Understanding the brain in theory and practice

Understanding the brain requires both theory and experimental practice.

However, these two subfields remain relatively isolated: researchers train in one or the other, and are physically separated across labs, departments and institutions. As such, work which integrates the two can feel unsatisfying. For example, when theorists neglect important biological details or when experimentalists banish models to their supplementary material.

Better integration would yield better results; however, this remains challenging. Practically, researchers are highly specialised and siloed. And conceptually, it is not clear how the two could be better integrated.

To address this, we're running a series of six interactive workshops across six months, with funding from the Crick Partnership Networking Fund.

Each event will consist of a short presentation, a group-based discussion and then a networking session. Each presentation will conclude with a question, or questions, on building better experiment-theory. For example, how could we use simulations to optimize experimental design or what level of biological detail do models require to make experimentally testable hypotheses?

Participants will then discuss the session’s question(s) in mixed (experiment and theory) groups, before sharing their ideas.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher Marcus Ghosh