Haim Sompolinsky
Haim Sompolinsky
Haim Sompolinsky earned his PhD in Physics from Bar-Ilan University, Israel. Currently, he holds positions as Professor of Physics and Neuroscience (Emeritus) at Hebrew University, Israel, and as Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology and of Physics (in Residence) at Harvard University, USA.
The laboratory led by Haim Sompolinsky employs statistical physics methods to investigate the emergent dynamics and collective behavior of complex neuronal circuits and their relationship to critical brain functions, including learning, memory, perception, and cognition. His theoretical predictions have received experimental support from the study of navigational circuits in fly and rodents. His work has elucidated how the dynamic balance between neuronal excitation and inhibition leads to chaotic yet stable patterns of brain activity. This has influenced our understanding of the origins of variability in neuronal activity, the mechanisms underpinning the stability of neuronal dynamics, and the impact of the disruption of excitation-inhibition balance in neurological diseases.
More recently, Sompolinsky has developed geometric methods that provide a principled approach to the study of information processing in vision and language, in both artificial neural networks and brain circuits. This work has revealed surprising similarities between the two systems and opens a new path for synergetic investigations of intelligence in natural and artificial systems.
The Brain Prize 2024 is also awarded to:
