Küchler, Joël

How do biological neural networks compute, communicate, and adapt? Could we use them to perform specific computational tasks?

In our lab, we investigate how small, engineered in vitro neural networks (real living neurons grown on high-density microelectrode arrays) process information. We stimulate and record from these networks using thousands of electrodes, attempting to decode the dynamics of these complex systems.
We’re not yet trying to solve the brain. But we are pushing the boundary of what we can measure, model, and maybe even compute with. This involves challenges in signal processing (how do we interpret these messy extracellular signals?), machine learning (how do we make sense of the high-dimensional data?), and modeling (can we predict the network’s behavior, or control it?).
If you’re a student with a strong background in signal processing, machine learning, or statistics, and you’re curious about brains (whether real or artificial), please drop me a message. I might just have a project for you. A brief CV and transcript are helpful to match you with a fitting topic.

Research Interests

- Computational Neuroscience

- Bottom-​Up Neuroscience

- Machine Learning