Jo Cutler
Wellcome Trust Early Career Research Fellow
@thechbh.bsky.social, University of Birmingham
tinyurl.com/Helpful-Brain
Prosocial decisions, kindness, charity, neuroscience, modelling, ageing
- Reposted by Jo Cutler🔭 Did you miss out on the inaugural Curiosity, Information-Seeking, & Exploration conference? Videos of our entire 2-day program are now available: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis... #CISE2025 @socforneuroecon.bsky.social @drjocutler.bsky.social
- Reposted by Jo Cutler🚨 Fully funded PhD scholarship to work with me, Ali Mazaheri, Dhruv Parekh, and Katrien Segaert at the University of Birmingham on new brain-based tools to improve diagnoses of consciousness after severe brain injury. 🚨 Deadline: 9th January 2026 Full details and application form: lnkd.in/ejZkfFbW
- Reposted by Jo Cutler🔍 Behind the Paper: 'Boosting climate motivation with psychological interventions'. Actions that protect the environment are crucial but often require effort, which people avoid. 🔗Read more here: go.nature.com/4ou8b6K. #AcademicPublishing #psychresearch @drjocutler.bsky.social
- Reposted by Jo CutlerExcited to share our preprint on variability in patch leaving decisions! Check out the 🧵 below
- 🧪Preprint! How foragers depart from optimal models can tell us a lot about how they compute their decisions. A strong but underexplored departure is that foragers widely vary when they leave identical patches. A 🧵 doi.org/10.1101/2025... With @emmavscholey.bsky.social @brainapps.bsky.social
- Reposted by Jo CutlerPro-environmental actions often require effort. Participants were less motivated to help the climate than a food charity, but two interventions removed this bias. Computational modelling linked climate motivation with pro-environmental traits. @drjocutler.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s44...
- 🌎 New paper in @commspsychol.nature.com 🌍 doi.org/10.1038/s442... There is an urgent need to choose behaviours that mitigate climate change, but these are often more effortful. Can we increase pro-environmental motivation? Joint w/ Luis Sebastian Contreras-Huerta & amazing international team 👇🧵
- 3,055 ppts from 6 countries 🇧🇬🇬🇷🇳🇬🇸🇪🇬🇧🇺🇸 did our new online Pro-Environmental Effort Task ✨ the PEET ✨ On each trial, they choose between rest or work: exerting effort by clicking boxes to earn more credits 💪 Credits were donations to a climate charity 🌍 or a matched control food charity
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View full threadAll resources needed to run and analyse the Pro-Environmental Effort Task are publicly available for future research: osf.io/zv2tu/
- Reposted by Jo CutlerDoes dopamine modulate the willingness to help? New Psychology Today post, "How Dopamine Affects Our Motivation to Help Others", written by me, with special thanks to @drjocutler.bsky.social and @thepsychologist.bsky.social www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/the-...
- Reposted by Jo CutlerLooking for a PhD? Interested in cognitive computational neuroscience, motivation and decision-making? See our project listed in the BBSRC MIBTP competition for funding for a 4-year PhD in the @msnlab.bsky.social in the @thechbh.bsky.social. Deadline 27/11. More info: tinyurl.com/5d5vz8m7
- Great to see this out! Exciting work led by @shawnrhoadsphd.com on how we learn when actions affect ourselves and others 🧠 w/ @aa-marsh.bsky.social, @k-oconnell.com, Kathryn Berluti, & Lin Gan plus @thepsychologist.bsky.social & me @sdnl.bsky.social, @thechbh.bsky.social, @uob-sop.bsky.social
- 📢 Thrilled to share our paper is out now in @natcomms.nature.com Shared computations underlie how we acquire actions that are mutually beneficial, instrumentally harmful (benefits self at the expense of others), altruistic (benefit others at the expense of self), or mutually costly 🧵 rdcu.be/eL8mZ
- I had so much fun organising #CISE2025 conference on Curiosity, Information Seeking & Exploration with Romy Frömer, @hayleydorfman.bsky.social, Ohad Dan, Matt Nassar, Tali Sharot & Jacqueline Gottlieb at beautiful Brown University then hearing about all the amazing research from our speakers…
- … George Loewenstein, @modirshanechi.bsky.social, @russell-golman.bsky.social, @vgonzalez.bsky.social, @carocharp.bsky.social, @doctor-bob.bsky.social, @katenuss.bsky.social, @haoxuefan.bsky.social plus so many great short & blitz talks and posters
- Thank you so much to everyone who came and to our sponsors @carneyinstitute.bsky.social, Brown CoPsy, Brown Neuro, @unibirmingham.bsky.social, UoB College of Life & Environmental Sciences & @thechbh.bsky.social
- Reposted by Jo CutlerWe’re kicking off day 2 of #CISE2025 🔭 with a fun talk from George Loewenstein on his tour de force research program on information gap theory
- Reposted by Jo CutlerGeorge Loewenstein summarizing 30 yrs of brilliant studies on curiosity and desire for information (or a desire to not know, eg likely bad news) #CISE2025 at Brown Univ
- Reposted by Jo CutlerSuccessful first CISE poster session at beautiful Brown! #CISE2025 🔭
- Great start to the travels @univ-amu.fr in beautiful Marseille. Next up Providence for CISE 2025, Boston @socforneuroecon.bsky.social, and New York
- Reposted by Jo CutlerEarly bird registration for "The Mechanistic Basis of Foraging 2025" conference ends on 30th September! This meeting provides a multidisciplinary perspective on the neural, behavioural and computational mechanisms of foraging across species. uobevents.eventsair.com/the-mechanis... Please share!
- Great to have @mjgruber.bsky.social visit @chbh.bsky.social @uob-sop.bsky.social today and give a great talk on curiosity, exploration & memory 🧠
- Reposted by Jo CutlerI had a fantastic time at the Computational Social Cognition Summer School at U of Birmingham! What an amazing resource & opportunity for students. Thanks to organizers @drjocutler.bsky.social Lei Zhang and @thepsychologist.bsky.social & the speakers, instructors, and students!
- Today's the day we welcome over 80 participants, instructors & keynote speakers from all over the world to @uob-sop.bsky.social @unibirmingham.bsky.social for the Computational Social Cognition (CSC) Summer School with @leidenpsychology.bsky.social @unileiden.bsky.social #CSC2025 www.compsoccog.com
- Reposted by Jo CutlerSo great to share plans for my upcoming online study and broader PhD with brilliant minds at my first conference #BAP2025 and fantastic computational modelling workshop #CSC2025! osf.io/7fqbe
- Reposted by Jo CutlerHad a great time attending the Birmingham-Leiden Computational Social Cognition Summer School this week! Thanks to everyone who was part of #CSC2025 and especially to @drjocutler.bsky.social & @lei-zhang.bsky.social for leading the organization! 10/10 would recommend! More info on www.compsoccog.com
- Reposted by Jo Cutler#Day2 #CSC2025 keynote on on modelling prejudices in social interactions by @davidamodio.bsky.social followed by a comprehensive tutorial on drifting diffusion modelling. 📊 Day ended with a walking tour of the city ✌️
- #CSC2025 participants enjoying a @positivelybrum.bsky.social walking tour around the city centre
- Reposted by Jo Cutler#Day1 #CSC2025 Amazing insights on neural dynamics of good conversation by Prof. Diana Tamir from Princeton Uni. Followed by lectures on effort based discounting modelling.
- Reposted by Jo Cutler🧠 We're hiring a computational postdoc! 3+ years with me & @mitulamehta.bsky.social on @wellcometrust.bsky.social funded social cognition/paranoia research at the IoPPN. Lead & develop computational work, collaborate with experimentalists on psychosis/THC data. DM for details! lnkd.in/eCMy9Jf5
- Reposted by Jo CutlerAmazing kick start to the Birmingham - Leiden #CSC2025 summer school from @drjocutler.bsky.social with her introductory lecture "Introduction to Computational Modelling: Theory"
- Evidence-based advice for #CSC2025 participants at the start of @dianatamir.bsky.social’s keynote: over the next few days just get into conversations with people - you’ll probably both enjoy it more than you expected!
- Meghna, Lily and Jonny are ready to greet everyone in the Link for our poster reception 👋
- Today's the day we welcome over 80 participants, instructors & keynote speakers from all over the world to @uob-sop.bsky.social @unibirmingham.bsky.social for the Computational Social Cognition (CSC) Summer School with @leidenpsychology.bsky.social @unileiden.bsky.social #CSC2025 www.compsoccog.com
- Today's the day we welcome over 80 participants, instructors & keynote speakers from all over the world to @uob-sop.bsky.social @unibirmingham.bsky.social for the Computational Social Cognition (CSC) Summer School with @leidenpsychology.bsky.social @unileiden.bsky.social #CSC2025 www.compsoccog.com
- Featuring @dianatamir.bsky.social, @davidamodio.bsky.social, Matthew Rushworth, @lei-zhang.bsky.social, @arkadykonovalov.bsky.social, Anna van Duijvenvoorde, @alosecaatv.bsky.social, Marc-Lluís Vives Moya, @mkwittmann.bsky.social, Franz Wurm, Ili Ma, @thepsychologist.bsky.social ...
- @brainapps.bsky.social, Jennifer Cook, Romy Froemer, @toddvogel.bsky.social, @annesaulin.bsky.social, Alicia Rybicki, @selmalugtmeijer.bsky.social, @emmavscholey.bsky.social, @kdudzikowska.bsky.social & @meghnaa.bsky.social
- Reposted by Jo CutlerAbstract submission open for The Mechanistic Basis of Foraging 2025 (University of Birmingham, 3–5 November) A multidisciplinary event exploring the neural, behavioural and computational foundations of foraging across species: uobevents.eventsair.com/the-mechanis... Deadline: August 17, 2025
- Reposted by Jo CutlerWe have a Research Assistant position available in Rushworth Lab to help us with projects involving fMRI, TMS, and TUS. Find out more here my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...
- Reposted by Jo CutlerThe School of Psychology at the University of Birmingham is looking for a new Head of School: www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DNS973/h... Get in touch if you have any questions and please circulate. @uob-sop.bsky.social @thechbh.bsky.social
- Reposted by Jo CutlerI am delighted to announce registration and abstract submission is open for "The Mechanistic Basis of Foraging 2025" to be held at the Edgbaston Park Hotel, University of Birmingham, UK on 3-5th November 2025. uobevents.eventsair.com/the-mechanis...
- Award-winning research and Brum-themed food @unibirmingham.bsky.social Founders’ Awards & Chancellor’s Dinner this evening
- A masterclass in the science of motivation for @brainapps.bsky.social inaugural lecture and well-deserved recognition of all the support Matt gives those around him
- Reposted by Jo Cutler“Relying on PRIME young adults limits cognitive science” www.cell.com/trends/cogni... new @cp-trendscognsci.bsky.social piece with @connectedmindslab.bsky.social we highlight how a focus on young adults as a benchmark of ‘human’ behaviour has shaped cognitive science in several ways 👇
- Reposted by Jo CutlerOne more week for abstract submissions! Join us for the Curiosity, Information Seeking & Exploration conference! 🔎🕵️♀️ Submit an abstract using the link below & check out the incredible speaker list 👇👇👇 @socforneuroecon.bsky.social @carneyinstitute.bsky.social #cise2025
- Just 4 weeks until the abstract deadline for Curiosity, Information Seeking & Exploration - ciseconf.github.io/CISE_2025/ 🗓️ 30th Sept-1st Oct 📍 Brown University 👥 Romy Frömer, @hayleydorfman.bsky.social, Ohad Dan, Matt Nassar, Tali Sharot & Jacqueline Gottlieb 👇 Speakers Please submit & share!
- Reposted by Jo Cutler[This post could not be retrieved]
- 🌟 Research Assistant opportunity 🌟 I'm looking for an RA to support research @thechbh.bsky.social on social information seeking and decision making, including fMRI and MEG 🧠 Details: tinyurl.com/chbh-ra-uob Deadline: 20th July ⏳ Start: From September 🗓️ Please share 🔁
- Reposted by Jo CutlerExcited for our @rldmdublin2025.bsky.social workshop at the intersection of #NeuroAI and Aging. Tomorrow from 9 AM -1 PM in LTEE 3 in Hamilton Building, hope to see you there!
- Are you planning to attend @rldmdublin2025.bsky.social #RLDM2025 and interested in human and artificial intelligence across the adult lifespan? Come check out our Representational Alignment and Aging Workshop!👇 sites.google.com/brown.edu/raa/
- Reposted by Jo Cutler🚀Join our team @tuda.bsky.social ! 🚀 I'm looking for 3 PhDs & 1 Postdoc for my @erc.europa.eu project “C4: Compositional Compression in Cognition and Culture” to study learning across individuals, teams, and cultural timescales 👉 PhD: hmc-lab.com/ERC_PhDs.html 👉 Postdoc: hmc-lab.com/ERC_Postdoc....
- Just 4 weeks until the abstract deadline for Curiosity, Information Seeking & Exploration - ciseconf.github.io/CISE_2025/ 🗓️ 30th Sept-1st Oct 📍 Brown University 👥 Romy Frömer, @hayleydorfman.bsky.social, Ohad Dan, Matt Nassar, Tali Sharot & Jacqueline Gottlieb 👇 Speakers Please submit & share!
- With huge thanks to @carneyinstitute.bsky.social, Brown CoPsy, Brown Neuro, @unibirmingham.bsky.social, UoB College of Life & Environmental Sciences & @thechbh.bsky.social for support
- Reposted by Jo Cutler🚨CogSci preprint alert🚨 When you look at reviews, do you like to focus on positive or negative ones? @stepalminteri.bsky.social, @thecharleywu.bsky.social and I set out to investigate how learning rate biases differ between individual and social learning in our new study. osf.io/bcrw9_v2 🧵 below!
- Really looking forward to this!
- Are you planning to attend @rldmdublin2025.bsky.social #RLDM2025 and interested in human and artificial intelligence across the adult lifespan? Come check out our Representational Alignment and Aging Workshop!👇 sites.google.com/brown.edu/raa/
- Fascinating study led by @zhilinsu.bsky.social and great summary thread👇
- 🧠 My second PhD paper out 🧠 What causal roles does the mPFC play in social influence and temporal discounting? journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
- Reposted by Jo CutlerDeadline = TODAY for Computational Social Cognition summer school! Don’t miss out
- ⏰ Deadline Monday (28th) for @unibirmingham.bsky.social & @unileiden.bsky.social Computational Social Cognition summer school. Don't miss keynotes by Matthew Rushworth, @dianatamir.bsky.social & @davidamodio.bsky.social www.compsoccog.com ⬇️ Only text response questions in the short application:
- ⏰ Deadline Monday (28th) for @unibirmingham.bsky.social & @unileiden.bsky.social Computational Social Cognition summer school. Don't miss keynotes by Matthew Rushworth, @dianatamir.bsky.social & @davidamodio.bsky.social www.compsoccog.com ⬇️ Only text response questions in the short application:
- Deadline extended to 28th April so still time to apply!
- Apply by 18th April for the @unibirmingham.bsky.social & @unileiden.bsky.social Computational Social Cognition summer school. Amazing keynotes Matthew Rushworth, @dianatamir.bsky.social & @davidamodio.bsky.social plus instructors from @thechbh.bsky.social & @imh-uob.bsky.social www.compsoccog.com
- Reposted by Jo Cutler🙌 Hot off the presses @natcomms.nature.com! We created a custom #Minecraft environment to study a long-standing puzzle in cognitive science: How do humans flexibly adapt their individual and social learning strategies in dynamic, realistic situations? Check it out 👉 www.nature.com/articles/s41... 🧵👇
- Reposted by Jo CutlerJoin us for ‘The Social Brain’ a 1-day symposium on recognition, communication, and learning in dynamic social environments. 🎟️https://www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/events/student-symposium-2025-social-brain 📅25 April, 9.50am - 7pm 📍SWC, London @gatsbyucl.bsky.social
- Apply by 18th April for the @unibirmingham.bsky.social & @unileiden.bsky.social Computational Social Cognition summer school. Amazing keynotes Matthew Rushworth, @dianatamir.bsky.social & @davidamodio.bsky.social plus instructors from @thechbh.bsky.social & @imh-uob.bsky.social www.compsoccog.com
- Thank you to the people who nominated me and everyone who has supported me so far ✨✨✨
- Congratulations to the newest class of APS Rising Stars ⭐! www.psychologicalscience.org/members/awar...
- Reposted by Jo CutlerI can only recommend this fantastic summer school after attending last year! Left with lots of new skills & knowledge
- 🚨 SUMMER SCHOOL! Announcing the 2nd Birmingham-Leiden Summer School in Computational Social Cognition, Sep 2-5, 2025. Fantastic line-up of keynote: Matthew Rushworth, Diana Tamir @dianatamir.bsky.social, and David Amodio @davidamodio.bsky.social . 👇 Apply by 18 April (compsoccog.com) and RT!
- So excited to announce Curiosity, Information Seeking & Exploration conference: 30th Sept-1st Oct @Brown University. Amazing speakers sites.google.com/view/informa... and free! Abstract submissions open until 7th July w/ Romy Frömer, Ohad Dan, @hayleydorfman.bsky.social, Matt Nassar. Please share!
- Speakers: - Jacqueline Gottlieb (+ organising) - Tali Sharot (+ organising) - George Loewenstein - Nicola Clayton - @danisbassett.bsky.social - Valeria Gonzales - Jeffrey Cockburn - Robert Wilson - @katenuss.bsky.social - @modirshanechi.bsky.social - @haoxuefan.bsky.social
- Reposted by Jo CutlerPeople with higher incomes and people who describe themselves as “living comfortably” are more likely to report donating, volunteering, and helping strangers than people with lower incomes and people who are merely “getting by.” In PNAS Nexus: academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
- Reposted by Jo CutlerMy lab is hiring a full-time research coordinator! (Ideal for anyone who would like to pursue a PhD in computational social neuroscience and/or computational psychiatry) We will begin reviewing apps on Feb 21, 2025 Learn more here: sinclab.github.io/connect/hiring #compneuro #socialneuro #cpsy 🧠📈
- Reposted by Jo Cutler🚨 SUMMER SCHOOL! Announcing the 2nd Birmingham-Leiden Summer School in Computational Social Cognition, Sep 2-5, 2025. Fantastic line-up of keynote: Matthew Rushworth, Diana Tamir @dianatamir.bsky.social, and David Amodio @davidamodio.bsky.social . 👇 Apply by 18 April (compsoccog.com) and RT!
- Reposted by Jo Cutler🌵Out now! Using an RL task that manipulates people's beliefs about agency, we show that exposure to & severity of early-life adversity is associated with lower learning rates & agency beliefs. w/ the brillant @thephelpslab.bsky.social, Kate McLaughlin, & Bryan Dong learnmem.cshlp.org/content/32/1...
- Reposted by Jo CutlerNew paper! Greater (objective and subjective) wealth is consistently associated with higher prosocial preferences and behaviours across 76 countries. Resource scarcity (precarity) also has an effect. bit.ly/410jni3 @thepsychologist.bsky.social @fabiankosse.bsky.social @drjocutler.bsky.social
- Reposted by Jo Cutler📢 New Preprint 📢 Delighted to share our preprint of a chapter co-authored with @thepsychologist.bsky.social @sdnl.bsky.social for the forthcoming book 'Neuroeconomics: Core Topics and Current Directions'! The neuroeconomics of social influence and contagion osf.io/preprints/ps...
- Reposted by Jo Cutler[This post could not be retrieved]
- Looking forward to talking about social information seeking 🔍, climate motivation 💪, big data 🌍, and inevitably also the weather ⛈️ at #SNE2024 🔍 poster P1-D-22 today 💪 blitz & poster P2-F-106 Saturday 🌍 round table Saturday
- Reposted by Jo CutlerIt's OUT! 🥳 My first (shared) first author paper with @kimdoell.bsky.social , @madalina.bsky.social , @jayvanbavel.bsky.social and 254 amazing collaborators is published 🌍 Hope our dataset would be useful to many! Cant way to see the research that will come from it 🤩 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
- Really exciting new approach, task and findings 👇 I enjoyed playing a small part in this project, especially as it mainly involved watching David Attenborough videos 🤩🐢🐬🐋
- New preprint! 🚨 osf.io/preprints/ps... Does deciding when to help others depend on our environment? (spoiler: yes!)
- 1 week left to apply!
- 🌟 Research Assistant opportunity 🌟 I'm looking for an RA to support new projects @thechbh.bsky.social on social information seeking and decision making inc. fMRI and MEG 🧠 Details: tinyurl.com/ra-uob-chbh Deadline: 24th September ⏳ Get in touch w/ questions 👋 Please share 🔁
- Congratulations to @zhilinsu.bsky.social from @sdnl.bsky.social @thechbh.bsky.social and the other winners 🎉
- Congratulations again to the #BACN24 poster prize winners!
- Patricia Lockwood @thepsychologist.bsky.social wraps up Early Career Award talk @bacn.co.uk covering work on how and when we help by @margotgueguen.bsky.social, @toddvogel.bsky.social and others @sdnl.bsky.social @thechbh.bsky.social
- I'll be @bacn.co.uk this week if you or anyone you know might be interested in this and want to chat
- 🌟 Research Assistant opportunity 🌟 I'm looking for an RA to support new projects @thechbh.bsky.social on social information seeking and decision making inc. fMRI and MEG 🧠 Details: tinyurl.com/ra-uob-chbh Deadline: 24th September ⏳ Get in touch w/ questions 👋 Please share 🔁
- Reposted by Jo CutlerCome work with us - SIX yr. postdoc in Environmental Social Neuroscience 🧠🏞️ @univie (@ScanUnit, @clauslamm). Develop own research line, transition towards junior group leader, excellent research infrastructure, supportive work environment 🥳 & 🏆mentoring 👉 tinyurl.com/EnvSocNeuro 🔁 Share please
- 🌟 Research Assistant opportunity 🌟 I'm looking for an RA to support new projects @thechbh.bsky.social on social information seeking and decision making inc. fMRI and MEG 🧠 Details: tinyurl.com/ra-uob-chbh Deadline: 24th September ⏳ Get in touch w/ questions 👋 Please share 🔁
- Start Nov 2024 (up to Jan 2025) initially for 1 year + possibility of extension. Work in collaboration with @thepsychologist.bsky.social SDN lab (sdn-lab.org), @brainapps.bsky.social MSN lab (msn-lab.com) & others. Funded by Wellcome Early Career Award wellcome.org/grant-fundin...
- Ad also here: www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DJK995/r...
