Our vision is to advance neuroscience by fostering truly innovative research that bridges molecular, cellular, circuit, and behavioral insights with translational medicine, driving the understanding, treatment, and restoration of nervous system function, through the integration of excellent basic and medically oriented research. We follow the motto Bold Science, Real Impact. “Bold” means we dare to ask questions that matter, even when the answers aren’t easy. “Real impact” means we design our science so it can travel into knowledge, into tools, into therapies, into society.

Our mission is to uncover the mechanistic foundations of nervous system function in health and disease while developing innovative diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for critical disorders that occur across the brain’s life cycle. We leverage cutting-edge technologies for monitoring and modulating the nervous system and we cover cell biology and biochemistry within the living nervous system, synapse biology, cellular heterogeneity, and the organization and dynamics of circuits.

Our most important values are that our ideas and our work shine through ambition, creativity and integrity. We believe we deliver our best work when we come together as a community, fostering a culture of collaboration, inclusion, and diversity. We are committed to actively reaching and engaging communities that are historically underrepresented in science and technology, recognizing that excellence in research requires a wide range of perspectives and experiences.

Patrik Verstreken (Scientific Director), Hilde Govaert (Admin Director), and Joost Schymkowitz (Vice Director)