Behavioural Setup Design with Bonsai and Arduino Workshop, March 12-13th 2026

[Mateusz Kostecki]

Hello!

We are happy to announce our next workshop!

During this workshop, you will learn how to design the behavioural setups that will allow you to answer your research questions most efficiently. Going from theory to practice, we will show you how to plan experiments, make decisions about equipment, reduce confounds, and use an Arduino microcontroller and Bonsai software to build the necessary devices, program the experiments, and collect and analyse behavioural data.

Over two days of intensive, hands-on training, we will show you how to:

• Plan behavioural experiments in a robust and efficient manner
• How to avoid bad design decisions
• Use Arduino to deliver stimuli and control lasers and diodes in optogenetic experiments
• Control motors and servos to automate elements of your behavioural setups
• Use sensors with Arduino and record sensor readouts
• Design and build closed-loop experiments in Bonsai — use behavioural tracking to trigger stimuli, move motors, and much more
• Choose cameras and data acquisition systems for your experiments
• Synchronise different data streams and align signals
• Extract behavioural data and analyse it using Bonsai

No previous experience with programming is necessary!

The workshop will be held at the Nencki Institute in Warsaw on March 12–13, from 10 AM to 6 PM. The workshop fee is PLN 350 (or EUR 85). The application form can be found here  - https://nenckiopenlab.org/design/. The deadline for applications is February 27th.

With best wishes,

NOL Team