Katrin Franke
@katrinfranke.bsky.social
Neuroscience, NeuroAI | https://kfranke.com/ | Senior Scientist at Stanford working at https://enigmaproject.ai/
Reposted by Katrin Franke
I’m looking for interns to join our lab for a project on foundation models in neuroscience.
Funded by @ivado.bsky.social and in collaboration with the IVADO regroupement 1 (AI and Neuroscience: ivado.ca/en/regroupem...).
Interested? See the details in the comments. (1/3)
🧠🤖
Funded by @ivado.bsky.social and in collaboration with the IVADO regroupement 1 (AI and Neuroscience: ivado.ca/en/regroupem...).
Interested? See the details in the comments. (1/3)
🧠🤖
AI and Neuroscience | IVADO
ivado.ca
November 7, 2025 at 1:52 PM
I’m looking for interns to join our lab for a project on foundation models in neuroscience.
Funded by @ivado.bsky.social and in collaboration with the IVADO regroupement 1 (AI and Neuroscience: ivado.ca/en/regroupem...).
Interested? See the details in the comments. (1/3)
🧠🤖
Funded by @ivado.bsky.social and in collaboration with the IVADO regroupement 1 (AI and Neuroscience: ivado.ca/en/regroupem...).
Interested? See the details in the comments. (1/3)
🧠🤖
Reposted by Katrin Franke
Rumor has it Mother Nature might be the best AI engineer🌱💡
Come see why at Brass Bear Brewing, Nov 13 @ 6pm. With Dr. Fatih Dinc, we’ll dive into how brains, bots, and biology compute with intelligence
Come see why at Brass Bear Brewing, Nov 13 @ 6pm. With Dr. Fatih Dinc, we’ll dive into how brains, bots, and biology compute with intelligence
November 7, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Rumor has it Mother Nature might be the best AI engineer🌱💡
Come see why at Brass Bear Brewing, Nov 13 @ 6pm. With Dr. Fatih Dinc, we’ll dive into how brains, bots, and biology compute with intelligence
Come see why at Brass Bear Brewing, Nov 13 @ 6pm. With Dr. Fatih Dinc, we’ll dive into how brains, bots, and biology compute with intelligence
Reposted by Katrin Franke
🕳️🐇Into the Rabbit Hull – Part II
Continuing our interpretation of DINOv2, the second part of our study concerns the *geometry of concepts* and the synthesis of our findings toward a new representational *phenomenology*:
the Minkowski Representation Hypothesis
Continuing our interpretation of DINOv2, the second part of our study concerns the *geometry of concepts* and the synthesis of our findings toward a new representational *phenomenology*:
the Minkowski Representation Hypothesis
October 15, 2025 at 5:17 PM
🕳️🐇Into the Rabbit Hull – Part II
Continuing our interpretation of DINOv2, the second part of our study concerns the *geometry of concepts* and the synthesis of our findings toward a new representational *phenomenology*:
the Minkowski Representation Hypothesis
Continuing our interpretation of DINOv2, the second part of our study concerns the *geometry of concepts* and the synthesis of our findings toward a new representational *phenomenology*:
the Minkowski Representation Hypothesis
Reposted by Katrin Franke
🕳️🐇 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙖𝙗𝙗𝙞𝙩 𝙃𝙪𝙡𝙡 – 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙄 (𝑃𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝐼𝐼 𝑡𝑜𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑤)
𝗔𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗢𝘃𝟮, one of vision’s most important foundation models.
And today is Part I, buckle up, we're exploring some of its most charming features. :)
𝗔𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗢𝘃𝟮, one of vision’s most important foundation models.
And today is Part I, buckle up, we're exploring some of its most charming features. :)
October 14, 2025 at 9:00 PM
🕳️🐇 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙖𝙗𝙗𝙞𝙩 𝙃𝙪𝙡𝙡 – 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙄 (𝑃𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝐼𝐼 𝑡𝑜𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑤)
𝗔𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗢𝘃𝟮, one of vision’s most important foundation models.
And today is Part I, buckle up, we're exploring some of its most charming features. :)
𝗔𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗢𝘃𝟮, one of vision’s most important foundation models.
And today is Part I, buckle up, we're exploring some of its most charming features. :)
Reposted by Katrin Franke
How does our brain excel at complex object recognition, yet get fooled by simple illusory contours? What unifying principle governs all Gestalt laws of perceptual organization?
We may have an answer: integration of learned priors through feedback. New paper with @kenmiller.bsky.social! 🧵
We may have an answer: integration of learned priors through feedback. New paper with @kenmiller.bsky.social! 🧵
October 24, 2025 at 2:00 PM
How does our brain excel at complex object recognition, yet get fooled by simple illusory contours? What unifying principle governs all Gestalt laws of perceptual organization?
We may have an answer: integration of learned priors through feedback. New paper with @kenmiller.bsky.social! 🧵
We may have an answer: integration of learned priors through feedback. New paper with @kenmiller.bsky.social! 🧵
Reposted by Katrin Franke
How does the brain balance learning new things without overwriting what it already knows? Our new paper tackles this long-standing stability–plasticity dilemma during active navigation. With Tony Drinnenberg from the Deisseroth Lab (@deisseroth.bsky.social)
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Environmental Novelty Modulates Rapid Cortical Plasticity During Navigation
In novel environments, animals quickly learn to navigate, and position-correlated spatial representations rapidly emerge in both the retrosplenial cortex (RSC) and primary visual cortex (V1). However,...
doi.org
October 24, 2025 at 3:40 AM
How does the brain balance learning new things without overwriting what it already knows? Our new paper tackles this long-standing stability–plasticity dilemma during active navigation. With Tony Drinnenberg from the Deisseroth Lab (@deisseroth.bsky.social)
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Reposted by Katrin Franke
Our work with @pawa-pawa.bsky.social is out in Nature Machine Intelligence! The choice of activation function affects the representations, dynamics, and circuit solutions that emerge in RNNs trained on cognitive tasks. Activation matters!
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
October 24, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Our work with @pawa-pawa.bsky.social is out in Nature Machine Intelligence! The choice of activation function affects the representations, dynamics, and circuit solutions that emerge in RNNs trained on cognitive tasks. Activation matters!
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Reposted by Katrin Franke
🧠 Thrilled to share our NeuroView with Ellie Pavlick!
"From Prediction to Understanding: Will AI Foundation Models Transform Brain Science?"
AI foundation models are coming to neuroscience—if scaling laws hold, predictive power will be unprecedented.
But is that enough?
Thread 🧵👇
"From Prediction to Understanding: Will AI Foundation Models Transform Brain Science?"
AI foundation models are coming to neuroscience—if scaling laws hold, predictive power will be unprecedented.
But is that enough?
Thread 🧵👇
October 24, 2025 at 11:22 AM
🧠 Thrilled to share our NeuroView with Ellie Pavlick!
"From Prediction to Understanding: Will AI Foundation Models Transform Brain Science?"
AI foundation models are coming to neuroscience—if scaling laws hold, predictive power will be unprecedented.
But is that enough?
Thread 🧵👇
"From Prediction to Understanding: Will AI Foundation Models Transform Brain Science?"
AI foundation models are coming to neuroscience—if scaling laws hold, predictive power will be unprecedented.
But is that enough?
Thread 🧵👇
Reposted by Katrin Franke
These videos of a rat hunting and eating bats will haunt my dreams.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
October 24, 2025 at 11:52 PM
These videos of a rat hunting and eating bats will haunt my dreams.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Katrin Franke
The applications for the new round of CaCTüS Internship are now open! This is an extraordinary opportunity for students from underrepresented backgrounds to develop research skills necessary for advancing their careers!
www.projects.tuebingen.mpg.de/application/
www.projects.tuebingen.mpg.de/application/
October 20, 2025 at 7:53 PM
The applications for the new round of CaCTüS Internship are now open! This is an extraordinary opportunity for students from underrepresented backgrounds to develop research skills necessary for advancing their careers!
www.projects.tuebingen.mpg.de/application/
www.projects.tuebingen.mpg.de/application/
Reposted by Katrin Franke
Please spread the word! I am recruiting a PhD student this cycle (Fall 2026 start) to join my team in a new venture: the neuroscience of mood.
If you are curious to learn more, this short talk provides a good overview of why, what and how.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjIK...
If you are curious to learn more, this short talk provides a good overview of why, what and how.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjIK...
Nicole Rust - The representation of mood in the primate insula (May 6, 2025)
YouTube video by Simons Foundation
www.youtube.com
October 7, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Please spread the word! I am recruiting a PhD student this cycle (Fall 2026 start) to join my team in a new venture: the neuroscience of mood.
If you are curious to learn more, this short talk provides a good overview of why, what and how.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjIK...
If you are curious to learn more, this short talk provides a good overview of why, what and how.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjIK...
Reposted by Katrin Franke
🧠 New preprint: we show that model-guided microstimulation can steer monkey visual behavior.
Paper: arxiv.org/abs/2510.03684
🧵
Paper: arxiv.org/abs/2510.03684
🧵
October 7, 2025 at 3:22 PM
🧠 New preprint: we show that model-guided microstimulation can steer monkey visual behavior.
Paper: arxiv.org/abs/2510.03684
🧵
Paper: arxiv.org/abs/2510.03684
🧵
Reposted by Katrin Franke
A glimpse at what #NeuroAI brain models might enable: a topographic vision model predicts stimulation patterns that steer complex object recognition behavior in primates. This could be a key 'software' component for visual prosthetic hardware 🧠🤖🧪
October 8, 2025 at 11:11 AM
A glimpse at what #NeuroAI brain models might enable: a topographic vision model predicts stimulation patterns that steer complex object recognition behavior in primates. This could be a key 'software' component for visual prosthetic hardware 🧠🤖🧪
Our review is out 🎉
We discuss how neural computations in the retina shape behavior, continuing the top-down tradition of Lettvin et al.'s classic bug-detector neurons
Check it out 👀 arevie.ws/46HMEjd @annualreviews.bsky.social w/ coauthors @serenariccitelli.bsky.social @annaintegrated.bsky.social
We discuss how neural computations in the retina shape behavior, continuing the top-down tradition of Lettvin et al.'s classic bug-detector neurons
Check it out 👀 arevie.ws/46HMEjd @annualreviews.bsky.social w/ coauthors @serenariccitelli.bsky.social @annaintegrated.bsky.social
October 7, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Our review is out 🎉
We discuss how neural computations in the retina shape behavior, continuing the top-down tradition of Lettvin et al.'s classic bug-detector neurons
Check it out 👀 arevie.ws/46HMEjd @annualreviews.bsky.social w/ coauthors @serenariccitelli.bsky.social @annaintegrated.bsky.social
We discuss how neural computations in the retina shape behavior, continuing the top-down tradition of Lettvin et al.'s classic bug-detector neurons
Check it out 👀 arevie.ws/46HMEjd @annualreviews.bsky.social w/ coauthors @serenariccitelli.bsky.social @annaintegrated.bsky.social
Reposted by Katrin Franke
The 2025 volume of the Annual Review of Vision Science is now online. The most read article so far is "Behavior-Specific Computations in the Vertebrate Retina" arevie.ws/46HMEjd @serenariccitelli.bsky.social @annaintegrated.bsky.social @katrinfranke.bsky.social
TOC: arevie.ws/3Wklava
TOC: arevie.ws/3Wklava
September 30, 2025 at 9:28 PM
The 2025 volume of the Annual Review of Vision Science is now online. The most read article so far is "Behavior-Specific Computations in the Vertebrate Retina" arevie.ws/46HMEjd @serenariccitelli.bsky.social @annaintegrated.bsky.social @katrinfranke.bsky.social
TOC: arevie.ws/3Wklava
TOC: arevie.ws/3Wklava
Reposted by Katrin Franke
Inspiring Career Session and Discussion at the SPP x SFB1233 Women’s Retreat!
Kristine Krug and @katrinfranke.bsky.social shared motivating reflections on decision-making, research, and life in science followed by a great discussion on career paths and growth. 🧠💬✨
#SPP #FB1233 #WomenInSTEM
Kristine Krug and @katrinfranke.bsky.social shared motivating reflections on decision-making, research, and life in science followed by a great discussion on career paths and growth. 🧠💬✨
#SPP #FB1233 #WomenInSTEM
October 7, 2025 at 6:59 AM
Inspiring Career Session and Discussion at the SPP x SFB1233 Women’s Retreat!
Kristine Krug and @katrinfranke.bsky.social shared motivating reflections on decision-making, research, and life in science followed by a great discussion on career paths and growth. 🧠💬✨
#SPP #FB1233 #WomenInSTEM
Kristine Krug and @katrinfranke.bsky.social shared motivating reflections on decision-making, research, and life in science followed by a great discussion on career paths and growth. 🧠💬✨
#SPP #FB1233 #WomenInSTEM
Reposted by Katrin Franke
Understanding behavior requires datasets that capture humans while carrying out complex tasks. The kitchen is an excellent environment for assessing human motor and cognitive function, as many complex actions are naturally exhibited in kitchens from chopping to 🧽!
arxiv.org/abs/2506.01608
arxiv.org/abs/2506.01608
EPFL-Smart-Kitchen-30: Densely annotated cooking dataset with 3D kinematics to challenge video and language models
Understanding behavior requires datasets that capture humans while carrying out complex tasks. The kitchen is an excellent environment for assessing human motor and cognitive function, as many complex...
arxiv.org
September 23, 2025 at 7:18 AM
Understanding behavior requires datasets that capture humans while carrying out complex tasks. The kitchen is an excellent environment for assessing human motor and cognitive function, as many complex actions are naturally exhibited in kitchens from chopping to 🧽!
arxiv.org/abs/2506.01608
arxiv.org/abs/2506.01608
Reposted by Katrin Franke
New funding opportunity from the BRAIN Initiative! Applications due Oct 28!
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...
RFA-DA-27-004: BRAIN Initiative: Theories, Models and Methods for Analysis of Complex Data from the Brain (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts: BRAIN Initiative: Theories, Models and Methods for Analysis of Complex Data from the Brain (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allo...
grants.nih.gov
September 16, 2025 at 8:23 PM
New funding opportunity from the BRAIN Initiative! Applications due Oct 28!
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...
Reposted by Katrin Franke
For those interested in open neuroscience learning tools, check out the preprint for “RetINaBox: A hands-on tool for experimental neuroscience" that a couple students in my lab worked on in collaboration with the Trenholm lab:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧠📈 🧪
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧠📈 🧪
RetINaBox: A hands-on learning tool for experimental neuroscience
An exciting aspect of neuroscience research is developing and testing hypotheses via experimentation. However, due to logistical and financial hurdles, this compelling part of neuroscience research is...
www.biorxiv.org
September 15, 2025 at 3:02 PM
For those interested in open neuroscience learning tools, check out the preprint for “RetINaBox: A hands-on tool for experimental neuroscience" that a couple students in my lab worked on in collaboration with the Trenholm lab:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧠📈 🧪
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧠📈 🧪
Reposted by Katrin Franke
BonnBrain 2026 is a go!
March 23–25, Bonn (DZNE, Bonn, Germany).
Apply now: www.bonnbrain.de
Limited slots. Presentations (posters/talks) selected from submitted abstracts.
Keynotes & invited speakers 👇
March 23–25, Bonn (DZNE, Bonn, Germany).
Apply now: www.bonnbrain.de
Limited slots. Presentations (posters/talks) selected from submitted abstracts.
Keynotes & invited speakers 👇
September 9, 2025 at 9:45 AM
BonnBrain 2026 is a go!
March 23–25, Bonn (DZNE, Bonn, Germany).
Apply now: www.bonnbrain.de
Limited slots. Presentations (posters/talks) selected from submitted abstracts.
Keynotes & invited speakers 👇
March 23–25, Bonn (DZNE, Bonn, Germany).
Apply now: www.bonnbrain.de
Limited slots. Presentations (posters/talks) selected from submitted abstracts.
Keynotes & invited speakers 👇
Reposted by Katrin Franke
Super excited to share the first cooperative foraging paradigm in freely interacting mouse pairs! Stable leader and follower roles emerge spontaneously and predict learning. Well-trained mice show stereotyped, role-specific “behavioral motifs” absent in naive animals (1/5)
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
September 4, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Super excited to share the first cooperative foraging paradigm in freely interacting mouse pairs! Stable leader and follower roles emerge spontaneously and predict learning. Well-trained mice show stereotyped, role-specific “behavioral motifs” absent in naive animals (1/5)
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Reposted by Katrin Franke
Something exciting just left the gym -- meet Arnold the first generalist musculoskeletal control policy!
The human body has 600+ muscles, yet we seamlessly coordinate them for everything from whispering a syllable to felling a forrest. How? www.arxiv.org/abs/2508.18066
The human body has 600+ muscles, yet we seamlessly coordinate them for everything from whispering a syllable to felling a forrest. How? www.arxiv.org/abs/2508.18066
September 4, 2025 at 8:45 AM
Something exciting just left the gym -- meet Arnold the first generalist musculoskeletal control policy!
The human body has 600+ muscles, yet we seamlessly coordinate them for everything from whispering a syllable to felling a forrest. How? www.arxiv.org/abs/2508.18066
The human body has 600+ muscles, yet we seamlessly coordinate them for everything from whispering a syllable to felling a forrest. How? www.arxiv.org/abs/2508.18066
Reposted by Katrin Franke
On the left is a rabbit. On the right is an elephant. But guess what: They’re the *same image*, rotated 90°!
In @currentbiology.bsky.social, @chazfirestone.bsky.social & I show how these images—known as “visual anagrams”—can help solve a longstanding problem in cognitive science. bit.ly/45BVnCZ
In @currentbiology.bsky.social, @chazfirestone.bsky.social & I show how these images—known as “visual anagrams”—can help solve a longstanding problem in cognitive science. bit.ly/45BVnCZ
August 19, 2025 at 4:32 PM
On the left is a rabbit. On the right is an elephant. But guess what: They’re the *same image*, rotated 90°!
In @currentbiology.bsky.social, @chazfirestone.bsky.social & I show how these images—known as “visual anagrams”—can help solve a longstanding problem in cognitive science. bit.ly/45BVnCZ
In @currentbiology.bsky.social, @chazfirestone.bsky.social & I show how these images—known as “visual anagrams”—can help solve a longstanding problem in cognitive science. bit.ly/45BVnCZ
Reposted by Katrin Franke
Come join our new Department of Neuroscience @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social as an Assistant Professor! aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05041
Assistant Professor - Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Neuroscience - Department of Neuroscience
University of California, Berkeley is hiring. Apply now!
aprecruit.berkeley.edu
August 20, 2025 at 2:05 AM
Come join our new Department of Neuroscience @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social as an Assistant Professor! aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05041