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Thin glowing lines on a dark background spiral in toward a quiet point on the left, then flare out into a large gold and pink loop on the right.

Chapter III · 2026 –

The Program That Edits Itself

Three things brains do that engineered systems mostly don't

Seen as a dynamical system, a brain does things few machines can. It acts on irregular timing, invents new action sequences on the fly, and tunes its own dynamics without a wiring diagram. The Koay Lab wants to know how.

neuroscience
dynamical systems
artificial intelligence

In progress

Top-down view of a dark maze of sixteen square rooms joined by narrow doorways. A glowing trail, wine red fading to gold, loops around several rooms and leaves others untouched.

Ch. II

Chapter II · 2026 –

A Maze With Many Right Answers

Why the lab lets mice explore freely in virtual reality

Most lab tasks have one correct answer. The Koay Lab studies "free-form" behaviour, where a mouse exploring a virtual world can find many. A toy simulation shows why exploring well is harder than it looks.

neuroscience
virtual reality
exploration
behavior

In progress

A hand-drawn expedition map on dark paper. Dotted trails in gold and wine wind out from a small tent labelled Koay Lab toward an empty region labelled uncharted territory, with a compass rose in the corner.

Ch. I

Chapter I · 2026 –

Joining the Expedition

Field notes from a lab that wants to know how brains improvise

I'm a Research Technician in the Koay Lab at HHMI's Janelia Research Campus, a small team studying how brains come up with new behaviour on the fly. This is the lab's map of the territory.

neuroscience
behavior
lab life

In progress