Bianca R. Baltaretu, PhD

Screenshot of job ad: How do Bayesian brains acquire priors? APPLICATIONS CLOSE 20/4/2026 11:55 PM Summary of the Project This project explores how the brain constructs perceptual experience from visual input, focusing on the role of Bayesian models in perception. A key challenge in vision science is understanding how humans interpret complex scenes from the limited information available in retinal images. Modern theories suggest that perception involves probabilistic inference, where the brain integrates sensory signals with prior expectations to make sense of the world. However, the origins and nature of these expectations remain poorly understood. This research aims to advance our understanding of perceptual experience by examining how structured patterns in visual input can inform models of perception. The work spans computational modelling and experimental approaches to uncover principles that explain how visual systems interpret properties such as shape, material, and lighting from images. By addressing fundamental questions about perception, this project will contribute to psychology, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence, offering insights into how biological and artificial systems can learn to interpret complex environments.

I'm looking for a skilled PhD student who doesn't want to work too hard but still do great science:
unisc-cp.enquire.cloud/round/RND-00...

10 PhD positions at JLU Giessen in the new Research Training Group "PIMON"! We will explore how humans perceive and interact with materials and objects in natural environments.
More information on the project, the PIs, and how to apply here:
www.uni-giessen.de/de/ueber-uns...
Please share!

It’s out!

A 2D Gabor-wavelet baseline model out-performs a 3D surface model in scene-responsive cortex Author summary To gain a more complete picture of human visual processing, it is critical to understand the precise format of representations of naturalistic visual scenes. Recent work has approached ...

Excited that this work with @serences.bsky.social and @timbrady.bsky.social is now out! Our Gabor-wavelet model better predicted voxel responses in scene regions than 3D models. Does this mean that scene areas aren’t “for” processing 3D scene structure? NO, we argue. 1/
dx.plos.org/10.1371/jour...

Mark Goldman will present computational models of interacting cortical and nuclear plasticity and propose a metaplasticity mechanism that adaptively tunes spike-timing-dependent plasticity at the parallel fiber–Purkinje cell synapse.
This is a zoom talk: all are welcome

NeuroBridges brings together students from the countries of the middle east to learn about the brain, and each other.
Applications are now open.
neurobridges.net/upcoming

🧨 Preprint alert
Is it easier to find a ball than a shoe? The answer lies in how variable we think these objects are in the real-world. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

w/ the amazing @dkaiserlab.bsky.social & @luchunyeh.bsky.social 🦄

🧵1/8

Check out our new preprint! 🎉 We demonstrate that real-world object search is shaped by both objects’ inherent variability and searchers’ individual priors, using a new approach that combines human drawings with DNN representational similarity analysis. ✍️🖥️👀

Check out our latest preprint: In naturalistic (virtual) scenes, we tested how spatial (proximity to anchor) and cognitive (scene semantics) factors influence allocentric representations of local target objects in a memory-guided placement task: 👇
osf.io/preprints/ps...

Misspecified models create the appearance of adaptive control during value-based choice - Communications Psychology In a new computational analysis of previous work, this study shows that a control-free mechanism better accounts for value-based decisions than an account that assumes top-down control invigorating th...

Final paper of my PhD 🤗

www.nature.com/articles/s44...

There is growing interest in how cognitive control may improve value-based decision making.

However, we find that a recent paper overestimated the role of control in their task, leading to erroneous interpretations of dACC recordings.

🚀🎓We have exciting opportunities at the PhD and Postdoc level, including in the new Simons Collaboration on Ecological Neuroscience, a 10-year initiative spanning a powerful international network of labs working across species and disciplines - please reach out if interested
bsky.app/profile/simo...

Search Jobs - University Affairs

Great news! We are looking for an NHP neuroscientist as the assistant professor level. We have no preconceived ideas -- looking for the most exciting research going. If you have any questions, please reach out. universityaffairs.ca/search-jobs/...

I’m excited to share the first preprint from my PhD project!
Together with Daniel Kaiser (@dkaiserlab.bsky.social), we investigated how internal models shape inter-individual differences in the perception and neural processing of natural scenes.
Preprint: osf.io/preprints/ps...
1/n

For the oculomotor nerds out there… we’re excited to share our paired papers on precerebellar circuitry!
These two studies look at how internuclear pathways talk to the cerebellum and what that means for eye movement control. 👀🧠 #neuroskyence #science

We have a great group of speakers lined up for our @yorku-cian.bsky.social / CSBBCS satellite symposium on 'Cognition and Action', June 4,5 '26 in Toronto. Calls for poster abstracts coming soon.

www.yorku.ca/research/cia...

Also it's time to keep pushing.

Sign our open letter and adapt it for your university and country!

Open Letter: Stop the Uncritical Adoption of AI Technologies in Academia

6/n

openletter.earth/open-letter-...

AI Is Hollowing Out Higher Education Olivia Guest & Iris van Rooij urge teachers and scholars to reject tools that commodify learning, deskill students, and promote illiteracy.

“The deskilling, denigration, and displacement of teachers and scholars have historically been central to fascist takeovers, since educators serve as bulwarks against propaganda, anti-intellectualism, and illiteracy.” — @olivia.science

www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/a...

Sensory expectations shape neural population dynamics in motor circuits Nature - Experiments with human volunteers and macaques show that expectations produced by probabilistic cueing of future sensory inputs shape motor circuit dynamics in order to increase the...

Thrilled that our paper is out today in Nature!
www.nature.com/articles/s4...

Our (@jdcrawford.bsky.social) new preprint review of 'Cortical Mechanisms for Transsaccadic Vision: Extrinsic and Intrinsic Feature Updating' is now up! Check it out: doi.org/10.31234/osf...

Our (@jdcrawford.bsky.social) new preprint review of 'Cortical Mechanisms for Transsaccadic Vision: Extrinsic and Intrinsic Feature Updating' is now up! Check it out: doi.org/10.31234/osf...

Proposed cortical circuitry for transsaccadic updating & integration of extrinsic spatial features and intrinsic object identity cues.

Check out our preprint review of 'Cortical Mechanisms for Transsaccadic Vision: Extrinsic and Intrinsic Feature Updating', based largely on the PhD work of @bbaltaretu.bsky.social.
osf.io/preprints/ps...

Last day of #ECVP tomorrow (Thursday). And at 8.30 I’ll be introducing what promises to be a coherent and lively symposium on how visual representations are held in mind. In the Audimax, with Maria Servetnik, @tbchristophel.bsky.social, Clay Curtis, and @bradpostle.bsky.social

The Emotional and Financial Toll of Brain Cancer When cancer strikes, it does more than attack the body — it upends lives, drains bank accounts, and challenges even the strongest spirits…

Sara finished her 2nd week of radiotherapy. She’s felt a few side effects, and there’s always a lurking anxiety about complications. Sara’s sister has written a short piece on some of the challenges we’ve been facing, and how you can help also beyond our specific case. ♥️
medium.com/@Susana_hawk...

Driving Innovation: U of T Collaborators Study ‘Inattentional Blindness’ on Canada’s Roads | Research and Innovation Have you ever been driving and your car gently pulls you back into your lane? Been warned to grip the steering wheel more firmly? Or alerted that the car in front of you is pulling away? Advanced Driv...

The Research Office at my university wrote about @applylab.bsky.social’s ERSTPP grant!

Come and join our team in this fabulous project 🧠👇

The five points I covered in the lecture: Visual areas as maps of the visual field Ventral and dorsal pathways Receptive fields and filtering across areas How visual areas might work together The visual cortex as a deep neural network?

I just gave a lecture on "Higher visual cortex" to undergrads and I covered the 5 topics below.

Now I need to suggest readings. Arghh. All I have is for grad students or beyond!

Any suggestions for an undergrad textbook? I loved "From Neuron to Brain" and "Neurons and Networks" but they're old.

Psychonomic Society One World Seminar “How big is that bagel? Differences in size constancy for perception and action" by Mel Goodale Time: 11:15am Eastern Time on February 26. There's also a head shot of Mel Goodale, University of Western Ontario, Canada.

Really looking forward to discussing the operation of size constancy in visual perception and visually guided action as part of the Psychonomic Society's One World Seminar Series on Feb 26 at 11:15am to 1pm Eastern Time. 🧪🧠 Abstract and registration here. us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

#neurojobs #neuroimaging #neuroskyence
🧠 NEUROIMAGING POST-DOC 🧠
Do you have (or will have in a year) a PhD in Psychology, Neuroscience or Neuroimaging? Do you want to live in gorgeous Norwich?
Then apply: vacancies.uea.ac.uk/vacancies/13...
Join the SIGHT project: www.uea.ac.uk/about/school...

Donate to Sara's Brain Cancer Treatments, organized by Guido Maiello Dear Family and Friends, Old and New, We are the family of Sara Joy Hawkins, and this… Guido Maiello needs your support for Sara's Brain Cancer Treatments

Sara’s awake brain surgery on Wednesday was tough but is done. She’s been released from the hospital already and we are planning the next steps. Please keep sharing/donating, and thank you deeply for the love and support!
gofund.me/357afe0a

Donate to Sara's Brain Cancer Treatments, organized by Guido Maiello Dear Family and Friends, Old and New, We are the family of Sara Joy Hawkins, and this… Guido Maiello needs your support for Sara's Brain Cancer Treatments

Halfway to our goal—thank you! Sara’s surgery is set for Jan 22 in Germany. We’re hopeful & grateful for your support. Please continue sharing, it really helps: gofund.me/7df0f670