Hughlings Jackson Lecture 2026: Behaviour, Brain Computation, and Evolution
Established in 1935, the Hughlings Jackson Lecture is The Neuro’s premier scientific lecture. It honours the legacy of British neurologist John Hughlings Jackson (1835-1911) who pioneered the development of neurology as a medical specialty. A reception will follow for registered attendees.
Registration coming soon.
Behaviour, Brain Computation, and Evolution
´¡²ú²õ³Ù°ù²¹³¦³Ù:ÌýUsing recent experimental work on cephalopod camouflage and reptilian sleep as examples, Gilles Laurent will illustrate the importance of combining not only technical approaches, but also diverse perspectives, to understand the design and operation of brains.
Gilles Laurent
Gilles Laurent grew up in Morocco and France and holds a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine as well as a PhD in Neuroethology. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship and a Locke Research Fellowship of the Royal Society at the University of Cambridge (UK), he joined the faculty of the Biology Division at the California Institute of Technology in 1990, where he spent 20 years. In 2009, he became a Director at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt, Germany, where he is currently based.
Gilles Laurent’s research focuses on identifying fundamental principles of brain function and circuit dynamics, using a broad range of experimental and computational approaches. His early work on insect olfaction revealed low-dimensional neural manifolds as organizing principles of coding spaces in the brain. His research interests span olfactory computation, motor control, vision (including texture perception and camouflage), sleep, and brain evolution.