Members and guests of the Kavli INsD gathered last week for the first institute-wide, in-person event since the institute’s opening last year.
The occasion was the inaugural seminar of the Kavli Research and Enterprise Discussion (K.R.E.D) series. The seminar took place on the 10th of March 2022. It was given by Professor Randy Bruno, a Professor of Neuroscience who recently joined the University of Oxford's Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics. Professor Bruno came to Oxford from Columbia University’s Kavli Institute for Brain Science.
Professor Bruno's research focuses on understanding how the cerebral cortex enables perception and learning. In his talk, "The Many Layers of Cognition – and the many disciplines rallying to understand it", Bruno discussed his work on the architecture of cortical circuitry, and how different cell types might contribute to the geometry of neural representations to enable complex, flexible behaviour.
Bruno also described how interdisciplinary collaborations in a Kavli Institute make it possible to address the complexity of systems like the cerebral cortex. His work involved geneticists, engineers, physicists, electrophysiologists and animal behaviourists.
The talk, which was followed by a reception, was enthusiastically received:
‘I had such fun. Brilliant science involving several skillsets and disciplines, beautifully delivered… I left feeling inspired and thinking of potential implications… The two hours encapsulated everything that is wonderful about being a researcher in Oxford.’
Professor Chas Bountra, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Professor of Translational Medicine at the University of Oxford
‘[Bruno’s talk] beautifully showed the power of interdisciplinary approach to science and how it can help us address the hardest of unanswered questions’
Dr Mootaz Salman, Senior Research Scientist, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford
‘It was very instructive as young scientists in this new environment to learn from Dr. Bruno's experience in the "sibling" Kavli Institute, regarding how one can pursue a scientific question deeper and deeper by bringing in experts in other disciplines and developing highly tailored tools together.’
Virginia Casablancas-Antras & James Eaton, DPhil Students, Baldwin Group, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford
The K.R.E.D series aim is to bring together researchers from across the Kavli INsD, and to stimulate thinking about interdisciplinary science and its translation. Upcoming K.R.E.D events will be announced shortly.
