MBCT Seminar: Juan Gallego - The meaning and perils of neural manifolds
Continue the conversation: Join the speaker for a complimentary dinner in the Theory Center (second floor of the neurosciences building) after the seminar
The meaning and perils of neural manifolds
Abstract
Neural manifolds, defined as the mathematical objects that capture the collective activity of populations of neurons, have become a mainstream topic in neuroscience. In this talk, I will discuss the idea that neural manifolds are meaningful to both neuroscientists and the organism under investigation: meaningful to neuroscientists, because they capture real patterns of brain activity in a way that affords understanding, and meaningful to the organism, because they shape behaviour at multiple timescales. Finally, I will discuss the perils that I believe we should be mindful of when using neural manifolds to understand the brain.
Juan Gallego
Principal Investigator, Champalimaud Foundation
Dr. Juan Gallego is a Principal Investigator at the Champalimaud Foundation, which he joined in October 2025. Prior to that, he was an Associate Professor at Imperial College London (since 2020), and held Postdoctoral Fellowships at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Northwestern University. He was awarded a PhD from CSIC and University Carlos III in 2013.
Dr. Gallego’s research focuses on understanding how animals including humans acquire, execute and adapt their movements. To this end, his lab combines behavioural experiments in mice and humans, large-scale neural recordings, closed-loop manipulations, data analysis techniques, and computational models. He is also interested in applying his lab’s findings to advance neurotechnologies to restore function to people with movement disorders. During his career, he has published around fourty journal articles on these topics. His research has been funded by the EU Commission, the UK Research Institutes, ARIA, and the ERC.
Hosted by Liz Jun (Nuyujukian Lab)
About the Mind, Brain, Computation, and Technology (MBCT) Seminar Series
The Stanford Center for Mind, Brain, Computation and Technology (MBCT) Seminars explore ways in which computational and technical approaches are being used to advance the frontiers of neuroscience.
The series features speakers from other institutions, Stanford faculty, and senior training program trainees. Seminars occur about every other week, and are held at 4:00 pm on Mondays at the Cynthia Fry Gunn Rotunda - Stanford Neurosciences E-241.
Questions? Contact neuroscience@stanford.edu
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