Computational Neuroscience


Our research goal is to better understand the neural basis of human perception and learning. We are interested in how we learn, both from a neural and computational point of view. We study the computational properties of machine learning algorithms and also investigate what physiological recordings and the constraints and limitations of human performance tell us about how our brains learn.

The driving philosophy behind our work is that studying both machine learning and human learning is synergistic. We use insights from human learning and brain physiology to guide machine learning algorithms and ideas from computational algorithms to guide studies of human and animal learning and computation. We believe in studying a question, not a technique, and so apply (including through collaboration) a wide range of techniques to address the question of how we learn to perceive the world around us.

The BCI Division of our lab implements this approach towards improving existing methods and discovering new ways of interpreting EEG data for BCI applications.

Recent Publications

Alessandro D'Amico, Virginia R. de Sa. (2025). Are Low-Cost EEG Systems Viable for Cognitive Neuroscience Research?
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Abhinav Uppal, Min Suk Lee, Teng Fei, Adyant Balaji, Zhaoyi Liu, Tzyy-Ping Jung, Lara M. Rangel, Virginia R. de Sa, Rahul Parhi, Akshay Paul, Yuchen Xu, Gert Cauwenberghs. (2025). Brain-Body Coupling in Listening to Metronomic Sounds and Music
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Srinivas Ravishankar, Nathan Zajzon, Virginia R. de Sa. (2025). Decoding Imagined Handwriting from EEG
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Abhinav Uppal, Dillan Cellier, Min Lee, Sean Bauersfeld, Yuchen Xu, Shihab Shamma, Gert Cauwenberghs, Virginia R. de Sa. (2025). EEG Blink Artifacts Can Identify Read Music in Listening and Imagery
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Ian Jackson, Raunit Kohli, Eric Leonardis, Andrea A. Chiba, Virginia R. de Sa. (2025). Explore-Exploit Behaviors During Rat-Robot Interactions Optimize Social and Spatial Security
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Recent News

UC President's Dissertation Year Fellowship Available
The UC President’s Dissertation Year Fellowship is now available for promising doctoral students in their final stages of research, offering $32,500 stipend plus tuition and fees.
UC President's Dissertation Year Fellowship Available
Vijay Veerabadran Receives 2024 Chancellor's Dissertation Medal
Congratulations to Vijay Veerabadran for receiving the prestigious 2024 Chancellor’s Dissertation Medal from UC San Diego for his outstanding research in Cognitive Science.
Vijay Veerabadran Receives 2024 Chancellor's Dissertation Medal