What can math tell us about the mind? Our Center for Theoretical Neuroscience builds mathematical models of the brain that help explain everything from how its electrical activity remains stable to how memories are stored. Meet some of the scientists advancing this field: youtu.be/J1EOgsqyYn0?...

What is Theoretical Neuroscience?

YouTube video by Columbia University's Zuckerman Institute

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Thank you to everyone who supported the Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute on #ColumbiaGivingDay! Please contact us if you have any questions or would like to learn more about The Future in Mind Initiative: tinyurl.com/ydm49pz9

Join us on Nov 4 for our next SNF Brain Insight Lecture, Looking Within the Autistic Experience. Experts from education and psychology will come together to discuss the importance of centering autistic narratives in research. Learn more and register: zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu/stavros-niar...

It’s #ColumbiaGivingDay! 🧠 Give to @columbiauniversity.bsky.social’s Zuckerman Institute before midnight to support early-career scientists—from undergrads to junior faculty. Every dollar fuels neuroscience research, and first-time gifts are 100% MATCHED (up to $1,000) bit.ly/ZMBBIWeb2026.

Congratulations to neuroscientist Joseph Gogos and physician-scientist Stephen Kushner, whose innovative research advancing the understanding and treatment of mental illness is being recognized by the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. bbrfoundation.org/content/brai... @columbiamed.bsky.social

Amyloid fibers are best known as hallmarks of neurodegenerative diseases. But they recently turned up in a surprising place: in sperm, shuttling genetic material. New research from the @fitzpatricklab.bsky.social lab holds potential for gene-editing technologies. tinyurl.com/37pdmhf8

Congratulations to the Mesgarani lab’s Xiaomin He and alumnus Vishal Choudhari, who received the Best Student Paper Award at Interspeech 2026 for their brain-controlled hearing research. 👏🧠👏 Read more: isca-speech.org/ISCA-Awards @columbiamed.bsky.social

Save the date: Wednesday, October 28, is #ColumbiaGivingDay! Your donation goes directly to supporting the students and postdocs who make research possible: the next generation of neuroscientists discovering incredible things about mind, brain and behavior. givingday.columbia.edu/pages/the-mo...

Why bring writers and neuroscientists together? Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Hernan Diaz explored that question in the @financialtimes.com, sharing how his experiences as a writer-in-residence at @columbiauniversity.bsky.social Zuckerman Institute shaped his novel Ply. www.ft.com/content/eb43...

I'm very honored that our research was covered by the New York Times! @alexaroblesgil.bsky.social wrote a beautiful piece that captures the science & mystery of cephalopod camouflage: www.nytimes.com/2026/10/12/s... I want to emphasize that this project is the result of an incredible team effort...

How Do Cuttlefish Hide?

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Why study cuttlefish in a neuroscience lab? This @nytimes-news.bsky.social article dives deep into this creature’s ability to mimic on its skin what it sees in the environment. tinyurl.com/y5hrjnhy @tessamontague.bsky.social , @connorjgibbons.bsky.social , @gthomasbarlow.bsky.social, Erika Shook.

As we congratulate @columbiauniversity.bsky.social economist Michael Woodford on his Nobel Prize, we remember a collaboration he undertook years ago with neuroscientist Jacqueline Gottlieb on why we pay attention to certain pieces of information. www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF7h...

A Neuroscientist and an Economist Explore How Our Brains Seek Out Information

YouTube video by Columbia University's Zuckerman Institute

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Things are getting spooky at Saturday Science! Join us on October 17 for Spooky Senses, an afternoon of hands-on activities exploring the science of the brain and our senses. Bring the whole family for some spooky science fun! Free and open to all ages! Register at bit.ly/Oct2026SS

👏 Congratulations to Columbia University Professor Michael Woodford for receiving the 2026 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, along with Robert E. Hall: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2026/summary/ 📷 Niklas Elmehed © Nobel Prize Outreach

This year’s Nobel Prize honors optogenetics: a tool that has revolutionized neuroscience by allowing scientists to turn specific brain cells on and off with light. We congratulate the pioneers of this technology @stanforduniversity.bsky.social, @humboldtuni.bsky.social and @uni-wuerzburg.de. 👏🧠👏

Nobel Prize@nobelprize.org · 4w ago

BREAKING NEWS The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel “for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.”

This year's prestigious Wolf Prize in Medicine goes to our very own @columbiauniversity.bsky.social Charles Zuker: "For revolutionizing our understanding of taste, the last of our senses to be elucidated.” zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu/wolf-prize-g... @columbiamed.bsky.social

Don't miss next week's event, Embodied Memory: zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu/embodied-mem... Sarah Ruhl, Kathy Chalfant, and Daphna Shohamy, PhD, will explore the connections between storytelling, performance, and the science of the mind.

Have you seen Dr. Genevera Allen’s Faces of IICD feature? 🎥 A Professor of Statistics, @zuckermanbrain.bsky.social affiliate, & IICD core member, Dr. Allen develops machine learning and statistical methods to turn complex data into scientific insight. Watch the full feature: youtu.be/ReVQT3MAjuw

Don't miss our Stavros Niarchos Foundation Brain Insight Lecture: Finding Meaning in Memories. Tomorrow, 6:30 PM (EST): zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu/stavros-niar... Three experts will bridge computational and experimental neuroscience approaches to examine the role memory plays in our lives.

Congratulations to Briana McRae, PhD, for her new @rockefellerinst.bsky.social New York State Science Policy Fellowship! The fellowship recognizes her research on motherhood brain changes and her advocacy for federal research funding: rockinst.org/news/article...

We're thrilled to announce our third cohort of NYS Science Policy Fellows! These PhD scientists are working with the NYS executive and legislature to bring additional scientific expertise to bear on important policy problems. 👇 Meet the fellows! 🧵 rockinst.org/news/article...

Rockefeller Institute of Government Welcomes Third Cohort of New York State Science Policy Fellows | Rockefeller Institute of Government

Six doctoral-level scientists will serve two-year appointments across New York State government to support evidence-based policymaking.

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@npr.org reports on a recent Sawtell lab discovery of brain cells that keep electric fish from blinding themselves while sensing their environment. Listen here! www.npr.org/2026/09/04/n.... Read more at zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu/electric-fis...

Join us in October for the Teacher Institute for Neuroscience & Society! NYC middle school educators will explore the intersection of neuroscience and climate change through four interactive workshops. Earn a $400 stipend & 10 CTLE credits. Apply now bit.ly/teacher-neur...

Imagine yelling while trying to listen. That’s kind of what electric fish do when they scan their environs by emitting and detecting electric fields. Nate Sawtell & team have discovered the mental circuitry that makes this feat possible @nature.com zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu/electric-fis...

Which computer models of the brain best capture what an actual brain does? The Kriegeskorte lab and colleagues are answering this question by forcing AIs to disagree with each other, using bespoke images. Learn more in @natneuro.nature.com zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu/why-are-scie...

Join us for Embodied Memory: a closing conversation with playwright and Alan Kanzer Writer-in-Residence Sarah Ruhl. Featuring actress Kathy Chalfant, and neuroscientist Daphna Shohamy, PhD. 🗓️ October 5th, 4:00 pm Learn more and register: zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu/embodied-mem...

Congratulations to this year’s @zuckermanbrain.bsky.social BRAINYAC teen grads! Our summer research program pairs 10th & 11th graders from partner schools with @columbiauniversity.bsky.social neuroscientists for hands-on lab experience and mentorship. The future of science is in good hands!

What is the source of consciousness in the human brain? Read more from Michael Shadlen, a neuroscientist who studies decision-making: zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu/how-consciou...

Join us for our next Stavros Niarchos Foundation Brain Insight Lecture: Finding Meaning in Memories. Wed 09/16, 6:30 PM. Experts will bridge computational and experimental approaches to examine the role memory plays in our lives. Learn more & register: zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu/stavros-niar...

Columbia's Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute is seeking a Magnetic Resonance Technologist and Safety Officer (MRSO) to support the Magnetic Resonance Research Platform. Applicants interested, please apply here: opportunities.columbia.edu/jobs/mr-tech...