📢 Application Deadline: August 31st, 2026 | Registration Deadline: September 15th, 2026

APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN

Young Computational Neuroscientist Program

Can you solve a mystery of the brain?

A 12-week guided computational research mentorship where school students learn neuroscience, build a working model, run experiments and present real research.

BEGINS ON September 21st, 2026
PROGRAM LOCATION Online
DURATION 12 weeks · 24 live sessions
ELIGIBILITY Classes 9–12

Can you solve a mystery
of the brain?

Course Banner

Program Stages

STAGE 01
Common to all participants

Laying the Foundations

  • Foundations of neuroscience
  • Mathematics as a language for brain models
  • Programming with Python
STAGE 02
Common to all participants

Three Computational Approaches

  • Feedforward Networks
  • Attractor Systems
  • Reinforcement Learning
STAGE 03
Participants divided into 6 teams — 2 per computational approach

Guided Research Training

  • Guided research training sessions
  • Build, run and analyse your own model
  • Present at the research symposium

Week-by-Week Curriculum

STAGE 01
Week 01
The Brain as a Scientific Mystery
STAGE 01
Week 02
Mathematics as a Language for Brain Models
STAGE 01
Week 03
Python for Brain Modeling
STAGE 01
Week 04
Neurons and Neural Signaling
STAGE 02
Week 05
Feedforward Neural Networks
STAGE 02
Week 06
Attractor and Recurrent Neural Networks
STAGE 02
Week 07
Reinforcement Learning
STAGE 03
Week 08
Introduction to the Research Question and Model Design
STAGE 03
Week 09
Building the Baseline Model
STAGE 03
Week 10
Running Computational Experiments
STAGE 03
Week 11
Analysis and Neuroscientific Experiments
STAGE 03
Week 12
Research Communication and Symposium

Expected Outcomes

✓

24 Guided Live Sessions: Covering neuroscience, mathematics, Python and computational modelling

✓

Practical Research Experience: Build and investigate a real computational model of a brain phenomenon

✓

Guided Research Mentorship: Work alongside mentors through every stage of the research process

✓

Symposium Presentation: Communicate your findings and present your research at the symposium

Choose From Six Brain Mysteries

In Stage 03, participants are divided into six teams, two per computational approach. Each team investigates a genuine open question in neuroscience.

TEAM 01
Feedforward Networks

The Moving Enigma Illusion

How can a stationary image produce neural signals that are interpreted as movement?

Particular combinations of contrast, spatial filtering and temporal response differences can produce motion-like activity even when the image is stationary.

TEAM 02
Feedforward Networks

Seeing a Face but Not the Person

How can face detection remain intact while face identity recognition fails?

Prosopagnosia can result from disruption of higher-level identity representations or their readout, even when early visual processing and face detection remain functional.

TEAM 03
Attractor Systems

Selective Memory Loss in Alzheimer's Disease

Why are some stored memories more vulnerable than others?

Memories with weaker, less distributed or more overlapping representations may have shallower attractor basins and therefore disappear earlier as the network is damaged.

TEAM 04
Attractor Systems

Mood as an Attractor

How can a temporary emotional change become a persistent mood state?

Strong recurrent feedback can deepen a mood attractor so that the network remains in that state after the original trigger has disappeared.

TEAM 05
Reinforcement Learning

Parkinsonian Freezing at a Doorway

Why might a narrow doorway cause an interruption of otherwise successful walking?

At a spatial bottleneck, action alternatives may become closely matched or the local value gradient may become weak or ambiguous. Reduced dopaminergic action selection could then produce freezing.

TEAM 06
Reinforcement Learning

ADHD and Excessive Exploration

Could apparently inconsistent behaviour arise from an agent that explores too much?

Excessive exploration can reduce consistent task performance while sometimes improving discovery and adaptation in changing environments.

APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN

Can you solve a mystery of the brain?

A 12-week guided computational research mentorship where school students learn neuroscience, build a working model, run experiments and present real research.

Chat with us for any queries

For any queries contact us at support@fundaspring.com 
or call +91 82489 16174.

Reviews