Sent another grant paper airplane into a strong headwind this morning, so I treated myself to some fresh air and sunshine around UW's campus. 😍 ...now to close all the tabs and dig myself out of email debt that built up while writing 😅

We've all already lived through a global pandemic. We don't need to add living through world war 3. Please and thank you.

I had braced myself for an email and slack deluge Monday/Tuesday, but it wasn't that bad. Turns out it's because Wednesday is the day y'all collectively woke up and decided to choose violence. I now feel violent. 🫠😅

I channeled stress into running in 2025. At the pace we're going, I might end up an ultra marathoner by the end of 2026. 🙃🫠

In case anyone needs a timeline cleans/candle in the dark, please enjoy the fact that Seattle puts a Christmas tree on top of the space needle every year. 🎄 It was literally my light in the dark today!

It's not exactly a hard signal detection problem, but still amusing to see the accuracy of the algorithm. Feeling very seen by YouTube 🤣🎯

I identify with this pumpkin more than I should. Especially after an invigorating, but exhausting, #SfN2025 😅

Inspiring talk and message from Michele Basso @ #SfN2025 on the responsibility and capacity we all have to advocate for science!

#SfN2025 we've got 2 posters this morning on new directions studying how humans learn redundant sensorimotor mappings! People are worse at this than you might expect. We're trying to understand why, which will help improve neural interfaces. Come say hi to Brady @ poster T7 & Victoria @ poster SS9

More science fueling with a morning run to a panderia! 🥐 #SfN2025

It's important to properly fuel for science #SfN2025 🥐

#SfN2025 Planning & making a reach involve different brain areas and neural populations, but are coordinated behavioral computations. Check out Ryan's poster tomorrow morning (PSTR076.02, M14) where he uses neuropixel recordings to test hypotheses about how neural populations implement this feat!

Folks @ #SfN2025 - wondering what to do on this rainy Saturday evening? I've got the solution for you. Come to hear discussions about how we can help advocate for our science and ourselves, meet new & old friends, & enjoy some snacks at the WINE social. 7pm at Deck 655 tonight.

I really came from Seattle to San Diego and get this? Ayfkm? 🤣😭 #sfn2025

🚨Another paper alert! 🚨 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... Do you perform neural implant procedures? Develop new neural implants? Train people to do neural implants? This paper describes our lab’s approach to make custom ~whole-head simulators that can help in those tasks.

Important coda: lab pre-print dessert celebration! Lead author gets to request a dessert & I bake it. We enjoyed an apple crumble cake, vanilla ice cream, and apple cider caramel sauce this afternoon to mark Ryan's paper! PLUS a tiramisu for Lydia's paper, which I'll post about tomorrow 😂

🚨Pre-print alert! 🚨https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.17.683171v1 Our new study tackles the question: do all neurons in motor cortices (MC) encode movement & coordinate as we move? Answering this question will be key for effectively targeting motor representations in BCIs.

Had a great visit to the center for Mind, Brain, Computation and Technology @ Stanford yesterday! I was excited to talk about brewing ideas in the lab on neural representations at neuron & population scales. Plus new data mapping motor cortex w/ neuropixels - preprint dropping soon, stay tuned! 🍿

One of the most valuable lessons I've gotten from reviewing grants and papers is deeper empathy for the reviewers. So essential.

Thankful that UW and Washington state continue to support vaccination and make it easy for folks to access them 🙌 Boosted against Flu and COVID 💪

Thankful for the chance to spend time in Berlin around giving a seminar! As an American in These Times, visiting the many moving memorials right around Unity Day really hits differently. So much important history we need to remember and pay close attention to.

Running's also awesome for being a tourist! 😍

Had a great first day at the Bernstein workshop on control theory uses in neuroscience! I presented some of our work on control theory behavior assays for movement, and approaches to designing BCIs.

Seattle (and I) am lucky that all these hills lead to good views 😅. New route meant new hill challenges, but a bonus new vantage point on downtown 😍

A rare day when an email task sparks joy:

The best advice I saw on learning to love running was to use it as a chance to experience your city like a tourist. I feel spoiled getting to do that in Seattle 😍

I think I might be a runner now, not just "someone who runs". At least I am for races like this where fuel stations are stocked with cake and Nutella, and it's all about fun! My first #halfmarathon race in the books. #ibeattheblerch

Excited to hear from my community and our representative (Jayapal) about the current state of our government's relationship to supporting academic research, and what we can do to keep the US a leader. Kudos to the local academic unions for organizing!

We are on a bullet train to the end of US science, and possibly the country as a whole, when political appointees are reviewing every scientific grant submitted to NIH to determine if The Regime finds the science acceptable.

Need data to help talk to your friends and family about the impacts of current US government policies on science? AIMBE @aimbe-official.bsky.social released a great survey that paints a clear picture. The Bioengineering research & training that create new therapies are coming to a grinding halt:

New favorites in my"places I've eaten PB&J sandwiches" photo album* #pnwlife #sorrynotsorry *Real album of mine.

It took me a while to learn that expert Seattle folks take winter vacations, not summer. This is why #pnwlife #sorrynotsorry

Looking for a good place to find a survey of the latest in neurotech to treat neural disorders? I suggest this new book chapter: link.springer.com/chapter/10.1... Such a pleasure to collab w/ some of the best in the field on this: Elvira Pirondini, Marco Capogrosso, Rob Gaunt & Sergey D. Stavisky🤩

I've been online less recently because I'm struggling to find value in it lately. I can't unsee all the unhealthy co-adaptation we're doing w/ algorithms. But then things like this come along to remind me the internet can generate good: kitty neuroscience via youtube 😍 www.cell.com/current-biol...

🧠 Join the JNeuro Early Career Advisory Board! 🧪 A great way to learn about the world of publishing and support other early career researchers by sharing your perspectives! Apps due July 18 www.jneurosci.org/content/ecr-...

Deeply compelling journalism that makes the impact of science, and the current administrations attacks on science, so tangible: www.cbsnews.com/video/saving... I, for one, am going to do my best to make sure all my family & friends see this. Folks need to fully understand what's happening.

Broke the seal on summer hiking. Ike, our dog, was beside himself with excitement when he saw the backpacks come out 😂 Warning there will probably be a lot more posts like this to come this summer #sorryNotSorry #PNWlife Nature like this helps keep me sane. We must protect our parks!

The thing I did not fully prepare for as I started running more often and longer distances: in Seattle, that means you just have to accept hills. They're unavoidable 😅🫠 At least the scenery is pretty? Drawbridges also add a surprise chance to catch your breath 🤣

📆Save the date! 📆 Women in Neural Engineering (WINE) will be hosting another panel & social along-side the IEEE NER and SfN meetings. Saturday November 15th, 2025, 6:30pm Come discuss how researchers can use our voices to advocate for ourselves & our work, and meet fellow neural engineers!

AIMBE has launched our new Citizen Advocate for Science Letter: takeaction.io/aimbe/scienc... We ask the broader scientific community to widely share this letter (✍️ <1 minute) with friends, family, and other concerned citizens to urge their elected officials to protect biomedical research funding 👇

Great afternoon lab potluck! Current times have me keenly focused on the things I like about this job, and the people I get to work with are top of that list!

It's a very celebratory week in the lab as Pavi, Si Jia, & Emily walked in the @uwbioe.bsky.social graduation! So proud of all their accomplishments, and it's an honor to work with them!

And...it's here. UW announced tenure clock extension options for junior faculty last week. Leadership frames this as part of their deep support to junior faculty. But how, exactly, is more time (& delayed promotion) are meaningful support in response to reduced & uncertain research resources?

Leaving Banff excited about the state of Brain-Computer Interfaces, and rather smitten with Banff. Thanks, #BCI2025 !

I've seen folks talk about how "in four years" they'll be able to get back to their planned projects and I really don't think that's going to work out. People & projects losing funding now will not be able to hit pause and come back once funding is restored. Hard-won progress & capacity will be lost

Turns out my morning run pace is a little slower when I have to add in time to take in the views 😍 #BCI2025

Probably very niche, but I have to vent: After watching for a while, it's so clear to me that FitBit folks who designed their algorithms to say if you are hitting fitness goals (over/under training etc) have not thought about adaptive algorithms and co-adaptive systems enough 😅🫠

I'm in a deadline crunch phase. These are always overwhelming. Not, in principle, something new for me. But I'm finding there's something uniquely difficult to navigate now. All the tasks overwhelming me assume the world isn't on fire. But, uh, it very much is. Such an odd cognitive dissonance 🫠

UW announced today they will pause processing of new NSF awards with 15% indirect costs. What a complicated new world. My career was so shaped by an NSF GRFP. It's hard thinking of the amazing science that won't happen & brilliant folks who will leave the field without NSF support. 💔 #withoutnsf

More balanced living visiting NYC: longer run in central park and then indulging pastry nerdom with a bakery crawl.