📢 We’re hiring! We’re looking for a Scientific Instrument Maker to join our expert team carrying out highly skilled precision work in the design, development, construction, and validation of scientific instruments. ⏰ Apply by 22 Feb: www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...

Why don’t neural networks learn all at once, but instead progress from simple to complex solutions? And what does “simple” even mean across different neural network architectures? Sharing our new paper @iclr_conf led by Yedi Zhang with Peter Latham arxiv.org/abs/2512.20607

New blogpost outlining our work with @athenaakrami.bsky.social at @sainsburywellcome.bsky.social to build light-microscopy based atlases of the rat brain. brainglobe.info/blog/swc-fem...

Applications to our summer school have been extended for two weeks! If you want to learn about open-source tools for neuroscience, please join us in London this August. Deadline Feb 15th. Full details: neuroinformatics.dev/open-softwar...

Learning to read is a key stage in education that deeply changes the brain. @standehaene.bsky.social, Chair of Experimental Cognitive Psychology at the @college-de-france.fr, discusses the neuroscience of reading at our Annual Lecture. ⤵️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqHU...

Read the story behind the first @neuroinformatics.dev Open Software Week, in a series of blogposts for @softwaresaved.bsky.social The second edition will be even more awesome. Remember to apply by the end of January: neuroinformatics.dev/open-softwar...

New protocol from SWC reduces off-target effects in optogenetics 🚥 Light can unintentionally activate retinal cells, complicating results. The protocol minimises light leakage and verifies off-target activity is reduced. ➡️Read the paper in STAR Protocols: star-protocols.cell.com/protocols/4708

Excited to see this Version Of Record of my work out in @elife.bsky.social! elifesciences.org/articles/106... We investigate the mental representation of geometric shapes in adults and children using fMRI and MEG. Each figure has a video of me explaining the figure: go and read it, or read below.

New work from @jerlich.com & Evgeniya Lukinova, links cortisol measures to reduced willingness to wait for larger rewards, but only when participants actually experienced the delay. Paper ⬇️ www.frontiersin.org/journals/psy... Blog ⬇️ www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/blog/und...

📢 Applications open on 19 Jan for the 7-week #Mathematics #SummerSchool in London. You will develop the maths skills and intuition necessary to enter the #TheoreticalNeuroscience / #MachineLearning field. Find out more & register for the information webinar 👉 www.ucl.ac.uk/life-science...

New, fully automated, home-cage-based novel object recognition (NOR) test improves reliability and animal welfare. Published in @cp-cellrepmethods.bsky.social, from UK DRI at UCL, the University of Cambridge and SWC: www.cell.com/cell-reports... Blog: www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/blog/hom...

What does #credible neuroscience look like across sectors? Join us in London in two weeks to explore, discuss, and connect. #Neuroscience #ResearchCulture 🗓️ 28 Jan 2026 ⏰ 10:00-16:00 📍 @sainsburywellcome.bsky.social | London bna.org.uk/events/credi...

Three weeks left to apply for the Neuroinformatics Unit Open Software Summer School, August 17-28 2026 in London, UK! Bringing together researchers and open source developers of ephys, behaviour and image analysis tools. neuroinformatics.dev/open-softwar... Deadline January 31st. Apply now!

Dr Dimokratis Karamanlis, University of Geneva, recently spoke at SWC as a winner of the Emerging Neuroscientists Seminar Series. He discussed his work on social decision-making in mice. Read more in our latest Q&A ⤵️ www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/qa/insid...

New preprint from Oliver Gauld, Chaofei Bao, @annduan.bsky.social et. al. uncovers a circuit mechanism linking decisions to actions ⤵️ www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/blog/val...

New preprint from the lab! A frontal motor circuit for economic decisions and actions: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... We use a novel task in mice, cortex-wide imaging and optogenetics, NPX recording and modelling to reveal a circuit mechanism that transforms abstract decisions to spatial actions.

Our latest Q&A features SWC Seminar Speaker, Professor Daniel Salzman (@columbiauniversity.bsky.social). He discusses his work on how the brain extracts distinct emotional signals from ensembles of neurons that individually respond to many variables. ⤵️ www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/qa/decod...

Remembering Adam Kampff, a dear friend, inspirational teacher, and a remarkable human being. He dedicated his life to broadening scientific education and demystifying modern technology to young people around the world. www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/research...

Please join us in London August 24-28 2026 for a week long BrainGlobe course. We will teach you how to use the tools and how to contribute back to the wider BrainGlobe ecosystem. Apply now! neuroinformatics.dev/open-softwar...

New preprint from @jerlich.com's lab at SWC ⤵️

A new preprint from SWC reveals the brain selects the most cost-efficient short-term memory strategy depending on task demands. Preprint ⤵️ www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... Blog ⤵️ www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/blog/new...

The science of reading: From neuroscience to the classroom Join us on 2 Dec at 12pm for this year’s SWC Lecture, with Professor Stanislas Dehaene, Chair of Experimental Cognitive Psychology, Collège de France Free and open to all. Register here: eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-swc-le...

In a recent SWC Seminar, Dr Elif Engin (@harvardbrainsci.bsky.social) shared insights from her work on GABA-A receptors. In our new Q&A, she expands on her research and what it could mean for understanding and treating mood and anxiety disorders ⤵️ www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/qa/balan...

We’re thrilled to announce that Professor Stanislas Dehaene (@standehaene.bsky.social, @college-de-france.fr) will deliver the SWC Lecture 2025! His talk: ‘The science of reading: From neuroscience to the classroom’ Get your tickets ⤵️ www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-swc-le...

Will you be at #SfN25? Stop by the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre’s posters and talks! @sfn.org

If you are interested in Bonsai and attending #SfN25 in San Diego, come and hang out by the Bonsai Foundation Booth 3726, Hall B2. Task logic, Harp devices, online real-time Machine Learning, new language features. We will be there everyday with live demos and open to chat about all things Bonsai!

Discover the life and legacy of Santiago Ramón y Cajal at the final stop of the travelling exhibition celebrating his work. Free and open to all: 📅 7–30 November 🕒 Fri: 2–5 PM | Sat–Sun: 10 AM–3 PM 📍 Sainsbury Wellcome Centre, Howland Street, W1T 4JG www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/events/c...

Congratulations to Dr Sara Mederos on receiving the Janett Rosenberg Trubatch Career Development Award! 🙌 #SfN25

Fantastic to see Igor Tatarnikov, Senior Research Software Engineer at SWC, collecting the 2025 International Prize from @theneuro.bsky.social Irv and Helga Cooper Foundation on behalf of the @brainglobe.info Initiative! #OpenScience Read more: sainsburywellcome.org/web/research...

We’re proud to have maintained AAALAC International accreditation, recognising the outstanding work of our staff in upholding the highest standards of animal welfare in science. Read more on our website ⤵️ sainsburywellcome.org/web/research...

Ready to see how open-source tools are revolutionizing neuroscience? Join us for Igor Tatarnikov’s talk on The BrainGlobe Initiative, the open-source platform reshaping computational neuroanatomy. Be part of the future of #OpenScience: buff.ly/p6l83E4 @ucl.ac.uk @sainsburywellcome.bsky.social

Congratulations to Sadaf Farooqi (@ims-mrl.bsky.social), Yong Xu (@usf.edu) and Tiago Branco (SWC), on receiving an @erc.europa.eu Synergy Grant to study the biology of instinctive behaviour 👏 Read more: www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/research...

We asked leading neuroscientists ‘What impact does music have on the brain?’ They reflect on its role in bonding social groups, its influence on our emotions and its potential as therapy for neurodegenerative disorders ⤵️ www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/blog/how...

Congratulations to Dr Sara Mederos, finalist for the Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology, recognised for her research on how the brain learns to suppress fear responses. Read her essay in @science.org: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... More details: corporate.eppendorf.com/en/company/s...

📢 Deadline extended Abstract submission to present your work at the Early Career Symposium closes on 10 November ⤵️ docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Our latest ‘Journeys in Neuroscience’ article features Dr Rachel Swanson (@swansonswansoff.bsky.social), Senior Research Fellow at SWC. She talks about her motivations, career and her research into how the brain learns⤵️ www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/blog/sle...

Could SWC be the place where you launch your career in #neuroscience? 🧠 Don’t miss your chance! Apply to our PhD Programme before 3 Nov: www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/content/... #Career #PhD #London

⏰ Deadline approaching for our PhD programmes! 👋 Apply by 3 Nov to join us and immerse yourself in world-class research and vibrant London life! Gatsby Unit: ucl.ac.uk/life-science... @sainsburywellcome.bsky.social: sainsburywellcome.org/web/content/... Joint: www.ucl.ac.uk/life-science...

At SWC, we are committed to transparency about our animal research. Our annual #AnimalStats have recently been updated, as the UK Home Office publishes the 2024 Animal Research Statistics report. Read more: www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/content/... @animalresearch.bsky.social

Study neuroscience in the heart of London! 💂‍♂️👩‍🔬💻 Join our PhD programme and immerse yourself in world-class research and vibrant city life. Apply by 3 Nov: www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/content/... #PhDLife

What if the adult brain could regain the plasticity of early childhood? SWC seminar speaker Professor Michael Stryker (@ucsanfrancisco.bsky.social) discusses reactivating critical periods in brain development and what this could mean for future therapies. www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/qa/explo...

We are delighted to support the 2025 @ucl-neurodomain.bsky.social NeuroAI Annual Conference. Join experts in neuroscience, AI, machine learning, and related fields on Wednesday 5 November 2025 at @uclchildhealth.bsky.social Details and registration: www.ucl.ac.uk/event-ticket...

Everyone needs sleep, but what happens in the brain when we snooze? 😴 For #BiologyWeek, SWC’s Dr Volkan Uzungil shares his journey into neuroscience and his work uncovering how sleep shapes learning and memory. www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/blog/sim...

At SWC, we’re unravelling the mysteries of the brain 🧠 Ready to join us? Applications for our Systems Neuroscience PhD programme are now open! www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/content/...

Remember to submit an abstract to UCL NeuroAI 2025 by Wednesday! 🧠🤖 This will be a great opportunity to present your work to the local community, and we have a fantastic line-up of keynote speakers: @ucl-neuroai.bsky.social @sainsburywellcome.bsky.social

Submission deadline extended! Submit your poster or lightning talk abstract by Wednesday 15th October 2025, 12:00pm

Do parrots really speak? SWC Seminar speaker Dr Michael Long (@nyu.edu Grossman School of Medicine) discusses parrot speech, communication and culture in our latest Q&A: www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/qa/do-pa...

How does the prefrontal cortex plan? New research from @kristorpjensen.bsky.social & colleagues proposes a ‘spacetime attractor’ model, showing that the brain may plan using the same principles it uses to fill in missing information about the present. www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/blog/new...

Huge congratulations to the @BrainGlobe.info team for winning the 2025 International Prize awarded by the @theneuro.bsky.social and Helga Cooper Foundation Open Science Prizes Selection Committee 🎉 www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/research...

We're delighted to host the travelling exhibition: ‘The art and legacy of Santiago Ramón y Cajal’ at SWC next month. 📅 7–30 November 🕒 Fri: 2–5 PM | Sat–Sun: 10 AM–3 PM 🎟️ Register for the launch event on 7 November, 16:30 🔽 sruk.org.uk/ceru-events/...