Kavya Devarakonda, PhD

How are people dealing with AI use in their grad programs, specifically for thesis proposal, qualifying exam, dissertation? Banned completely? Allowed, but have to recognize its use? No guardrails at all? We have to develop a policy and I’m totally at a loss.

Neuroscience funding: A source directory Our list features expected and lesser-known governmental and nongovernmental sources of funding for basic neuroscience research.

Most basic neuroscience research in the U.S. is funded by the federal government, but there is an entire funding landscape that lies beyond those federal agencies. To bring those sources together, @thetransmitter.bsky.social presents a funding source directory: bit.ly/4pBBF2B

#StateOfNeuroscience

Glad to see this story right up top on the NYT page today -- NIH is paying out multiple years of funding to existing grants in an explicit effort to AVOID funding new grants.

Clear as day that destroying science is an explicit goal of the federal government.

#academicsky #psychscisky 🧠🟦

🔬 Biomedical researchers! Struggling to nail your grant’s Specific Aims?

For December, I’m trialing a new service! Get expert, targeted feedback on your Aims page to make it clear, compelling, and ready to impress reviewers.

Learn more: kavyadevarakonda.com/Specific-Aim...

#GrantWritingTips 🧠🧪

Just got an email from my SRO for the study section that was missed in October. Good news is that they are trying to reschedule ASAP (Dec/Jan). The bad news is that CSR is mandating that only the the top third (not half) of applications will get discussed for the next 2 rounds.

975 - A Tumultuous Year for NIH Funding Podcast Episode · Public Health On Call · 11/12/2025 · 24m

A really good podcast description of the chaos imposed on NIH this year. 🧪
#NIHGrants

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/p...

Congrats Carla!!

Estrogen modulates reward prediction errors and reinforcement learning - Nature Neuroscience Dopamine encoding of reward prediction errors naturally fluctuates over females’ reproductive cycles with estrogenic signaling due to reduced expression of dopamine reuptake proteins.

Thrilled to share our new paper, out now in @natneuro.nature.com, uncovering how estradiol, the most potent estrogen, modulates reinforcement learning and reward prediction errors across biological levels. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

#blueprint 1/7

grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...

Correct! Don't highlight changes

Ooh I'm just seeing this now! Congrats Zach!!

🚨New preprint alert🚨
We used closed-loop optogenetics to causally test the importance of inhibitory spike timing in network function and found that manipulating PV+ cell theta phase locking in the dentate gyrus can shift seizure susceptibility (both ways!)

Amygdala–liver signalling orchestrates glycaemic responses to stress Nature - Studies in mice show that acute stress activates hyperglycaemia via activation of a medial amygdala–ventral hypothalamic circuit that controls glucose metabolic responses in the...

Excited to share that my PhD work has been published! www.nature.com/articles/s41... 🧠🧪

The NIH Is Capping Research Proposals Because It's Overwhelmed by AI Submissions The NIH wrote that it has recently “observed instances of Principal Investigators submitting large numbers of applications, some of which may have been generated with AI tools."

Another piece on the NIH responding to the deluge of AI-written grants www.404media.co/nih-capping-... #nih #artificialintelligence

a cartoon of homer simpson holding a card ALT: a cartoon of homer simpson holding a card

I am not going to call this a Bluetorial, because I do not want to sully that term (which, at least I, find joyful).

Let’s call it a Orwellial.

Ffs

If the block on the Federal Register isn’t removed in the next few months, I fear a majority of labs will close within a year. This small procedural wrench has the power to kill US science indefinitely, losing an entire generation of discovery and innovation.

Are the Trump team’s actions affecting your research? How to contact Nature Use this form to share information with Nature’s news team, or to make suggestions for future coverage.

@nature.com “Are the Trump team’s actions affecting your research? Tell Nature” www.nature.com/articles/d41... via Signal:
Max Kozlov: mkozlov.01;
Dan Garisto: dgaristo.72;
Heidi Ledford: hledford.01;
Jeff Tollefson: jtollefson.11;
Alexandra Witze: alexwitze.01;
General Nature: naturenews.61 🧪

a man wearing a white shirt is standing in front of blue stairs ALT: a man wearing a white shirt is standing in front of blue stairs

ATTENTION (PARTICULARLY NIHers)

If anyone has information about the numbers and types of folks in your institute, center, office, or whatever who were were terminated, please share them with me by DM or on Signal (jeremymberg.78).

I am putting together an inventory.

I thought it would be cathartic to start a list of bad advice for writing grants. I'll start.

Make sure to cram as much information in your grant as possible. The more you can say, the better your score.

A lot is happening in US science.

Bluesky is the best place to stay up the rolling political crisis in America that is crushing US science. It's also a good place to learn what we all can do.

We have a starter pack for this. Please send your colleagues here too. 🧪
go.bsky.app/2K6jTi5

also this same org has this super useful infographic, breaking down the difference between direct and indirect (also called Facilities and Administration) costs and what F&A costs can and cannot be used for at a research university or institute

It's bleak out there. But it's my birthday week and I'm treating myself to Eagles Super Bowl content (still!) and the 2nd House in the Cerulean Sea book (delightful!) if anyone needs self-care ideas

🦅🦅🦅

The. Most. Philly. Thing. Ever. Everybody in the world thinks they are going to grind clock… and PHI goes deep for the TD. Grease the light poles. 🎉

BABY COOPER!!!!!

Le sigh

Wow, first OPI the NFL has called all season and it’s to stop the Eagles from converting on a fourth down.

I have learned from several sources that NIH staff tried to find out how to transfer F31-diversity applications to other program announcements for funding but were not able to do this. I don't know whether this was technical (regulations) or ideological.

1/n

On this ridiculous shit show of a week, congratulations to everyone who managed to get their NIH grant proposal submitted on deadline!

Well done.

Make it rain.