Our Mission


Our brains and AI systems solve computational challenges in a distributed manner encoded in the collective activity of neural populations. Our research seeks to understand the dynamical processes underpinning neural computations to derive algorithmic principles shared by these fundamentally different systems.

We are motivated by two synergistic aims:

1. Developing novel methods using machine learning, geometry and dynamical systems theory for discovering better models of how the brain works,
2. Reverse-engineering the dynamical systems that underpin cognitive processes to develop more advanced AI systems that benefit clinical applications such as brain-machine interfaces.

Selected Research


Interpretable statistical representations of neural dynamics and geometry

under review, 2024

The MARBLE method is a fully unsupervised representation learning approach to obtain interpretable latent representations of neural dynamics. More generally, it introduces a statistical learning paradigm for non-linear dynamical systems based on a decomposition of the dynamical attractor into local flow fields. MARBLE representations achieve state-of-the-art decoding accuracy in neural dynamics and allow comparing computations across biological and artificial neural networks.

Unfolding the multiscale structure of networks with dynamical Ollivier-Ricci curvature

Nature Communications, 2021

Develops a discrete geometric measure, the dynamical Ollivier-Ricci curvature, to discover a fundamental link between the information flows over the network and its connectivity. Using this geometric theory, it describes the thermodynamic detection limit of network clusters. This geometric theory leads to a practically useful algorithm for computing information propagation in networks.

LiftPose3D, a deep learning-based approach for transforming two-dimensional to three-dimensional poses in laboratory animals

Nature Methods, 2021

Our method demonstrates the possibility of monocular 3D pose estimation (i.e., using one camera only) in freely behaving laboratory settings with few training poses, hardware limitations and occluded body parts. It opens the door to 3D kinematic analyses of laboratory animals in biomechanical and robotic studies, where data was limited to 2D poses.

Team


We are currently seeking to recruit new team members at all levels (Postdoc, PhD, Master's projects)! See Lab News for more info.

Adam Gosztolai

Principal Investigator

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Bálint Király

Postdoctoral researcher (starting 1/25)
BSc/MSc Physics
PhD in Neuroscience

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Albert López I Serrano

PhD Student
BSc Mathematics
MSc Mathematics

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You?


Alumni

Jakob Lembacher (Medical student, Diplomarbeit, "Pose estimation in macaques")

Lab News


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We have several PhD and Postdoc positions available. Come and join us!

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Adam Gosztolai (PI) is awarded an ERC Starting grant for the project NEURO-FUSE!

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The Dynamics of Neural Systems Laboratory opens its doors. If you are in Vienna, come and say hi!