IFISC to host an international workshop on whole-brain models and higher-order interactions for brain health at UIB
Sept. 7, 2026
The Institute for Cross-disciplinary Physics and Complex Systems (IFISC, UIB-CSIC) and the Department of Psychology at the UIB will host the Workshop on Whole-Brain Models and High-Order Interactions for Brain Health from November 17 to 20, 2026, at the Complex Balear de Recerca (Parc BIT) in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
The event will bring together 50 selected researchers from around the world to tackle one of modern neuroscience's central challenges: understanding how brain function emerges from interactions across multiple spatial and temporal scales.
Moving beyond traditional pairwise descriptions, the workshop will combine theory-driven simulations with multivariate descriptors of collective brain dynamics through reproducible Python workflows. The program integrates whole-brain computational modelling, machine learning, information-theoretic methods, and complex systems approaches applied to neuroimaging data analysis (fMRI and M/EEG).
Requirements
The workshop is primarily aimed at Master's students, PhD students, and postdoctoral researchers. Applicants should have practical experience in scientific Python programming and an interest in neuroimaging, computational neuroscience, complex systems, or mathematical modeling. Prior expertise in whole-brain modeling or high-order interaction methods is not required.
Applications should include:
- Curriculum Vitae
- Brief project proposal for the workshop
- Poster abstract
Selection will be made by the organizers based on the application materials and the proposed project. Participants will be notified by email. There is no registration fee, and participants should bring their own laptop (installation instructions and tutorial materials will be provided beforehand).
- Application Deadline: 15 September 2026
- Applications and information: Registration form
Invited Speakers and Format
The academic program will span four intensive days (10:00-18:30) featuring lectures, hands-on tutorials, poster sessions, flash talks, and a concluding collaborative project sprint.
The ten leading international experts in computational neuroscience and brain modeling participating as speakers include:
- Rodrigo Cofré (Inria Centre at Université Côte d'Azur, France)
- Joana Cabral (Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Portugal)
- Yonatan Sanz Perl (Universidad de San Andrés / CONICET, Argentina)
- Marilyn Gatica (Northeastern University London, UK)
- Kaichao Wu (IFISC, Spain)
- Rubén Herzog (Universitat de les Illes Balears & IFISC, Spain)
- Carlos Coronel (Trinity College Dublin, Ireland)
- Xiaoge Bao (IDIBAPS, Spain)
- Lei Zhao (University Hospital of Tübingen, Germany)
- Raúl de Palma (IFISC, Spain)
Objectives and Collaborations
Beyond providing advanced practical training in modeling tools and exploring individual variability as a meaningful signal for brain health, the workshop aims to foster long-term international research collaborations among scientists working at the interface of physics, neuroscience, mathematics, and data science.
The event is held in person and conducted in English.
