Event Details:
Continue the conversation: Join the speaker for a complimentary dinner in the Theory Center (second floor of the neurosciences building) after the seminar
Exploring neural and behavioral constraints in Drosophila
Nervous systems can produce a wide range of complex behaviors, yet these behaviors are fundamentally constrained by factors operating at multiple scales. What are these constraints, and what can they teach us about the neural encoding of sensory information and behavior? In this talk, I will present two complementary projects in Drosophila, a model organism with a rich set of charismatic behaviors and a powerful neurogenetic toolkit. First, we examine how flies combine and coordinate distinct actions during social interactions. Second, we ask whether—and how—features of neuronal wiring can predict the tuning profiles of auditory neurons. Together, these studies aim to reveal how constraints at different levels shape the emergence of complex behaviors, offering a window into fundamental principles of brain organization and function.
Osama Ahmed
University of Washington
Osama Ahmed is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and a Weill Neurohub Term Assistant Professor at the University of Washington, Seattle. He received his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of California, San Francisco, followed by postdoctoral training at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute. Combining approaches from systems neuroscience, cognitive psychology, evolutionary biology, and genetics, the Ahmed Lab is particularly interested in understanding how nervous systems orchestrate—and constrain—the co-execution of multiple behaviors, using multitasking as a lens to probe fundamental principles of brain function.
Hosted by Jakub Smekal (see profile below)
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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