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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 12pt; color: black;">Dear Colleagues,</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 12pt; color: black;">I’m writing as a co-director of the upcoming
<b>CAJAL Advanced Neuroscience Training Course: The Brain Prize Course - Computational and Theoretical Neuroscience 2026</b>, now open for applications. This intensive course is a unique opportunity for early-career researchers interested in this field.</span></p>
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Hosted at the <b>Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown</b>, this three-week course focuses on
<b>bridging the gap between theoretical frameworks and experimental neuroscience</b>. 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.</div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 12pt; color: black;">📍
<b>Location:</b> Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal<br>
📅 <b>Dates:</b> 13 - 31 July 2026<br>
⏳ <b>Application Deadline:</b> 27 February 2026<br>
🔗 <b>Apply now:</b> </span><span style="font-family: Aptos, "Aptos_EmbeddedFont", "Aptos_MSFontService", Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><a data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;" rel="noopener noreferrer" title="https://form.jotform.com/Cajal_training/computational-neuro2026" class="OWAAutoLink" id="OWA43045c65-ad04-6bd5-d796-3525b44fccee" target="_blank" href="https://form.jotform.com/Cajal_training/computational-neuro2026">https://form.jotform.com/Cajal_training/computational-neuro2026</a></span></p>
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<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 242, 204);"><b>Course Directors</b></span></div>
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<b>Alfonso Renart</b> - Champalimaud Foundation, Portugal</li><li style="font-family: Aptos, "Aptos_EmbeddedFont", "Aptos_MSFontService", Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); direction: ltr;">
<b>Julijana Gjorgjieva</b> - Technical University of Munich, Germany</li><li style="font-family: Aptos, "Aptos_EmbeddedFont", "Aptos_MSFontService", Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); direction: ltr;">
<b>Maria Geffen</b> - University of Pennsylvania, USA</li><li style="font-family: Aptos, "Aptos_EmbeddedFont", "Aptos_MSFontService", Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); direction: ltr;">
<b>Omri Barak</b> - Technion, Israel Institute of Technology</li></ul>
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<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 242, 204);"><b>Course Themes & Topics:</b></span></div>
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<b>Neural Modeling & Dynamics</b>: Mastering the mathematical foundations of brain function, from single-cell biophysical models like Hodgkin−Huxley to the complex behavior of excitatory-inhibitory networks.</li><li style="font-family: Aptos, "Aptos_EmbeddedFont", "Aptos_MSFontService", Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); direction: ltr;">
<b>Neural Coding & Data Analysis</b>: Learning how populations of neurons represent information using advanced computational tools like dimensionality reduction to decode large-scale neural datasets.</li><li style="font-family: Aptos, "Aptos_EmbeddedFont", "Aptos_MSFontService", Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); direction: ltr;">
<b>Cognitive & Normative Theory</b>: Exploring high-level functions through Bayesian inference and reinforcement learning to understand how the brain optimizes decision-making and motor control.</li></ul>
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<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 242, 204);"><b>Speakers include:</b></span></div>
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Larry Abbott (Columbia University, USA)</li><li style="font-family: Aptos, "Aptos_EmbeddedFont", "Aptos_MSFontService", Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); direction: ltr;">
Haim Sompolinsky (Harvard University, USA & Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel)</li><li style="font-family: Aptos, "Aptos_EmbeddedFont", "Aptos_MSFontService", Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); direction: ltr;">
Susanne Schreiber (Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany)</li><li style="font-family: Aptos, "Aptos_EmbeddedFont", "Aptos_MSFontService", Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); direction: ltr;">
Francesca Mastrogiuseppe (SISSA – International School for Advanced Studies, Italy )</li><li style="font-family: Aptos, "Aptos_EmbeddedFont", "Aptos_MSFontService", Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); direction: ltr;">
Il Memming Park (Champalimaud Foundation, Portugal)</li><li style="font-family: Aptos, "Aptos_EmbeddedFont", "Aptos_MSFontService", Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); direction: ltr;">
Jakob Macke (University of Tübingen, Germany )</li><li style="font-family: Aptos, "Aptos_EmbeddedFont", "Aptos_MSFontService", Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); direction: ltr;">
Wiktor Młynarski (LMU Munich – Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany )</li><li style="font-family: Aptos, "Aptos_EmbeddedFont", "Aptos_MSFontService", Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); direction: ltr;">
Laura Busse (LMU Munich – Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany )</li><li style="font-family: Aptos, "Aptos_EmbeddedFont", "Aptos_MSFontService", Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); direction: ltr;">
Yiota Poirazi (IMBB–FORTH, Heraklion, Greece )</li><li style="font-family: Aptos, "Aptos_EmbeddedFont", "Aptos_MSFontService", Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); direction: ltr;">
Adrienne Fairhall (University of Washington, USA)</li><li style="font-family: Aptos, "Aptos_EmbeddedFont", "Aptos_MSFontService", Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); direction: ltr;">
Agostina Palmigiano (Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, UCL, UK)</li><li style="font-family: Aptos, "Aptos_EmbeddedFont", "Aptos_MSFontService", Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); direction: ltr;">
Joe Paton (Champalimaud Foundation, Portugal)</li><li style="font-family: Aptos, "Aptos_EmbeddedFont", "Aptos_MSFontService", Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); direction: ltr;">
Dmitri Chklovskii (Flatiron Institute, Simons Foundation, USA)</li><li style="font-family: Aptos, "Aptos_EmbeddedFont", "Aptos_MSFontService", Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); direction: ltr;">
Brent Doiron (University of Chicago, USA)</li><li style="font-family: Aptos, "Aptos_EmbeddedFont", "Aptos_MSFontService", Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); direction: ltr;">
Gilles Laurent (Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Germany)</li><li style="font-family: Aptos, "Aptos_EmbeddedFont", "Aptos_MSFontService", Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); direction: ltr;">
Alex Cayco Gajic (École Normale Supérieure – PSL, France )</li><li style="font-family: Aptos, "Aptos_EmbeddedFont", "Aptos_MSFontService", Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); direction: ltr;">
Rafal Bogacz (MRC Brain Network Dynamics Unit, University of Oxford, UK)</li></ul>
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________________________________</div>
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Maria Neimark Geffen, Ph.D. (she/her)<br>
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Professor</div>
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Co-director, Penn Computational Neuroscience Initiative<br>
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Department of Otorhinolaryngology: HNS (primary)<br>
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Department of Neuroscience<br>
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Department of Neurology<br>
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Perelman School of Medicine<br>
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University of Pennsylvania<br>
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5 Ravdin<br>
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3400 Spruce St.<br>
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Philadelphia PA 19104<br>
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Tel.: 215.898.0782 <br>
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<a title="https://pennmedicine.zoom.us/my/mgeffen?pwd=eWVFbUJFUGRJZ3g1eU9YZEZic2VwZz09" class="OWAAutoLink" id="OWA9e817d29-53f6-d3e3-dfe4-87a82c1c5fe0" href="https://pennmedicine.zoom.us/my/mgeffen?pwd=eWVFbUJFUGRJZ3g1eU9YZEZic2VwZz09">My zoom</a></div>
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<a class="OWAAutoLink" id="OWA4e23a243-b953-0396-ce89-20d7e8a3d346" href="mailto:mgeffen@pennmedicine.upenn.edu">mgeffen@pennmedicine.upenn.edu</a><br>
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<span style="color: blue;"><a style="color: blue;" class="OWAAutoLink" id="OWA2309de5d-3a93-93dd-7838-f87917865c8c" href="https://bsky.app/profile/geffenlab.bsky.social">https://bsky.app/profile/geffenlab.bsky.social</a></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br>
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