The Mathematical Neuroscience Lab run by Dr. Gabriel A. Silva aims to understand how the brain works as an engineered system. The researchers investigate how geometric and dynamic constraints within brain networks lead to the formulation of mathematical rules responsible for the emergence of computational and cognitive functions. Their working hypothesis is that these emergent properties are a high-level perspective on hierarchies of computed information that are passed across various levels of organization. Ultimately, they have the goal of contributing to the understanding of the brain’s capacity to attain creativity, imagination, inference, and self-awareness.

Additionally, they research how the brain differs for those experiencing neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder. They are working to understand how brain algorithms can be used to create a fundamentally new form of (non-gradient decent) machine learning capable of learning without training.