Matteo Carandini is a neuroscientist at University College London, where he co-directs a laboratory with Kenneth Harris. Matteo graduated in Mathematics from the University of Rome (1990), and obtained a PhD in Neural Science at New York University (1996). After postdoctoral research at Northwestern University, he opened his laboratory in Zurich (1998), then in San Francisco (2002), and finally in London (2008).
Matteo’s research focuses on the computations performed by populations of neurons during sensory behavior, and on the circuits supporting these computations. He showed how the activity of neuronal populations is shaped by simple operations such as arithmetical division. Further work revealed surprising features of neural activity across the brain. For instance, that the activity of the visual system is influenced by arousal, body movement, and navigation. Further contributions focus on the neural computations that lead to decisions.
Matteo helps develop methods to record neural activity during behavior. He is a proponent of open science, participating in the International Brain Laboratory and in the Neuropixels Consortium. He is a Wellcome Investigator and a European Research Council Advanced Investigator. In 2024 he was elected to the Academia Europaea.
Professional position
- GlaxoSmithKline / Fight for Sight Professor of Visual Neuroscience, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London (UCL)
