Alexander Fung
Research Assistant @ MIT Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Hi, I’m Alex 👋 I work as a research assistant in Ev Fedorenko’s lab at MIT, combining fMRI and computational tools to understand the neural basis of language.
I am looking for predoctoral research positions 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 the low-dimensional geometric and topological structures underlying neural population dynamics from high-dimensional 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.