm holding a mobile phone can be seen. In the background, a green slope and the sea beyond.In this photo the puffin is taking off.
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Daniel Yon @danieljamesyon.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Real pleasure to be at #EPSEssex and the symposium celebrating 80 years of the @exppsychsoc.bsky.social - alongside Bob Logie, Anna Franklin, @bhisma.bsky.social, @angeladebruin.bsky.social and Sophie Scott. Thank you @asifamajid.bsky.social!
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Prof Kate Watkins @kateewatkins.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Thrilled to receive this support and excited to start! @stannescollege.bsky.social @oxexppsy.bsky.social
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Michael Rosen @michaelrosenyes.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
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Steven Small @slsmall.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
Seeking two research assistants with interests in biophysical modeling, aging and dementia, brain imaging, and closely related fields in computational and cognitive neuroscience. We seek recent graduates with high motivation and strong computational skills: labs.utdallas.edu/braincircuit....
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Steven Small @slsmall.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
Seeking two Postdoctoral Fellows in (i) Biophysical Modeling (thevirtualbrain.org) in People at Risk of Alzheimer Disease; (ii) Network Neuroscience of Naturalistic Language in Aging Risk Factors. We seek computationally sophisticated highly motivated PhD's: labs.utdallas.edu/braincircuit....
labs.utdallas.edu
Participate – Brain Circuits Laboratory
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SNL Annual Meeting @snlmtg.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
At #SNL2026 we will be alpha testing Educational Courses! We’re looking for bottom-up proposals to introduce novel methods, toolboxes, or datasets. Help train the next generation of language researchers with up to two hands-on sessions. Submit your proposal now! For more info: shorturl.at/8cwJS
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Prof Kate Watkins @kateewatkins.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
Applications by 10th April 2026
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Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
“An absolute highlight of my career so far. Academically, I was challenged, provoked, & inspired. I loved how much discussion & thought we packed in, broadening my outlook on the study of language.” Kind words from an alumnus of our summer course. Apply by April 10: meetings.cshl.edu/courses.aspx...
Flyer with information about the Genetics & Neurobiology of Language summer course at Cold Spring Harbor, held on July 27th to August 3rd 2026, applications due by April 10th 2026.
Instructors are Simon Fisher from the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Netherlands, David Poeppel from New York University and Kate Watkins from the University of Oxford, UK.
The course description is as follows:
Why are children able to acquire highly sophisticated language abilities without needing to be taught? What are the neurobiological and neurophysiological processes that underpin human speech and language, and how do they go awry in developmental and acquired disorders? Which genetic factors contribute to this remarkable suite of human skills, and are there evolutionary precursors that we can study in other species?
This unique CSHL course, in its sixth iteration, addresses these core questions about the bases and origins of speech and language, through talks, interactive sessions, keynotes and debates, involving leading experts from a range of disciplines. It integrates the state-of-the-art from complementary perspectives, including development, cognitive models, neural basis, gene identification, functional genomics, model systems and comparative/evolutionary studies.
The invited speakers are:
Jennifer Below, Vanderbilt University
Elika Bergelson, Harvard University
Esti Blanco-Elorrieta, New York University
Jonathan Brennan, University of Michigan
Karen Emmorey, San Diego State University
Evelina Fedorenko, MIT
Julia Fischer, Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, Germany
Tecumseh Fitch, University of Vienna, Austria
Adeen Flinker, NYU Langone
Timothy Gentner, University of California, San Diego
Liberty Hamilton, UC Berkeley
Catherine Hobaiter, Wild Minds Lab, University of St. Andrews, UK
Sonja Vernes, The University of St. Andrews, UK
Sandra Waxman, Northwestern University
For funding opportunities and additional course information, please go to: meetings.cshl.edu/courses
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Auditory-Visual Speech Association (AVISA) @avsp.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Embodied Speech: Sensorimotor Contributions to Native and Non-Native Phoneme Processing and Learning direct.mit.edu/nol/article/... Reviews training paradigms, especially those that incorporate manual gestures -> highlights strength/weaknesses -> aim: to optimise foreign phoneme learning
direct.mit.edu
Embodied Speech: Sensorimotor Contributions to Native and Non-Native Phoneme Processing and Learning
Abstract. Learning to recognize and produce foreign speech sounds can be challenging, particularly when only subtle differences distinguish these new sounds from phonemes in the native language. Funct...
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Prof Kate Watkins @kateewatkins.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Grateful to have received this award and meet all the other awardees. Thank you @faranehvargha.bsky.social for the nomination and also all the inspirational women in our lineage. Will treasure this very special jewellery until it is my turn to pass it on.
Jewellery and pin for suffrage science awards
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Prof Kate Watkins @kateewatkins.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Delighted with the fruits of this collaboration.
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Reposted by Prof Kate Watkins
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
The course, now in its 6th iteration, covers key questions in speech & language research, with interdisciplinary perspectives spanning development, cognitive modeling, neural bases, gene identification, functional genomics, model systems & comparative/evolutionary studies. Applications due April 10.
Flyer with information about the Genetics & Neurobiology of Language summer course at Cold Spring Harbor, held on July 27th to August 3rd 2026, applications due by April 10th 2026.
Instructors are Simon Fisher from the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Netherlands, David Poeppel from New York University and Kate Watkins from the University of Oxford, UK.
The course description is as follows:
Why are children able to acquire highly sophisticated language abilities without needing to be taught? What are the neurobiological and neurophysiological processes that underpin human speech and language, and how do they go awry in developmental and acquired disorders? Which genetic factors contribute to this remarkable suite of human skills, and are there evolutionary precursors that we can study in other species?
This unique CSHL course, in its sixth iteration, addresses these core questions about the bases and origins of speech and language, through talks, interactive sessions, keynotes and debates, involving leading experts from a range of disciplines. It integrates the state-of-the-art from complementary perspectives, including development, cognitive models, neural basis, gene identification, functional genomics, model systems and comparative/evolutionary studies.
The invited speakers are:
Jennifer Below, Vanderbilt University
Elika Bergelson, Harvard University
Esti Blanco-Elorrieta, New York University
Jonathan Brennan, University of Michigan
Karen Emmorey, San Diego State University
Evelina Fedorenko, MIT
Julia Fischer, Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, Germany
Tecumseh Fitch, University of Vienna, Austria
Adeen Flinker, NYU Langone
Timothy Gentner, University of California, San Diego
Liberty Hamilton, UC Berkeley
Catherine Hobaiter, Wild Minds Lab, University of St. Andrews, UK
Sonja Vernes, The University of St. Andrews, UK
Sandra Waxman, Northwestern University
For funding opportunities and additional course information, please go to: meetings.cshl.edu/courses
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Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Please tell friends & colleagues about our unique course “Genetics & Neurobiology of Language” July 27-Aug 3 2026. Expert tutors, interactive talks, panel discussions, all in a beautiful setting. Scholarships available: meetings.cshl.edu/courses.aspx... @cshlnews.bsky.social @cshlbanbury.bsky.social
Group photograph of faculty and participants of the very first Cold Spring Harbor summer course on Genetics and Neurobiology of Language in 2014, taken as the sun was going down at the Banbury Campus, Lloyd Harbor.
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Bernhard Staresina @bstaresina.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
Last week to apply! Cognitive Neuroscience Research Laboratory Manager at @oxexppsy.bsky.social (with links to @oxcin.bsky.social and @ox.ac.uk) www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPZ833/c...
jobs.ac.uk
Cognitive Neuroscience Research Laboratory Manager at University of Oxford
Check out jobs.ac.uk for opportunities in professional services, including Cognitive Neuroscience Research Laboratory Manager. Apply today and learn more about the role.
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Oxford University Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (OxCIN) @oxcin.bsky.social · 28/04/2025
As well as a new name, OxCIN also has a brand new Director: Karla Miller! @fmrib-karla.bsky.social We are grateful for 10 years of superb leadership by Heidi Johansen-Berg @heidijoberg.bsky.social and excited to see the new ideas Karla will bring. More about Karla: oxcin.ox.ac.uk/people/karla...
Profile picture of Karla Miller
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Oxford University Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (OxCIN) @oxcin.bsky.social · 28/04/2025
We're excited to announce that WIN is now the Oxford University Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging: OxCIN! Our mission: developing and deploying neuroimaging and related technology to solve big challenges in basic neuroscience and brain health. oxcin.ox.ac.uk/about/vision
OxCIN logo
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Prof Kate Watkins @kateewatkins.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
Watery water lillies.
Photo of water lillies growing under water
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Prof Kate Watkins @kateewatkins.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
A curious robin
Eurasian Robin on branch with food in beak
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Randy McIntosh @ar0mcintosh.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
www.emjreviews.com/neurology/ne...
emjreviews.com
Transcranial Brain Stimulation Fails to Enhance Stroke Recovery in Phase II Study
Discover why brain stimulation didn’t improve stroke recovery in a major trial. Explore implications for clinical practice.
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Shaun Lintern @shaunlintern.bsky.social · 13/04/2025
Doctors at one of England’s leading cancer hospitals have launched a clinical trial of headgear that emits electric fields. The pulses disrupt cell division in glioblastoma — one of the deadliest forms of brain cancer www.thetimes.com/article/23d3...
thetimes.com
Electric ‘swimming cap’ could combat brain tumours
The NHS is trialling a headset that emits electrical fields that disrupt cell division, and it may improve survival rates if used early in treatment
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Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
Here's a helpful article with background on the new study of compositionality of bonobo calls, & why findings might be of interest for (at least some) scientists investigating evolution of human language. From the excellent @carlzimmer.com in @nytimes.com .🧪
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Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
"Findings suggest that compositionality [the capacity to combine meaningful elements into larger meaningful structures] is a prominent feature of the bonobo vocal system revealing stronger parallels with human language than previously thought." Fascinating work by @berthetmelissa.bsky.social et al.🧪
science.org
Extensive compositionality in the vocal system of bonobos
Compositionality, the capacity to combine meaningful elements into larger meaningful structures, is a hallmark of human language. Compositionality can be trivial (the combination’s meaning is the sum ...
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Richard Moore @richardmoore.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
A sad day for the world of great ape language research. www.apeinitiative.org/remembering-...
apeinitiative.org
Remembering Kanzi — Ape Initiative
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Neurobiology of Language @jneurolang.bsky.social · 10/03/2025
Did you know that @jneurolang allows you to submit your manuscript your way? We only require journal specific formatting once your manuscript is accepted. Put your figures in the text and keep reviewers happy 😃 direct.mit.edu/nol/pages/su...
direct.mit.edu
submission-guidelines | Neurobiology of Language | MIT Press
submission-guidelines | Neurobiology of Language | MIT Press Submit Your Article Submission Guidelines All submissions should be made via the Neurobiology of Language online su...
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Prof Kate Watkins @kateewatkins.bsky.social · 08/03/2025
Camouflage not always a good thing. Almost squished Toady on my walk this morning.
I think it’s a toad on the grass
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Neurobiology of Language @jneurolang.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
Does your research investigate how the brain communicates using language? Consider the Neurobiology of Language journal for your next submission. We are fully open access with reasonable APCs. Check out our latest papers direct.mit.edu/nol
direct.mit.edu
Neurobiology of Language | MIT Press
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Neurobiology of Language @jneurolang.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
New Call for Papers for a Special Issue: The Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience of Language Disorders: Exploring the Biological Foundations of Primary Progressive Aphasias direct.mit.edu/DocumentLibr...
direct.mit.edu
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Greg Hickok @gregoryhickok.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
New review on the neurobiology of sentence production by my grad student Jeremy Yeaton. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
The neurobiology of sentence production: A narrative review and meta-analysis
Although there is a sizeable body of literature on sentence comprehension and processing both in healthy and disordered language users, the literature…
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AFASIC @afasic.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
The Afasic helpline is open Mondays & Wednesdays 10.30am till 4.00pm to discuss difficulties your child may have with speech & language. 📞 0300 666 9410 afasic.org.uk 📧 Info@afasic.org.uk www.afasic.org.uk/the-afasic-h...
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changlabucsf.bsky.social @changlabucsf.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
Ever wonder how the brain works to _stop_ your speech midway?🤫🧠 Our latest work on the neural mechanism for stopping speech production is now out @naturehumbehav.bsky.social! See a brief summary below and the original paper here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Flavia Mancini @flaviamancini.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
Great to see wonderful Irene Tracey on top of the league www.timeshighereducation.com/student/best...
timeshighereducation.com
International Women’s Day: top universities led by women
More than a quarter of the top 200 universities in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings are run by women, a number which is increasing year on year
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Asifa Majid @asifamajid.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
For social psychologists looking for a more permanent home in the UK, Oxford Experimental Psychology Department @oxexppsy.bsky.social is hiring. my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...
my.corehr.com
Job Details
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Prof Kate Watkins @kateewatkins.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
Another proud supervisor moment yesterday. Congratulations Dr Nilgoun Bahar (not yet on bsky). Celebrated with brain-themed pav (of which I’m also proud 😊) Thanks to examiners Gaia Scerif and Frédérique Liégeois.
Nilgoun celebrating with Champagne flowers cakes cards and gifts on table
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Maya Yablonski @mayayablonski.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
1st preprint of 2025! @jamielmitchell.bsky.social found that as children with dyslexia improve their reading ability, their reading area in the brain grows, yet remains markedly different from their peers. So excited to see this after years of data collection with this great team! Feedback welcome!
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Mark Dingemanse @markdingemanse.net · 16/01/2025
Interesting new work by Kimi Akita: Ideophones more reliable than metaphors in Japanese pain descriptions www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
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Johanna Rimmele @johannarimmele.bsky.social · 16/10/2023
Do you want to do a phd on #speech and #song and how we use our brain for it #electrophysiology #neuroimaging #motor #rhythm ? Come work with us at the MPI_ae ! Apply here and contact me for questions. e-recruiting.pro/jobposting/7... Please forward to everyone interested!
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Hugo Spiers @hugospiers.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
First obituary of Eleanor Maguire Fitting that it comes from a neuroscience community publication. Very grateful to Calli McMurray for writing this lovely piece on who Eleanor was and what she achieved in her dazzling career:
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Prof Kate Watkins @kateewatkins.bsky.social · 22/12/2024
One of my favourite podcasts. And this is now one of my favourite episodes.
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MIT Press @mitpress.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
Neurobiology of Language is an #openaccess journal that provides articles across a range of disciplines addressing the neurobiological basis of speech & language. A new issue is out now: direct.mit.edu/nol/issue/5/4 Follow @jneurolang.bsky.social to stay current on the latest research!
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Laura Gwilliams @lauragwilliams.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
✨i'm hiring a lab manager, with a start date of ~September 2025! to express interest, please complete this google form: forms.gle/GLyAbuD779Rz... looking for someone to join our multi-disciplinary team, using OPM, EEG, iEEG and computational techniques to study speech and language processing! 🧠
forms.gle
Google Forms: Sign-in
Access Google Forms with a personal Google account or Google Workspace account (for business use).
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Prof. Dr. Asli Ozyurek @asliozyurek.bsky.social · 17/12/2024
Last days to submit for the multimodal language workshop in Catania!!https://multimodallanguage.wixsite.com/workshop
multimodallanguage.wixsite.com
Home | My Site 3
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Neurobiology of Language @jneurolang.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
Dissociable Neural Mechanisms for Human Inference Processing Predicted by Static and Contextual Language Models | buff.ly/4fpz5Hu | by Takahisa Uchida, Nicolas Lair, Hiroshi Ishiguro & Peter Ford Dominey
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Neurobiology of Language @jneurolang.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
Activity in Occipito-Temporal Cortex Is Involved in Tool-Use Planning and Contributes to Tool-Related Semantic Neural Representations | doi.org/10.1162/nol_... | by @sthibault.bsky.social, Eric Koun, Romeo Salemme, Alice C. Roy, Véronique Boulenger & Claudio Brozzoli
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Linda Kim @kimlinda.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
We will start accepting applications for GRS Cerebellum from Dec 19 until all 70 spots fill up—so don’t wait too long! Who else is planning to join? Let’s dive into cerebellar science together! Apply here: www.grc.org/cerebellum-g... #CerebellumGRS @carobellum.bsky.social
grc.org
2025 Cerebellum (GRS) Seminar GRC
The 2025 Gordon Research Seminar on Cerebellum (GRS) will be held in Les Diablerets, Vaud (fr) Switzerland. Apply today to reserve your spot.
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Neurobiology of Language @jneurolang.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
Neurobiological Causal Models of Language Processing | doi.org/10.1162/nol_... | by Hartmut Fitz, Peter Hagoort & Karl Magnus Petersson
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Neurobiology of Language @jneurolang.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
🚨 Reminder! 🚨 Submissions are due December 31 🗓️ to our special issue on the white matter connectome supporting speech & language, by Guest Editors @anthonystevend.bsky.social and Pascale Tremblay. Submit your manuscript before the end of the year! direct.mit.edu/DocumentLibr...
A diffusion image of the arcuate fasciculus
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Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
If you are struggling with your day, please take solace in these insightful words penned by renowned scholar Charles Darwin in 1861, perhaps the most resonant quote from his entire body of work: "But I am very poorly today and very stupid and hate everybody and everything...."
Excerpt from a letter that Charles Darwin sent to his friend Charles Lyell on October 1st 1861, confessing "But I am very poorly today and very stupid and hate everybody and everything. One lives only to make blunders..."
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