Kanaka Rajan
@kanakarajanphd.bsky.social
Associate Professor at Harvard & Kempner Institute. Applying computational frameworks & machine learning to decode multi-scale neural processes. Marathoner. Rescue dog mom. https://www.rajanlab.com/
Pinned
Kanaka Rajan
@kanakarajanphd.bsky.social
· Sep 12
(1/8) New paper from our team!
Yu Duan & Hamza Chaudhry introduce POCO, a tool for predicting brain activity at the cellular & network level during spontaneous behavior.
Find out how we built POCO & how it changes neurobehavioral research 👇
arxiv.org/abs/2506.14957
Yu Duan & Hamza Chaudhry introduce POCO, a tool for predicting brain activity at the cellular & network level during spontaneous behavior.
Find out how we built POCO & how it changes neurobehavioral research 👇
arxiv.org/abs/2506.14957
Reposted by Kanaka Rajan
To identify the most transformative tools and technologies in the past five years, @thetransmitter.bsky.social surveyed readers and contributors and worked with a market-research firm to interview neuroscientists around the world. See what they had to say: bit.ly/3LYTNoB
#StateOfNeuroscience
#StateOfNeuroscience
Survey: What are neuroscience’s most transformative new tools?
Which new tools—including artificial intelligence, deep-learning methods, genetic tools and advanced neuroimaging—are making the largest impact?
www.thetransmitter.org
November 21, 2025 at 2:04 PM
To identify the most transformative tools and technologies in the past five years, @thetransmitter.bsky.social surveyed readers and contributors and worked with a market-research firm to interview neuroscientists around the world. See what they had to say: bit.ly/3LYTNoB
#StateOfNeuroscience
#StateOfNeuroscience
Reposted by Kanaka Rajan
📍Excited to share that our paper was selected as a Spotlight at #NeurIPS2025!
arxiv.org/pdf/2410.03972
It started from a question I kept running into:
When do RNNs trained on the same task converge/diverge in their solutions?
🧵⬇️
arxiv.org/pdf/2410.03972
It started from a question I kept running into:
When do RNNs trained on the same task converge/diverge in their solutions?
🧵⬇️
November 24, 2025 at 4:43 PM
📍Excited to share that our paper was selected as a Spotlight at #NeurIPS2025!
arxiv.org/pdf/2410.03972
It started from a question I kept running into:
When do RNNs trained on the same task converge/diverge in their solutions?
🧵⬇️
arxiv.org/pdf/2410.03972
It started from a question I kept running into:
When do RNNs trained on the same task converge/diverge in their solutions?
🧵⬇️
Awesome work co-led by my student @annhuang42.bsky.social and @neurostrow.bsky.social on disentangling, then comparing recurrent and externally driven dynamics!
Look out for more incredible work from @annhuang42.bsky.social coming up at NeurIPS 👀
Look out for more incredible work from @annhuang42.bsky.social coming up at NeurIPS 👀
Our next paper on comparing dynamical systems (with special interest to artificial and biological neural networks) is out!! Joint work with @annhuang42.bsky.social , as well as @satpreetsingh.bsky.social , @leokoz8.bsky.social , Ila Fiete, and @kanakarajanphd.bsky.social : arxiv.org/pdf/2510.25943
November 13, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Awesome work co-led by my student @annhuang42.bsky.social and @neurostrow.bsky.social on disentangling, then comparing recurrent and externally driven dynamics!
Look out for more incredible work from @annhuang42.bsky.social coming up at NeurIPS 👀
Look out for more incredible work from @annhuang42.bsky.social coming up at NeurIPS 👀
Congrats to Ann Huang for an excellent presentation at last week's @kempnerinstitute.bsky.social all-hands! 👏
Ann shared exciting updates about our InputDSA tool - more to come soon. Thrilled she had the chance to present to our engaged and supportive community.
Ann shared exciting updates about our InputDSA tool - more to come soon. Thrilled she had the chance to present to our engaged and supportive community.
October 16, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Congrats to Ann Huang for an excellent presentation at last week's @kempnerinstitute.bsky.social all-hands! 👏
Ann shared exciting updates about our InputDSA tool - more to come soon. Thrilled she had the chance to present to our engaged and supportive community.
Ann shared exciting updates about our InputDSA tool - more to come soon. Thrilled she had the chance to present to our engaged and supportive community.
(1/8) New paper from our team!
Yu Duan & Hamza Chaudhry introduce POCO, a tool for predicting brain activity at the cellular & network level during spontaneous behavior.
Find out how we built POCO & how it changes neurobehavioral research 👇
arxiv.org/abs/2506.14957
Yu Duan & Hamza Chaudhry introduce POCO, a tool for predicting brain activity at the cellular & network level during spontaneous behavior.
Find out how we built POCO & how it changes neurobehavioral research 👇
arxiv.org/abs/2506.14957
September 12, 2025 at 8:33 PM
(1/8) New paper from our team!
Yu Duan & Hamza Chaudhry introduce POCO, a tool for predicting brain activity at the cellular & network level during spontaneous behavior.
Find out how we built POCO & how it changes neurobehavioral research 👇
arxiv.org/abs/2506.14957
Yu Duan & Hamza Chaudhry introduce POCO, a tool for predicting brain activity at the cellular & network level during spontaneous behavior.
Find out how we built POCO & how it changes neurobehavioral research 👇
arxiv.org/abs/2506.14957
Thanks for having me at @camp_course and the @iitmadras Brain Center during my visit to India this summer!🥭
It was lovely to be back home, and a pleasure to work with the young scientists there who are finding their path in computational neuroscience 🧠
It was lovely to be back home, and a pleasure to work with the young scientists there who are finding their path in computational neuroscience 🧠
September 9, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Thanks for having me at @camp_course and the @iitmadras Brain Center during my visit to India this summer!🥭
It was lovely to be back home, and a pleasure to work with the young scientists there who are finding their path in computational neuroscience 🧠
It was lovely to be back home, and a pleasure to work with the young scientists there who are finding their path in computational neuroscience 🧠
Brilliant piece by @mattperich.bsky.social on neural manifolds 🌟
His essay in @thetransmitter.bsky.social shows how this view changes the game in computational neuroscience, reproducing behavioral flexibility within finite neural constraints 🧠
www.thetransmitter.org/neural-dynam...
His essay in @thetransmitter.bsky.social shows how this view changes the game in computational neuroscience, reproducing behavioral flexibility within finite neural constraints 🧠
www.thetransmitter.org/neural-dynam...
Neural population-based approaches have opened new windows into neural computations and behavior
Neural manifold properties can help us understand how animal brains deal with complex information, execute flexible behaviors and reuse common computations.
www.thetransmitter.org
August 14, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Brilliant piece by @mattperich.bsky.social on neural manifolds 🌟
His essay in @thetransmitter.bsky.social shows how this view changes the game in computational neuroscience, reproducing behavioral flexibility within finite neural constraints 🧠
www.thetransmitter.org/neural-dynam...
His essay in @thetransmitter.bsky.social shows how this view changes the game in computational neuroscience, reproducing behavioral flexibility within finite neural constraints 🧠
www.thetransmitter.org/neural-dynam...
Check out @jordancollver.bsky.social’s great illustration of modular RNNs training to work like a bio-brain🦾🧠
Thanks to Crearte for featuring our collaboration!
www.instagram.com/crearte.ca/p...
Thanks to Crearte for featuring our collaboration!
www.instagram.com/crearte.ca/p...
The Crearte Foundation | #ArtScience on Instagram: "When a neurobiologist is also a comic artist, science can have a whole new storyline.
In a 2022 collaboration between the Rajan Lab at Harvard Med...
6 likes, 0 comments - crearte.ca on July 28, 2025: "When a neurobiologist is also a comic artist, science can have a whole new storyline.
In a 2022 collaboration between the Rajan Lab at Harvard Med...
www.instagram.com
August 6, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Check out @jordancollver.bsky.social’s great illustration of modular RNNs training to work like a bio-brain🦾🧠
Thanks to Crearte for featuring our collaboration!
www.instagram.com/crearte.ca/p...
Thanks to Crearte for featuring our collaboration!
www.instagram.com/crearte.ca/p...
(1/7) New preprint from Rajan lab! 🧠🤖
@ryanpaulbadman1.bsky.social & Riley Simmons-Edler show–through cog sci, neuro & ethology–how an AI agent with fewer ‘neurons’ than an insect can forage, find safety & dodge predators in a virtual world. Here's what we built
Preprint: arxiv.org/pdf/2506.06981
@ryanpaulbadman1.bsky.social & Riley Simmons-Edler show–through cog sci, neuro & ethology–how an AI agent with fewer ‘neurons’ than an insect can forage, find safety & dodge predators in a virtual world. Here's what we built
Preprint: arxiv.org/pdf/2506.06981
July 2, 2025 at 6:34 PM
(1/7) New preprint from Rajan lab! 🧠🤖
@ryanpaulbadman1.bsky.social & Riley Simmons-Edler show–through cog sci, neuro & ethology–how an AI agent with fewer ‘neurons’ than an insect can forage, find safety & dodge predators in a virtual world. Here's what we built
Preprint: arxiv.org/pdf/2506.06981
@ryanpaulbadman1.bsky.social & Riley Simmons-Edler show–through cog sci, neuro & ethology–how an AI agent with fewer ‘neurons’ than an insect can forage, find safety & dodge predators in a virtual world. Here's what we built
Preprint: arxiv.org/pdf/2506.06981
New work incoming at #RLDM2025 🤖 🐟
While we look forward to sharing our research, I'm mindful that many colleagues, including the authors of our second abstract, can't attend due to funding & travel issues.
Read the extended abstracts: rldm.org/program-2025/ #neuroskyence
While we look forward to sharing our research, I'm mindful that many colleagues, including the authors of our second abstract, can't attend due to funding & travel issues.
Read the extended abstracts: rldm.org/program-2025/ #neuroskyence
June 12, 2025 at 4:48 PM
New work incoming at #RLDM2025 🤖 🐟
While we look forward to sharing our research, I'm mindful that many colleagues, including the authors of our second abstract, can't attend due to funding & travel issues.
Read the extended abstracts: rldm.org/program-2025/ #neuroskyence
While we look forward to sharing our research, I'm mindful that many colleagues, including the authors of our second abstract, can't attend due to funding & travel issues.
Read the extended abstracts: rldm.org/program-2025/ #neuroskyence
It was such a pleasure to host @kordinglab.bsky.social at @kempnerinstitute.bsky.social last week - thank you for joining us!
May 5, 2025 at 9:46 PM
It was such a pleasure to host @kordinglab.bsky.social at @kempnerinstitute.bsky.social last week - thank you for joining us!
Big day for the Rajan lab at @harvardmed.bsky.social Friday Seminar Series 🌟
@satpreetsingh.bsky.social & Siyan Zhou gave outstanding talks on collective behaviors in artificial fish schools & disordered attractors in mice. I’m so proud of their work! 🤖🧠
@satpreetsingh.bsky.social & Siyan Zhou gave outstanding talks on collective behaviors in artificial fish schools & disordered attractors in mice. I’m so proud of their work! 🤖🧠
May 2, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Big day for the Rajan lab at @harvardmed.bsky.social Friday Seminar Series 🌟
@satpreetsingh.bsky.social & Siyan Zhou gave outstanding talks on collective behaviors in artificial fish schools & disordered attractors in mice. I’m so proud of their work! 🤖🧠
@satpreetsingh.bsky.social & Siyan Zhou gave outstanding talks on collective behaviors in artificial fish schools & disordered attractors in mice. I’m so proud of their work! 🤖🧠
Reposted by Kanaka Rajan
In his new book, published today, Nachum Ulanovsky calls on the field to embrace naturalistic conditions and move away from overcontrolled experiments.
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/systems-neur...
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/systems-neur...
‘Natural Neuroscience,’ an excerpt
In his new book, Nachum Ulanovsky calls on the field to embrace naturalistic conditions and move away from overcontrolled experiments.
www.thetransmitter.org
April 15, 2025 at 1:11 PM
In his new book, published today, Nachum Ulanovsky calls on the field to embrace naturalistic conditions and move away from overcontrolled experiments.
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/systems-neur...
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/systems-neur...
Headed to #Cosyne2025?
Don't miss this workshop led by Rajan lab postdocs @satpreetsingh.bsky.social, @chingfang.bsky.social & @gzmozd.bsky.social on how complex tasks, agent-based models & theory-experiment cross-talk help us study how the brain works 🧠🤖
#neuroskyence @cosynemeeting.bsky.social
Don't miss this workshop led by Rajan lab postdocs @satpreetsingh.bsky.social, @chingfang.bsky.social & @gzmozd.bsky.social on how complex tasks, agent-based models & theory-experiment cross-talk help us study how the brain works 🧠🤖
#neuroskyence @cosynemeeting.bsky.social
March 28, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Headed to #Cosyne2025?
Don't miss this workshop led by Rajan lab postdocs @satpreetsingh.bsky.social, @chingfang.bsky.social & @gzmozd.bsky.social on how complex tasks, agent-based models & theory-experiment cross-talk help us study how the brain works 🧠🤖
#neuroskyence @cosynemeeting.bsky.social
Don't miss this workshop led by Rajan lab postdocs @satpreetsingh.bsky.social, @chingfang.bsky.social & @gzmozd.bsky.social on how complex tasks, agent-based models & theory-experiment cross-talk help us study how the brain works 🧠🤖
#neuroskyence @cosynemeeting.bsky.social
Reposted by Kanaka Rajan
Are you at @CosyneMeeting? Stop by the poster session today to see work from the #KempnerInstitute! #COSYNE2025
@cpehlevan.bsky.social @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social @blsabatini.bsky.social @kanakarajanphd.bsky.social @gershbrain.bsky.social
@cpehlevan.bsky.social @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social @blsabatini.bsky.social @kanakarajanphd.bsky.social @gershbrain.bsky.social
March 28, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Are you at @CosyneMeeting? Stop by the poster session today to see work from the #KempnerInstitute! #COSYNE2025
@cpehlevan.bsky.social @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social @blsabatini.bsky.social @kanakarajanphd.bsky.social @gershbrain.bsky.social
@cpehlevan.bsky.social @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social @blsabatini.bsky.social @kanakarajanphd.bsky.social @gershbrain.bsky.social
Big showing from the Rajan Lab at @cosynemeeting.bsky.social!
We have posters on everything from multi-agent social foraging to neuromodulated neural networks. Catch us in Poster Sessions 2 & 3 🧠🤖
#Cosyne2025 #NeuroAI #CompSci #neuroskyence
We have posters on everything from multi-agent social foraging to neuromodulated neural networks. Catch us in Poster Sessions 2 & 3 🧠🤖
#Cosyne2025 #NeuroAI #CompSci #neuroskyence
March 28, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Big showing from the Rajan Lab at @cosynemeeting.bsky.social!
We have posters on everything from multi-agent social foraging to neuromodulated neural networks. Catch us in Poster Sessions 2 & 3 🧠🤖
#Cosyne2025 #NeuroAI #CompSci #neuroskyence
We have posters on everything from multi-agent social foraging to neuromodulated neural networks. Catch us in Poster Sessions 2 & 3 🧠🤖
#Cosyne2025 #NeuroAI #CompSci #neuroskyence
Attended my first @cziscience.bsky.social #Neuroscience 2025 Meeting 🧠
Grateful to speak alongside such amazing theorists, see old & new friends & connect across academia & industry
Shoutout to @bjmarlin.bsky.social, @muraronara.bsky.social , @erinmgibson.bsky.social & all these wonderful folks🌟
Grateful to speak alongside such amazing theorists, see old & new friends & connect across academia & industry
Shoutout to @bjmarlin.bsky.social, @muraronara.bsky.social , @erinmgibson.bsky.social & all these wonderful folks🌟
March 19, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Attended my first @cziscience.bsky.social #Neuroscience 2025 Meeting 🧠
Grateful to speak alongside such amazing theorists, see old & new friends & connect across academia & industry
Shoutout to @bjmarlin.bsky.social, @muraronara.bsky.social , @erinmgibson.bsky.social & all these wonderful folks🌟
Grateful to speak alongside such amazing theorists, see old & new friends & connect across academia & industry
Shoutout to @bjmarlin.bsky.social, @muraronara.bsky.social , @erinmgibson.bsky.social & all these wonderful folks🌟
Reposted by Kanaka Rajan
With insights from SWC Seminar speakers Andrew Alexander (UCSB), @kanakarajanphd.bsky.social ( @harvard.edu ), Teresa Guillamón Vivancos (Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante), @hannahpayne.bsky.social ( @columbiauniversity.bsky.social ) André Fenton (New York University)
March 14, 2025 at 2:47 PM
With insights from SWC Seminar speakers Andrew Alexander (UCSB), @kanakarajanphd.bsky.social ( @harvard.edu ), Teresa Guillamón Vivancos (Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante), @hannahpayne.bsky.social ( @columbiauniversity.bsky.social ) André Fenton (New York University)
Reposted by Kanaka Rajan
What do neural oscillations like theta and gamma do? 14 leading experts explain the role of rhythms in the brain from coordinating neural processes to encoding memories and more.
Read more: www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/blog/mak...
#BrainAwarenessWeek
Read more: www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/blog/mak...
#BrainAwarenessWeek
March 14, 2025 at 2:47 PM
What do neural oscillations like theta and gamma do? 14 leading experts explain the role of rhythms in the brain from coordinating neural processes to encoding memories and more.
Read more: www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/blog/mak...
#BrainAwarenessWeek
Read more: www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/blog/mak...
#BrainAwarenessWeek
Reposted by Kanaka Rajan
Could worm brains and ideas from neuroscience lead to better #AI? I just got my copy of a story I wrote about #neuromorphic computing for @sciencenews.bsky.social sciencenews.org/article/brai... 🧪 Thanks @subutaiahmad.bsky.social @kanakarajanphd.bsky.social & many others who shared their expertise
More brainlike computers could change AI for the better
New brain-inspired hardware, architectures and algorithms could lead to more efficient, more capable forms of AI.
sciencenews.org
March 6, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Could worm brains and ideas from neuroscience lead to better #AI? I just got my copy of a story I wrote about #neuromorphic computing for @sciencenews.bsky.social sciencenews.org/article/brai... 🧪 Thanks @subutaiahmad.bsky.social @kanakarajanphd.bsky.social & many others who shared their expertise
Enjoyed sharing our work on electric fish with @dryohanjohn.bsky.social⚡🐟 Their electric "conversations" help us build models to discover neural mechanisms of social cognition. Work led by Sonja Johnson-Yu & @satpreetsingh.bsky.social with Nate Sawtell
kempnerinstitute.harvard.edu/news/what-el...
kempnerinstitute.harvard.edu/news/what-el...
February 14, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Enjoyed sharing our work on electric fish with @dryohanjohn.bsky.social⚡🐟 Their electric "conversations" help us build models to discover neural mechanisms of social cognition. Work led by Sonja Johnson-Yu & @satpreetsingh.bsky.social with Nate Sawtell
kempnerinstitute.harvard.edu/news/what-el...
kempnerinstitute.harvard.edu/news/what-el...
Deeply honored to receive the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers #PECASE. Thanks to the NIH funding and my incredible team who make our work pushing the boundaries of NeuroAI possible 🧠🤖
www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/news-up...
www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/news-up...
President Biden Honors Nearly 400 Federally Funded Early-Career Scientists | OSTP | The White House
Today, President Biden awarded nearly 400 scientists and engineers the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outst...
www.whitehouse.gov
January 17, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Deeply honored to receive the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers #PECASE. Thanks to the NIH funding and my incredible team who make our work pushing the boundaries of NeuroAI possible 🧠🤖
www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/news-up...
www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/news-up...
Delighted to have a chance to contribute my thoughts to @thetransmitter.bsky.social’s debut book! I highlight how noise in the brain could actively shape cognition & serve as a model for adaptive AI. Thank you @nicolecrust.bsky.social for including me in your piece! #neuroscience 🧠🤖
The Transmitter books
The Transmitter’s first book, “Thinking about neuroscience: Essays from the field,” features a rich collection of writing from researchers Nicole Rust, Anthony Zador and many more.
www.thetransmitter.org
December 20, 2024 at 5:09 PM
Delighted to have a chance to contribute my thoughts to @thetransmitter.bsky.social’s debut book! I highlight how noise in the brain could actively shape cognition & serve as a model for adaptive AI. Thank you @nicolecrust.bsky.social for including me in your piece! #neuroscience 🧠🤖
Reposted by Kanaka Rajan
My essay features @manlius.bsky.social, @antihebbiann.bsky.social, @marinopagan.bsky.social, @pessoabrain.bsky.social, @kanakarajanphd.bsky.social, @crozell.bsky.social and many more - all looking fabulous. @rebeccasky.bsky.social and @thetransmitter.bsky.social team do such a terrific job!
December 19, 2024 at 1:40 PM
My essay features @manlius.bsky.social, @antihebbiann.bsky.social, @marinopagan.bsky.social, @pessoabrain.bsky.social, @kanakarajanphd.bsky.social, @crozell.bsky.social and many more - all looking fabulous. @rebeccasky.bsky.social and @thetransmitter.bsky.social team do such a terrific job!
If you're interested in the future of #AI, the AE Global Summit on Open Problems for AI is tomorrow! 🤖
Join us to learn more about the biggest challenges in modern AI. I'm looking forward to discussing our work in #NeuroAI
Register below 👇🏽Hope to see you there!
www.algopreneurship.ai/register
Join us to learn more about the biggest challenges in modern AI. I'm looking forward to discussing our work in #NeuroAI
Register below 👇🏽Hope to see you there!
www.algopreneurship.ai/register
Register — AE Global Summit on Open Problems for AI
www.algopreneurship.ai
December 4, 2024 at 12:01 AM
If you're interested in the future of #AI, the AE Global Summit on Open Problems for AI is tomorrow! 🤖
Join us to learn more about the biggest challenges in modern AI. I'm looking forward to discussing our work in #NeuroAI
Register below 👇🏽Hope to see you there!
www.algopreneurship.ai/register
Join us to learn more about the biggest challenges in modern AI. I'm looking forward to discussing our work in #NeuroAI
Register below 👇🏽Hope to see you there!
www.algopreneurship.ai/register