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.
Course Directors
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Alfonso Renart - Champalimaud Foundation, Portugal
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Julijana Gjorgjieva - Technical University of Munich, Germany
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Maria Geffen - University of Pennsylvania, USA
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Omri Barak - Technion, Israel Institute of Technology
Course Themes & Topics:
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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.
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Neural Coding & Data Analysis: Learning how populations of neurons represent information using advanced computational tools like dimensionality reduction to decode large-scale neural datasets.
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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:
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Larry Abbott (Columbia University, USA)
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Haim Sompolinsky (Harvard University, USA & Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel)
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Susanne Schreiber (Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany)
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Francesca Mastrogiuseppe (SISSA – International School for Advanced Studies, Italy )
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Il Memming Park (Champalimaud Foundation, Portugal)
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Jakob Macke (University of Tübingen, Germany )
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Wiktor Młynarski (LMU Munich – Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany )
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Laura Busse (LMU Munich – Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany )
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Yiota Poirazi (IMBB–FORTH, Heraklion, Greece )
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Adrienne Fairhall (University of Washington, USA)
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Agostina Palmigiano (Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, UCL, UK)
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Joe Paton (Champalimaud Foundation, Portugal)
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Dmitri Chklovskii (Flatiron Institute, Simons Foundation, USA)
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Brent Doiron (University of Chicago, USA)
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Gilles Laurent (Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Germany)
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Alex Cayco Gajic (École Normale Supérieure – PSL, France )
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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