Alexander Fung
Research Assistant @ MIT Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Hi, I’m Alex 👋 I am a research assistant in Ev Fedorenko’s lab at MIT, combining fMRI and computational tools to understand the neural basis of language.
My current interests lie at the intersection of statistics, machine learning, and systems neuroscience. Concretely, I seek mathematical principles of computation in biological and artificial neural circuits. I aim to develop mechanistically interpretable frameworks, addressing questions like:
- How can we extract meaningful structure from high-dimensional neural population data?
- Which learning rules and memory architectures might support efficient storage and accurate retrieval of information over the timecourses of learning?
Before coming to MIT, I was an undergrad at UC Berkeley studying EECS and Molecular & Cellular Biology. I first fell in love with research while working on the protein folding problem with Yun S. Song [bioRxiv] [PSB2022]. In my current position with Ev, I’m learning to integrate my computational skills with careful experimental design [Neuropsychologia] [CCN2024] [CCN2024]. My research journey thus far has only been possible because of the wonderful mentorship I’ve received.