Headshot of Mark Humphries.

Mark Humphries

Chair in computational neuroscience
University of Nottingham

Mark Humphries is a theorist, neuroscientist and writer.

His lab studies how neurons collectively encode information about the past, present and future to guide behavior. He authored the popular science book “The Spike: An Epic Journey Through the Brain in 2.1 Seconds” and writes extensively about the brain for a broad audience at Medium and elsewhere.

Humphries is chair in computational neuroscience at the University of Nottingham. He previously held a senior fellowship from the United Kingdom’s Medical Research Council at the University of Manchester. Before that, he had a three-year fellowship at Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris. He did his postdoctoral and Ph.D. training at the University of Sheffield.

https://humphries-lab.org/

Get alerts for essays by Mark Humphries in your inbox.

Subscribe to get notified every time a new essay is published.

Explore more from The Transmitter

Newly identified barrier cells seal off choroid plexus from CSF, rest of brain

A long-overlooked layer of fibroblasts exists inside the choroid plexus of mice and humans, adding complexity to the area’s compartmentalization.

By Claudia López Lloreda
3 April 2026 | 4 min read

‘Digital sphinx’ raises questions about connectome models

The sphinx, with a worm’s brain and a fly’s body, illustrates the potential pitfalls of using deep-learning techniques to model biological processes.

By Natalia Mesa
2 April 2026 | 5 min read

Taking a closer look at astrocytes and autism

These glial cells are increasingly linked to neurodevelopmental conditions and the regulation of social behaviors and anxiety.

By The Transmitter
2 April 2026 | 2 min read