iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Maxim Cherkashin

Mikhail Kats @mickeykats.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

💡🧪 🧵 For an upcoming funded program, I am looking to hire a *research scientist* (postdoc also a possibility) to carry out design and simulation of semiconductor lasers based on nanophotonic structures The candidate must be a US citizen or permanent resident due to requirements from the sponsor

274

Maxim Cherkashin @mcherkashin.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Yoooo, how can stuff like this happen at all? Please support the cause if you at all can!

010

Reposted by Maxim Cherkashin

Zeke Hausfather @zekehausfather.com · 02/08/2026

I'm not sure folks have realized just how crazy the second half of 2026 and 2027 will be for global temperatures – on the back of a record-smashing El Niño event. Here is my latest estimate of where both years will end up compared to global temperatures since 1850.

9035111733

Maxim Cherkashin @mcherkashin.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

Hey @vodafonegroup.bsky.social , Ich kriege von 'Tobi' mehrmals Links zugeschickt, wie ich selbst die Störung beheben kann, aber die Juristen, die mir über Telefonnumer von Kundenservice erreichen, sagen mir, es liegt kein Hinweis dass ich eine Störung jemals gemeldet hätte? Uncool.

110

Reposted by Maxim Cherkashin

Dr. Wendy Bohon @drwendyrocks.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

This seems like a great moment to talk about the importance of science communication! Science communication matters because it connects scientific research with people, giving folks information they need to make informed decisions about everything from health to hazards.

213135

Maxim Cherkashin @mcherkashin.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

On one end, not having to drive is nice, especially looking at the snow through the window. On the other end, it is already 30 min delay on 2 hr journey and will be more. On my way to Hannover for @cluster-phoenixd.bsky.social Symposium "5D Photonics: From Concept to Innovation"

Man in the gray hoody, sitting in an ICE train. Hoody print reads "Ruhr Universität", in the background a scientific poster is visible on a seat nearby.

140

Reposted by Maxim Cherkashin

Reto Fiolka @retof.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

We have two funded postdoctoral positions available. Topics encompass: -Next gen light-sheet fluorescence microscopy instrumentation -Structured illumination microscopy and other approaches to extend the resolution limit. -Nonlinear microscopy combined with adaptive optics / phase conjugation

15124

Maxim Cherkashin @mcherkashin.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

Hey #Ruhrgebiet, we have a date! Aus Erfahrungen in Bochum und Jena sammelnd, gleich gehe ich wieder auf die Bühne, diesmal im Dortmund, um etwas näher zu bringen, wie man die Dunkelheit, die innendrin herrscht zumindest lokal etwas beleuchten kann.

science-slam.com

Schauspiel Dortmund | Science Slam

100

Reposted by Maxim Cherkashin

David Phillips @photonphillips.bsky.social · 11/01/2026

PhD studentship in the Structured Light Lab at University of Exeter (UK). Project: 'Threading quantum states of light through complex scattering media': www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin... International fees covered. Deadline 31st Jan. Please share 🙏 or if this could be for you then get in touch!💡

032

Maxim Cherkashin @mcherkashin.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

Ich _schwöre_ Skianzüge und vor allem Skihosen schrumpfen während die nicht getragen sind. Was ist das denn, wenn nicht diese geplante Obsoleszenz!?

000

Reposted by Maxim Cherkashin

Sylvain Gigan @sylvaingigan.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

And 🥁 the final program of the *"Image Science" Gordon Research Conference*, to take place in Italy April 26-May 1st, is out! Please take some time to check the program, apply, *share* with your colleagues. www.grc.org/image-scienc... (1/N)

1127

Reposted by Maxim Cherkashin

Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 04/01/2026

For all that the media has spent years freaking out about what social media does to our brains, I don’t understand why there appears to be little effort to grapple with the fact that these chatbots are, for some not insignificant portion of the population, literally psychosis machines

14886742571

Maxim Cherkashin @mcherkashin.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

Hey 💡, PhD/Postdoc position in optoelectronics is searching for a match! Apply by Jan. 6. A lovely human being and former colleague Prof Nils Gerhardt is building a new group in Uni Paderborn - Semicon. Optoel. Devices, spin-LEDs/lasers, optical characterization over time/freq/pol, perovskites,...

131

Maxim Cherkashin @mcherkashin.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

That's a good fun. Still trying to figure out why my schedule is lending itself to be posting on Wednesdays evenings? 🤔🤔🤔 Thanks, @olof-loves-ai.bsky.social ! www.madebyolof.com/bluesky-wrap...

madebyolof.com

mcherkashin.bsky.social's Bluesky Wrapped 2025

Check out mcherkashin.bsky.social's year on Bluesky!

030

Reposted by Maxim Cherkashin

PHD Comics @phdcomics.com · 30/12/2025

Proof

08321

Reposted by Maxim Cherkashin

Anna H @athenepallas.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

The point is: lots of people will have accepted the first image because it looks kind of right and it's on an art page. The doctored image is already turning up in search results. We are cooked if we don't start to push back against this stuff. AI is poisonous to human endeavour, pass it on <end>

324254

Maxim Cherkashin @mcherkashin.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

Hey network, I am looking for a funding scheme that would support community-building initiatives, think of hakathon / retreat / two-three days of activity. Any ideas on possible funders? @optica.org @spie.org any program you can point me to?

110

Reposted by Maxim Cherkashin

Amrei Bahr @amreibahr.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

✨ #IchBinHanna Wrapped ✨das waren Deine abgelehnten Drittmittelanträge ✨so viele Überstunden hast Du gemacht ✨Deine Top 3 der Momente in denen Deine Arbeit nicht wertgeschätzt wurde ✨schlimmstes Berufungsportal 2025 ✨so oft hast Du Dich erfolglos beworben ✨Dein meistgehasstes Gesetz: #WissZeitVG

112224

Maxim Cherkashin @mcherkashin.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

Hey #bochum and #Ruhrgebiet , tomorrow @scienceslam.de takes over the stage of Schauschpielhaus Bochum! Five speakers, five topics, five talks, yours truly among them. Some tickets are still available, if you can make it - come nerd out together ;) Event link: www.science-slam.com/termine/boch...

Map of the Bochum Theater seat selection with photographs of evening's speakers on the stage

052

Reposted by Maxim Cherkashin

MwahahahahahadScientist @mads100tist.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

I am begging people to *please* stop using these tools to make a point or make fun of them. We do not need to further refine them or kill the planet to make a point. We should stop using them to make them irrelevant.

07716

Reposted by Maxim Cherkashin

Robert "The Bobby Yaga" McNees @mcnees.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

An excerpt from the “Should I Use an LLM?” section of my syllabi. 🎢

A bigger problem is that using an LLM short circuits the process of thinking through questions and developing strategies to answer them. It's not that an LLM never gets things right; they often produce correct output. But correct outputs are limited to material in the model's training data - questions we already know how to answer.
Is that why you're here? To answer questions we already know how to answer? Whether you are studying Physics or English or Business, all your instructors are trying to help you learn how to answer questions for yourself. Part of that training involves questions we already understand, because that's an effective way of learning processes that can be applied to questions we don't understand. This is one of the most important aspects of your college education and it takes practice. Asking an LLM may or may not generate a correct answer, but either way it prevents you from practicing and learning these processes.

1213

Reposted by Maxim Cherkashin

Pause @ Real Scientists DE @realscientists.de · 21/11/2025

TGIF - Ein Glück, es ist Freitag! Ich versuche mir den Freitag weitestgehend freizuhalten, denn der steht im Fokus für: Stress-Management & Produktivität Heute bin ich im homeoffice und habe außer ein paar kurzen online meetings nun die Zeit, selbstbestimmt meinen Tag zu verbringen.

media.tenor.com

a frog is laying on a leaf in the water with the words `` me '' above it .

ALT: a frog is laying on a leaf in the water with the words `` me '' above it .

1494

Reposted by Maxim Cherkashin

Pause @ Real Scientists DE @realscientists.de · 19/11/2025

🧵 Thread👇 Heute Nachmittag im Fokus: Wissenschaftliche Karrierewege An der Uni wird oft nur das Karriereziel Professur diskutiert, aber der Weg dahin ist schwer, wenig planbar und die anderen Berufsoptionen sehr vielfältig (und zumeist sogar besser).

media.tenor.com

spongebob is writing on a piece of paper with a pen .

ALT: spongebob is writing on a piece of paper with a pen .

3507

Reposted by Maxim Cherkashin

Chris Ingraham @cingraham.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

JAMA study: NIH grant terminations disrupted 3.5% of active clinical trials, affecting over 74,000 patients and resulting in a $1.81 billion funding loss. More than 115 active cancer trials were disrupted. www.ajmc.com/view/nih-gra...

ajmc.com

NIH Grant Terminations Disrupt 1 in 30 Clinical Trials, Impacting Over 74,000 Participants | AJMC

Infectious disease was hit hardest by funding cuts to NIH grant for clinical trials that did not align with the Trump administration's priorities.

313079

Maxim Cherkashin @mcherkashin.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

Nervenzusammenbruch aber als Ausdauersport

010

Reposted by Maxim Cherkashin

Mark A. Hanson @hansonmark.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

In the age of AI slop, true expertise is even more important to value. Experts are the people who get so annoyed about the precise way to describe something they dedicate their lives to it (see excellent blog: www.experimental-history.com/p/thank-you-...). We need them and their journals. 7.2/n

experimental-history.com

Thank you for being annoying

OR: whack 'em if you got 'em

1567

Reposted by Maxim Cherkashin

con questi nuovi ritmi americani (she/her) 🏳️‍⚧️🇵🇸🏳 @racheledini.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

At risk of flogging a dead horse: this whole letter is a reminder that the creative process is an end in and of itself, and vital to self-actualisation. You can’t experience BECOMING, as he puts it, by outsourcing it to ChatGPT.

51226485

Reposted by Maxim Cherkashin

Alexander Freudenberg @alexfreu.de · 24/10/2025

Optimismus ist, wenn man einen Kalender für 2026 kauft.

0196

Maxim Cherkashin @mcherkashin.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

I haven't posted about it here yet, but actually applications for our MSc Programme Lasers and Photonics at @ruhr-uni-bochum.de Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology are open until 15.11! Directly to application portal: lap-application.rub.de More info: www.lap.rub.de 💡🧪

lap-application.rub.de

LAP

The application period for the upcoming summer semester 2026 starts on the 1st of October 2025 and ends on 15th of November 2025 for non-EU applicants, and on the 15th of January 2026 for EU citizens.

010

Reposted by Maxim Cherkashin

Emily M. Bender @emilymbender.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

Oh FFS. Because what overburdened peer review systems really need is more noise between the reviewers & ACs. Yeah, that's the ticket. aaai.org/aaai-launche... >>

Screenshot of AAAI automated review announcement reading:

1. Supplementary First-Stage Reviews: LLM-generated reviews will be included as one component of the
initial review stage, providing an additional perspective alongside traditional human expert evaluations.
2. Discussion Summary Assistance: LLMs will assist the Senior Program Committee (SPC) members by
summarizing reviewer discussions, helping to highlight key points of consensus and disagreement among
human reviewers.

1612621

Reposted by Maxim Cherkashin

Shahan Ali Memon @shahanmemon.bsky.social · 05/10/2025

The future of peer review is here. Introducing Nature Instant! We've automated rejection so you can get disappointed faster. Because why wait 6 months for reviewer 2 when you can get roasted by an #AI in seconds? Here is how it works. #AI4Science #PeerReview #FictionScience #FiSci #AAAI #ScAISci

Showing a fictitious system for submitting manuscripts called "Nature Instant" showing bot choices for authors to choose from as initial AI-based peer reviewers. The bots are trained on real human reviewer data.

33911

Maxim Cherkashin @mcherkashin.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

It seems very in a bit of low of activity here, and Photonics feed recently is mainly announcements💡 Hey, forces of light, how are you all coping?

231

Maxim Cherkashin @mcherkashin.bsky.social · 27/06/2025

Planmäßige Zugtrennung aber außergewöhnlich im Köln

010

Reposted by Maxim Cherkashin

Pause @ Real Scientists DE @realscientists.de · 22/06/2025

Ich mag meinen Beruf echt gerne, aber ist natürlich nicht alles Friede Freude Eierkuchen, mit vielen strukturellen Problemen. zB geht die Chance in der Wissenschaft beschäftigt zu bleiben mit dem Alter rapide bergab. #IchBinHanna www.datenportal.bmbf.de/portal/de/gr...

Hauptberufliches wissenschaftliches und künstlerisches Personal nach Alter, höchstem Hochschulabschluss und Beschäftigungsart

1186

Maxim Cherkashin @mcherkashin.bsky.social · 26/06/2025

Dieser wissenschaftliche Nachwuchs ist etwas rausegewachsen #IchbinHanna

Mittel-30-jährige Mann der nicht mehr im eine Hochstuhl passt und drauf sitzt

0172

Maxim Cherkashin @mcherkashin.bsky.social · 22/06/2025

hey photonics people 💡🔬, is anyone in Munich next week? @optica.org @spie.org

Screenshot of a map segment with icon of the train on the tracks, in the corner current speed is shown: 245.8 km/h

120

Reposted by Maxim Cherkashin

Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 19/06/2025

Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.

6263661211258

Reposted by Maxim Cherkashin

Pause @ Real Scientists DE @realscientists.de · 18/06/2025

Sieht aus wie eine Koralle, aber es ist tatsächlich eine Gehirnzelle, ein Neuron. Das ist eine 3D-gedruckte Purkinje-Zelle, die man im Kleinhirn einer Ratte gefunden hat. (natürlich ist die in Wirklichkeit kleiner und nicht blau 🙂)

Eine Hand hält ein filigranes, leuchtend blaues, 3D-gedrucktes Purkinje Neuron mit verzweigten Dendriten.

49816

Maxim Cherkashin @mcherkashin.bsky.social · 07/06/2025

Oh, finally, a good duration for a postdoc contract

150

Reposted by Maxim Cherkashin

BWJones @bwjones.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

I count 55 emails back and forth between 8 people to make a simple computer purchase. 35 of those emails concern a $30 difference in price because of a backorder. When people talk about inefficiencies in academia, it's because the MBAs enforce auditing as control rather than letting people work.

813918

Reposted by Maxim Cherkashin

Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 03/06/2025

If you burn down a forest, you don't miss out on lumber for just that season. You have to replant all the trees, nurture them, and wait for them to grow. The science and research budget cuts happening now are wanton, senseless arson. Recovery, if it ever happens, will take generations.

9079102511

Reposted by Maxim Cherkashin

Lucien Hinderling @lhinderling.bsky.social · 02/06/2025

Inkscape plugin to rescale figures without distorting the text, and other useful features! github.com/burghoff/Sci...

615346

Reposted by Maxim Cherkashin

Pause @ Real Scientists DE @realscientists.de · 02/06/2025

[Admin] Von Mikrotechnik und Ultrakurzpulslasern! Sandra Stroj ist jetzt bei Real Scientists DE! Begrüßt unsere neue Kuratorin @sstroj.bsky.social‬! realscientistsde.blogspot.com/2025/06/von-...

realscientistsde.blogspot.com

Von Mikrotechnik und Ultrakurzpulslasern! Sandra Stroj ist jetzt bei Real Scientists DE!

Diese Woche freuen wir uns auf unsere Kuratorin Dr. Sandra Stroj ( @sstroj.bsky.social )! Sandra Stroj beschäftigt sich seit dem Jahr 2...

0364

Reposted by Maxim Cherkashin

Amrei Bahr @amreibahr.bsky.social · 02/06/2025

Dieses „Freizeit“, das ist, wenn man spült, die Waschmaschine ein- & ausräumt, einkaufen geht, sich Essen zubereitet, putzt, aufräumt usw., und für das die Zeit ständig zu knapp ist, richtig?

413113