PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

H. Sebastian Seung

Also known as Sebastian Seung, Hyunjune Sebastian Seung

Professor of computer science and neuroscience at Princeton University, Sebastian Seung links AI with maps of brain wiring. He earned a doctorate in physics at Harvard in 1990, and in 1999 he and Daniel Lee published an algorithm for non-negative matrix factorization in Nature. The 2008 Ho-Am Prize in Engineering honored that work, and in 2020 he became president of Samsung Research. In 2024 an AI model from his lab helped turn fruit fly brain images into a labeled map, and in April 2025 he co-led a study that mapped the visual centers of a mouse brain. In 2026 the Wiley Foundation awarded him the Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences, and he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in April 2026.

Timeline

  1. 1990

    A Harvard physics doctorate

    He earns a doctorate in physics at Harvard in 1990. Next comes a postdoctoral appointment at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

  2. 1999

    Non-negative matrix factorization

    He and Daniel D. Lee publish an algorithm for non-negative matrix factorization in Nature in 1999. It learns parts of faces and semantic features of text.

  3. 2006

    A new brain-imaging technology

    In January 2006 he brings two graduate students to learn about a new technology that images the brain in higher resolution.

  4. 2008

    The Ho-Am Prize in Engineering

    He wins the 2008 Ho-Am Prize in Engineering. The prize honors his work on non-negative matrix factorization for unsupervised learning in artificial intelligence.

  5. 2014–2020

    Princeton and Samsung Research

    He joins Princeton in 2014 after several years as a professor at MIT. In 2020 he becomes president of Samsung Research.

  6. 2024–2025

    Mapping fly and mouse brains

    In 2024 the FlyWire Consortium turns fruit fly brain images into a labeled three-dimensional map, using an AI model built by his lab. In April 2025 he co-leads a study that maps the visual centers of a mouse brain.

  7. 2026

    Wiley Prize and academy membership

    The Wiley Foundation awards him the Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences, shared with Mala Murthy. He is elected to the National Academy of Sciences in April 2026. The academy also gives him the 2026 Pradel Research Award.

  8. As of October 2026

    Professor at Princeton

    He is a professor of computer science and the Anthony B. Evnin Professor in Neuroscience at Princeton University.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of H. Sebastian Seung yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Sebastian Seung - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 14 October 2026.
  2. Seung wins 2026 Pradel Research Award from the National Academy of Sciences | CS cs.princeton.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.
  3. Learning the parts of objects by non-negative matrix factorization | Nature nature.com. Checked 14 October 2026.
  4. Sebastian Seung simonsfoundation.org. Checked 14 October 2026.
  5. Awards & Honors | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology news.mit.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.
  6. Sebastian Seung cs.princeton.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.
  7. Sebastian Seung, Elected as a New Foreign Member of the National Academy of Engineering of Korea | Samsung Research research.samsung.com. Checked 14 October 2026.
  8. Mapping an entire (fly) brain: A step toward understanding diseases of the human brain - Princeton Engineering engineering.princeton.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.
  9. For the first time, scientists map the half-billion connections that allow mice to see | CS cs.princeton.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.
  10. Sebastian Seung wins Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences for connectome mapping - Princeton Engineering engineering.princeton.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.
  11. Sebastian Seung elected to the National Academy of Sciences | CS cs.princeton.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.