Wulfram Gerstner
Wulfram Gerstner directs the Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience at EPFL, where work on networks of spiking neurons connects neuroscience with machine learning. He helped initiate a deep-learning system that writes melodies, and in 2025 he co-authored a paper on lifelong continual learning. His 1993 PhD in theoretical physics at the Technical University of Munich concerned associative memory and dynamics in networks of spiking neurons. In 1996 he joined EPFL as an assistant professor, and he became a full professor in 2006. The Valentino Braitenberg Award for Computational Neuroscience went to him in 2018.
Timeline
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1963–1993
A physics PhD in Munich
He is born in Heilbronn in 1963. He spends a year as a visiting researcher in Berkeley, then takes a PhD in theoretical physics at the Technical University of Munich in 1993, with a thesis on associative memory and dynamics in networks of spiking neurons.
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1996–2006
Professor at EPFL
He joins EPFL as an assistant professor in 1996. Promotion to associate professor with tenure follows in February 2001, and in August 2006 he becomes a full professor.
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2002
The Spiking Neuron Models textbook
With Kistler, he writes the textbook Spiking Neuron Models, published by Cambridge University Press in 2002.
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2010
An ERC Advanced Grant
The European Research Council gives him an ERC Advanced Grant in 2010.
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2017
The deep artificial composer
In 2017 EPFL announces the deep artificial composer, a deep-learning algorithm that writes melodies in Irish folk and Klezmer styles. He is one of its initiators.
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2018–2019
A prize and an academy seat
The Valentino Braitenberg Award for Computational Neuroscience comes to him in 2018. In 2019 he is named a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences and Literature Mainz.
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2025
A lifelong continual learning paper
In 2025 he co-authors a Neural Networks paper with Barry and Bellec on lifelong continual learning.
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As of October 2026
Directing the computational neuroscience lab
He directs the Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience at EPFL.
Sources and credits
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- Wulfram Gerstner - Wikipedia
- EPFL - Wulfram Gerstner
- Second ERC award to IC Professor in 2010 - EPFL
- Artificial musician builds new melodies without music theory - EPFL
- Understanding how the brain works - International Bernstein Conference in Berlin – Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience
- Markus Diesmann full member of the the Academy of Sciences and Literature | Mainz – Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience
- Wulfram Gerstner -- Publications