Prof Sarah-Jayne Blakemore

16 July 2025

I was explaining to my Ukrainian colleague the phrase ‘There’s no such thing as a free lunch’. She told me the equivalent in Ukrainian is ‘The only free cheese is in the mousetrap’ - which is so much better

jobs.ac.ukAssociate Professorship of Experimental Psychology at University of OxfordSearching for an academic job? Explore this Associate Professorship of Experimental Psychology opening on jobs.ac.uk! Click to view more details and browse other academic jobs.

✨ Congratulations ✨ Dr @emilyanntowner.bsky.social So proud of you 👩‍🎓

Emily Towner@emilyanntowner.bsky.social

Dr. Emily Ann Towner 🎓 PhD in Psychology, University of Cambridge Being Alone: Social Disconnection in Adolescence

Prof Sarah-Jayne Blakemore reposted

Max Roser

@maxroser.bsky.social

When do people experience mental health conditions for the first time? — The key chart from @hannahritchie.bsky.social's new Our World in Data article: ourworldindata.org/when-do-peop...

Prof Sarah-Jayne Blakemore reposted

rogier kievit

@rogierk.bsky.social

Last week we got together with the BEAM team at @cubriccardiff.bsky.social for our @wellcometrust.bsky.social funded study on how brain development trajectories in 22q.11 deletion syndrome may help us understand the neurodevelopmental challenges some children face #WMHD2026 @sjblakemore.bsky.social

Prof Sarah-Jayne Blakemore reposted

Ole Jensen

@olejensen.bsky.social

Exciting Associate Professor opportunity in Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford, with access to state-of-the-art neuroimaging and stimulation at OHBA/OxCIN: MEG, OPM, 3T/7T MRI, TUS, TMS & more. Please share! www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DSQ831/a...

I’m on sabbatical this year, and am very happy to be spending time thinking, reading and writing in this beautiful library @stjohnsox.bsky.social

Prof Sarah-Jayne Blakemore reposted

rogier kievit

@rogierk.bsky.social

Exactly this. Make yourself and your work easily findable. Yes, also if you are just starting - Perhaps you gave an impressive talk or an exciting poster, and I want to know more, invite you to something, or recommend you to a colleague. I can't count the number of times I just gave up & moved on

samuel mehr@mehr.nz

early-career academics, if you don't have a website, make yourself one. yes it's annoying but just do it it can be plain text on a white background, or google sites, or even a free Wix one with ads. nobody cares we just need to be able to look you up, quickly, bc there's like 100 other apps here

bbc.co.ukGraduated Driver Licensing: Northern Ireland's young drivers first in UK to get new driving licensing lawsNorthern Ireland becomes the first part of the UK to introduce new rules for new drivers in a bid to reduce fatal road crashes involving young people.

This new policy is evidence-based and is likely to improve road safety www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

New paper! By brilliant Emma Kilford and Sophie Fielmann and others - a great collaboration between researchers in South Africa, Uganda, UK and US. The Limpopo Facial Emotion Stimulus Set: Locally Validated Stimuli for Emotion Research in Sub-Saharan Africa Thread👇 psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/202...

View full thread

abcdstudy.orgfMRI Tasks and Tools - ABCD Study

The 131-image Limpopo facial emotion stimulus set showed high agreement in recognition of the intended emotions and is openly available for researchers. We hope this resource will help support more culturally relevant and ecologically valid research in sub-Saharan Africa.

abcdstudy.orgfMRI Tasks and Tools - ABCD Study

AUTHORS: Emma Kilford* Sophie Fielmann* Tlangelani Baloyi Gabriele Chierchia May Conley Kathleen Kahn Dr Bianca Moffett Julia Pozuelo Tholene Sodi Alan Stein Stephen Tollman Sarah-Jayne Blakemore DoBAt & Ebikolwa Consortium STIMULI: abcdstudy.org/scientists/a... DATA/CODE: osf.io/ws3td/overview

abcdstudy.orgfMRI Tasks and Tools - ABCD Study

Most research on facial emotion recognition has relied on predominantly Western (WEIRD) samples and stimuli. We validated a set of facial expressions using photographs of models of Black African descent (the RADIATE stimuli), with ratings from students at the University of Limpopo, South Africa.

nidirect.gov.ukGraduated Driver Licensing for newly qualified driversNewly qualified drivers under the Graduated Drivers Licensing (GDL) scheme will use new blue ‘R’ plates and display them for a longer period of two years. There are also new night-time driving protect...

19 Sept

Next month, Northern Ireland will introduce graduated drivers licenses for newly qualified young drivers. Many of us have argued for graduated drivers licences across the UK because evidence suggests they will reduce crashes and save lives. www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/gra...

19 Sept

Rules include: 🚗New drivers under the age of 24, can have no more than one passenger in the car, aged between 14 to 20 years between 11.00 pm and 6.00 am. 🚗This rule will apply for the first six months after passing test. 🚗Passenger restrictions will not apply for immediate family members.

sciencedirect.comsciencedirect.com

19 Sept

If you’re interested in relevant evidence, I wrote about some of it in this article www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

guarantorsofbrain.orgPost Doctoral & Brain Entry Fellowships | Brain: The Charity

16 Sept

Brain postdoctoral fellowships (clinical and non-clinical) - open now for applications guarantorsofbrain.org/grants/post-...

www.the-scientist.com/wellcome-s-5...

16 Sept

the-scientist.comWellcome’s $50M Microbiome-Autism Project Gets a Serious Gut Check | The ScientistA massive research program investigating causal links between the gut microbiome and autism sparked fierce pushback from scientific critics and advocacy groups.

Prof Sarah-Jayne Blakemore reposted

15 Sept

Last year, I was honoured to give the Huttenlocher Lecture at the @fluxsociety.bsky.social conference. Over the past year, I’ve been writing it into a paper: The developing adolescent brain: Implications for youth justice and children in criminal proceedings www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

15 Sept

exeter.ac.ukUnraveling Moral Injury in Eating Disorders in Young Adults. MRC GW4 BioMed DTP PhD studentship 2027/28 Entry, PhD in Psychology. | University of ExeterThe GW4 BioMed3 Doctoral Landscape Programme is offering up to 18 MRC funded studentships across a range of biomedical disciplines, with a start date of October 2027.

15 Sept

PhD studentship at Exeter! Unraveling Moral Injury in Eating Disorders in Young Adults Supervisor Professor Larysa Zasiekina, Department of Psychology, University of Exeter www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin...

@eblissmoreau.bsky.social

3 Sept

Saw these interview jokes on Twitter many years ago and kept them... Twitter was often a joyful place before it went batshit

Prof Sarah-Jayne Blakemore reposted

Eliza Bliss-Moreau

29 Aug

We're currently hiring a new director for the renowned UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain. The director will be appointed as a Professor in our psychology department: recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07814

recruit.ucdavis.eduDirector of the Center for Mind and Brain & Professor of PsychologyUniversity of California, Davis is hiring. Apply now!

22 Aug

Lovely weekend break in Gotham

20 Aug

Have you noticed that restaurants are starting to use AI to answer the phone, and it’s pretty good? That’s a lot of jobs, mostly young people’s

Prof Sarah-Jayne Blakemore reposted

beam-study.comGet Involved!Take a Virtual Tour of the MRI Scanner

RECRUITING 8-14 YEAR OLD PARTICIPANTS! If you are based in or near Cardiff and have a child aged 8-14 years who might be interested in taking part in our brain scanning study, you can find out more and register your interest here: beam-study.com/get-involved/ Please share!

en.wikipedia.orgCyrano de Bergerac (play) - Wikipedia

17 Aug

I’m receiving emails from prospective students that I suspect are written by AI. It reminds me of the story of Cyrano de Bergerac. I hope we don’t all fall in love with the AI when we discover who (what) really wrote the perfectly constructed, personalised letters en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrano_...

youtube.comDuchess of WhalesWhales and whimsy... A channel about whales, dolphins, porpoises and other marine animals seen on Stellwagen Bank and around the world as a professional videographer and whale watch naturalist.

15 Aug

My sister is a marine naturalist, you can follow her and see her amazing videos of marine life (and some sheep) here: Duchess of Whales www.youtube.com/@WhaleWatche...

Terrible, terrible news about Jason Arday. There are no words to express how awful this is. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones

ordinaryabundance.comOrdinary AbundanceA walk through a modern apartment, through the eyes of the people for whom everything in it was new.

Love this ordinaryabundance.com

beam-study.comGet Involved!Take a Virtual Tour of the MRI Scanner

royalsociety.orgSecond cohort of exceptional research leaders awarded Royal Society Faraday Discovery Fellowships | Royal SocietyNine pioneering researchers have been announced as this years' recipients.

12 Aug

Second cohort of exceptional research leaders awarded Royal Society Faraday Discovery Fellowships royalsociety.org/news/2026/08...

deevybee.blogspot.comThe Challenge for Science: a speech by Colin Blakemore from 1998When I wrote a blog in August on ‘How our current reward structures have distorted and damaged science’ I mentioned a speech I had heard...

10 Aug

I just came across this speech about British science, by my dad in 1998. Some of it is still relevant, including the point about the cost (in)effectiveness of the REF (RAE), the pressure to publish and university hiring decisions deevybee.blogspot.com/2010/10/chal...

radiolab.orgThis is Your Brain on Hormones - TranscriptWe don’t have hormones, hormones have us.

10 Aug

“The cost of each RAE to the universities, especially in the time of academics and administrators, is enormous… the changes in ranking that now occur … are generally small in magnitude and in number. In other words, huge effort and cost are being invested to discover less and less information.”

Prof Sarah-Jayne Blakemore reposted

The Royal Society

@royalsociety.org

6 Aug

The Faraday Discovery Fellowships are now open for applications, long-term awards to support talented mid-career research leaders to undertake high-quality, original research. Find out more and register for our upcoming webinar: https://royalsociety.org/grants/faraday-discovery-fellowships/

Prof Sarah-Jayne Blakemore reposted

Russ Poldrack

@russpoldrack.org

3 Aug

Great to hear @emilyjacobs.bsky.social talking about her lab's amazing work on precision neuroimaging of women's brains radiolab.org/podcast/this...

Prof Sarah-Jayne Blakemore reposted

Prof Nichola Raihani

@nicholaraihani.bsky.social

3 Aug

🚨New post🚨 Three brain myths that need to die nicholaraihani.substack.com/p/three-brai...

nicholaraihani.substack.comThree brain myths that need to dieDid you know that your blood passes through your kidneys roughly 300 times per day?

alumni.cam.ac.ukAlways on my mindCoverage of mental health issues, particularly in the young, is on the rise – as is speculation that it’s being overdiagnosed. Now Tim Dalgleish, the inaugural Dawson Professor of Young People’s Menta...

28 July

Article about Tim Dalgleish, the new Dawson Chair of Young People's Mental Health @campsydept.bsky.social @mrccbu.bsky.social www.alumni.cam.ac.uk/magazine/iss...

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

27 July

theguardian.comJailing children does not make us safer – we need to get rid of this Dickensian delusion | Kirsty BrimelowWe have a Victorian attitude to child offenders. It is harmful to them – and, when they reoffend, damaging to everyone, says Bar Council chair Kirsty Brimelow

developingadolescent.ucla.eduSummer 2026 Research Roundup - Center for the Developing AdolescentIn this Research Roundup, we highlight research published in 2026 that focuses on exploration during adolescence and the role of our natural environments in our development.

17 July

For this Research Roundup, the UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent highlights research that focuses on exploration during adolescence and the role of our natural environments in our development. developingadolescent.ucla.edu/resource/sum...

11 July

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... Jailing children does not make us safer – we need to get rid of this Dickensian delusion | Kirsty Brimelow

www.ft.com/content/1a19...

11 July

ft.comEveryone loves apprenticeships. So why can’t Britain create more of them?With a million young people out of work, we need to revive the tradition of ‘learning on the job’

theambassadorstheatre.co.uk1536 | Official Box Office | Ambassadors TheatreBuy 1536 tickets at Ambassadors Theatre directly from the box office.

10 July

Correction: 1536, the year Anne Boleyn was executed. But it’s only partly about that, it’s mostly about the plight of women throughout history

Prof Sarah-Jayne Blakemore@sjblakemore.bsky.social

This week I have seen Lily Allen perform her new album at the O2, and the play 1537 at the Ambassador’s Theatre. 500 years apart but similar themes. Both powerful - highly recommended. www.theambassadorstheatre.co.uk/shows/1536

theambassadorstheatre.co.uk1536 | Official Box Office | Ambassadors TheatreBuy 1536 tickets at Ambassadors Theatre directly from the box office.

9 July

1 July

Srsly

Prof Sarah-Jayne Blakemore@sjblakemore.bsky.social

Bayeux Tapestry is the new glasto

1 July

Bayeux Tapestry is the new glasto

Prof Sarah-Jayne Blakemore reposted

observer.co.ukAge of criminal responsibility should be raised from 10 t...The law in England and Wales is out of step with other countries and increases the chances that children will reoffend, expert panel finds

28 June

The age of criminal responsibility is 10 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This is too young. In a new report by the Bar Council, we argue that the age should be raised to 14, in line with most other European countries observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

28 June