Director's Message, Fall 2024
As summer draws to a close, I’m excited to welcome you all to the new academic year. With much to look forward to in the months ahead — from our annual Symposium on the intersection of neuroscience and AI to the relaunch of our Big Ideas grant program — I’d first like to take a moment to reflect on the progress we’ve made together.
Last year was capped by two landmark events, celebrating our past and looking to the future. In October, we celebrated the 10-year anniversary of our Institute, reflecting on the impact we’ve made over the past decade. In the spring, we gathered for an invigorating Institute retreat, where we immersed ourselves in the latest research and worked together to chart the next steps for our community.
In keeping with our mission, we continued to invest in our science, fueling innovative research through our Neurosciences Seed Grants and Neuroscience:Translate grants. We also launched novel Synthetic Neuroscience grants in partnership with Bio-X and Sarafan ChEM-H, encouraging new collaborations in an expanding field.
Our Neurosciences Community Laboratories continued to equip researchers with cutting-edge tools and resources, including pilot awards targeting new frontiers in brain imaging and stimulation, as well as international workshops and symposia showcasing the latest research techniques.
We welcomed new cohorts of postdoctoral scholars; interdisciplinary graduate fellows; Mind, Brain, Computation, and Technology student members; and NeuroTech graduate trainees, and once again hosted summer students from Stanford and local community colleges — who showcased their summer research in a lively poster session last month.
The Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience has also been making strides, supporting research into neurodegeneration and brain aging with its Catalyst Awards, building community through inspiring symposia, and driving forward work at the Brain Resilience Lab, employing the latest technologies to tackle complex challenges in brain health.
As we look ahead to the year to come, I’m particularly excited to announce the re-launch of our flagship Big Ideas in Neuroscience grant program, supporting teams taking on high-risk, high-reward, collaborative research. This is our first call since 2018, and I look forward to the transformative ideas that will emerge.
Another highlight of this year will be our upcoming 11th Annual Symposium, which will focus on the co-evolution of neuroscience and AI. With our Neuroscience Theory Center , we are well positioned to lead this emerging field. I’m eager to join you all in learning from academic and industry experts in the field.
The past few years have been a test of endurance for us all. The pandemic disrupted many aspects of our work, and it has been a time of great uncertainty across the University and in higher education as a whole.
We’ve adapted, found new ways to collaborate, and continued to move forward. What has remained constant is our shared mission: to deepen our understanding of the mind and brain, and to turn that knowledge into meaningful advances for human wellbeing and society.
But we’ve adapted, found new ways to collaborate, and continued to move forward. What has remained constant is our shared mission: to deepen our understanding of the mind and brain, and to turn that knowledge into meaningful advances for human wellbeing and society.
Looking back on the past year and ahead to the many opportunities before us, I’m inspired by our energetic and thriving research community. With a stable foundation of support from our partners and new leaders across the University, I’m confident this year will bring new breakthroughs.
Let’s keep moving forward, together. Full steam ahead!
Warm regards,
Kang Shen
Vincent V.C. Woo Director,
Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute
