Course Lecturers

Each Lecturer will hold one/two  lesson(s) on a specific topic. The Lecturers below are confirmed.



Topics

Neuroscience

Biography

Professor Karl J. Friston MB, BS, MA, MRCPsych, FMedSci, FRSB, FRS

Wellcome Principal Fellow

Scientific Director: Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging

Karl Friston is a theoretical neuroscientist and authority on brain imaging. He invented statistical parametric mapping (SPM), voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and dynamic causal modelling (DCM). These contributions were motivated by schizophrenia research and theoretical studies of value-learning, formulated as the dysconnection hypothesis of schizophrenia. Mathematical contributions include variational Laplacian procedures and generalized filtering for hierarchical Bayesian model inversion. Friston currently works on models of functional integration in the human brain and the principles that underlie neuronal interactions. His main contribution to theoretical neurobiology is a free-energy principle for action and perception (active inference). Friston received the first Young Investigators Award in Human Brain Mapping (1996) and was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (1999). In 2000 he was President of the international Organization of Human Brain Mapping. In 2003 he was awarded the Minerva Golden Brain Award and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2006. In 2008 he received a Medal, College de France and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of York in 2011. He became of Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology in 2012, received the Weldon Memorial prize and Medal in 2013 for contributions to mathematical biology and was elected as a member of EMBO (excellence in the life sciences) in 2014 and the Academia Europaea in (2015). He was the 2016 recipient of the Charles Branch Award for unparalleled breakthroughs in Brain Research and the Glass Brain Award, a lifetime achievement award in the field of human brain mapping. He holds Honorary Doctorates from the University of Zurich and Radboud University.

https://www.fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/~karl/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_J._Friston

https://www.fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/team/theoretical-neurobiology-team/

Lectures



Wulfram Gerstner

Topics

Theoretical Neuroscience

Biography

Wulfram Gerstner is Director of the Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience LCN at the EPFL. He studied physics at the universities of Tubingen and Munich and received a PhD from the Technical University of Munich. His research in computational neuroscience concentrates on models of spiking neurons, the dynamics of spiking neural networks and spike-timing dependent plasticity. More recently, he got interested in generalizations of Hebbian learning in the form of multi-factor learning rules and in the role of surprise for learning. He currently has a joint appointment at the School of Life Sciences and the School of Computer and Communications Sciences at the EPFL. He teaches courses for Physicists, Computer Scientists, Mathematicians, and Life Scientists. He is the recipient of the Valentino Braitenberg Award for Computational Neuroscience 2018 and a member of the Academy of Sciences and Literature Mainz (Germany).

 

Lectures



Máté Lengyel

Topics

computational neuroscience, learning, memory, computational cognitive science

Lectures



Topics

Neuroscience; Neuroengineering; Artificial Intelligence

Biography

One of world’s leading computer science theorists, Christos Papadimitriou is best known for his work in computational complexity, helping to expand its methodology and reach. He has also explored other fields through what he calls the algorithmic lens, having contributed to biology and the theory of evolution, economics, and game theory (where he helped found the field of algorithmic game theory), artificial intelligence, robotics, networks and the Internet, and more recently the study of the brain.

He authored the widely used textbook Computational Complexity, as well as four others, and has written three novels, including the best-selling Logicomix and his latest,Independence. He considers himself fundamentally a teacher, having taught at UC Berkeley for the past 20 years, and before that at Harvard, MIT, the National Technical University of Athens, Stanford, and UC San Diego.

Papadimitriou has been awarded the Knuth Prize, IEEE’s John von Neumann Medal, the EATCS Award, the IEEE Computer Society Charles Babbage Award, and the Gödel Prize. He is a fellow of the Association for Computer Machinery and the National Academy of Engineering, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christos_Papadimitriou

Lectures



Panos Pardalos
University of Florida, USA
 

Topics

Global Optimization, Mathematical Modeling, Energy Systems, Financial applications, and Data Sciences

Biography

Panos Pardalos was born in Drosato (Mezilo) Argitheas  in 1954 and graduated from Athens University (Department of Mathematics).  He received  his  PhD  (Computer and Information Sciences) from the University of Minnesota.  He  is a Distinguished Emeritus Professor  in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Florida, and an affiliated faculty of Biomedical Engineering and Computer Science & Information & Engineering departments.

Panos  Pardalos is a world-renowned leader in Global Optimization, Mathematical Modeling, Energy Systems, Financial applications, and Data Sciences. He is a Fellow of AAAS, AAIA, AIMBE, EUROPT, and INFORMS and was awarded the 2013 Constantin Caratheodory Prize of the International Society of Global Optimization. In addition, Panos  Pardalos has been awarded the 2013 EURO Gold Medal prize bestowed by the Association for European Operational Research Societies. This medal is the preeminent European award given to Operations Research (OR) professionals for “scientific contributions that stand the test of time.”

Panos Pardalos has been awarded a prestigious Humboldt Research Award (2018-2019). The Humboldt Research Award is granted in recognition of a researcher’s entire achievements to date – fundamental discoveries, new theories, insights that have had significant impact on their discipline.

Panos Pardalos is also a Member of several  Academies of Sciences, and he holds several honorary PhD degrees and affiliations. He is the Founding Editor of Optimization Letters, Energy Systems, and Co-Founder of the International Journal of Global Optimization, Computational Management Science, and Springer Nature Operations Research Forum. He has published over 600 journal papers, and edited/authored over 200 books. He is one of the most cited authors and has graduated 71 PhD students so far. Details can be found in www.ise.ufl.edu/pardalos

Panos Pardalos has lectured and given invited keynote addresses worldwide in countries including Austria, Australia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Brazil,  Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, England, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Holland,  Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Mexico, Mongolia, Montenegro, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Russia, South Korea, Singapore, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, and the USA.

Lectures



Topics

Computational Neuroscience, Nonlinear Dynamics, Statistical Physics, Cognitive Science

Biography

Misha Tsodyks is a leading theoretical neuroscientist whose research has influenced important areas of neurobiology and the development of a quantitative understanding of brain functioning and human cognitive abilities. His work is focused on identifying neural algorithms that define functions of cortical systems and, in recent years, various aspects of cognitive behavior. From demonstrating the importance of sparsity in neural networks to providing deep insights into the mechanisms of short-term synaptic plasticity and working and associative memory, Tsodyks has devised conceptual models that make quantitative testable predictions for experiments.

https://www.ias.edu/scholars/tsodyks

https://www.weizmann.ac.il/brain-sciences/labs/tsodyks/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misha_Tsodyks

 

Lectures




Tutorial Speakers


Christina Kyrousi
National and Kapodistrian Univeristy of Athens, Greece

Topics

Neuroscience, Developmental Neurobiology, Human Brain Development

Lectures