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Prof Rebecca Hoyle

@rebeccahoyle.bsky.social
200 followers 375 following 43 posts

Professor of mathematics, mum, yogi.

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Reposted by Prof Rebecca Hoyle
Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 22/09/2026
For millions, Terry Pratchett opened the door to a lifelong love of reading. The passage below, from Reaper Man, has always struck us as one of his most moving – a humanist meditation on death and legacy that continues to be read at humanist funerals today. #GNUTerryPratchett
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Reposted by Prof Rebecca Hoyle
merr-itt came from outer space @merrittk.com · 25/07/2026
a good piece of advice i once got is to disregard any despairing thoughts about the trajectory of your life that you might have after 9 PM. those are the night thoughts and we do not speak of them
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Danny Chambers MP 🔶 @dannychambers.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Mental health must be treated with the same seriousness that we treat physical health. That is my message for Mental Health Awareness Week. Follow along throughout the week to find out more about what I've been working on in Winchester and in Parliament to improve the way we treat mental health.
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Barack Obama @barackobama.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
The young people in our @obamafoundation.bsky.social Leaders program give me hope. One of those leaders, Luisa Neubauer, is working to fight climate change and recently traveled to Antarctica. This Earth Day, I hope you'll check out her incredible story.
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The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) @themerl.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Happy 8th anniversary to the tweet that changed us forever. Look at this absolute unit.
A very stocky Exmoor Horn ram.
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Reposted by Prof Rebecca Hoyle
London Mathematical Society @londmathsoc.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
We are the UK’s learned society for the advancement, dissemination and promotion of mathematics, both nationally and internationally. Donations from supporters are enormously valuable in enabling us to extend our support for mathematics and mathematicians Read more ➡️ www.lms.ac.uk/content/dona...
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Martina Testori @mtestori.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Excited to share our new paper now out in @pnas.org: doi.org/10.1073/pnas... In an ABM with Bayesian agents, we challenge the idea that more information exchange necessarily improves epistemic gain. Thanks to @dvdgrossi.bsky.social, J. Stein & S. Cruz for one of the best collaborations ever!
pnas.org
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
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Reposted by Prof Rebecca Hoyle
UK Health Security Agency @ukhsa.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
Did you see these stories from some of our female scientists recently? On #InternationalWomensDay, we thought we would reshare them to celebrate the incredible contributions women make across UKHSA. 🔬🧪
A person is standing against a blue illustrated background and holding a large photo of a child wearing a pink top. To the left, text reads ‘Lee Chan – Insight lead.’ At the bottom, a yellow text box contains a personal statement about choosing a career in applied social research in government and encouraging others from similar backgrounds to consider this path. A person stands against a colourful background with abstract shapes and holds a printed photo of an elephant next to two people outdoors. Text at the top reads: ‘Dr Alicia Demirjian – Consultant Epidemiologist and Clinical Lead for Antimicrobial Resistance and Prescribing.’ A yellow text box at the bottom contains a message encouraging curiosity, asking questions, striving for excellence, working hard, and enjoying the journey as well as the destination.A person stands against a green and blue illustrated background with science-themed icons and holds a printed photo of a child wearing a purple dress and standing outdoors. Text on the left reads: ‘Dr Marie Chattaway – Unit Head of Gastrointestinal bacteria reference unit.’ A yellow text box at the bottom contains a message about discovering a career in microbiology, being open to opportunities, exploring, asking questions, learning from failure, being brave enough to try, and moving forward without needing to have everything figured out.A person stands against a bright blue and green illustrated background with science-themed icons and holds a printed photograph of a child wearing a dress and standing outdoors. A yellow text box on the left displays the name ‘Oyebimpe Balogun’ with the title ‘International Health Regulations Strengthening Project, Nigeria – Technical Adviser for Laboratory Systems.’ A larger yellow text box at the bottom contains a message describing an early visit to a bottling company in Sokoto, Nigeria, observing young people performing quality control tests, and how this experience inspired a future career in laboratory science. The message encourages determination, resilience, and transforming obstacles into stepping stones toward success.
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Iain Mansfield @igmansfield.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
This is super interesting. The last one I can read fluently is 1600. I can then still read it and figure out (almost) every word, with some puzzling, but then lose it almost completely at 1200. www.deadlanguagesociety.com/p/how-far-ba...
deadlanguagesociety.com
How far back in time can you understand English?
An experiment in language change
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Reposted by Prof Rebecca Hoyle
The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) @themerl.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
A common fictional narrative shows people with nonconforming identities finding self-acceptance in towns and cities. This #LGBTQHistoryMonth, archivist Lottie Wood explores how author E. M. Barraud found the opposite, through rural work and the Women’s Land Army. merl.reading.ac.uk/news-and-vie...
merl.reading.ac.uk
"I am the farm worker going home at evening": gender fluidity, rural landscapes, and the Women's Land Army
Archivist Lottie Wood explores gender and landscapes in E. M. Barraud's reflections on her time in the Women's Land Army.
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Times Higher Education (THE) @timeshighered.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
Academic #writing is often framed as something faculty should simply manage better; when they struggle, the blame is put on the individual academic. But this explanation doesn’t hold, as Rachel Gabriele explains: ow.ly/kFFA50YiI3g #Academia #HigherEd #AcademicSky
ow.ly
‘Let’s treat writing as shared infrastructure rather than private struggle’
Academic writing is often framed as something faculty should simply manage better; when they struggle, the blame is put on the individual academic. But this explanation doesn’t hold, as Rachel Gabriele explains
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Reposted by Prof Rebecca Hoyle
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 20/02/2026
Suppressing laughter in solemn settings can backfire. Here’s what brain science says about why ‘church giggles’ feel unstoppable.
tcnv.link
Why it’s funnier when you’re not allowed to laugh
Suppressing laughter in solemn settings can backfire. Here’s what brain science says about why ‘church giggles’ feel unstoppable.
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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
Bucket theory is unglamorous but very important. @ersatzben.com is forensic here - a must read for those interested in UK research policy www.ersatzben.com/p/the-bucket...
ersatzben.com
The Bucket Stops Here
UKRI’s new funding framework takes a stab at classifying budgets – but doesn’t yet govern research
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The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 13/02/2026
From first dates to sleeping lovers, these are the paintings that have touched the hearts of our experts.
tcnv.link
The five most romantic paintings of all time – according to art historians
From first dates to sleeping lovers, these are the paintings that have touched the hearts of our experts.
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Reposted by Prof Rebecca Hoyle
University of Bristol Biological Sciences @bristolbiosci.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
JOB ALERT! We are excited to announce that we are recruiting three new academics at lecturer level! Click the link below for more info on how to apply, and don’t forget to explore our research themes too! We look forward to receiving your applications! www.bristol.ac.uk/jobs/find/de...
JOB ALERT!

Lecturer in Biological Sciences

Come and join us in the world class Life Sciences Building at the University of Bristol!

Closing date: Sunday 8 MarchJOB ALERT!

Lecturer in Biological Sciences

Interested in our research areas? Click the link in our bio to discover more!

Closing date: Sunday 8 March
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Reposted by Prof Rebecca Hoyle
Waffle 🧇 @wafflecut.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
“I’ve reviewed over 50 sticky toffee puddings” is an incredibly powerful way to begin a video
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Mar Hicks @histoftech.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
A few days ago we lost an important hidden figure in the history of 20th century Cold War technology—Gladys West’s work and insights were essential in the creation of GPS: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Gladys Mae West obituary: mathematician who pioneered GPS technology
She made key contributions to US cold-war science despite facing huge barriers as a Black woman.
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Lev Parikian @levparikian.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Fun thing about the 72 microseasons featured in this book: nobody’s really sure where the ‘traditional’ 72 came from (or how ‘ancient’ they are), but if you’re following the calendar they’re based on, the year starts tomorrow.
The word 'ancient' is doing a lot of work. It carries associations of tradition and wisdom, while at the same time being conveniently unspecific. In this case it harks back to the sixth century, when the system of twenty-four solar terms - based on the lunisolar calendar
- reached Japan from China, by way of Korea.
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Kirsty Grainger @kirstygrainger.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
Some initial reactions to the 'published on a Sunday afternoon' letter from the CEO of UKRI. 🧵 www.ukri.org/news/open-le...
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Daphne Jackson Trust @daphnejacksontr.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
The Trust are grateful for the ongoing support from The University of Surrey, who continue to build on the legacy of Professor Daphne Jackson. The Trust spoke with two Daphne Jackson Fellows who were hosted at The University of Surrey about their experience returning to research here.
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ICMS @icms-edinburgh.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
💡This week at ICMS: "Retreat for women in applied mathematics 2026" Have at look at the full details here: icms.ac.uk/activities/w...
icms.ac.uk
Retreat for women in applied mathematics 2026 - ICMS
The best conference I have been to in my academic career to date. I really loved the combination of PhD students, post docs/fellows, lecturers and professors during this event. I loved the size of the...
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Reposted by Prof Rebecca Hoyle
Justin Myers @theguyliner.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
Heartwarming festive update: these icons are still together!
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
From time to time I burden you with some personal stuff, based on my belief that our values begin with who we are and where we came from. I wanted to share some thoughts on what it means to get older. robertreich.substack.com/p/you-look…
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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
‘Don’t expect to be a genius; you get better by working hard. Don’t rip up your work in a fury if it’s going badly. Set it aside, sit in the garden, drink tea’ David Gentleman has a new book ‘Lessons for Young Artists’ www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
theguardian.com
‘Don’t be disheartened by mistakes’: 10 lessons my artist father taught me
David Gentleman’s brilliant career spans eight decades, from watercolour painting to tube station murals to drawing the Tottenham riots. Here his daughter, the Guardian journalist Amelia Gentleman, di...
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Prof Rebecca Hoyle @rebeccahoyle.bsky.social · 13/12/2025
Just to be clear: this is satire.
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The Secret Barrister @barristersecret.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Innocent people end up in our criminal courts. Completely, terrifyingly innocent. And all that stands between them and losing everything is a fair trial. Politicians would do well to remember this when they tell us that justice is all about processing “criminals” swiftly.
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Timothy O'Leary @timothyoleary.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
We are opening a FACULTY POSITION (tenure track, permanent) in the University of Cambridge at the interface of control and biology, interpreted broadly. Theorists and wet lab quantitative biologists with backgrounds in control, EE, applied math, ... apply by Jan 28! www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/univers...
cam.ac.uk
University Assistant/Associate Professor in Control Theory and Systems Biology
Applications are invited for a University Assistant/Associate Professorship in the broad area of Control Theory and Systems Biology. The successful candidate will join the Control Group
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The Mary Rose Museum @maryrosemuseum.bsky.social · 30/11/2025
Reading about the past or watching documentaries are a great way to discover the past, but there's noting that compares to seeing the actual bowl a cook wrote his name on 19 years before Shakespeare was born... #Museum30 #WhyMuseums
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University of Southampton @unisouthampton.bsky.social · 16/11/2025
Good luck to our former Chancellor Ruby Wax as she embarks on bush tucker trials and jungle adventures in I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! 🐍 Could Ruby be swapping her cap and ceremonial mace for a crown and sceptre?
Ruby Wax stands confidently in a lush jungle scene. She is wearing a wide-brimmed hat, a beige jacket, red trousers, and a red, white, and blue scarf. The backdrop is filled with green foliage and bright red flowers. Credit: ITV Plc.
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Prof Rebecca Hoyle @rebeccahoyle.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
Interesting mathematics knowledge exchange job available: gateway.newton.ac.uk/media/news/j...
gateway.newton.ac.uk
Job Opportunity: Scientific Knowledge Exchange Coordinator - Newton Gateway to Mathematics
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Emma Mitchell @silverpebble2.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
Just added to my Etsy shop: 🌿final small print run of my '26 calendars 🪶my handmade recycled silver jewellery designs (incl intricate casts of real flowers) 🌸limited ed'n mounted art prints of my photos 💐tiny posy mental health kits Last orders for📮 in time for🌲: 19 Nov www.etsy.com/uk/shop/silv...
My individually handmade recycled silver jewellery including intricate casts of real flowers (snowdrop, bluebell etc), casts of dragonfly Wongs & jay feathers & my tiny wearable sculptures of much-loved British bird speciesOne of my best-selling mounted art prints of flowers I grew & bought from an honesty floristVictorian ink bottles that form part of my tiny posy-making mental health kits-they make great giftsThe 12 photos that make up my 2026 botanical calendar-each image is designed to improve mental health
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Reposted by Prof Rebecca Hoyle
The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 24/10/2025
Many countries in Europe pay much less for their energy.
tcnv.link
Why electricity costs so much in the UK (it’s not all about the weather)
Many countries in Europe pay much less for their energy.
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Alastair Campbell @alastaircampbell2.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
Tree of the Day
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Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 22/10/2025
New 'state of climate action' report gives you a much better picture than daily headlines about contextless solar panel or EV sales - Most things are going in the right direction - Most things are badly off track to the pace of change required systemschangelab.org/state-climat...
Share of electric vehicles in light-duty vehicle
sales (%)
Share of electric vehicles in the light-duty
vehicle fleet (%)
Reforestation (total Mha)
GHG emissions intensity of soil fertilization
(gCO2
e/1,000 kcal)
Ruminant meat productivity (kg/ha)
1.8x Global private climate finance (trillion US$/yr) d
Share of zero-carbon sources in electricity
generation (%)
Share of solar and wind in electricity
generation (%)
Share of coal in electricity generation (%)
Share of unabated fossil gas in electricity
generation (%) 
Carbon intensity of electricity generation
(gCO2/kWh)
Energy intensity of building operations (kWh/m2
)
Carbon intensity of building operations (kgCO2
/m2
)
Share of electricity in the industry sector's final
energy demand (%)
Carbon intensity of global cement production
(kgCO2/t cement)
Share of new buildings that are zero-carbon
in operation (%)
WRONG DIRECTION, U-TURN NEEDED
INSUFFICIENT DATA
RIGHT DIRECTION, OFF TRACK
RIGHT DIRECTION, WELL OFF TRACK
1.2x
1.6x
7x
4x
N/A Green hydrogen production (Mt) b,d
Share of sustainable aviation fuels in global
aviation fuel supply (%) N/Ab,d
Share of electric vehicles in bus sales (%)
N/Ab
N/Ab,d
1.8x
5x U-turn needed Mangrove loss (ha/yr) d
Number of kilometers of rapid transit per
1 million inhabitants (km/1M inhabitants) 5x
N/Ab,d
Share of electric vehicles in medium- and
heavy-duty commercial vehicle sales (%) N/Ab,d
Share of kilometers traveled by
passenger cars (% of passenger-km)
Carbon intensity of global steel
production (kgCO2/t crude steel)
U-turn needed
U-turn needed Share of food production lost (%)
U-turn needed Public fossil fuel finance (trillion US$/yr) d
Ins. data
Ins. data Peatland degradation (Mha/yr)
Ins. data Peatland restoration (total Mha)
Ins. data Food waste (kg/capita)
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Emily M. Bender @emilymbender.bsky.social · 18/10/2025
I'd love to see someone try to estimate just how much time and money has gone into research that is either fully undermined by reliance on LLMs or fully pointless --- because obvious if you start from an understanding of what LLMs actually are. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Screen cap from linked article, with heading Significance and then text:

Large Language Models (LLMs) are used in evaluative tasks across domains. Yet, what appears as alignment with human or expert judgments may conceal a deeper shift in how “judgment” itself is operationalized. Using news outlets as a controlled benchmark, we compare six LLMs to expert ratings and human evaluations under an identical, structured framework. While models often match expert outputs, our results suggest that they may rely on lexical associations and statistical priors rather than contextual reasoning or normative criteria. We term this divergence epistemia: the illusion of knowledge emerging when surface plausibility replaces verification. Our findings suggest not only performance asymmetries but also a shift in the heuristics underlying evaluative processes, raising fundamental questions about delegating judgment to LLMs.

Sentence starting with "While models often" is highlighted in blue.
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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
If you want to read an actually good piece about integration in the United Kingdom, try @samfr.bsky.social:
samf.substack.com
The Truth About Integration
I have been challenged by readers to write something less depressing about the state of the country.
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Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
Happy Nobel week, when I will tally for you how many prizes go to white guys. Follow this thread! We’re kicking off with 1/3, possibly the lowest share I’ve seen. www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medic...
nobelprize.org
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2025
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2025 was awarded to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi “for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance.”
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Sorbonne Université @sorbonne-universite.fr · 16/09/2025
📣 Sorbonne University withdraws from the Times Higher Education World University Rankings! 🎓 This withdrawal is not just a symbolic gesture. The decision comes as part of a broader strategy to promote #openscience and reform research assessment.
sorbonne-universite.fr
Sorbonne University decides to withdraw from the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings
As of 2026, Sorbonne University will no longer submit data to the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings. The decision comes as part of a wider approach to promote open science and ref...
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Chris Havergal @chrishavergal.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
Vice-chancellors of UK universities are much less likely to attend private school than other top public servants, with half now coming from a comprehensive school background, finds @suttontrust.bsky.social www.timeshighereducation.com/news/drop-nu... via @patrickjack.bsky.social
timeshighereducation.com
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Rob Eastaway @robeastaway.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
Yesterday I spent a fascinating morning talking maths with a group of GPs. All professions require some level of numeracy, but doctors face particular challenges when communicating mathematical ideas. I've written up a short blog: robeastaway.com/blog/gp-maths
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Prof Cath Noakes @cathnoakes.bsky.social · 19/07/2025
While infection control and cleaning is always a good thing, it’s not going to cut it for measles. Measles is airborne and highly contagious. The best approach is vaccination, and local infection control should focus on ventilation and air cleaning www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
theguardian.com
Nurseries in England bring in Covid-style protocols as measles cases rise
Staff deploy infection controls and step up cleaning as cases pass 500 for year to date and after one child dies
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Robert Wright @reporterrwright.ft.com · 18/07/2025
After my son was diagnosed with autism, I've been thinking about my own relationship to this strange, highly contentious condition. During a sabbatical this spring, I spoke to some experts about it. My essay based on all that has just gone online on FT.Com: on.ft.com/4kKdCfe
on.ft.com
In search of a diagnosis
How my son’s autism assessment sent me on an investigation into my own past
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Prof Rebecca Hoyle @rebeccahoyle.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
Another route for mid-career international researchers to move to the UK. royalsociety.org/grants/farad... You need to be nominated by a UK university. Our local internal deadline for the first round is Monday 21 July, so get in touch with your UK contacts very soon!
royalsociety.org
Faraday Discovery Fellowships Accelerated International Route | Royal Society
The Faraday Discovery Fellowships Accelerated International Route provides a fast-track option for attracting mid-career researchers looking to relocate to the UK from overseas, providing up to £4m ov...
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University of Southampton @unisouthampton.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
We are excited to be part of the Global Talent Fund – a new government initiative to bring world-leading international researchers to the UK. The fund will help Southampton to drive innovation that supports UK industry. Find out more 👉 tr.ee/ZZdR5k @ukri.org | @russellgroup.bsky.social
Two scientists in blue lab coats are working in a laboratory. One is seated, using a keyboard, and the other is standing and pointing at data on a computer screen. They are both focused on the monitor.
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Times Higher Education (THE) @timeshighered.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
Opinion: The government’s £54 million scheme will bring top researchers’ thinking to life, often spinning out into innovative new businesses, says Patrick Vallance #AcademicSky #research #innovation
timeshighereducation.com
The UK is opening express lanes to lure the world’s best minds
The government’s £54 million scheme will bring top researchers’ thinking to life, often spinning out into innovative new businesses, says Patrick Vallance
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Prof Rebecca Hoyle @rebeccahoyle.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
Come to the University of Southampton! @unisouthampton.bsky.social We’re excited to be part of this new scheme to attract researchers to the UK.
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Prof Rebecca Hoyle @rebeccahoyle.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
www.gov.uk/government/n...
gov.uk
Leading lights of UK research spearhead search for world's best talent
12 leading universities and research institutions selected to deliver government’s £54 million fund to recruit world’s top researchers.
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Lev Parikian @levparikian.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
The swifts will start to leave in numbers soon. We won’t see them go. And then, obviously, the countdown will begin again.
A graph showing reports of swifts in Britain. The line rises sharply through the first half of May, then more steadily until it peaks in late June. Then a sharp drop off from mid-July until mid-September, when it reaches zero.
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Prof Rebecca Hoyle @rebeccahoyle.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
For anyone who has recently been asking about career opportunities in the UK.
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