History curious? You don't need to be in London (or the UK) to attend many Institute of Historical Research seminars, although if you're in Bloomsbury you'll enjoy doing so. Most are hybrid (online/in person). They're free, usually fortnightly and open to the public. Starting this week:

"In a landmark study, OpenAI researchers reveal that large language models will always produce plausible but false outputs, even with perfect data, due to fundamental statistical and computational limits." www.computerworld.com/article/4059...

House of Commons briefing: “the simplest way of improving the financial position of the UK’s higher education providers would be to raise the tuition fee cap for undergraduate students <ugh no thanks> and/or increase the amount of funding provided through teaching and research grants”. <- YES!

We want the media and politicians to recognise there's a large number of women who are supportive of the trans+ community. We call on them to report truthfully about the sources of violence against women and to address the systems that perpetuate harm. notinourname.org.uk/petition/not...

The UK’s first Innovation and Knowledge Centre (IKC) dedicated to neuromorphic (brain-inspired) computing hardware will be led at UCL with £12.8 million funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) @ukri.org @uclengineering.bsky.social

Very proud of Shiva Taheri who passed her PhD viva today! Congratulations Dr Taheri! Her thesis was on "Uplifting the standard of monitoring in clinical trials – developing evidence and tools" Here's one of her papers: doi.org/10.1186/s130... #AcademicSky #ClinicalTrials 🧪

Looking forward to a day of listening in to the launch of The Careers and Skills for Data-driven Research (CaSDaR) Network+ casdar.ac.uk Sorry not to be able to be there today casdarnetwork.bsky.social #AcademicSky

NEW mentoring scheme for research software, data, & computing infrastructure professionals in London and the SE. 💬 Monthly meetings for 6 months 👥 Mentees & mentors welcome 🎯 Career planning, skills development etc 📅 Start in Nov 2025 🔗 Sign up: step-up.ac.uk/mentoring/ #dRTP #Mentoring

Worth creating an account just to support.......

If you haven't already deleted your academia/.edu account now is the time! And see the thread below for how to get to the settings without accepting the change in ToS #AcademicSky

All the scenarios smack of desperation to come up with a use case for AI in marking. They couldn't even leave the speech to text scenario at that, as an LLM summarises & 'decides' on the most important items for the student to work on. Let teachers teach: that's the point of feedback! #AcademicSky

⏰ Last chance! We’re hiring Senior Research Infrastructure Developer (Hybrid, London) at UCL ARC. Help shape the future of AI platforms & research computing. Don’t miss out! 🔗 buff.ly/oUMWozW #Hiring #UCL #DevOps #Kubernetes #MLOps

We need more "unfunded" research, not less. Or rather, we need more "core" funding and much less project based funding. Then universities can *invest* in core research infrastructure (including people), reduce precarity, and focus on growing and retaining talent.

Quick rundown for non-US academics of whether you're likely to be eligible for the Anthropic payout: 1. you have works published in or before 2022 2. which are registered for US copyright (most likely if you had a US publisher, not otherwise): check here publicrecords.copyright.gov 1/2

Worrying long term hidden fiscal drag The family income threshold at which English students maintenance loans start to get reduced is just £25,000/yr. It has been this level since the 2008/2009 academic year. We have had 64% (CPI) inflation since then. So it's been slashed hugely in real terms

Something I teach my students is that reading is a rhythm. They need to build a space-time where the rhythm of longer form reading is available to them. Generally this begins by having them inventory the various kinds of noise (cellphones, screens, work/care/social commitments) in their lives.

when you learned Git for the first time, what resources did you use? Did you like them? Mostly looking for answers from folks who learned Git in the last 5 years or so. Looking for resources to potentially add to the Git website

If you're in London this Thursday, Sept 4th, don't miss this evening at the Horniman Museum, a tie-in with the 'All Eyes on Her!' exhibition curated by Heba Abd el-Gawad. Artists, DJs, food, films, women-led marketplace, dabka classes and other workshops - celebrating the Middle East/SWANA. 📜🇵🇸🇪🇬🇮🇶🇲🇦

A very important caveat to the "AI stethoscope" that was completely ignored by many news outlets. Yet a high false positive rate can make a screening tool more harmful than useful. How can we encourage health journalists to be more critical of AI press releases? Cc @mgtmccartney.bsky.social

📢 Call for Papers – #CAAUK2025 Join us in 📍Cambridge | 9–10 Dec. for the 🏛️💻 Computer Applications & Quantitative Methods in Archaeology UK Conference! Submit abstracts (max 300 words) to 📧 [email protected] by 🗓 12pm, 15 Sept. Linktr.ee/caa_uk #Archaeology #CAAUK #DigitalArchaeology

Interested in or currently leading a clinical trial? Want to be the best Chief Investigator you can be? Want to build a peer support network? This UPDATED course is for you! ⏰Registration for the October 2025 workshop in Glasgow is now open.⏰ Find out more here: ukcrc-ctu.org.uk/how-to-be-a-...

Here’s one of those ‘fix the plumbing’ things that policymakers tend not to get credit for. Govt + @wellcometrust.bsky.social are setting up structures for improved health research. They are now looking for a Chair (£50k) and CEO (£299k). Spread the word on this micro.green-park.co.uk/hdrs/

I will remind folks those images of Nazi book burnings aren't burning just any books. They're burning the library of Magnus Hirschfeld; a gay, Jewish doctor who created an institute dedicated to LGBTQ sex education and healthcare. And a man who pioneered gender affirming care surgeries.

Really sorry to hear this. I hadn't seen John in years but he was kind, lovely and wonderfully joyous and enthusiastic. My heart goes out to his husband, family and friends.

A plea from me, as someone who trained as an archaeologist, worked in clinical trials & is now a data steward: if you're working with historical data, get an historian involved who has expertise in the period! It'll save so much embarrassment & stop erroneous work entering the research record 🧪📊

Only someone who knows nothing about data quality, cleaning and management would argue for feeding all data, regardless of quality, appropriateness of collection methods etc, into AI. 🧪

These people have no idea what goes in to collecting, cleaning and processing data into a usable state. Every data scientist/AI hypeman should have to come into the field and experience where their data comes from.

To explain this photo a bit more: back then, most programming was done on paper (sometimes on special coding sheets), then punched onto cards/tape, then fed into a mainframe to be tested (& if necessary debugged). Counterintuitively, needing LESS computer time was the mark of a better programmer!

It's not just data - it's also models and modelling frameworks. It's moving along somewhat in public health, but it's not helped by ad hoc, low pay, fixed-term jobs asking for niche advanced skills in the relevant agency.

There's a long history of certain historians saying ridiculous things about food they've never tasted & cooking they never do. Rather like the insane assertion that people in the past used spices to hide the taste of rotten food: no one who actually cooks would ever say that. Garum tastes wonderful!

Another fantastic data set! Would love to do a project using it 📊

Really lovely thread and discussion of adaptive and assistive tech that can help people to do arts and crafts, whether you're disabled, trying to avoid RSI, or your joints just aren't as mobile and pain-free as they once were

Right, since we're apparently doing "disabled people can't do art without AI" discourse again: Got adaptive/assistive tech that helps you or someone you know do art/crafts? Drop it in the thread (bonus points if you can say what it's useful for and how much it costs)

I'm now itching to play with this data set! What a fantastic fun bit of work by Chris dalla Riva! 📊

This is such a tired old story. I know amazing professors who have an active research profiles and who wouldn’t be caught dead teaching the same thing for thirty years. Teaching is a reason for research. I want my students to benefit from knowledge as it develops.

Unlock the power of FAIR data stewardship! Our pilot program at the University of Sheffield showcases how institutions can embed sustainable FAIR practices, driving a data revolution that... 🧵 Thread below Full analysis: https://helixbrief.com/article/363abe20-5394-4f2f-8703-b15dc7622d16

Pre-announcement of a funding opportunity for "artificial intelligence humanities sandpits," supported by AHRC, EPSRC, and SSHRC. Expressions of interest by 31 Oct; up to four grants will be funded.

🚨 You can still get your tickets for the CaSDaR Event Launch: www.eventbrite.com/e/careers-an... If you're a #DataSteward in the #UK, you cannot miss out on this event!

I am one of the 14 authors who chose to leave the Polari Prize, and I find myself frustrated and saddened at the way this entire story has been represented. 1/

Must read piece on @carpentries.carpentries.org 's brave and principled decision to turn down a $1.5M NSF grant rather than compromise their core value of inclusion. Kudos to The Carpentries, and let's support them and others who won't cross the first line.

'Artificial intelligence tools used by more than half of England’s councils are downplaying women’s physical and mental health issues and risk creating gender bias in care decisions, research [led by Sam Rickman, LSE] has found.' 1/2

Something that I have been thinking about with attribution of "PhD level intelligence" or "PhD level expertise" to a machine is that it reflects an increasing trend among these AI bros and their sycophants to want the products of highly skilled training without actually doing any of the work.

And people can also be really bad at spending enough time planning out how to get their data in the first place...... 🧪📊

Great (if troubling) read on hyperemesis gravidarum. All health professionals need to know about this condition. It’s real, and it can kill. Having had both HG and chemotherapy, I can say HG is orders of magnitude worse. And I was accused of “attention-seeking”. www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Trying to decide which is worse: the loudness of the party going on somewhere near my house, or the absolutely horrendous musical taste they have.

⏰ Job alert! We're recruiting for a Co-Production and Public Engagement Coordinator! This role will join the Co-Production and Public Engagement Team at UCL, and support the work of both UCL Public Engagement and @coprocollective.bsky.social. Apply here: www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...

The idea that the papers you write in graduate school are the aim, rather than forming the person who has something worth saying and worth learning from, is among other things a crisis of confidence and imagination. We used to worry about impostor syndrome - this is just impostor manufacture.

With Tom Lehrer's passing, I suppose this is a moment to share the story of the prank he played on the National Security Agency, and how it went undiscovered for nearly 60 years.

We are offering up to £10k for researchers to upgrade their skills - e.g. in AI/machine learning; or a language; or something else! Think about it over the summer and apply by early October www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/funding/tale...

I'm reading the joint higher education trade unions' full claim for 2025/26 (www.ucu.org.uk/heconsultati...), which contains this extremely depressing graph charting the fall in real-terms pay levels in the higher education sector in the last 14 years.