Sign in

Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes

@thiebes.bsky.social
767 followers 914 following 289 posts

☀️ Thiebes rhymes with Phoebus ⚗️ physical chemist / chemical physicist 🔬 time-resolved spectro/microscopy 📊 data science & analytics 🌟 lifelong learner 🎯 banner: laser interference

PostsRepliesMedia
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
Two weeks ago I released curved-text, a small library for drawing labels that follow arbitrary curves in Matplotlib. The response was overwhelming. That attention led to a lot of careful refinement. #Python #Matplotlib #DataViz #OpenSource #ScientificPython
github.com
GitHub - thiebes/curved-text: Draw text along an arbitrary curve in matplotlib, with arc-length positioning and a perpendicular offset.
Draw text along an arbitrary curve in matplotlib, with arc-length positioning and a perpendicular offset. - thiebes/curved-text
151
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Yesterday my 12yo brought home a bottled water and later noticed that it professed to be alkaline water. "Hey it has the pH on the bottle! It says it's pH 9." "Hmm," I murmured with a smirk. "I'm skeptical." She lit up. "Let's test it!"
130
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
A small Python tool for cleaner paper figures: curved-text labels each line right on the curve instead of in a legend. Self-contained plots, less work for the reader. pip install curved-text thiebes.org/2026/06/11/l... #AcademicSky #DataViz
thiebes.org
Labeling matplotlib curves without a legend
When a chart has a few lines on it, the usual way to tell them apart is a legend: a small box off to the side that maps each color to a name. It works, but it makes the reader do extra work. Your e…
160
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Reflecting pools work because their floors are dark. That is the whole trick, and it is about three thousand years old. The Lincoln pool is being recoated swimming-pool blue this spring. New essay on what that changes. josephthiebes.substack.com/p/what-the-d...
josephthiebes.substack.com
What the dark was for
Still water in low light gives back the world above it.
030
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
In his paper, Turing quoted the neurosurgeon Geoffrey Jefferson, who had argued that a machine could not truly think until it could write a sonnet “because of thoughts and emotions felt, and not by the chance fall of symbols.” New essay: josephthiebes.substack.com/p/the-selfis...
josephthiebes.substack.com
The selfish test
Richard Dawkins asked Claude if it's conscious. The answer raised a problem older than AI.
000
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
i wrote about holes. the semiconductor kind. turns out they pass every test we use to identify objects. so do you. 🤔
Substack preview card for ‘Persona non grata’ article, showing a minimal line drawing of Beethoven in profile.
010
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
MemPalace made a specific benchmarking error. The palace architecture that defines the system played no role in producing the headline score. The error has a 400-year-old precedent. Giordano Bruno made the same move. New piece: josephthiebes.substack.com/p/giordano-b...
josephthiebes.substack.com
Giordano Bruno's GitHub repository
What MemPalace and Milla Jovovich got right about knowledge systems that prove themselves
010
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
What we treat as central is often an effect of duration. A new essay on attention, distribution, and interpretation: The geometry of attention.
open.substack.com
The geometry of attention
Meaning emerges from where attention settles and how long it remains
020
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
Alysa Liu & St. Friedrich
A photograph of Alysa Liu skating with a quote:

I say unto you:
one must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star.
I say unto you:
you still have chaos in yourselves.
020
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Most people who see the aurora say it looked nothing like the photographs. They are right. What few realize is that the longer they stood there, the less true that became.
open.substack.com
Why the aurora never look like the photos
Most people who see the aurora say it looked nothing like the photographs.
010
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
After watching Bad Bunny's performance again, I was looking at thumbnails of past halftime shows and thought, wow I bet Shakira sang a lot of Spanish songs. Sure enough, she did. Do you know what else made an appearance? The flag of Puerto Rico. And do you know WHO else made an appearance? Benito!
120
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
open.substack.com/pub/josephth...
Graphic displaying the title “Measurement is not observation” and the name Joseph J. Thiebes, Ph.D.
010
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 25/10/2025
As I always say: Shamrocks for your real friends, Real rocks for your sham friends. (Unless they are geologists, in which case give them both.)
A potted Oxalis triangularis (shamrock) plant with green, triangular leaves and delicate pale lavender flowers. The plant sits in a terracotta pot by a window, with soft natural light highlighting the translucent petals and the geometric shape of the leaves.
030
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
Got my COVID booster.
Person wearing a white mask with handwritten text ‘FU RFK,’ showing their upper arm with a colorful cartoon bandage after receiving a Covid booster.
0160
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 06/09/2025
Cozying up to kick off my birthday weekend with this remarkable new book by Toby Hendy @tibees.bsky.social. Look closely at the photograph: an inversion hides in plain sight! The fourth dimension may be closer than it seems…
Joseph Thiebes, wearing pajamas, holds the book “A Guide to Making Friends in the Fourth Dimension” by Toby Hendy, partly covering his face. An elephant sconce hangs on the wall behind him. A hallway extends into the background with a mirror that reflects light and his silhouette from behind.
081
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 01/09/2025
I’m starting a new position as a part-time Middle School Science Laboratory Instructor! I’ll spend an hour each week helping students explore the scientific method, nurture critical thinking skills, and connect with the Montessori tradition of self-directed cosmic education.
150
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 27/07/2025
@bskyttrpg.bsky.social unsubscribe
100
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 27/07/2025
Meitner-Auger recombination: A process by which energy transfer between excitons causes one to recombine and the other to be excited to a higher energy state within the same energy band. It was discovered and published in 1922 by Lise Meitner and—independently—in 1923 by Pierre Victor Auger.
110
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 28/06/2025
Happy Tau Day! We celebrate both Pi Day and Tau Day at our house. Tau (≈6.28) is 2π, and some say it is the better circle constant. Either way, it is a great chance to talk angles, radians, and geometry with kids. Preferably over something round and tasty. #TauDay
A cartoon illustration showing the Greek letter tau (τ) with a smiling face on the left. On the right, there are two smiling cartoon pies stacked vertically. An equal sign is between them, indicating that tau equals two pies. The background is dark blue.
070
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
Every science award given to multiple people should go to half who identify as women and half who identify as men. For odd numbers, alternate yearly. “Best qualified” is no excuse. There are always more qualified people than awards. All-male award lists should be embarrassing. #WomenInSTEM
1100
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 15/03/2025
Pão de Queijo! Easy to make: 170 g tapioca flour 1 egg 1/3 C olive oil 2/3 C milk 66 g cheese 1 tsp salt Blend to homogeneity, 3/4 fill greased mini muffin pan, bake at 400 F for 15 min. Spray the pan w/ canola oil because it is healthy and to spite RFK who hates it. #ChemistsWhoCook
A green plastic container filled with freshly baked pão de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread). The small, round pastries have a golden-brown crust on the sides and a soft, slightly puffed, yellowish top. They are piled together, showcasing their airy and chewy texture. The container sits on a neutral-colored surface.
0101
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
The White House doubled down on Trump’s absurd claim that #DOGE canceled $8 million for “making mice #transgender.” In reality, none of the projects do anything of the sort. (Do mice even have gender identity?) Here’s what they actually study: 1/
132
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 02/03/2025
Although she fell asleep every time we listened to Project Hail Mary (audiobook), the 5yo retained enough to draw this picture of Rocky, the alien in the book, almost a week after we finished listening.
A child’s drawing in red marker on white paper depicts Rocky, the alien from Project Hail Mary. The figure has a rounded, dome-like body with several circular spots and six legs ending in clawed feet. A head extends upward from the back of the body, featuring a small face with simple details. The drawing is made with bold, expressive lines, and some grass-like details appear at the bottom.
040
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 22/02/2025
My 10yo won first place in her class spelling bee today. So proud of her ❤️
92112
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
Clearly, my recent paper might find itself in hot water with the ‘bias patrol.’ I suppose ‘systematic error’ just doesn’t have the same ring to it! #Optics #Photonics ⚛️ 🧪
The image contains a passage from a scientific paper discussing the systematic error in diffusion coefficient estimates. It states that for small diffusion lengths (L_D ≤ 0.1 FWHM₀), the mean estimated diffusion coefficient (⟨D_est⟩) is biased toward faster diffusion rates. In an extreme case of low contrast and small diffusion length (LD = 0.01 FWHM₀), composite least squares fitting yields an estimated diffusion coefficient that is an order of magnitude larger than the nominal value (D_nom). The passage references Figure 7(b), which explores how systematic error biases ⟨D_est⟩ when contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR₀) is less than or equal to 10. Key instances of the word “biased” are highlighted.
72311
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
Pleased to share our study on how substrate annealing affects CsPbBr₃ perovskite photoluminescence on TiO₂. We show how annealing temp tunes surface roughness, crystallinity & charge recombination. Grateful to lead author Xavier Vorhies and co-authors! #PerovSky #MatSky #ChemSky 🧪
pubs.aip.org
Photoluminescence lifetime of perovskites on modified substrates
Lead halide perovskites have gained attention for their potential in optoelectronic applications, including photovoltaics and light-emitting devices, due to the
0161
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 02/02/2025
I’m reading Project Hail Mary, and so far it’s a great read for the spectroscopy content alone! #chemsky
0110
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
My dissertation is now freely available: scholarworks.montana.edu/items/5f1522d5… It examines nanocrystal ligand effects on transport, lamellar structure influence on charge separation, and impact of noise in measures of excited state diffusion in semiconducting materials. 🧪 #chemsky #perovsky
scholarworks.montana.edu
3273
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
Sweeping restrictions at NIH have halted grant reviews, workshops, and hiring. Travel and communication bans block scientists from presenting work, recruiting for clinical trials, and publishing. Fear and uncertainty now threaten U.S. biomedical research progress. 🧪 www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
Trump hits NIH with ‘devastating’ freezes on meetings, travel, communications, and hiring
Researchers facing
87754
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
Gasoline (petrol) near me: $2.80/gal (€0.67/L). Eggs: $6.59/dozen (€6.05). Noting these prices today as the newly inaugurated president promised to lower costs.
063
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 15/01/2025
Very cool to see my 3D model being printed in chocolate!
1213
Reposted by Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes
Itai Yanai @itaiyanai.bsky.social · 05/01/2025
Starting a new lab?! The most important factors for choosing the university/institute/company are: the colleagues, students & postdocs, the leadership, equipment, the lab space and start-up funds; IN THAT ORDER.
7488
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
We watched Nightbitch last night, and I loved it. A modern “Heroine’s Journey” that is raw, unsettling, and empowering. Not horror as billed, but a visceral, strange, and cathartic exploration of motherhood and identity. Highly recommend!
030
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 23/12/2024
This excellent video by @acollierastro.bsky.social is a sharp, funny critique that explores the weird obsession billionaires like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Jeff Bezos have with #physics, and why they all want us to think they’re secret geniuses. youtu.be/GmJI6qIqURA
youtu.be
billionaires want you to know they could have done physics
YouTube video by Angela Collier
1142
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 21/12/2024
Is the Winter Solstice ‘a child’s game’? The Catholic League thinks so. Read my open letter challenging their divisive message and exploring the humanist values that truly define the season. #WinterSolstice #Humanism @friendlyatheist.com @americanhumanist.bsky.social thiebes.org/2024/12/21/c...
thiebes.org
Open Letter to the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights
The Catholic League’s divisive billboard dismisses the Winter Solstice as “a child’s game” and mocks atheists, claiming exclusive rights to the season. In my open letter, I challenge this rhetoric,…
121
Reposted by Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes
Dalmeet Singh Chawla @dalmeet.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
Why is so much of the scholarly literature inaccessible to blind and low-vision scientists (and other readers)? My latest for Nature: www.nature.com/articles/d41... @natureportfolio.bsky.social
nature.com
Accessibility worsens for blind and low-vision readers of academic PDFs
Preprints and other rapid-publishing trends have fuelled a decline in scientific publications meeting accessibility standards, study finds.
046
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 16/12/2024
Refreshments to accompany tomorrow’s White Elephant gift exchange. #ChemistsWhoCook
A tray of vanilla sugar cookies shaped like elephants rests on a silicone baking mat. The cookies feature soft edges, with faint imprints resembling the elephants’ eyes, trunks, and ears. They are freshly baked with a light golden color and an even, smooth texture.
0140
Reposted by Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes
Rinaldo Raccichini @theeditorr.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
My second 🔓editorial for @naturenano.bsky.social is out. This time, I talk about something I care a lot: Why do battery researchers not use a shared basic electrochemistry terminology? www.nature.com/articles/s41... What's your experience? 🙂 #batteries #battchat #electrochemistry
nature.com
The importance of basic electrochemistry terminology in the era of interdisciplinary battery research - Nature Nanotechnology
Understanding and adopting an appropriate electrochemistry language will foster constructive collaborations among battery research community members with diverse scientific backgrounds.
7397
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
Do research journals use alt text for figures? My grad school required alt text for every image in my dissertation, which brought the question to mind: which journals require or encourage this? I’d love to submit to those that do. Any insights? #Accessibility #AcademicPublishing #ChemSky 🧪 ⚛️
4216
Reposted by Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes
Juliane Borchert @pv-physicist.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
Perovskite based solar cells have made huge progress in the laboratory 🧪 in recent years. To get them from lab to factory all fabrication techniques need to be scalable. So that we are able to deposit all layers on large areas.
2153
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
“Exceeds the age of the known universe” is an extreme understatement. 10 septillion years is about 100 billion times the entire projected lifetime of the universe. That is, from Big Bang to Heat Death, times 100,000,000,000.
051
Reposted by Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes
Altmetric @altmetric.com · 03/12/2024
BLUESKY MEGA-THREAD Altmetric is thrilled and also LITERALLY RELIEVED to officially announce: We are now tracking research attention as it happens on Bluesky! We have been picking up posts on the site since late Oct. Our team is on Bluesky all day answering questions. Let's get into it!
Blueksy Mentions are now in Altmetric.

It's been 84 years meme

#AcademicSky #HigherEd #MedSky #HMSky #Altmetrics #Medlibs #Metascience
382324658
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
Accessible color palettes are key for scientific figures. Gradients add complexity, especially for B&W printing. Cubehelix, a color map designed for perceptual uniformity and grayscale compatibility [1,2] tackles both. #SciComm 🧪 1. arxiv.org/abs/1108.5083 2. ifweassume.blogspot.com/2013/05/cube...
14313
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
A classic editorial by Prashant Kamat @kamat.bsky.social that was partial inspiration for the quoted thread below: pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.... #ChemSky #Physics 🧪
pubs.acs.org
The Lost Art of Composing Single-Panel Figures
075
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 08/12/2024
“16 Panels” (to the tune of “16 Tons”) #Science #ChemSky #Physics 🧪 Verse 1 Well some people say, “Keep your figures lean.” But I load sixteen panels, I’m a data machine. My plots are dense, the reviewers should swoon, But the editor scoffs, saying, “This just won’t do.”
4425
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
@bskyttrpg.bsky.social reroll
100
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
This study from @phond-uam.bsky.social investigates exciton diffusion in Mn-doped (PEA)₂PbBr₄, a 2D #Perovskite. Spatiotemporal modeling reveals excitons travel further than expected to reach Mn sites, with critical implications for #energy and #optoelectronic device design. 🧪 #ChemSky #Physics
pubs.acs.org
Role of Exciton Diffusion in the Efficiency of Mn Dopant Emission in Two-Dimensional Perovskites
Two-dimensional (2D) metal-halide perovskites have promising characteristics for optoelectronic applications. By incorporating Mn2+ ions into the perovskite structure, improved photoluminescence quant...
162
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
📍Pinned Post: Welcome to the PerovSky feed! 🔸This feed is for any perovskite-related posts from the last week. 🔸Either #PerovSky or #Perovskite sends your post here. 🔸Please use Alt Text for pics & CamelCase in hashtags
020
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
PerovSky is now live! A dedicated feed for perovskite materials, featuring research, applications, and updates. Follow for more! #Perovskite #Science #ChemSky #MatSky #Physics 🧪https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:jput5vbya3y5yubaq5gx2nrx/feed/aaajpvigquhmu
175
Dr. Joseph J. Thiebes @thiebes.bsky.social · 04/12/2024
In solidarity with Dr. Louks @allylouks.bsky.social, I’m sharing my photo and dissertation abstract. As a STEM PhD, I stand with humanities scholars whose work is often unfairly dismissed. Rigorous research, whether in literature or chemistry, drives understanding and innovation. #PhDinSolidarity
Joseph Thiebes holding a hardcover copy of his dissertation titled “Developments in Time-Resolved Microscopic Characterization of Excited State Dynamics in Semiconducting Materials.” He is wearing a green button-up shirt with a cerise collar visible underneath, standing in front of a stone fireplace and a window with a curtain.The abstract of Joseph Thiebes’ PhD dissertation titled “Developments in Time-Resolved Microscopic Characterization of Excited State Dynamics in Semiconducting Materials.” The abstract can be summarized as follows: Nanocrystal solids and lamellar materials are vital for technologies like solar cells, LEDs, and quantum communication. This work uses time-resolved microscopy to study how material properties—such as ligands and lattice defects—affect excited state dynamics. Key findings include how ligand structure influences diffusion, how defects in bismuth oxybromide enhance charge separation, and how noise impacts diffusion measurements, explored through simulations and open-source tools. These insights advance the understanding of energy transport in semiconductors.
020