Winter School on Learning and Computation in Brains and Machines

GoEMMI 2027 is a three-week winter school on learning and computation in brains and machines, hosted at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization in Göttingen, Germany.

The program brings together researchers from neuroscience, machine learning, information theory, applied mathematics and related fields to explore how biological and artificial systems learn, represent information and perform computation.

The winter school includes lectures by international researchers, hands-on tutorials, a hackathon, laboratory tours, a poster session, networking activities and a special session dedicated to the philosophy and ethics of artificial intelligence. Participants will also work on an independent project and present their results at the end of the program.

Main topics include:

• Theory of emergence and computation

• Learning in brains and machines

• Neural dynamics and synaptic plasticity

• Biological and machine learning

• Information theory and causality

• Data-driven modeling of dynamical systems

• Philosophy and ethics of artificial intelligence

Eligibility:
The program is primarily aimed at late-stage Master's students, PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, group leaders and professors working in computational neuroscience, statistical physics, complex dynamics, information theory, biological learning, machine learning or related fields.

Applicants from other backgrounds who are interested in the topics of the school are also encouraged to apply.

Funding and costs:

• No registration fee

• Approximately 20 participants will be selected

• Travel and accommodation are generally not covered

• Limited financial support for travel and accommodation may be available to selected participants who cannot obtain funding from other sources

• Accommodation at the Max Planck Institute Guest House costs approximately €360 for the three-week stay

• Coffee breaks and one conference dinner are included

• Most lunches and dinners are not covered

Dates: February 15 – March 6, 2027
Location: Göttingen, Germany
Application deadline: October 1, 2026