Seminars


Latest seminar - Do neurons develop Joule heat?

The biocomputation group hosts a weekly journal club meeting. If you have any queries, please have a look at the journal club guidelines or contact Danish Ahmad at d.ahmad2@herts.ac.uk or Ohki Katakura at o.katakura AT herts.ac.uk. Abstracts and other material related to these sessions will feature in the news section. The current rota is:

October 2026 - December 2026

# Name Title Date
1 Reinoud Maex Do neurons develop Joule heat? 30/10/26

January 2026 - July 2026

# Name Title Date
1
-- 28/02/26

October 2025 - December 2025

# Name Title Date
1
-- 03/10/25

January 2023 - July 2023

# Name Title Date
1 Yar Muhammad Brain-Computer Interface & their Applications, Challenges, Future & Our research contributions 27/01/23
2 Reinoud Maex An Isotonic Model of Neuron Swelling Based on Co-Transport of Salt and Water 03/02/23
3 Manal Helal miRe2e: A Full End-to-End Deep Model Based on Transformers for Prediction of Pre-miRNAs 10/02/23
4 Shabnam Kadir Consciousness and Information Theory 17/02/23
5 Michael Schmuker Will Graph Neural Networks Revolutionise Computational Olfaction? 24/02/23
6 Mohammad Tayarani-Najaran An Evolutionary Ensemble Learning for Diagnosing COVID-19 via Cough Signals 03/03/23
7 --- -- 10/03/23
8 Harpreet Singh Survey of Sentiment Analysis models leveraging transformers along with other NLP techniques to enrich word vectors for classification 17/03/23
9 --- -- 24/03/23
10 Emil Dmitruk Edge-Centric Functional Network Representations of Human Cerebral Cortex Reveal Overlapping System-Level Architecture 31/03/23
11 Maria Psarrou Functional Neurology of a Brain System: A 3D Olfactory Bulb Model to Process Natural Odorants 05/05/23
12 Mohammad Tayarani-Najaran A Genetic Programming-Based Convolutional Deep Learning Algorithm for Identifying COVID-19 Cases via X-ray Images 12/05/23
13 Eleonora Bernasconi Voltage- and Branch-Specific Climbing Fiber Responses in Purkinje Cells 19/05/23
14 Han Lu Interplay between homeostatic synaptic scaling and homeostatic structural plasticity maintains the robust firing rate of neural networks 16/06/23
15 Yaqoob Muhammad The evolution, analysis and design of spiking neural networks for temporal pattern recognition 23/06/23
16 Minghua Zheng Few-shot Object Counting with Similarity-Aware Feature Enhancement 30/06/23
17 Eleonora Bernasconi Predicting saccades given the behavior of Purkinje cells 07/07/23

February 2022 - July 2022

# Name Title Date
1 Maria Psarrou Manipulating Synthetic Optogenetic Odors Reveals the Coding Logic of Olfactory Perception 04/02/22
2 Minghua Zheng Learning To Count Everything 11/02/22
3 Stavros Anagnou Spurious Normativity Enhances Learning of Compliance and Enforcement Behavior in Artificial Agents 18/02/22
4 Michael Schmuker Using Head-Mounted Ethanol Sensors to Monitor Olfactory Information and Determine Behavioral Changes Associated with Ethanol-Plume Contact during Mouse Odor-Guided Navigation 25/02/22
5 --- -- 04/03/22
6 --- -- 11/03/22
7 --- -- 18/03/22
8 Mohammad Tayarani-Najaran A Novel Ensemble Machine Learning and an Evolutionary Algorithm in Modeling the COVID-19 Epidemic and Optimizing Government Policies 25/03/22
9 Emil Dmitruk Uncovering the Topology of Time-Varying fMRI Data Using Cubical Persistence 01/04/22
10 --- -- 08/04/22
11 Olga Tveretina Complexity of the Reachability and Mortality Problems for Hybrid Dynamical Systems 22/04/22
12 Na Helian Boosting Ant Colony Optimization with Reptile Search Algorithm for Churn Prediction 29/04/22
13 --- -- 06/05/22
14 Manal Helal Tensor Decomposition with Relational Constraints for Predicting Multiple Types of microRNA-disease Associations 13/05/22
15 Harpreet Singh Sentiment Analysis Using BLSTM-ResNet on Textual Images 20/05/22
16 Yi Sun On Projection Methods for Functional Time Series Forecasting 27/05/22
17 Reinoud Maex Effect of Extracellular Volume on the Energy Stored in Transmembrane Concentration Gradients 17/06/22
18 David Haydock -- 24/06/22
19 Volker Steuber Long-Term Depression and Recognition of Parallel Fibre Patterns in a Multi-Compartmental Model of a Cerebellar Purkinje Cell 01/07/22
20 Shavika Rastogi Distinct Lateral Inhibitory Circuits Drive Parallel Processing of Sensory Information in the Mammalian Olfactory Bulb 08/07/22
21 Epaminondas Kapetanios Explanation in Human-AI Systems 15/07/22

February 2021 - July 2021

# Name Title Date
1 Damien Drix Rapid online learning and robust recall in a neuromorphic olfactory circuit 05/02/21
2 Reinoud Maex Packaging Life: The Origin of Ion-Selective Channels 12/02/21
3 Chinthani Karandeni Dewage Interactions between Brassica Napus and Extracellular Fungal Pathogen Pyrenopeziza Brassicae 26/02/21
4 David Haydock Spatiotemporal Dynamics of the Brain at Rest Exploring EEG Microstates as Electrophysiological Signatures of BOLD Resting State Networks 05/03/21
5 Deepak Panday Minkowski metric, feature weighting and anomalous cluster initializing in K-Means clustering 12/03/21
6 Mohammad Tayarani-Najaran How to Exploit Fitness Landscape Properties of Timetabling Problem: A New Operator for Quantum Evolutionary Algorithm 19/03/21
7 Emil Dmitruk Organization of Cell Assemblies in the Hippocampus 16/04/21
8 Volker Steuber Bursting Neurons Signal Input Slope 23/04/21
9 Yaqoob Muhammad Learning compositional sequences with multiple time scales through a hierarchical network of spiking neurons 30/04/21
10 Maria Psarrou Fast Odour Dynamics Are Encoded in the Olfactory System and Guide Behaviour 07/05/21
11 Nik Dennler Event-Driven Sensing for Efficient Perception: Vision and Audition Algorithms 14/05/21
12 Shabnam Kadir Feasibility of Topological Data Analysis for Event-Related fMRI 21/05/21
13 Muhammad Aamir Khan Study of weak / strong multiplication in gain modulation 28/05/21
14 Minghua Zheng Class-Balanced Loss Based on Effective Number of Samples 04/06/21
15 Michael Schmuker Feed-Forward and Noise-Tolerant Detection of Feature Homogeneity in Spiking Networks with a Latency Code 11/06/21
16 Bente Riegler Toward a New Theory of Motor Synergies 18/06/21
17 Shavika Rastogi A Spiking Neural Program for Sensorimotor Control during Foraging in Flying Insects 25/06/21
18 Na Helian Feature Weighted Density-based Clustering 07/07/21
19 Yi Sun Clustering Functional Data into Groups by Using Projections 14/07/21

January 2020 - July 2020

# Name Title Date
1 Yi Sun Towards Discriminative representation learning for speech Emotion recognition 31/01/20
2 Emil Dmitruk Hyperbolic geometry of the olfactory space 07/02/20
3 Na Helian Dynamic Hierarchical Structure for Cloud Computing Job Scheduling Utilizing Artificial Intelligence Technologies 14/02/20
4 Yaqoob Muhammad Autaptic Connections Shift Network Excitability and Bursting 21/02/20
5 Emil Dmitruk Cliques of Neurons Bound into Cavities Provide a Missing Link between Structure and Function 28/02/20
6 Emil Dmitruk Cliques of Neurons Bound into Cavities Provide a Missing Link between Structure and Function- continued 06/03/20
7 Ohki Katakura Spatiotemporal network coding of physiological mossy fiber inputs by the cerebellar granular layer 13/03/20
8 Anna Dumitriu Cyberspecies Proximity - Anna Dumitriu and Alex May 03/04/20
9 Damien Drix The control of plastic inhibition over excitatory synaptic plasticity leads to the joint emergence of sensory coding and contrast invariance 24/04/20
10 Shabnam Kadir Illusory sound texture reveals multi-second statistical completion in auditory scene analysis 22/05/20
11 Volker Steuber On Robot Compliance: A Cerebellar Control Approach 29/05/20
12 Reinoud Maex A Kirchhoff-Nernst-Planck framework for modeling large scale extracellular electrodiffusion surrounding morphologically detailed neurons 05/06/20
13 Ritesh Kumar Extraordinary performance of semiconducting metal oxide gas sensors using dielectric excitation 12/06/20
14 Mohammad Tayarani-Najaran Probabilistic Optimization Algorithms for Real-Coded Problems And Its Application in Latin Hypercube Problem 19/06/20
15 Emil Dmitruk Towards a new approach to reveal dynamical organization of the brain using topological data analysis 10/07/20
16 Muhammad Aamir Khan Spiking Neural Networks Evolved to Perform Multiplicative Operations 17/07/20

January 2019 - July 2019

# Name Title Date
1 Julia Goncharenko Microcircuits and their interactions in epilepsy: is the focus out of focus? 25/01/19
2 Shabnam Kadir The power of deep networks and learning 01/02/19
3 Damien Drix Learning in Cephalopod Brains 08/02/19
4 Reinoud Maex Modelling nicotine addiction 15/02/19
5 Volker Steuber Rank order decoding of temporal input patterns 22/02/19
6 Sam Sutton ASP: Learning to Forget With Adaptive Synaptic Plasticity in Spiking Neural Networks 01/03/19
7 Olga Tveretina What Is Decidable About Low Dimensional Hybrid Systems? 15/03/19
8 Edward Wakelam The Potential for Student Performance Prediction in Small Cohorts with Minimal Available Attributes using Learning Analytics Techniques 22/03/19
9 Ankur Sinha Investigating the activity dependent dynamics of synaptic structures using biologically realistic modelling of peripheral lesion experiments 29/03/19
10 Na Helian OPTICS: Ordering Points To Identify the Clustering Structure 05/04/19
11 Emil Dmitruk An EMG-CT method using multiple surface electrodes in the forearm 12/04/19
12 Ohki Katakura Revisiting a theory of cerebellar cortex 03/05/19
13 Yi Sun Introduction to Functional Data Analysis 10/05/19
14 Mohammad Tayarani-Najaran Magnetic-inspired optimization algorithms: Operators and structures 17/05/19
15 Deepak Panday -- 24/05/19
16 Michael Schmuker Event-based artificial intelligence with neuromorphic accelerators 31/05/19
17 Yaqoob Muhammad Evolution of robust spiking neural networks for temporal pattern recognition 07/06/19
18 Rene te Boekhorst Freeing Machines from Cartesian Chains 28/06/19
19 Julia Goncharenko -- 05/07/19
20 Shabnam Kadir -- 12/07/19

January 2018 - July 2017

# Name Title Date
1 Cosme Llerena Blind Source Separation and Machine Learning Applications 26/01/18
2 Volker Steuber Resources for Neuronal Modelling 02/02/18
3 Ankur Sinha The role of inhibition in structural plasticity of neural circuits 09/02/18
4 Rebecca Miko Olfactory coding in the turbulent realm 16/02/18
5 Andrei-Daniel Robu Using SymPy in exploratory research 23/02/18
6 Damien Drix Learning sparse codes and predictive context with compartmentalised inputs 09/03/18
7 Marco Craveiro Handling Variability in Model Transformations and Generators 16/03/18
8 Yi Sun Singular Spectrum Analysis - A very short introduction​ 23/03/18
9 Ariun Narmandakh Single chain antibodies and their diversification of application 06/04/18
10 Anna Dumitriu and Alex May ArchaeaBot: A Post Singularity, Post Climate Change Lifeform 20/04/18
11 Jean Petrić Mining data for defect prediction 27/04/18
12 Jean Petrić Mining data for defect prediction - Continued 04/05/18
13 Reinoud Maex A metric for consciousness, and the decline of the Hodgkin-Huxley theory 11/05/18
14 Maria Psarrou A comparison of deterministic and stochastic ion channel representations in a model of a cerebellar nucleus neuron 25/05/18
15 Michael Schmuker Decoding gas source proximity from turbulent plumes 01/06/18
16 Maria Psarrou A comparison of deterministic and stochastic ion channel representations in a model of a cerebellar nucleus neuron - Continued 08/06/18
17 Deepak Panday Reverse Nearest Neighbor Queries: emergence and implementation issues 15/06/18
18 Sam Sutton Signal Propagation and Logic Gating in Networks of Integrate-and-Fire Neurons 22/06/18
19 Rene te Boekhorst Complexity of Biological Systems: Deterministic vs Stochastic Modelling 29/06/18
20 Rene te Boekhorst Complexity of Biological Systems: Deterministic vs Stochastic Modelling - Continued 06/07/18

February 2017 - July 2017

# Name Title Date
1 Marco Craveiro Update on my research: using watertight polygon meshes for neuronal morphology representation 03/02/17
2 Sam Sutton Improving the performance of spatial searching in BTMORPH: An investigation into the implementation of R-tree spatial indexing 10/02/17
3 Deepak Panday Feature weighting as a tool for clustered based imputation model 17/02/17
4 Ankur Sinha Multi-contact synapses for stable networks: a spike-timing dependent model of dendritic spine plasticity and turnover 24/02/17
5 Anuradha Sulane Detecting emotion of a person from their voice 03/03/17
6 Michael Schmuker Neuromorphic hardware - what is it, why is everybody talking about it, and does it live up to the hype? 10/03/17
7 Jean Petrić Reproducible research with Knitr 17/03/17
8 Alex Hocking Mining Hubble Space Telescope images 24/03/17
9 Christoph Metzner Automated validation and comparison of neurophysiological biomarkers of psychiatric disorders 31/03/17
10 Edward Wakelam Predictive analytics based student intervention 07/04/17
-- -- -- 14/04/17
-- -- -- 21/04/17
11 Ankur Sinha Loss of sensory input causes rapid structural changes of inhibitory neurons in adult mouse visual cortex 28/04/17
12 Paul Moggridge -- 05/05/17
13 Maria Psarrou An introduction to NEURON 12/05/17
14 Anuradha Sulane Introduction to signal processing using FFT 19/05/17
15 Rene te Boekhorst Probability distributions for time durations 26/05/17
16 Cristina Barrero-Sicilia Rapid gene isolation in barley and wheat by mutant chromosome sequencing 02/06/17
17 Marco Craveiro Model driven engineering: an emerging technical space 09/06/17
-- -- -- 16/06/17
18 Andre-Daniel Robu Time as it could be measured in artificial living systems 23/06/17
19 Christoph Metzner Role of intraglomerular circuits in shaping temporally structured responses to naturalistic inhalation-driven sensory input to the olfactory bulb 30/06/17
20 Michael Schmuker Opportunities and challenges in the Human Brain Project 07/07/17
21 Ronak Bhavsar The Correlation between EEG Signals as Measured in Different Positions on Scalp Varying with Distance 14/07/17

May 2016 - January 2017

# Name Title Date
1 James Bower What does the nose know and how does it know it 20/05/16
2 Jean Petrić The jinx on the NASA software defect data sets 27/05/16
3 Alex Hocking Convolutional neural networks 03/06/16
4 Christoph Metzner Could a neuroscientist understand a microprocessor? 10/06/16
5 Marylka Uusisaari From morphology to network-level activity patterns: dendritic arrangement and clustering among inferior olive neurons 17/06/16
6 Gui Valente Research team from UNESP-Brazil reports its works on Genomics: from basic science to biotechnology 24/06/16
7 Anuradha Sulane Detecting road surface wetness from audio: A deep learning approach 08/07/16
8 Alex Hocking Automated morphological classification using machine learning techniques 15/07/16
9 Edward Wakelam Sloping the interview and career development playing fields in your favour 22/07/16
10 Deepak Panday Removing noisy features via feature weights: preliminary results in mixed-model Gaussian distributions 09/09/16
11 Nathan Beka Next generation sequencing (NGS) 16/09/16
12 Ankur Sinha Opposing effects of neuronal activity on structural plasticity 30/09/16
13 Volker Steuber Computational models of synaptic plasticity and information processing in the cerebellum 07/10/16
14 Paul Moggridge Optimising Hierarchical Load Balancing for the Cloud 14/10/16
15 Rene Boekhorst Principal component analysis 21/10/16
16 Marco Craveiro The pricing of options and corporate liabilities 28/10/16
17 Julia Goncharenko Self-sustained Asynchronous Irregular states and Up-Down states in thalamocortical networks of nonlinear integrate-and-fire neurons 04/11/16
18 Benjamin Torben-Nielsen Neuronal computation: dendrites at work 11/11/16
19 Weam Binjumah Error correction over optical transmission 18/11/16
20 Tuomo Mäki-Marttunen A stepwise neuron model fitting procedure designed for recordings with high spatial resolution: application to layer 5 pyramidal cells 25/11/16
21 Yi Sun Dynamic functional principal components 02/12/16
22 Nada Yousif Multi-scale modelling of neurostimulation effects in movement disorders 09/12/16
23 Maria Psarrou Multiplicative gain changes are induced by excitation or inhibition alone 16/12/16
24 Edward Wakelam Understanding how corporations align their strategies and objectives ensures career development ahead of people that don't 13/01/17
25 Jean Petrić Impact of code smells in test code 20/01/17
26 Maria Schilstra Stochastic model of template-directed elongation processes in biology 27/01/17

September 2015 - April 2016

# Name Title Date
1 Alex Hocking Analysing hubble space telescope images 04/09/15
2 Ankur Sinha Why you must use Git and how you use it 18/09/15
3 Christoph Metzner Computational psychiatry: bridging the gap between genes and symptoms 25/09/15
4 Neil Davey Network Connectivity 09/10/15
5 Volker Steuber Inhibitory plasticity balances excitation and inhibition in sensory pathways and memory networks 16/10/15
6 Stella Holtorf Memory performance of plastic spiking neural networks 23/10/15
7 Rene Boekhorst Artificial life: Insights in Simplexity and Complicity 30/10/15
8 Benjamin Torben-Nielsen Reconstruction and simulation of neocortical microcircuitry 06/11/15
9 Julia Goncharenko The effect of regularity synchrony and STD on deep cerebellar nuclei in physiological conditions and during downbeat nystagmus 13/11/15
10 Ankur Sinha Homoeostatic structural plasticity and cortical reorganization after focal retinal lesions 20/11/15
11 Weam Binjumah Reducing bit error rate in optical data transmission using linear SVM 27/11/15
12 Sylvia Beka Characteristics of Type 1 Diabetes Susceptibility Regions 04/12/15
13 Willem Wybo Capturing dendritic computation with the Green’s function formalism 15/01/16
14 Yi Sun Development of computational models for characterizing small ice particles based on their two-dimensional light scattering patterns 22/01/16
15 Maria Psarrou Gain modulation from background synaptic input 29/01/16
16 Kirsty Kidd Exploring the cerebellar Purkinje cell 05/02/16
17 Jean Petrić The software bugs fairy tale 19/02/16
18 Maria Schilstra BoB: stochastic simulation of a process with non-Markov dynamics 04/03/16
19 Michael Schmuker Exploring neural computation in odour space 11/03/16
20 Ankur Sinha Dendritic Computation 01/04/16
21 Edward Wakelam The potential for using artificial intelligence techniques to improve e-Learning systems 08/04/16
22 Felix Effenberger Forests are TREES 2 - Dendritic tree topology revisited 22/04/16
23 Marco Craveiro Using watertight polygon meshes for neuronal morphology representation 29/04/16