Alex Williams
@itsneuronal.bsky.social
Asst Prof at NYU + Flatiron Institute
Computational + Statistical Neuroscience
https://neurostatslab.org/
Computational + Statistical Neuroscience
https://neurostatslab.org/
Reposted by Alex Williams
News from central Jersey: I'm running to represent New Jersey's 12th Congressional District.
By entering the fray, I hope to bring ideas of repairing our frayed republic. Not only to defend it in 2026, but to build something stronger, for generations to come!
samwang.substack.com/p/entering-t...
By entering the fray, I hope to bring ideas of repairing our frayed republic. Not only to defend it in 2026, but to build something stronger, for generations to come!
samwang.substack.com/p/entering-t...
February 4, 2026 at 3:00 AM
News from central Jersey: I'm running to represent New Jersey's 12th Congressional District.
By entering the fray, I hope to bring ideas of repairing our frayed republic. Not only to defend it in 2026, but to build something stronger, for generations to come!
samwang.substack.com/p/entering-t...
By entering the fray, I hope to bring ideas of repairing our frayed republic. Not only to defend it in 2026, but to build something stronger, for generations to come!
samwang.substack.com/p/entering-t...
Reposted by Alex Williams
New paper out at PNAS: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Revisiting the high-dimensional geometry of population responses in the visual cortex with @jpillowtime.bsky.social. The review took forever because a reviewer was doubtful our new estimator can infer eigenvalues beyond the rank of the data! (1/6)
Revisiting the high-dimensional geometry of population responses in the visual cortex with @jpillowtime.bsky.social. The review took forever because a reviewer was doubtful our new estimator can infer eigenvalues beyond the rank of the data! (1/6)
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
www.pnas.org
January 27, 2026 at 4:34 PM
New paper out at PNAS: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Revisiting the high-dimensional geometry of population responses in the visual cortex with @jpillowtime.bsky.social. The review took forever because a reviewer was doubtful our new estimator can infer eigenvalues beyond the rank of the data! (1/6)
Revisiting the high-dimensional geometry of population responses in the visual cortex with @jpillowtime.bsky.social. The review took forever because a reviewer was doubtful our new estimator can infer eigenvalues beyond the rank of the data! (1/6)
Reposted by Alex Williams
Our new work is out in Science Advances. We show that neural activity in the striatum reflects not just cortical inputs, but also often-underappreciated thalamic inputs.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Complementary cortical and thalamic contributions to cell type–specific striatal activity dynamics during movement
Cell type–specific striatal activity during movement is shaped by cortical and thalamic inputs with complementary roles.
www.science.org
January 30, 2026 at 12:47 AM
Our new work is out in Science Advances. We show that neural activity in the striatum reflects not just cortical inputs, but also often-underappreciated thalamic inputs.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Alex Williams
As tens of thousands across America protest the violence that ICE sows with impunity, federal agents shot and killed another person in Minneapolis today.
ICE terrorizes our cities. ICE puts us all in danger. Abolish ICE.
January 24, 2026 at 6:00 PM
As tens of thousands across America protest the violence that ICE sows with impunity, federal agents shot and killed another person in Minneapolis today.
ICE terrorizes our cities. ICE puts us all in danger. Abolish ICE.
Reposted by Alex Williams
We must stop funding DHS.
January 24, 2026 at 6:21 PM
We must stop funding DHS.
Reposted by Alex Williams
At @elife.bsky.social you can now include explainer videos with every figure. Like going to a seminar while you engage with the paper. First example here elifesciences.org/articles/106...
Click the arrows next to each figure to get a video of @mathiassablemeyer.bsky.social explaining it for you!
Click the arrows next to each figure to get a video of @mathiassablemeyer.bsky.social explaining it for you!
January 22, 2026 at 6:16 PM
At @elife.bsky.social you can now include explainer videos with every figure. Like going to a seminar while you engage with the paper. First example here elifesciences.org/articles/106...
Click the arrows next to each figure to get a video of @mathiassablemeyer.bsky.social explaining it for you!
Click the arrows next to each figure to get a video of @mathiassablemeyer.bsky.social explaining it for you!
Reposted by Alex Williams
i personally think “don’t fund the gestapo” is a relatively small ask in the face of an illegal violent occupation of a US city that has killed at least one citizen and terrorized countless more. any elected who cannot clear even that modest bar is dead to me
January 20, 2026 at 12:18 PM
i personally think “don’t fund the gestapo” is a relatively small ask in the face of an illegal violent occupation of a US city that has killed at least one citizen and terrorized countless more. any elected who cannot clear even that modest bar is dead to me
Reposted by Alex Williams
Interested in the latest advances in neuroscience (neural dynamics and internal models) and how they can be leveraged to build smarter, adaptive AI?
➡️ My first real solo piece 🖤🫶 @natneuro.nature.com
rdcu.be/eWVmA
➡️ My first real solo piece 🖤🫶 @natneuro.nature.com
rdcu.be/eWVmA
Leveraging insights from neuroscience to build adaptive artificial intelligence
Nature Neuroscience - Adaptive intelligence envisions AI that, like animals, learns online, generalizes and adapts quickly. This Perspective reviews biological foundations, progress in AI and...
rdcu.be
December 31, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Interested in the latest advances in neuroscience (neural dynamics and internal models) and how they can be leveraged to build smarter, adaptive AI?
➡️ My first real solo piece 🖤🫶 @natneuro.nature.com
rdcu.be/eWVmA
➡️ My first real solo piece 🖤🫶 @natneuro.nature.com
rdcu.be/eWVmA
Reposted by Alex Williams
The recent days have been horrific. We can't become numb to repeated instances of illegal and unconstitutional action by government agencies. It's even worse when public officials are blatantly lying in ways that contradict dozens of pieces of video evidence.
Sen. Lankford blatantly lies about what the video of Renee Good's killing shows: "A classic law enforcement moment -- they have to fire their weapon and then when you see her car crash, law enforcement is running to her to provide aid. They're never looking to be able to take a life of individuals."
January 9, 2026 at 9:40 PM
The recent days have been horrific. We can't become numb to repeated instances of illegal and unconstitutional action by government agencies. It's even worse when public officials are blatantly lying in ways that contradict dozens of pieces of video evidence.
Reposted by Alex Williams
By the way, if you’re interested in working together on problems like this, I’m starting my lab at UCSF this summer. Get in touch if you’re interested in doing a postdoc! More info here: wj2.github.io/postdoc_ad (7/7)
W. Jeffrey Johnston - Postdoctoral position ad
wj2.github.io
January 9, 2026 at 7:06 PM
By the way, if you’re interested in working together on problems like this, I’m starting my lab at UCSF this summer. Get in touch if you’re interested in doing a postdoc! More info here: wj2.github.io/postdoc_ad (7/7)
Reposted by Alex Williams
We're excited for the Pre-COSYNE 2026 Brainhack! March 10–11 in Lisbon 🇵🇹
We'll be using CON²PHYS: same dataset, same questions, many truths?
🔹2 days
🔹team-based
🔹real ephys data
🔹open tools
🔹mini-presentations
🔹all skill levels
Apply now! 👇👇👇
pre-cosyne-brainhack.github.io/hackathon202...
We'll be using CON²PHYS: same dataset, same questions, many truths?
🔹2 days
🔹team-based
🔹real ephys data
🔹open tools
🔹mini-presentations
🔹all skill levels
Apply now! 👇👇👇
pre-cosyne-brainhack.github.io/hackathon202...
Registration
Deadline: Sunday, January 18 at 5:00 PM (London time). Notification: We will notify applicants of the outcome by the end of January.
pre-cosyne-brainhack.github.io
January 5, 2026 at 8:14 PM
We're excited for the Pre-COSYNE 2026 Brainhack! March 10–11 in Lisbon 🇵🇹
We'll be using CON²PHYS: same dataset, same questions, many truths?
🔹2 days
🔹team-based
🔹real ephys data
🔹open tools
🔹mini-presentations
🔹all skill levels
Apply now! 👇👇👇
pre-cosyne-brainhack.github.io/hackathon202...
We'll be using CON²PHYS: same dataset, same questions, many truths?
🔹2 days
🔹team-based
🔹real ephys data
🔹open tools
🔹mini-presentations
🔹all skill levels
Apply now! 👇👇👇
pre-cosyne-brainhack.github.io/hackathon202...
Reposted by Alex Williams
📣 Pre-COSYNE Brainhack 2026 – Join Us in Lisbon! 🧠✨
March 10–11, 2026 • Lisbon, Portugal
pre-cosyne-brainhack.github.io/hackathon2026
Kick off COSYNE week with two days of hands-on, team-based hacking around real electrophysiology data!
✅ Apply now via the event website (limited spots).
March 10–11, 2026 • Lisbon, Portugal
pre-cosyne-brainhack.github.io/hackathon2026
Kick off COSYNE week with two days of hands-on, team-based hacking around real electrophysiology data!
✅ Apply now via the event website (limited spots).
January 9, 2026 at 11:09 AM
📣 Pre-COSYNE Brainhack 2026 – Join Us in Lisbon! 🧠✨
March 10–11, 2026 • Lisbon, Portugal
pre-cosyne-brainhack.github.io/hackathon2026
Kick off COSYNE week with two days of hands-on, team-based hacking around real electrophysiology data!
✅ Apply now via the event website (limited spots).
March 10–11, 2026 • Lisbon, Portugal
pre-cosyne-brainhack.github.io/hackathon2026
Kick off COSYNE week with two days of hands-on, team-based hacking around real electrophysiology data!
✅ Apply now via the event website (limited spots).
Reposted by Alex Williams
With some trepidation, I'm putting this out into the world:
gershmanlab.com/textbook.html
It's a textbook called Computational Foundations of Cognitive Neuroscience, which I wrote for my class.
My hope is that this will be a living document, continuously improved as I get feedback.
gershmanlab.com/textbook.html
It's a textbook called Computational Foundations of Cognitive Neuroscience, which I wrote for my class.
My hope is that this will be a living document, continuously improved as I get feedback.
January 9, 2026 at 1:27 AM
With some trepidation, I'm putting this out into the world:
gershmanlab.com/textbook.html
It's a textbook called Computational Foundations of Cognitive Neuroscience, which I wrote for my class.
My hope is that this will be a living document, continuously improved as I get feedback.
gershmanlab.com/textbook.html
It's a textbook called Computational Foundations of Cognitive Neuroscience, which I wrote for my class.
My hope is that this will be a living document, continuously improved as I get feedback.
Reposted by Alex Williams
The “prosecute the former regime at every level” candidate has my vote in 2028.
January 7, 2026 at 8:26 PM
The “prosecute the former regime at every level” candidate has my vote in 2028.
Reposted by Alex Williams
Excited to share @rbrianroome.bsky.social ‘s beautiful paper on development of the dorsal horn of the mouse spinal cord @science.org
This is how the anatomical organization and cell types that process pain, touch, body position and more are laid down.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
This is how the anatomical organization and cell types that process pain, touch, body position and more are laid down.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Ontogeny of the spinal cord dorsal horn
The dorsal horn of the mammalian spinal cord is organized into laminae where each layer is populated by different neuron types, has distinctive circuit connections, and plays specialized roles in beha...
www.science.org
January 8, 2026 at 7:59 PM
Excited to share @rbrianroome.bsky.social ‘s beautiful paper on development of the dorsal horn of the mouse spinal cord @science.org
This is how the anatomical organization and cell types that process pain, touch, body position and more are laid down.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
This is how the anatomical organization and cell types that process pain, touch, body position and more are laid down.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Alex Williams
also by shooting people. that's especially unsafe, I feel
By refusing to coordinate with local law enforcement, ICE is not making our community safe. It is making it less safe.
www.startribune.com/she-was-an-a...
www.startribune.com/she-was-an-a...
‘She was an amazing human being’: Mother identifies woman shot, killed by ICE agent
Renee Nicole Good, 37, lived in Minneapolis with her partner just blocks from where she was shot.
www.startribune.com
January 8, 2026 at 6:59 PM
also by shooting people. that's especially unsafe, I feel
Reposted by Alex Williams
We introduce epiplexity, a new measure of information that provides a foundation for how to select, generate, or transform data for learning systems. We have been working on this for almost 2 years, and I cannot contain my excitement! arxiv.org/abs/2601.03220 1/7
January 7, 2026 at 5:28 PM
We introduce epiplexity, a new measure of information that provides a foundation for how to select, generate, or transform data for learning systems. We have been working on this for almost 2 years, and I cannot contain my excitement! arxiv.org/abs/2601.03220 1/7
Reposted by Alex Williams
Joint junior faculty position in Computational Neuroscience, between Ctr for Computational Neuroscience at @flatironinstitute.org and the CUNY Graduate Center @thegraduatecenter.bsky.social . Application deadline: 16 Jan 2026!
www.simonsfoundation.org/flatiron/car...
cuny.jobs/new-york-ny/...
www.simonsfoundation.org/flatiron/car...
cuny.jobs/new-york-ny/...
Careers
Careers on Simons Foundation
www.simonsfoundation.org
January 6, 2026 at 3:14 AM
Joint junior faculty position in Computational Neuroscience, between Ctr for Computational Neuroscience at @flatironinstitute.org and the CUNY Graduate Center @thegraduatecenter.bsky.social . Application deadline: 16 Jan 2026!
www.simonsfoundation.org/flatiron/car...
cuny.jobs/new-york-ny/...
www.simonsfoundation.org/flatiron/car...
cuny.jobs/new-york-ny/...
Reposted by Alex Williams
🚨 New preprint!
Why do some insights from spikes translate to field potentials while others don't? In this paper we compare visual memory representations in spikes and LFPs to propose a general framework that answers this question.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
🧵 (1/10)
🧠🟦 🧠💻
Why do some insights from spikes translate to field potentials while others don't? In this paper we compare visual memory representations in spikes and LFPs to propose a general framework that answers this question.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
🧵 (1/10)
🧠🟦 🧠💻
Neural representations of visual memory in inferotemporal cortex reveal a generalizable framework for translating between spikes and field potentials
Translating neurophysiological findings requires understanding the relationship between common measures of brain activity in animals (spiking activity) and humans (local field potentials, LFP). Prior ...
www.biorxiv.org
January 5, 2026 at 3:21 PM
🚨 New preprint!
Why do some insights from spikes translate to field potentials while others don't? In this paper we compare visual memory representations in spikes and LFPs to propose a general framework that answers this question.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
🧵 (1/10)
🧠🟦 🧠💻
Why do some insights from spikes translate to field potentials while others don't? In this paper we compare visual memory representations in spikes and LFPs to propose a general framework that answers this question.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
🧵 (1/10)
🧠🟦 🧠💻
Reposted by Alex Williams
Comically over-lawyered and under-inspiring. Just resign, man. Take a lobbying job or something.
This is why Democrats look to a mayor like Zohran Mamdani for national leadership.
This is why Democrats look to a mayor like Zohran Mamdani for national leadership.
January 3, 2026 at 7:19 PM
Comically over-lawyered and under-inspiring. Just resign, man. Take a lobbying job or something.
This is why Democrats look to a mayor like Zohran Mamdani for national leadership.
This is why Democrats look to a mayor like Zohran Mamdani for national leadership.
🥴
Schumer says Republican senators have "expressed a lot of troublesome comments about what Trump is doing and the way he is doing it" in conversations with Democratic senators today ...
January 3, 2026 at 9:27 PM
🥴
Reposted by Alex Williams
first as tragedy then as farce. then as farce again. then farce one more time. a little more farce after that. then some farce. and then another farce and more farce after
July 11, 2024 at 6:10 PM
first as tragedy then as farce. then as farce again. then farce one more time. a little more farce after that. then some farce. and then another farce and more farce after
Reposted by Alex Williams
Highlights of 2025
Ayesha Vermani defended her PhD thesis this year. She helped jump start a new direction in integrative neuroscience:
Vermani et al. (2025), Meta-dynamical state space models for integrative neural data analysis. ICLR
👉 openreview.net/forum?id=SRp...
👉 youtu.be/SiXxPmkpYF8
Ayesha Vermani defended her PhD thesis this year. She helped jump start a new direction in integrative neuroscience:
Vermani et al. (2025), Meta-dynamical state space models for integrative neural data analysis. ICLR
👉 openreview.net/forum?id=SRp...
👉 youtu.be/SiXxPmkpYF8
December 30, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Highlights of 2025
Ayesha Vermani defended her PhD thesis this year. She helped jump start a new direction in integrative neuroscience:
Vermani et al. (2025), Meta-dynamical state space models for integrative neural data analysis. ICLR
👉 openreview.net/forum?id=SRp...
👉 youtu.be/SiXxPmkpYF8
Ayesha Vermani defended her PhD thesis this year. She helped jump start a new direction in integrative neuroscience:
Vermani et al. (2025), Meta-dynamical state space models for integrative neural data analysis. ICLR
👉 openreview.net/forum?id=SRp...
👉 youtu.be/SiXxPmkpYF8
Reposted by Alex Williams
I keep telling this to students. If you really want to do SAE research, just find a great classic paper on topic modeling and reimplement it using SAEs. I don’t think anyone would really notice.
Interpretable Embeddings with Sparse Autoencoders: A Data Analysis Toolkit
Analyzing large-scale text corpora is a core challenge in machine learning, crucial for tasks like identifying undesirable model behaviors or biases in training data. Current methods often rely on cos...
arxiv.org
December 15, 2025 at 10:28 PM
I keep telling this to students. If you really want to do SAE research, just find a great classic paper on topic modeling and reimplement it using SAEs. I don’t think anyone would really notice.
Reposted by Alex Williams
Dimensionality reduction may be the wrong approach to understanding neural representations. Our new paper shows that across human visual cortex, dimensionality is unbounded and scales with dataset size—we show this across nearly four orders of magnitude. journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol...
December 11, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Dimensionality reduction may be the wrong approach to understanding neural representations. Our new paper shows that across human visual cortex, dimensionality is unbounded and scales with dataset size—we show this across nearly four orders of magnitude. journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol...