NACH OBEN


Prof. Dr. Laurenz Wiskott

Theory of Neural Systems
Institut für Neuroinformatik
Fakultät für Informatik
Ruhr-Universität Bochum
Universitätsstr. 150
44801 Bochum

Raum: NB 3/29
Tel: +49 (0)234 32-27997
Email: laurenz.wiskott@ini.rub.de


Homepage
orcid.org/0000-0001-6237-740X
Prof. Dr. Laurenz Wiskott
Prof. Dr. Laurenz Wiskott
Forschungsschwerpunkte

We are an interdisciplinary research group focusing on principles of self-organization in neural systems, ranging from artificial neural networks to the hippocampus/memory system. By bringing together machine learning and computational neuroscience we explore ways of extracting representations from data that are useful for goal-directed learning.

On the machine learning side our work is centered around reinforcement learning, where an agent learns to interact with its environment. In this context we investigate learning of representations for different kinds of data, such as visual data and graphs, by means of deep learning as well as classical unsupervised methods. Additionally, we research model-based agents that can remember their environment and are capable of planning ahead. On all these frontiers, we do not only seek to improve algorithmic performance but also to develop new ways of building more interpretable, explainable and human-friendly AI.

On the neuroscience side, our work focuses on computational modeling of brain functions concerned with encoding, storage and recall of memories. Through this we aim to understand how information is learned, represented within different types of memory and finally reconstructed from memory.

Parra-Barrero, E., Vijayabaskaran, S., Seabrook, E., Wiskott, L., & Cheng, S. (2023). A map of spatial navigation for neuroscience. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 152, 105200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105200

Zeng, X., Diekmann, N., Wiskott, L., & Cheng, S. (2023). Modeling the function of episodic memory in spatial learning. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1160648. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1160648

Fayyaz, Z., Altamimi, A., Zoellner, C., Klein, N., Wolf, O. T., Cheng, S., & Wiskott, L. (2022). A Model of Semantic Completion in Generative Episodic Memory. Neural Computation, 34(9), 1841–1870. https://doi.org/10.1162/neco_a_01520

Walther, T., Diekmann, N., Vijayabaskaran, S., Donoso, J. R., Manahan-Vaughan, D., Wiskott, L., & Cheng, S. (2021). Context-dependent extinction learning emerging from raw sensory inputs: A reinforcement learning approach. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 2713. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-81157-z

Görler, R., Wiskott, L., & Cheng, S. (2020). Improving sensory representations using episodic memory. Hippocampus, 30(6), 638–656. https://doi.org/10.1002/hipo.23186

Fang, J., Rüther, N., Bellebaum, C., Wiskott, L., & Cheng, S. (2018). The Interaction between Semantic Representation and Episodic Memory. Neural Computation, 30(2), 293–332. https://doi.org/10.1162/neco_a_01044

Weghenkel, B., & Wiskott, L. (2018). Slowness as a Proxy for Temporal Predictability: An Empirical Comparison. Neural Computation, 30(5), 1151–1179. https://doi.org/10.1162/NECO_a_01070

Neher, T., Cheng, S., & Wiskott, L. (2015). Memory storage fidelity in the hippocampal circuit: The role of subregions and input statistics. PLoS Computational Biology, 11(5), e1004250. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1004250

Schönfeld, F., & Wiskott, L. (2015). Modeling place field activity with hierarchical slow feature analysis. Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience, 9, 51. https://doi.org/10.3389/fncom.2015.00051

Dähne, S., Wilbert, N., & Wiskott, L. (2014). Slow feature analysis on retinal waves leads to V1 complex cells. PLoS Computational Biology, 10(5), e1003564. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003564