Workshop

Synapses at Scale

Connectomes are here! For the first time since the Mind of the Worm, we can gain insight into connectivity at synaptic level resolution across new species. In Drosophila, complete connectomes are already a reality, capturing the structure and connectivity of neurons throughout the central nervous system and for multiple individuals and both sexes. In addition, these resources integrate with morphology, gene expression and genetic tools, offering a powerful platform for the neuroscience community. In mammals, a complete connectome remains aspirational, but, recent advances have produced synapse-level reconstructions of neurons and circuits at an unprecedented scale, particularly within local cortical circuits.

We have entered a period of great innovation around how these detailed snapshots of the brain can inspire and constrain models of the nervous system when combined with experiments, theory, and computational methods. Vast opportunities remain to explore neuronal circuits, cell type diversity, glial interactions, neurovascular dynamics, subcellular networks, and more. However, technical barriers also remain present, including how to share, represent and curate complex datasets, how to work with data at various states of proofreading, and how to consider the variability and alignment of neurons and circuits across individuals, data modalities, and genetic tools.

This two-day workshop is designed to bring together systems and computational neuroscientists with the scientists who generate and curate connectomic datasets, to discuss current and future uses of these rich datasets for both hypothesis-driven and discovery-based research.

Synapses at scale I: what we learn from comparing connectomes across species

Monday March 16

The rapid emergence of large-scale, synapse-resolution connectomes is transforming neuroscience by providing access to complete maps of neural circuitry across species. Yet, the field is still grappling with how to interpret these wiring diagrams in ways that connect structure to computation and behavior.

This workshop will bring together researchers working on flies, songbirds, mice, and other systems to explore what comparative connectomics can reveal about conserved motifs, species-specific specializations, and general principles of neural wiring. We will discuss how to integrate insights across scales—from synaptic connectivity and local circuit motifs to brain-wide organization—and how novel computational and theoretical frameworks can bridge gaps between anatomy and function. The workshop is designed for participants interested in connectomics, behavior, and computational neuroscience, and especially for those seeking to bridge experimental and theoretical approaches

Common columns

Time	Speaker	Model	Title
	Morning Session
9:00-9:10	Introduction
	Chair: Wei-Chung Lee
9:10-9:35	Moritz Helmstaedter Director of Connectomics, Max Planck Institute, Germany.	Mouse
9:35-10:00	Greg Jefferis Group Leader, MRC LMB University of Cambridge, UK.	Fly
10:00-10:25	Marta Zlatic Group Leader, MRC LMB University of Cambridge, UK.	Fly
10:25-11:00	Coffee Break
	Chair: Katharina Eichler
11:00-11:25	Wei-Chung Lee Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School, USA.	Mouse
11:25-11:50	Ila Fiete Associate Investigator, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA.
11:30-12:30	Christoph Giez Postdoc with Lucia Prieto Godino, Group Leader, The Francis Crick Institute, UK.	Fly (cross-species)
11:50-12:15	Lunch
	Afternoon Session
	Chair: Andreas Schaefer
13:30-13:55	Joergen Kornfeld Group Leader, MRC LMB University of Cambridge, UK.	Songbird
13:55-14:20	Katharina Eichler Group Leader, Leipzig University, Germany.	Fly
14:20-14:45	Mojtaba Tavakoli Lab Head, HHMI’s Janelia Research Campus, USA.	LICONN
14:45-15:15	Break
	Chair: Marta Zlatic
15:15-15:40	Andreas Schaefer Principal Group Leader, The Francis Crick Institute, UK.	Mouse
15:40-16:05	Michael Winding Group Leader, The Francis Crick Institute, UK.	Fly
16:05-16:30	Florian Engert Professor, Harvard University, USA.	Zebrafish
16:30-16:45	Break
16:45-18:00	“What’s next for connectomes?”
18:00-18:10	Closing remarks

Schedule subject to change. Last updated 3/4/2026

Synapses at scale II: what we learn from connectomes when building  models

Tuesday March 17

The second day of the workshop is action-focused:

1. Presenters will share a diversity of research successes, strategies, and lessons learned—including in navigating the challenges posed by incomplete mammalian datasets and the impact of complete connectomes on studying neural systems.
2. We will empower the broader Cosyne community to engage with these powerful datasets, by providing examples of data access, analysis, and modeling related to the presented research.
3. Foster dialogue between those generating and sharing the data and those using it, ensuring that access, usability, and communication is optimized for scientific impact.

This workshop will include research talks and some tutorials related to the presented research.

Common columns

Time	Speaker	Title
	Morning Session
9:00-9:10	Julijana Gjorgjieva Group Leader, TUM School of Life Sciences, Germany.	Introduction
9:10-9:35	Srinivas Turaga Group Leader, HHMI’s Janelia Research Campus, USA.	Simulating the fly visual system
9:35-10:00	Susanne Schreiber Professor, Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany.	More than wiring: a mitochondrial perspective on connectomes
10:00-10:25	Jakob Troidl AI Scientist, HHMI’s Janelia Research Campus, USA.	Talk Title
10:25-10:35	Break
10:35-11:00	Jan-Erik Hühne Graduate Student with Julijiana Gjorgjieva, Group Leader, TUM School of Life Sciences, Germany.	Connectomic traces of synaptic specificity of cortical inhibitory interneurons in mouse primary visual cortex
11:00-11:25	Casey Schneider-Mizell Assistant Investigator, Allen Institute for Brain Science, USA.	Talk Title
11:30-12:30	Bethanny Danskin Scientist, Allen Institute for Brain Science, USA.	Data Access Tutorial
12:30-15:00	Break
	Afternoon Session
15:00-15:25	David (Dudi) Deutsch Assistant Professor, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.	Talk Title
15:25-15:50	Changjoo Park Postdoc with Sebastian Seung, Princeton University, USA.	Connectomic constraints on mouse CA3 models
15:50-16:15	Sven Dorkenwald Assistant Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA.	Talk Title
16:15-16:25	Break
16:25-16:50	Sarah Pugliese Graduate Student with John Tuthill, Professor, University of Washington, USA.	Talk Title
16:50-17:15	Marcella Noorman Assistant Professor, University of Chicago, USA.	Continuous attractors in small circuits: lessons from the fly connectome.
17:15-17:40	Alessandro Sanzeni Assistant Professor, Bocconi University, Italy.	Talk Title
17:40-18:00	Nuno Maçarico da Costa Investigator, Allen Institute for Brain Science, USA.	Closing remarks

Schedule subject to change. Last updated 3/4/2026

Organizers

• David (Dudi) Deutsch
• Michael Winding
• Julijana Gjorgjieva
• Nuno Maçarico da Costa
• Bethanny Danskin
• Jan-Erik Hühne