Sign in

Austin Benn

@neurabenn.bsky.social
145 followers 242 following 54 posts

Postdoc at FMRIB in Oxford. Member of the cognitive neuroanatomy lab. When not at the lab I’ll see you on the ice

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Austin Benn
Ecology of Animal Societies @livingingroups.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Social play is key for development in many animals, yet how solitary species with single young acquire playmates has remained a quandary. We unlock this using long-term data from 31 Bornean orangutan mother-offspring pairs in our new publication in PNAS. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2621225123. 🧵
13114
Reposted by Austin Benn
NeuroecologyLab @neuroecologylab.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
New preprint with @magdalenaboch.bsky.social and @pfcook.bsky.social!
011
Reposted by Austin Benn
Peter Cook @pfcook.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Very cool new work from @magdalenaboch.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... As one of the world's foremost pinniped enthusiasts (and perhaps THE foremost pinniped brain enthusiast 🤔), I'm VERY ENTHUSIASTIC about this new resource. Some cortical folding species differences of note as well 👇
biorxiv.org
133
Reposted by Austin Benn
CalMatters @calmatters.org · 02/09/2026
A California science bond measure to counter the Trump administration’s research cuts is back from the dead after state lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom reached a deal last week to place the $7.5 billion request to voters on the March 2028 ballot. cal.news/4h5xdaU 📸 Ariana Drehsler
A student walks towards the Biomedical Sciences building at the University of California, San Diego in San Diego on July 26, 2022. Photo by Ariana Drehsler for CalMatters
32814
Reposted by Austin Benn
Nature Portfolio @natureportfolio.nature.com · 29/08/2026
A study in Nature Human Behaviour shows that directing attention to bodily sensations, rather than away, promotes more regulated acute inflammatory responses in healthy volunteers, revealing sensory and vagal pathways linking mind and immune function. go.nature.com/4x7rUNR #immunosky 🧪
This is figure 2, which shows that sensory signalling contributes to attentional regulation of inflammation.
0317
Austin Benn @neurabenn.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Way to go Rocco!!! Happy to see this out in the world now!
010
Reposted by Austin Benn
Alfred Nobel @alfrednobel.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
@neurabenn.bsky.social Very interesting study. The stable topographic organization of imagery is compelling. However, I wonder whether these findings also point to a more fundamental mechanistic question: how are such internally generated sensory experiences physically
102
Reposted by Austin Benn
Richard McElreath 🐈‍⬛ @rmcelreath.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
This November, like every November, I am teaching basic research proposal writing to the new phd cohort at my institute. Here is the 2 page template we start with and adapt. Link to LaTeX github.com/rmcelreath/P...
\title[PhD Plan for CANDIDATE]{Department of \mbox{Full Luxury Galactic Metascience}\\PhD Plan for CANDIDATE}

% list committee members
\author[]{Committee:\\
Prof.~MEMBER1\\
Dr.~MEMBER2\\
Dr.~MEMBER3}

\date{\today}

\begin{document}

\maketitle% this prints the handout title, author, and date

\begin{marginfigure}[-5.2cm]
\includegraphics[width=3.5cm]{Minerva.pdf}
\end{marginfigure}

\section{Phenomenon}
The subject matter to be addressed. What is the question? Citation for background are useful, but don't do a full lit review (yet).\cite{HenrichMcElreath:2003} Additional references can be included at the end bibliography by using \verb|\nocite|. \nocite{NBGA2005}

\section{Theoretical Perspective}
The framework for explaining the phenomenon. What are the implications of theory? If more than one theory is relevant, how do the implications differ? What are the current holes in the theory or theories?

\section{Approach}
Modeling and empirical research approach to address the theory/ies nominated above. Important thing is to \emph{justify} the approach in terms of theory. 

\section{Specifics of Approach}
Outline any special skills, equipment, or techniques that will be required. This includes, in the case of field research, a paragraph on the background of the field location. Data analysis approach needs a sketch. Can use citation\cite{Merowetal2014} for further detail.

\section{Expected Products}
A list of the (usually 3) articles expected for completion of the PhD. Think of each as a fantasy abstract.

\begin{enumerate}

\item \emph{The Evolution of Human Uniqueness.} There is wide agreement that humans are unique. But it is rarely asked: Have they always been unique? In this paper, we derive a general uniqueness theorem that states that any unique species must have been less unique at some point in the past. This theorem has implications for the achievement of world peace.
\item \emph{Niche Construction, Disease Transmission, and Global Warming: Chaos Deconstructs the Block Chain.} How many buzz words can be combined in a title? In this paper, we find that the natural limit on buzz words in any specific scholarly field is always given by the triangular number $T_n$ where $n$ is one more than the number of tenured faculty in the field.

\item \emph{A Bayesian Hierarchical Survival Analysis of Counting Sheep.} Just like all those other models of counting sheep, but this one will be Bayesian.

\end{enumerate}

\section{Schedule}
Outline of the calendar for the work. This is necessarily rough and subject to change.

\vspace{1em}
\begin{fullwidth}
{\centering
\begin{longtable}{lll}
\toprule
\makecell{Date\\(Duration)} & Phase & Comment\\

\midrule
\makecell{Jan 2019\\(1 year)} & \makecell{Phase 1} & First wave of being awesome \\

\midrule
\makecell{Jan 2020\\(1 year)} & \makecell{Phase 2} & \makecell{Write papers \#1 and \#2} \\

\midrule
\makecell{Jan 2021\\(6 months)} & \makecell{Phase 3} & Second wave of awesomeness \\

\midrule
\makecell{Jun 2021\\(6 months)} & \makecell{Phase 4} & Write paper \#3 \\

\bottomrule
\end{longtable}
}
\end{fullwidth}

\bibliography{bibliography}
\bibliographystyle{abbrv}
15812
Austin Benn @neurabenn.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
Sports betting is sadly everywhere these days, but have you tried betting on your running permutation tests ? More of a thrill, less yet more at stake
010
Austin Benn @neurabenn.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
Oxford is great
020
Reposted by Austin Benn
Matt Kirkcaldie @matttkk.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
This delights me for some reason - a comparative anatomical framework for the brains of 26 carnivore species!
292
Reposted by Austin Benn
katja heuer @k4tj4.bsky.social · 27/07/2025
1 To predict the behaviour of a primate, would you rather base your guess on a closely related species or one with a similar brain shape? We looked at brains & behaviours of 70 species, you’ll be surprised! 🧵Thread on our new preprint with @r3rt0.bsky.social , doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Brain Surfaces of 70 primate species
17517234
Austin Benn @neurabenn.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
Fitting title for tonight 🥵
011
Reposted by Austin Benn
Marc L Seal @parkvillegeek.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
ping @r3rt0.bsky.social Cross-species neuroanatomy in primates using tractography | Brain Structure and Function link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com
Cross-species neuroanatomy in primates using tractography - Brain Structure and Function
Due to their integrative role in brain function, long-range white matter connections exhibit high individual variability, giving rise to personalised brain circuits. This neurovariability is more evid...
042
Austin Benn @neurabenn.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
No no. That’s perfect
010
Reposted by Austin Benn
Nature @nature.com · 17/06/2025
A US judge has ordered hundreds of terminated research projects at the US National Institutes of Health to be reinstated, calling the processes that led to their cancellation “bereft of reasoning”. go.nature.com/4kOmXDy
go.nature.com
Judge rules against NIH grant cuts — and calls them discriminatory
The decision means that the US biomedical agency has to restore funding to hundreds of research projects, but the government will likely appeal.
231498
Reposted by Austin Benn
The Transmitter @thetransmitter.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
Explore our Mentorship Directory to discover mentorship opportunities from prominent organizations, and build your neuroscience network: www.thetransmitter.org/mentorship-d... #neuroskyence
thetransmitter.org
Neuroscience Mentorship Program Directory
Discover neuroscience mentorship opportunities through this living directory, connecting mentors and mentees at all stages of their careers.
164
Reposted by Austin Benn
Zejin Lu @zejinlu.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
Now out in Nature Human Behaviour @nathumbehav.nature.com : “End-to-end topographic networks as models of cortical map formation and human visual behaviour”. Please check our NHB link: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
45521
Austin Benn @neurabenn.bsky.social · 07/06/2025
I forgot for a half second we had raccoons in there 😅. either way have fun with making non-standard surfaces!
020
Austin Benn @neurabenn.bsky.social · 07/06/2025
Let me know if you run into any problems on the way! Happy to help get things set up or debugged at any stage!
010
Austin Benn @neurabenn.bsky.social · 07/06/2025
Oooh sounds fun! Do reach out if you run into any trouble running anything! Happy to provide precon_all support and possibly just very interested in also seeing a raccoon brain!
100
Austin Benn @neurabenn.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
Special shout out to those not on bluesky including Eugene Duff, Borja Ibañez, and where it all started with 🐷's at the Centro Nacional Investigaciones Cardiovascualres in Madrid. And finally if you made it this far I'll confess... no it doesn't work in 🐭... yet 10/10
020
Austin Benn @neurabenn.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
Finally, this project couldn’t have been done without the support and help of my amazing collaborators including @tingsterx.bsky.social @neuroecologylab.bsky.social @magdalenaboch.bsky.social @josepemanzano.bsky.social @k4tj4.bsky.social @r3rt0.bsky.social. 9/10
150
Austin Benn @neurabenn.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
For all the details check out our preprint www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... , or better yet, run it yourself, the code is here: github.com/neurabenn/pr.... 8/10
github.com
GitHub - neurabenn/precon_all: precon_all surface pipline
precon_all surface pipline. Contribute to neurabenn/precon_all development by creating an account on GitHub.
131
Austin Benn @neurabenn.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
Then use precon_all to automate the cortical surface reconstruction for you! Better yet, create a surface template for spatial normalization using your unique species data 7/10
130
Austin Benn @neurabenn.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
All of this means that precon_all can give you a cortical surface in a semi-automated manner for a species you’ve never seen before. But what if you’ve seen one species a lot… too much perhaps? 6/10
130
Austin Benn @neurabenn.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
What if it fails though (And let's be honest, it might sometimes)? Then you edit as if it were a human brain in Freesurfer and rerun the filling and tessellation steps. 5/10
130
Austin Benn @neurabenn.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
What do you need to run precon_all? First you need a T1, or an image with T1 like contrast. Then you need to provide a user defined brain mask, two hemisphere masks, a “noncortical” mask which removes anything you don’t want included, and a “subcortical” mask which fills in the subcortex. 4/10
120
Austin Benn @neurabenn.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
Its design models Freesurfer, including built in modularity for separated brain extraction, segmentation, and filling and tessellation. If you've run Freesurfer for your human data then the output and interface should hopefully be a seamless experience 3/10
121
Austin Benn @neurabenn.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
Precon_all simplifies the creation of cortical surfaces for comparative neuroanatomy. But how? We created a unified processing pipeline from image to cortical surface combining FSL, Connectome Workbench, Advanced Normalization Tools (ANTS), and of course… Freesurfer! 2/10
120
Austin Benn @neurabenn.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
Precon_all is finally citeable! I’m relieved, pleased, thrilled and all other superlatives to present to you our preprint describing the inner workings of the precon_all pipeline for semi-automated non-human cortical surface reconstruction! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 1/10
45719
Austin Benn @neurabenn.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
Reread the preprint yesterday and can’t help but think I prefer the original title! Congrats to the team though this is a really fantastic approach
000
Reposted by Austin Benn
Oxford University Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (OxCIN) @oxcin.bsky.social · 26/05/2025
The OxCIN Global Scholars programme offers a year of remote MRI training and collaboration for early-career researchers from the Global South. Apply by June 30th to join the 2025/26 cohort. Please repost! www.oxcin.ox.ac.uk/about/traini...
075
Reposted by Austin Benn
Oded Rechavi @odedrechavi.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
When a Decision on Manuscript email arrives a minute before you go out to celebrate your birthday
39512
Reposted by Austin Benn
European Commission @ec.europa.eu · 08/05/2025
Choose Science. Choose Europe. A new Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 call is now open. With a budget of €404.3 million, it will support around 1,650 researchers from Europe and beyond. Apply by 10 September → europa.eu/!fBTMgF
A graphic for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), showing a historical portrait of Marie Skłodowska-Curie overlaid with an image of four young researchers walking down a hallway. The European Commission logo is in the top left. Text reads: "Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions – €404.3 million to support postdoctoral researchers”
15947556
Austin Benn @neurabenn.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
I'm really loving lm notebook! You can now output podcasts about an article in multiple languages! It means I can share my work with my in-laws in spanish!
000
Austin Benn @neurabenn.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
I think I want a Canadian team to win the cup this year. Rantanen may single handedly make that impossible. What a streak
000
Reposted by Austin Benn
Annie G. Bryant @anniegbryant.bsky.social · 04/05/2025
🎨🧑‍🎨 Looking for a tool to visualize subcortical/thalamic data in 2D? Check out this python-based package I put together (subcortex-visualization on PyPI), plus a guide for creating your own custom atlas meshes and vector graphics! All feedback/tips welcome 😊 anniegbryant.github.io/subcortex_vi...
48241
Reposted by Austin Benn
Tim Behrens @behrenstimb.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
Science is under threat in the US. @elife.bsky.social have commissioned a series of articles discussing the implications and what we can do. The first three articles are now live. More to follow: elifesciences.org/articles/106... elifesciences.org/articles/106... elifesciences.org/articles/106...
elifesciences.org
Science Under Threat in the United States: How scientists and institutions should respond
Individual researchers and university leaders need to make the case for science to their elected representatives and to the public at large.
13234161
Reposted by Austin Benn
Dr. Zachary Rubin @rubinallergy.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
Placebo-controlled trials can be dangerous when safer alternatives already exist. That’s why scientists now use active comparator trials to ensure safety and protect lives. Forcing placebo use across the board isn’t science—it’s recklessness disguised as “gold standard science.”
1583
Austin Benn @neurabenn.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
Go California go!
010
Reposted by Austin Benn
Dr. Suzanne Le Menestrel @drsl.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
The Spencer Foundation is offering rapid response bridge funding for those who lost NSF research grants. www.spencer.org/grant_types/...
spencer.org
Rapid Response Bridge Funding Program
In the face of recent abrupt shifts in federal funding for education research, including large-scale terminations of National Science Foundation (NSF) research grant awards, we have developed a rap...
4615505
Reposted by Austin Benn
Dr. David Miller 🏳️‍🌈 @davidimiller.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
I am so heartened to this seriously AWESOME #SaveNSF website go up today!!!! Has a take action toolkit with: 1. Press outreach templates 2. Social media toolkit 3. Elected official outreach 4. Talking points Check it out and share widely!!!! Likely more to come. www.savensf.com
Welcome to Save The U.S. National Science Foundation
A Girl Looking at a Physics Model
TAKE ACTION
Save NSF is a coalition of concerned scientists and allies who are working to save funding for scientific grants through the U.S. National Science Foundation.

 

Our mission is to support and advocate for the continuation of vital research and innovation in various scientific fields. NSF funding is critical to this work.

 

 Join us in our endeavor to ensure a sustainable future for scientific exploration and discovery.
9600419
Austin Benn @neurabenn.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
10pm coffee… you know it’s grant season
000
Reposted by Austin Benn
Vincent Arel-Bundock @vincentab.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
📚😅🎉 Yay!! I just submitted the complete manuscript of my upcoming book to the publisher! Learn to easily and clearly interpret (almost) any stats model w/ R or Python. Simple ideas, consistent workflow, powerful tools, detailed case studies. Read it for free @ marginaleffects.com #RStats #PyData
Model to Meaning: How to interpret statistical models with marginaleffects for R and Python
21596148
Austin Benn @neurabenn.bsky.social · 18/04/2025
Had a quick pit stop back in Paris. Was great to have lunch with @k4tj4.bsky.social and @r3rt0.bsky.social and talk about 🧠
050
Austin Benn @neurabenn.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
I wouldn’t know how to math this out but would be interested in the solution. Our recent preprint shows this compensation occurs across pretty large swaths of the cortex
000
Reposted by Austin Benn
James Pang @jchrispang.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
We are hiring! @aurinaarn.bsky.social and I are jointly looking for a talented Postdoc in Systems and Comp Neuro at Monash (AUS). If you like neuroimaging 🧠, comp models 💻, genetics 🧬, brain disorders 🤕, and/or evolution 🐵🐭, this could be the job for you!! careers.pageuppeople.com/513/cw/en/jo...
careers.pageuppeople.com
Job Search
22825
Austin Benn @neurabenn.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
Lugging my hockey gear through Oxford to get a plane to Paris… I feel like Frodo
000
Austin Benn @neurabenn.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
A lot of things are happening and it feels silly to post a silly thought, but I think one of the most important things I've learned to do this year is to write and listen to music that's fun. I've made it out of the soundtrack bubble (note I still love writing to soundtracks too)
010