[visionlist] Accepting applications: The Brain Prize Course - Computational and Theoretical Neuroscience 2026

[Geffen, Maria]

Dear Colleagues,

I’m writing as a co-director of the upcoming CAJAL Advanced Neuroscience Training Course: The Brain Prize Course - Computational and Theoretical Neuroscience 2026, now open for applications. This intensive course is a unique opportunity for early-career researchers interested in this field.

Hosted at the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, this three-week course focuses on bridging the gap between theoretical frameworks and experimental neuroscience. It provides intensive training in neural coding, network dynamics, and advanced data analysis, combining high-level lectures with hands-on Python-based projects to model complex brain functions and interpret large-scale neuronal datasets.

📍 Location: Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal
📅 Dates: 13 - 31 July 2026
⏳ Application Deadline: 27 February 2026
🔗 Apply now: https://form.jotform.com/Cajal_training/computational-neuro2026

Course Directors

  *   Alfonso Renart - Champalimaud Foundation, Portugal
  *   Julijana Gjorgjieva - Technical University of Munich, Germany
  *   Maria Geffen - University of Pennsylvania, USA
  *   Omri Barak - Technion, Israel Institute of Technology

Course Themes & Topics:

  *   Neural Modeling & Dynamics: Mastering the mathematical foundations of brain function, from single-cell biophysical models like Hodgkin−Huxley to the complex behavior of excitatory-inhibitory networks.
  *   Neural Coding & Data Analysis: Learning how populations of neurons represent information using advanced computational tools like dimensionality reduction to decode large-scale neural datasets.
  *   Cognitive & Normative Theory: Exploring high-level functions through Bayesian inference and reinforcement learning to understand how the brain optimizes decision-making and motor control.


Speakers include:

  *   Larry Abbott (Columbia University, USA)
  *   Haim Sompolinsky (Harvard University, USA & Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel)
  *   Susanne Schreiber (Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany)
  *   Francesca Mastrogiuseppe (SISSA – International School for Advanced Studies, Italy )
  *   Il Memming Park (Champalimaud Foundation, Portugal)
  *   Jakob Macke (University of Tübingen, Germany )
  *   Wiktor Młynarski (LMU Munich – Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany )
  *   Laura Busse (LMU Munich – Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany )
  *   Yiota Poirazi (IMBB–FORTH, Heraklion, Greece )
  *   Adrienne Fairhall (University of Washington, USA)
  *   Agostina Palmigiano (Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, UCL, UK)
  *   Joe Paton (Champalimaud Foundation, Portugal)
  *   Dmitri Chklovskii (Flatiron Institute, Simons Foundation, USA)
  *   Brent Doiron (University of Chicago, USA)
  *   Gilles Laurent (Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Germany)
  *   Alex Cayco Gajic (École Normale Supérieure – PSL, France )
  *   Rafal Bogacz (MRC Brain Network Dynamics Unit, University of Oxford, UK)


________________________________
Maria Neimark Geffen, Ph.D.  (she/her)
Professor
Co-director, Penn Computational Neuroscience Initiative
Department of Otorhinolaryngology: HNS (primary)
Department of Neuroscience
Department of Neurology
Perelman School of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania
5 Ravdin
3400 Spruce St.
Philadelphia PA 19104
Tel.: 215.898.0782
My zoom<https://pennmedicine.zoom.us/my/mgeffen?pwd=eWVFbUJFUGRJZ3g1eU9YZEZic2VwZz09>
mgeffen at pennmedicine.upenn.edu<mailto:mgeffen at pennmedicine.upenn.edu>
http://hosting.med.upenn.edu/hearing
https://bsky.app/profile/geffenlab.bsky.social
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