معرفی
Dr. Benjamin Evans is an Assistant Professor in Computer Science & AI (Informatics) at the University of Sussex, affiliated with the School of Engineering and Informatics. His research integrates computational neuroscience and artificial intelligence, focusing on biologically inspired neural networks.
- Current Position: Assistant Professor, Department of Informatics, University of Sussex
- Previous Roles: Research Associate at University of Bristol, University of Exeter, Imperial College London, and University of Oxford
- Education: DPhil in Computational Neuroscience (University of Oxford), MSc in Intelligent Systems (UCL), BA in Experimental Psychology (Oxford)
His research centers on how neural systems self-organize to produce intelligent behavior, studied through both biological and computational modeling. He investigates spiking neural networks, convolutional neural networks, and the role of biological constraints in enhancing AI robustness and human-like perception. He is particularly interested in how spike-based information processing contributes to adaptive cognition in noisy environments.
His recent publications reveal a strong trend in evaluating deep neural networks as models of human vision, questioning their biological plausibility while proposing bio-inspired improvements. He also works on optogenetics simulation (e.g., PyRhO platform), developmental biology modeling, and reproducible data science through containerization tools like Docker.
His scientific contributions have been recognized through publications in high-impact journals such as Nature Communications, PLoS Computational Biology, and Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
- EPSRC Grant: "Exploring the multiple loci of learning and computation in simple artificial neural networks" (2023–2024)
- EPSRC Grant: "Using ant biology and natural environments to enhance models of vision and robot navigation" (2022–2026)
Dr. Evans actively contributes to open science through GitHub repositories (e.g., PyRhO, DPE, BioNet) and promotes reproducible research. He has no listed advisees in the provided data, but leads funded research projects involving junior researchers. He is a core member of the Informatics research group at Sussex, contributing to both AI and neuroscience domains.
