معرفی
Prof. Sen Cheng is a Professor at the Institute of Neuroinformatics (INI), part of the Faculty of Computer Science at Ruhr-Universität Bochum. His research focuses on computational neuroscience, particularly the neural mechanisms underlying learning, memory, and spatial navigation. He leads a lab investigating hippocampal dynamics, combining mathematical modeling with optogenetic and electrophysiological data analysis. Collaborations span neuroscientists in Germany and internationally.
Research interests include hippocampal replay mechanisms, episodic memory functions, and the interplay between sensory inputs and neural networks. His work bridges computational models (e.g., spiking neural networks) with experimental data from rodents and humans. Recent projects explore deep reinforcement learning agents for spatial navigation and the role of grid cells in cognitive mapping.
Publications span Neuron, Current Biology, and eLife, addressing topics like hippocampal network stabilizations, spatial coding efficiency, and cerebellar contributions to fear extinction. Teaching includes courses on computational neuroscience, artificial neural networks, and mathematical psychology.
Lab activities involve interdisciplinary research through colloquia like Brains in Space and supervision of master’s and bachelor’s theses in areas like reinforcement learning algorithms and embodied associative networks. The INI’s mission drives his work, linking biological insights to artificial cognitive systems design.
