معرفی
Armin Lak serves as an Associate Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Oxford's Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics (DPAG), holding dual appointments as a Wellcome Trust Henry Dale Fellow and St John's College Fellow. His research centers on unraveling the quantitative circuit-level mechanisms underlying learning and decision-making processes through innovative interdisciplinary methodologies.
Lak earned his PhD in neuroscience from the University of Cambridge under Wolfram Schultz, investigating midbrain dopamine neurons in economic decision-making. As a Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellow, he expanded his expertise at University College London (with Matteo Carandini and Kenneth Harris) and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (with Adam Kepecs), developing novel behavioral and computational frameworks to study frontal cortex and dopamine functions in perceptual decisions.
His laboratory integrates high-count electrophysiology, cell type-specific calcium imaging, optogenetic manipulations, and controlled mouse behavioral paradigms with advanced computational modeling. This multi-pronged approach enables precise dissection of neural circuits involved in value-based choices, confidence assessment, and learning dynamics, with particular emphasis on dopamine signaling and prefrontal-striatal interactions.
Analysis of his 2014-2025 publications reveals a cohesive research trajectory focused on dopamine's role in encoding prediction errors, decision confidence, and reward integration. His recent work extends into deep learning applications for neural modeling, three-photon imaging advancements, and anxiety-related cortical regulation, demonstrating consistent innovation in both theoretical frameworks and experimental techniques across systems and computational neuroscience.
His distinguished scientific recognition includes:
- Wellcome Trust Henry Dale Fellowship
- Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship
Lak's research program receives substantial support through his Wellcome Trust Henry Dale Fellowship, enabling independent investigation of neural circuit mechanisms. As principal investigator of the Lak Lab, he mentors graduate students and postdoctoral researchers while securing resources for cutting-edge equipment and collaborative projects that bridge neuroscience, engineering, and computational science.
The Lak Lab operates as a dynamic interdisciplinary hub within DPAG, combining expertise in neural recording, optogenetic manipulation, behavioral analysis, and machine learning. Current team efforts focus on developing next-generation imaging techniques, mapping anxiety-related neural circuits, and creating computational models that translate neural activity into decision-making predictions, with implications for understanding psychiatric disorders involving impaired decision processes.
