Speaker: Professor Edvard I. Moser, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)

Time: Monday, October 20, 2025   8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Tencent Meeting: 182-677-702

Abstract

The ability to keep track of our position in space depends on brain circuits in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex. These circuits contain specialized cell types, including place cells in the hippocampus and grid cells in the entorhinal cortex, that together form a GPS-like internal spatial mapping system. Recent advances in large-scale recording technologies now make it possible to determine how grid cells and place cells work together in large neural networks, thereby uncovering the neural mechanisms underlying spatial mapping and episodic memory. 

Professor Edvard I. Moser will share cutting-edge research findings in the fields of spatial positioning and memory, and show how understanding biological computation in grid cells could benefit the development of more efficient and sustainable artificial intelligence.

This lecture aims to help students gain an in-depth understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying spatial positioning and memory in the brain, broaden their knowledge of neuroscience, cognitive science, and disease mechanisms, and further explore potential connections with the development of artificial intelligence, thereby providing academic inspirations for students aspiring to pursue careers in life sciences, medical research, and artificial intelligence, and supporting them in future scientific exploration and innovative practice.

Biography

Professor Edvard I. Moser is a world-renowned neuroscientist and laureate of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology. He serves as a professor of Neuroscience at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and is the Founding Director of the Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience. Moreover, he is a foreign associate of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America and a member of the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters. He holds important positions in several international academic institutions and has received numerous international honors and awards, making a profound impact in the fields of neuroscience and interdisciplinary research.

Professor Moser is interested in how spatial location and spatial memory are computed in the brain. Together with his team, Professor Moser discovered the operational mechanisms of place cells and grid cells in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, revealing a GPS-like internal spatial mapping system in the brain. This groundbreaking work has revolutionized our understanding of cognitive functions and provided critical insights for researching neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. For this major breakthrough, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology 2014 with May-Britt Moser and John O'Keefe.