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

Two heatmap-like mouse silhouettes overlaid with a grid of ones and zeroes.

How artificial agents can help us understand social recognition

Neuroscience is chasing the complexity of social behavior, yet we have not answered the simplest question in the chain: How does a brain know “who is who”? Emerging multi-agent artificial intelligence may help accelerate our understanding of this fundamental computation.

By Eunji Kong
16 January 2026 | 5 min read
Brain network maps creating using lesion network mapping.

Methodological flaw may upend network mapping tool

The lesion network mapping method, used to identify disease-specific brain networks for clinical stimulation, produces a nearly identical network map for any given condition, according to a new study.

By Angie Voyles Askham
15 January 2026 | 7 min read
Crowd seen from above.

Common and rare variants shape distinct genetic architecture of autism in African Americans

Certain gene variants may have greater weight in determining autism likelihood for some populations, a new study shows.

By Laura Dattaro
15 January 2026 | 5 min read

privacy consent banner

Privacy Preference

We use cookies to provide you with the best online experience. By clicking “Accept All,” you help us understand how our site is used and enhance its performance. You can change your choice at any time. To learn more, please visit our Privacy Policy.