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Zach Pennington

@zachtpennington.bsky.social
383 followers 354 following 59 posts

Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia Neural circuits supporting emotion, motivation, and learning. PenningtonLab.com

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Zach Pennington @zachtpennington.bsky.social · 11h
I'm SO excited to have this out in the world!!!! Check out our latest work on the contribution of the anterior hypothalamic nucleus to stress sensitivity and valence processing.
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Zach Pennington @zachtpennington.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I'm honoured to be among this incredible group of scientists and immensely grateful for the support of @braincanada.bsky.social, which will allow my lab to address fundamental questions about how reward memories can be so long-lasting, influencing mental health conditions like addiction.
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UBC Faculty of Arts @arts.ubc.ca · 09/09/2026
Congratluations to Drs. Stan Floresco (@psych.ubc.ca) and David Metzer (@ubcmusic.bsky.social) for being named as Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada 👏 @src-rsc.bsky.social Learn more about both Dr. Floresco and Dr. Metzer and this achievement ⬇️
arts.ubc.ca
Two Arts faculty members elected to the Royal Society of Canada - Faculty of Arts
Two Arts faculty members, Dr. Stanley Floresco and Dr. David Metzer, have been elected Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada.
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Zach Pennington @zachtpennington.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
We’ve got a 3d printer and we know how to use it.
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Dr. Becca @docbecca.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
My lab is ALSO recruiting a new postdoc to work on an exciting NIH-funded project. Start date ideally by early 2027. Please share with any recent or soon-to-defend neuro/psych PhDs with experience in rodent labs. northeastern.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/careers/job/...
northeastern.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com
Postdoctoral Research Associate
About the Opportunity Job Summary The Shansky Lab is seeking a full-time postdoc to conduct National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded behavioral neuroscience research investigating sex differences in...
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UBC Psychology @psych.ubc.ca · 25/08/2026
Congratulations to Dr. Hee Yeon Im, Dr. @zachtpennington.bsky.social, Dr. @rosieshrout.bsky.social, and Dr. @milanium.bsky.social who received research infrastructure support from @innovation.ca's John R. Evans Leaders Fund! Learn more: psych.ubc.ca/news/jelf-20...
psych.ubc.ca
Four psychology researchers awarded CFI’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund - UBC Department of Psychology
The JELF enables universities to attract and retain world-class research talent by providing the state-of-the-art infrastructure researchers need to succeed.
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Tom Kash @superkash.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Hi Folks, with @lisataxier.bsky.social moving on to open her own lab at Stony Brook, I am in the market for a new postdoctoral fellow who wants to do slice electrophysiology. We have a number of really exciting projects, translational to basic science, that are ephys focused.
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Matt Hill @cannabrain.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Interesting article in @washingtonpost.com today on cannabis and sleep that I was interviewed for along with friends and colleagues Nicole Bowles and Ryan Vandrey. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
washingtonpost.com
The new science of cannabis and sleep
Research suggests cannabis suppresses REM sleep, raising questions about memory, emotion and the purpose of dreams.
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Krembil Brain Institute 🧠 @kbi-uhn.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
🎉 Please join us in welcoming Dr. Richard Roth to UHN’s @krembilresearch! Dr. Roth joins us as a Scientist, focusing on the interplay between synaptic plasticity and neural circuit adaptation, and how these processes shape motor learning.    🔗 Learn more about his research: www.motor-plasticity.org
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Daniel Aharoni @danielaharoni.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
New postdoc opening in Carl Johnson’s lab at Vanderbilt on our newly awarded BRAIN Initiative project. The work will develop BRET/luminescence approaches for in vivo monitoring of neural activity in freely behaving mice, in collaboration with Princeton and UCLA. Contact Carl or myself for details
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Denise J. Cai, Ph.D. @denisejcai.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
🤔 Why does prior stress make future stress hit harder? In new work led by @zachtpennington.bsky.social, the Cai Lab discovered a brain circuit that controls stress vulnerability, reshaping how the brain reacts to the next stressor. I'll be speaking about at @fens.org. Come check it out!
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MarinaP63 @marinap63.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Are you a senior postdoc with a complete scientific story to tell? Apply for our Yale Molecular Psychiatry MAPS program and tell us about your work at our weekly neuroscience seminar series. PLEASE REPOST!
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Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health (DMCBH) @dmcbrainhealth.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Meet Dr. Hao-Ting Wang, a new Assistant Professor in Data Science in UBC's Department of Psychiatry. Her research is focused on combining cognitive neuroscience, neuroimaging and machine learning, with a focus on neurodegeneration and mental health.
centreforbrainhealth.ca
New faculty member Dr. Hao-Ting Wang connects brain data to real life - Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health | DMCBH
For the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health’s (DMCBH) newest member, Dr. Hao-Ting Wang, the path into neuroscience has been shaped less by a fixed
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Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health (DMCBH) @dmcbrainhealth.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Congrats to @zachtpennington.bsky.social on receiving the 2026 William & Nona Heaslip–Banting Discovery Award for his work analyzing the brain’s emotion‑related circuits! This award will support his research in identifying novel treatment targets for anxiety disorders.
centreforbrainhealth.ca
Dr. Zachary Pennington receives Banting Discovery Award - Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health | DMCBH
Congratulations to Dr. Zachary Pennington, an Assistant Professor in UBC’s Department of Psychology and researcher at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for
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Mazen Kheirbek @mazenkheirbek.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
New preprint from the lab. @markgergues.bsky.social and crew show that the PVT gates ventral hippocampal salience coding, shifting output between threat- and reward-weighted representations during associative learning and anxiety-related behavior. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
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Black In Neuro @blackinneuro.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
🎉Save the date! Black In Neuro Week 2026 is July 27–Aug 2. We're celebrating our 6th annual BIN Week with returning favorites like #NeuroRacism, #NeuroAcrossTheDiaspora, and #BINRollCall plus a brand new theme: #BlackInTime. ✨ 🧠 #BINW26 #AReimaginedFuture
Promotional graphic for Black In Neuro Week 2026. The design features a retro-inspired sunburst background in shades of orange, gold, cream, blue, and green. At the center is an arch-shaped panel with the text “A Reimagined Future” curved across the top, followed by “Black In Neuro Week 2026.” The Black In Neuro logo, featuring a profile illustration with a brain motif, appears in the center. At the bottom, the dates July 27–August 2 and the hashtag #BINW26 are displayed. Decorative star accents frame the design.
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Jennifer O’Chan @chanjenerational.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Thrilled to share my main postdoctoral work out @nature.com ! This project tackles a fundamental question: how do pregnancy and postpartum experiences promote lifelong changes to the brain? www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Dopamine drives persistent remodelling of the maternal brain - Nature
Brain-wide transcriptomic profiling in mice reveals that reproductive experience remodels the maternal brain by altering dopamine dynamics in the dorsal hippocampal formation, causing dopamine-depende...
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Zoe McElligott @nanopharmnc.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
the technician position in my lab is now posted! Please pass this along: unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/319...
unc.peopleadmin.com
Laboratory Research Technician
The Research Technician will assist with lab management operations and assist the Principal Investigator and members of the laboratory with experiments involving molecular biology, behavior, biochemis...
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Zach Pennington @zachtpennington.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Woo!!!!!! PenningtonLab.com is live!
penningtonlab.com
Pennington Lab
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mark cembrowski @markcembrowski.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Lineup, including trainee talks, is all set for this year's Neural Circuits and Behaviour Satellite at @canacn.bsky.social, co-hosted with @franklandlab.bsky.social . One week away, with a few tickets remaining for anyone interested! www.eventbrite.com/e/neural-cir...
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Zach Pennington @zachtpennington.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Full band in the studio this summer! LP coming soon.
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Denise J. Cai, Ph.D. @denisejcai.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Join us in Paris this summer for our #Miniscope Workshop 🔬 We'll teach you everything you need to know about miniscopes and have a blast while we're at it! Applications close on May 22, so don't wait 👇
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Trends in Neurosciences @cp-trendsneuro.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
'The subiculum: cell-type-specific composition, computation, and function' by Adrienne Kinman @adriennekinman.bsky.social, Larissa Kraus & Mark Cembrowski @markcembrowski.bsky.social www.cell.com/trends/neuro...
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Daniel Aharoni @danielaharoni.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
We’re really excited to announce our next international, hands-on #Miniscope workshop covering everything from microscope design to experiments to analysis! Applications are now open for the 2026 Paris Miniscope Workshop (July 1–3, ESPCI). Apply by May 22: forms.gle/4CWh7MeMchLS...
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Dr. Becca @docbecca.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
Those of us doing research related to women’s health have been hit particularly hard by the govt’s sabotage of the NIH. I spoke to WaPo for this piece, as painful as it was to discuss the reality my lab is facing. www.washingtonpost.com/science/2026...
washingtonpost.com
Where U.S. science has been hit hardest after Trump’s first year
The Trump administration has slashed the number of grants from the National Institutes of Health, with far fewer focused on women, cancer and mental health.
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Zach Pennington @zachtpennington.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Trainee going to CAN? Check out the Circuits & Behaviour satellite and apply for this amazing opportunity!! Register here by April 24 for full consideration: www.eventbrite.ca/e/neural-cir...
eventbrite.ca
Neural Circuits and Behaviour CAN 2026 Satellite Meeting
The third-annual CAN satellite event, bringing together Canadian neuroscientists studying circuits and behaviour.
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Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health (DMCBH) @dmcbrainhealth.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
What drives us to act and when do we stop? Dr. Milan Valyear (@milanium.bsky.social) is a new @psych.ubc.ca faculty member studying the brain circuits behind reinforcement and disengagement. From childhood tinkering to cutting-edge neuroscience, his work is all about curiosity and discovery.
centreforbrainhealth.ca
Meet Dr. Milan Valyear, a new researcher who is exploring the science of behaviour - Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health | DMCBH
Growing up in a small town in Ontario, Dr. Milan Valyear always enjoyed tinkering and building things, and in particular, one memory stands out. “It was
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Zach Pennington @zachtpennington.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Exploring beautiful Vancouver with new friends 😎 @milanium.bsky.social @taracdelorme.bsky.social
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ACNP @acnporg.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
ACNP Travel Award Applications open on Monday, April 6, 2026. For more information, visit tinyurl.com/5bzaz8va #ACNP2027 #travelawards
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Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health (DMCBH) @dmcbrainhealth.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
Meet @zachtpennington.bsky.social, a new researcher at the DMCBH and @psych.ubc.ca who is exploring how the brain regulates stress and emotion. He is also an advocate of building open-source tools to make science more accessible for all. Read more: www.centreforbrainhealth.ca/news/from-sk...
centreforbrainhealth.ca
From skateparks to synapses: Meet Dr. Zach Pennington - Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health | DMCBH
When Dr. Zach Pennington was growing up, he never imagined he would become a scientist. “I wanted to be a professional skateboarder, a guitarist in a punk
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Jibran Khokhar @drjkhokhar.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
With the rumblings around CIHR wanting to move to one cycle per year not going away, in consultation with a diverse stakeholder group, we have put together a letter for CIHR leadership. Please consider signing this letter and share/RT: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... @cannabrain.bsky.social
docs.google.com
CIHR Project Grant Cycle Restructuring
Dear colleagues, Below you will find a draft letter regarding the proposed transition to a single annual CIHR Project Grant competition, and to invite you to sign on if you are in agreement with its c...
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christine liu / two photon art @christineliu.art · 25/03/2026
An amazing opportunity for students to get their foot in the door for neuroscience research! Great to see a program explicitly welcome applicants from community colleges and folks with no prior experience!! www.simonsfoundation.org/2026/03/10/a...
simonsfoundation.org
Applications Open for 2026–2027 Undergraduate Research Fellowships in Neuroscience
Applications Open for 2026–2027 Undergraduate Research Fellowships in Neuroscience on Simons Foundation
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Brian Sweis @brianmsweis.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
🚨The Sweis Lab for Translational Neuroeconomics at Mount Sinai is searching for a postdoctoral research fellow! If you or someone you know is searching for a position, please share! 📄 📌Link to job flyer here: tinyurl.com/3vapfpn5 🧠 🐁 🔬🏙️🌆🧪🧬💊🧫💡🏥 @sinaibrain.bsky.social @mountsinai.bsky.social
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Wendy Xin @droligo.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Super stoked to share that I’m starting my lab at UHN @dkjei-uhn.bsky.social / @kbi-uhn.bsky.social and the University of Toronto! If you’re interested in neuron-myelin interactions in circuit maturation and cognition, please reach out - we are hiring! www.oligodendrocyte.org 1/
oligodendrocyte.org
Xin Lab
Welcome! We study the cellular interactions between neurons and oligodendrocytes, which produce myelin in the central nervous system. Myelination - the process by which oligodendrocytes ensheath neuro...
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Annegret Falkner @neurrriot.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
Hey Hypothalamus heads! We are now accepting abstracts for the HypoGRC this August (now at the lovely Sunday River location). We have an exciting program planned for you so that we can really wild out about our favorite subcortical region. www.grc.org/hypothalamus...
grc.org
2026 Hypothalamus Conference GRC
The 2026 Gordon Research Conference on Hypothalamus will be held in Newry, Maine. Apply today to reserve your spot.
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Esther Krook-Magnuson @kmlab.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
The KM Lab is hiring! We're looking for both a new technician (makes a great post-bac like experience) and a post-doc. Come do fun science. Come join an amazing community. Learn more: sites.google.com/site/krookma...
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UBC Psychology @psych.ubc.ca · 20/02/2026
We're thrilled to welcome Dr. @zachtpennington.bsky.social and Dr. @milanium.bsky.social as Assistant Professors in our Behavioural Neuroscience area and members of the @dmcbrainhealth.bsky.social. Read their Q&As: psych.ubc.ca/news
Photo of Dr. Zachary Pennington and Dr. Milan Valyear
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Zach Pennington @zachtpennington.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
Can hardly wait for my first Canadian Association for Neuroscience meeting 🇨🇦🧠!!! Also, check out the insane lineup of speakers I get to present with at the Neural Circuits and Behaviour satellite meeting. I AM STOKED!
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Zach Pennington @zachtpennington.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
A bittersweet farewell to the Cai Lab and Mount Sinai ❤️. 7 incredible years with some of the kindest, fun, inspiring people I've ever met. So many lab antics, life lessons, amazing meals, and scientific discoveries. I will miss them dearly. @denisejcai.bsky.social @sinaibrain.bsky.social
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Matt Hill @cannabrain.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
Circle of life with @acnporg.bsky.social mentorship. My first mentee from way back in 2016 @caromenard666.bsky.social now with her mentee (my grand-mentee lol) @zachtpennington.bsky.social who just moved to UBC and is now a fellow 🇨🇦 #ACNP2026
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Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health (DMCBH) @dmcbrainhealth.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
In partnership with UBC's Department of Psychiatry, we are excited to be recruiting for a CIHR Tier 2 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Cognitive Resilience for Dementia Prevention and Mental Wellness in Aging. Learn more: med-fom-psychiatry-sandbox2019.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2025/1...
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Stories of WiN @storiesofwin.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
Applying for faculty jobs this cycle? Check out our latest special episode! @moeneuro.bsky.social and @drnancypadilla.bsky.social discuss when to apply, important considerations when preparing applications, and more! Listen below! www.storiesofwin.org/profiles/202... #AcademicBluesky #NeuroJobs
storiesofwin.org
Applying to faculty jobs 101 — Stories of WiN
This episode features Dr. Monique Smith (Assistant Professor, UCSD) discussing faculty job applications with host Dr. Nancy Padilla-Coreano.
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Zach Pennington @zachtpennington.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
21 years sober today. So grateful for the chance to embrace life today and for the people that have loved and guided me along the way. Photo from last week’s trip to Iceland (go!).
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Zach Pennington @zachtpennington.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
Always fun talking with @denisejcai.bsky.social & @joezaki.bsky.social. Listen in for our conversation about mentor-mentee relationships, where we discuss choosing a mentor, following your joy, what it's really like to work with Denise, and more!!
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Mark Laubach @marklaubach.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
I'm recruiting a PhD student to study how enkephalins affect cognitive processing in the rodent frontal cortex. The project uses pharmacology, multi-electrode recordings, and fiber photometry, and is funded by NIDA. Please share with trainees applying this cycle. Thanks!
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Zach Pennington @zachtpennington.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
Excited to share that I landed my dream job!🎉🎉🎉 The Pennington Lab will be opening at the University of British Columbia in January 2026! @ubcpsych.bsky.social @dmcbrainhealth.bsky.social
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Vinny Costa @vincentcostaphd.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
A spatially resolved transcriptomic atlas of the primate amygdala (human, macaque, and baboon) now out in Science Advances (www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...). The amygdala contains 32 types of neurons with many neuron types specific to particular subdivisions. Lots of updates from the preprint!
science.org
Transcriptomic diversity of amygdalar subdivisions across humans and nonhuman primates
Specialized cell types and links to psychiatric disorders are revealed by genetic mapping of primate amygdala neurons.
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Zach Pennington @zachtpennington.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
Incredible work by @zoechristensonwick.bsky.social, @tristanshuman.bsky.social, and crew, using the closed-loop system they developed to realign interneuron firing to hippocampal theta and reduce seizure susceptibility!
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The Friedman Brain Institute @sinaibrain.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
The study also describes how activating a serotonin receptor in the brain of a mouse model of ASD restored positive emotional value (also known as “valence”), with encouraging implications for the development of future therapies. Learn More @nature.com 👉 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Serotonin and neurotensin inputs in the vCA1 dictate opposing social valence - Nature
Aversive and rewarding social experiences are linked to conspecific identity through converging dorsal raphe 5-HT and paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus neurotensin signals in the vCA1 that instr...
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