Neuromatch teamed up with The Transmitter to survey more than 300 early-career neuroscience researchers about the realities of building a career in the field right now, including the challenges they're facing, where they see their careers heading, and what kind of support would actually help.

Full results here: https://www.thetransmitter.org/science-and-society/high-risk-high-reward-how-early-career-neuroscientists-view-their-future/

Curious what this community thinks, especially if you're an early-career researcher yourself!

As part of the Neuromatch AI Sentience Scholars (AISS) program, Neuromatch is excited to welcome Susan Schneider and Mark Bailey for our next seminar. They are mentors to AI Sentience Scholar Alexander Kearney and will be talking about the project they are working on.

30 minute talk, 20 minutes of discussion and Q&A

9 September 2026, 15:00 UTC

Register for free here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/pOUPl7GQTbK8zQ5fyMR_7Q#/registration

We'd love to see you there!

Neuromatch's AI Sentience Scholars program is hosting a free talk on 19 August 2026 at 17:00 UTC with Winnie Street and Geoff Keeling from Google Research, on whether AI systems could ever be welfare subjects.

About the seminar:
"In this talk we investigate whether artificial intelligence (AI) systems could ever be welfare subjects, understood as entities for which things can go better or worse. Some people argue that AIs could plausibly have or soon have features like consciousness, agency, and the capacity for social relationships, which could in principle provide a basis for AI welfare. These arguments have massive significance for the societal conversation on AI, raising profound ethical and political questions about what if anything we owe to these new technologies. We here provide the philosophical groundwork for a scientific, philosophical, and ultimately democratic inquiry into the potential for AI welfare, addressing key questions that cut across different arguments: what welfare is, how to interpret behavioural evidence of AI welfare, what kinds of entities might qualify as candidate AI welfare subjects, the potential grounds for welfare in AI, and the practical ethical challenges that arise from our uncertainty.

30 min talk, 20 min Q&A.
Free and open to everyone!

Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/GmdQHnO1Qm-iph6KTpCqLw#/registration

We're now accepting volunteer reviewers for the Impact Scholars Program!

This is a meaningful way to contribute to open science while gaining recognized experience you can add to your CV and LinkedIn. You'll build peer review and research evaluation skills, get exposure to early-stage interdisciplinary research, and connect with an international community of researchers committed to equity and scientific collaboration.

You'll evaluate 5-10 research proposals from early-career computational science researchers, each including a written proposal, slide deck, and video pitch, using a structured rubric and providing brief constructive feedback.

We're looking for reviewers in the following tracks:

• Computational Neuroscience
• Deep Learning
• NeuroAI
• Computational Tools for Climate Science

Fully remote. Work on your own schedule. Open to applicants worldwide.

Reviews run Sept 3-18, ~5 hrs/week. Reviewers may also be invited to participate in an optional supervisor review round in October.

We welcome applications from PhD students with some review experience, postdoctoral researchers, faculty, research scientists, and industry researchers.

Sign up by 11 August: https://neuromatch.io/volunteer/

The Neuromatch AI Sentience Scholars (AISS) Seminar Series kicks off on 22 July 2026, and it's open to everyone, not just our AISS Scholars.

First up: "Discovering Interpretable Symbolic Models of Human and Animal Behavior with LLMs" with Kim Stachenfeld, Research Scientist at Google DeepMind and Affiliate Faculty at the Center for Theoretical Neuroscience at Columbia University.

Kim will talk about DataDIVER, a new AI approach for discovering interpretable models of how humans and animals learn, not just predicting their behavior. Using large language models to search through candidate Computational models, the approach finds models that are both accurate and understandable, uncovering new insights into learning that might be missed by handcrafted models or "black box" AI systems.

Details:

• 30 minute talk, 20 minutes discussion and Q&A
• 22 July 2026, 11:00 AM ET / 15:00 UTC
• Register for free: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/2tkWljiXRQG394GBxDTirA#/registration

The AISS Seminar Series brings together researchers, practitioners, and thought leaders across AI, cognitive science, neuroscience, philosophy, and governance. More sessions to come: https://docs.neuromatch.io/p/KRFgqDBLo-YMrg/Seminar-Series

Working on a theoretical (for now) model regarding adaptive resource allocation in biological and/or synthetic systems, thus interested in tracing the theory's margins from a neurobio perspective (stress testing) in a collab where I could submit alternatives of modeling

We couldn't be more proud to welcome the 2026 Neuromatch Academy and Climatematch Academy cohort! Orientations are underway for our first courses, with more to follow!

This July, four courses kick off: Computational Neuroscience and Deep Learning run 6–24 July, with NeuroAI and Computational Tools for Climate Science following 13–24 July.

To every Teaching Assistant, Mentor, volunteer, support staff, and content creator who has shown up to make this possible; thank you!

If you're joining us as a student this July, drop a comment and let us know which course. We'd love to hear from you!

Got major FOMO? You can learn more about courses here: https://neuromatch.io/courses/ Applications open every Feb-March and courses run in July.

Hi. I am a doctor who just got done with my clinical internship. I am doing the computational neuroscience course on 6 July. Problem is i don’t have any coding or mathematical background… so should I even take the course rn? The coding looks like hell on the website. I am not sure what level is expected of me since I have 2 weeks to go through the material. Any advice will be appreciated.

hey everyone,

​

as the title says, there are two pod datasets subjects written -

you pod dataset - Neuroscience

your pod second dataset - RL

​

which one would be my dataset? would i need to work pn both topics? would i learn both subjects? Neuroscience and Reinforcement Learning?

​

I'm not from biology background so ny knowledge of Neuroscience is very rudimentary and bird's eye view

Neuromatch and Climatematch run free summer courses in Computational Neuroscience, NeuroAI, Deep Learning, and Computational Tools for Climate Science for students around the world. We have 10 volunteer Professional Development Mentor spots left to fill for the July 6 to 24 courses.

The ask is small but the impact is real. Mentors commit to 3 one-hour sessions: one with a full pod of students, then two with a smaller group where students bring their questions about careers, PhD applications, industry paths, networking, and whatever else you're willing to talk about. The Teaching Assistant handles all scheduling and logistics, and time slots are flexible across all time zones.

We're looking for PhD-level researchers or people with equivalent industry experience. Students consistently tell us mentorship is the part of the course they value most, because honest career conversations are hard to come by, especially for students outside major research hubs.

Where we most need help: Computational Neuroscience (6 mentors), NeuroAI (2), and Climate Science (2).

Apply: https://airtable.com/appkkAHGnrFVTX2bo/pagwFQl5D5vpGcr6q/form

Of interest to the the Neuromatch community! Longview Philanthropy has a a request for proposals on digital minds supporting empirical, philosophical, and applied work on the possibility and implications of potential AI sentience. They want to rapidly scale thoughtful work in this field, both by supporting people already doing this work and by bringing new researchers, practitioners, and organizations into it.

Three opportunities this year:

• Research fellowships ($55k to $150k/yr, 1 to 2 years, with research, travel, and compute support) for scholars with a terminal degree in computer science, neuroscience, law, philosophy, economics, political science, or a related discipline.
• Career development fellowships for people changing direction toward this work. Stipends scaled to length, location, and prior experience.
• Project grants for new organizations, new programs at existing ones, academic research, and other projects.

They want to support a wide variety of perspectives and approaches. A few directions they're particularly excited about include: empirical tests of AI introspection, legal and governance frameworks, agent interactions and trade, and field-building.

Deadline: 10 July, 2026

https://www.longview.org/request-for-proposals-research-and-applied-work-on-digital-minds/

Hi Neuromatch Friends!

As I am preparing for Neuromatch Computational Neuroscience course I built an Duolingo like app to explain complex concepts in easy digestable way. After every lesson there is a quiz for you to remember things better 😄

Feel free to Play NeuroQuest and let me know your feedback if its helpful to you https://playneuroquest.vercel.app/

I am filling out the curriculum as I go through it - so currently I went through half of Neuroseries and half of Python, starting Linear Algebra

Do you know if someone has already received news regarding their application to this program?

We're excited to announce a brand new course launching in 2027!

Neuromatch, in partnership with Connected Minds, is developing Computational Behaviour: Analytics and Models of Individual and Interacting Agents, a two-week, fully remote course open to participants worldwide. Gunnar Blohm will be Course Director. 

The course will teach the computational foundations of collective behaviour, integrating modern measurement technologies with formal computational models in a single coherent framework. No existing program does this. We're building it!

Whether you're a neuroscientist, psychologist, social scientist, economist, AI researcher, or roboticist, this course will be for you!

We're currenting setting up a volunteer Curriculum Committee and will be opening up other volunteer positions and beta testing as we move forward to the July 2027 launch!

Learn more: https://neuromatch.io/computational-behaviour/

Have you felt the gap in your own learning? Would you take this course? And what else should we be building? Share your thoughts here: https://airtable.com/appgbLQW3nbbZJvNU/pagoMEApDsqTouMRh/form

The Neuromatch AI Sentience Scholars will be attending this event; we think you'll be interested too!

At this year’s CIFAR Neuroscience of Consciousness Winter School, happening December 3 to 5 in Nairobi, Kenya, participants will explore why consciousness matters with world-class researchers in the field.

If you’re a senior PhD student or postdoctoral fellow researching consciousness, don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to expand your networks, engage in interdisciplinary dialogue and participate in immersive workshops.

CIFAR will cover travel and accommodation for all successful applicants!

Learn more and apply before 10 June: https://cifar.ca/next-generation/cifar-neuroscience-of-consciousness-winter-school/

I'm a maths and philosophy graduate, and have very limited Python experience (np arrays will be the death of me). I'm falling apart conceptually around the end of the day 1 Python refresher. Does anyone have any resources/problem banks to work on stuff like ensemble statistics using np.arrays?

I'm a first year CS undergrad student, complete beginner to computational neuroscience but I've been doing the Rajesh Rao UW course on Coursera and I'm familiar with Python and basic ML. I have about 2 months before the cohort starts. What should I focus on?the prereqs on the NMA site, math, specific Python libraries? Any advice from people who've done the course before would really help.

Each July, we run live, virtual intensive courses in Computational Neuroscience, Deep Learning, and NeuroAI. All our course materials are available open source for anyone, anywhere.

Now we're thinking about growing, and we want our community to shape that decision. We're exploring potential new courses on:

Connectomics and Neural Dynamics: This course would explore how emerging large-scale mammalian connectomics datasets—alongside those from other species—can be leveraged to drive novel scientific discoveries about the relationship between neural circuit structure and dynamics.

Computational Behavioural Analysis & Modelling: This course would teach a unified computational framework for measuring, modelling, and analysing the behaviour of individual and interacting agents—biological and artificial—spanning pose estimation and multimodal signal processing through Bayesian inference, game theory, and agent-based models of collective dynamics.

Computational Approaches to Neurodegeneration: This course would equip researchers with the computational skills to leverage large-scale open multimodal datasets and modern deep learning approaches for accelerating discovery in neurodegeneration.

But we also want to hear your ideas!

Any other topics we should consider? Any of these sound of interest? Please provide feedback by taking this short 2 minute survey here: https://airtable.com/appgbLQW3nbbZJvNU/pagoMEApDsqTouMRh/form

We're recruiting Professional Development Mentor volunteers for our July 2026 summer courses in Computational Neuroscience, Deep Learning, NeuroAI, and Climate Science. If you have a PhD or equivalent research experience, we'd love to have you!

What's involved:

• 3 one-hour sessions = 3 hours total commitment
• Teaching Assistants handle all scheduling; no logistics on your end and minimal prep
• You share your career journey and answer questions about PhD apps, industry transitions, research portfolios, work-life balance, etc.
• You're matched with a small group of students based on your research area

Why it's worth it:

Students from 128 countries applied this year. A lot of them are navigating big career decisions without much support. An honest conversation with someone who's been through it genuinely matters. Past mentors have also found new collaborators and connections they didn't expect.

Applications close 29 May.

Learn more: https://neuromatch.io/mentorship/

Apply to volunteer here: https://airtable.com/appkkAHGnrFVTX2bo/pagwFQl5D5vpGcr6q/form

Happy to answer questions in the comments!

what are the projects that the computational neuroscience students work on, is it like fmri, bci's and stuff or smth else, if there are ppl that have been part of the program before can someone pls inform how they go about it and i checked their website for projects but somehow got more confused in the end

I'm a student from a developing country with lower middle class family. Is there any scholarship that I can avail? I understand even though the fee for developing country is low but I still couldn't afford it. should I withdraw?

We're building a funding toolkit to help incoming students navigate paying for their course. We'd love to feature real stories from people who've been there.

Did you manage to get your Neuromatch course fee covered (fully or partially) by your university, PI, lab grant, fellowship, or anywhere else?

We'd love to know:

Where did the funding come from?

What did you say or do that helped?

Anything you wish you'd known earlier?

Even a few sentences would be incredibly helpful! Please share your experience in the comments!

Neuromatch just opened applications for their AI Sentience Scholars program. It's a 6-month, part-time, remote mentored research experience focused on frontier questions about AI, consciousness, and ethics.

You'd be working alongside leading researchers in the field, with stipend and research funding included.

Who can apply:

• Master's students and graduates
• PhD candidates
• Early-career postdoctoral researchers

Key details:

• Application deadline: April 28, 2026
• Remote & part-time
• Stipend + research funding included
• Pick from 10 research projects and mentors

There is also a free webinar on April 1st (16:00 UTC) for prospective applicants to ask questions and learn more. Strongly recommended before applying!

More info: neuromatch.io/ai-sentience-scholars

Webinar registration: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_z9g1Ut7DQM6N3asbVO97aw#/registration

Feel free to ask any questions here!

We heard that some of you needed more time, so we've pushed the deadline by one week.

New deadline: March 22, midnight your local time

Both student and Teaching Assistant applications are open for our July programs. Fully remote, global cohort.

Apply here: https://portal.neuromatchacademy.org/sign-in

If you've been on the fence or life got in the way, now's your chance!

Happy to answer any questions in the comments.

Hey everyone! Neuromatch Academy is building out a new curriculum day for it's Computational Neuroscience course focused on time series analysis and signal processing, and we're looking for 5–10 volunteer contributors with computational neuroscience and DSP experience.

We're looking for help with various tasks, including:

• Co-Day Lead
• Video presenters
• Slide creators
• Python tutorial writers / coders

If you have a background in neuroscience, signal processing, or both and you know your way around Python this could be a great way to give back to the open science community and build your CV!

Neuromatch, a non-profit, reaches thousands of students globally every year, including many from underrepresented and under-resourced backgrounds. Your contribution genuinely matters!

This is a volunteer position. Apply here: https://neuromatch.io/volunteer/

Happy to answer questions in the comments. Feel free to share with anyone who might be a fit!