CAJAL Course on Quantitative Approaches to Behavior and Virtual Reality 2026

[Daniel McNamee]

CAJAL Advanced Neuroscience Training Course: Quantitative Approaches to Behavior and Virtual Reality 2026. 

This intensive course is a unique opportunity for early-career researchers interested in this field.

Hosted at the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, this three-week course  focuses on acquiring, analyzing, and modeling behavioral data and integrating it with neurobiological information, using translational methodologies that can be applied across species—from simple model organisms to humans—to broaden experimental and research capabilities.

Location: Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal
Dates: 7 - 26 June 2026
Application Deadline: 13 February 2026
Apply now: https://cajal-training.org/on-site/quantitative-approaches-to-behavior-and-virtual-reality-2026/

Course Directors

• Ann Kennedy – Scripps Research, USA

• Daniel McNamee –  Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Portugal

• Giorgio Gilestro  – Imperial College London, UK

Course Themes & Topics

This course will focus on the following key frontier areas:

• Behavioral data acquisition and analysis;
• Modeling behavioral dynamics;
• Integration with neurobiological data;
• Experimental design and independent projects;
• Translational and cross-species approaches.

Keynote Speakers Include:

• Andre Brown (Imperial College London, UK)
• Ahmed El Hady (Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Germany)
• Andrew Straw (University of Freiburg, Germany)
• Barbara Webb (University of Edinburgh, UK)
• Ben De Bivort (Harvard University, USA)
• Carlos Ribeiro (Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Portugal)
• Gordon Berman (Emory College, USA)
• Greg J. Stephens (OIST Graduate University, Japan)
• Ian Couzin (Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Germany)
• Joshua Shaevitz (Princeton University, USA)
• Kim Hoke (Colorado State University, USA)
• Kristin Branson (HHMI Janelia Research Campus, USA)
• Nachum Ulanovsky (Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel)
• R. James Cotton (Northwestern University, USA)
• Sama Ahmed (University of Washington, USA)
• Talmo Pereira (The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, USA)