Dr Yashar Ahmadian

Position Governing Body Fellow
School Technology Department of Engineering
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Email ya311@cam.ac.uk
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Yashar is a theoretical physicist turned theoretical neuroscientist. He is based in the Computational and Biological Learning Lab in the Department of Engineering, and studies how the brain processes information and adapts to changes in the sensory environment.

Yashar received his Bachelor's Degree in physics from Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, after which he started his doctoral studies in theoretical condensed matter physics as an Irene Tramm Memorial Fellow at Columbia University, New York. After receiving his PhD in 2007, Yashar started his research in Computational and Theoretical Neuroscience, and became a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Theoretical Neuroscience at Columbia University. He was supported by a Patterson Trust Postdoctoral Fellowship followed by a Kavli Postdoctoral Fellowship. Before coming to Cambridge, Yashar was an Assistant Professor at the University of Oregon, departments of Mathematics and Biology, and the Institute of Neuroscience. Currently, he is an Associate Professor in AI and Neuroscience in the Department of Engineering.

Yashar leads a research group in the Computational and Biological Learning Lab in the Department of Engineering. His group's research is focused on sensory processing in the brain and how it underlies our perception. A main theme of the research is to connect causal and mechanistic understanding, at the level of biological neural circuits, to teleological understanding that refers to the computational goals of the nervous system. Beyond his daytime research, Yashar keeps an interest in mathematical physics, philosophy, history and politics.

What's on

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A triptych of abstract images: a smooth round stone nestled in a curved rock, distorted eyeglass frames scattered on a white background, and a high-contrast black and white microscopic image resembling organic or cellular structures.

Art Exhibition: ��ӽ紫ýat 60

14/06/2025 at 10.00

Celebrating Wolfson’s 60th anniversary year, this exhibition highlights the range of artistic disciplines and styles that have made up our exhibitions over the years.