From Okinawa to Wako: A Summer of Discovery in Japanese Neuroscience
Gaganpreet Jhajj
MSc Student, Athabasca University
Participated in the 2025 IBRO-RIKEN CBS Summer Program
When I arrived at RIKEN CBS in Wako, I was not sure what to expect. As a first-generation university student coming from a background in AI and engineering, stepping into one of the world's leading brain science institutes felt both exciting and daunting.
As a research intern in the Brain Image Analysis (BIA) Unit, I worked on diffusion models for synthetic neuron image generation, a project right at the intersection of deep learning and neuroscience. I want to thank Dr. Henrik Skibbe, Dr. Méghane Decroocq, and Itsuko Ishii for their mentorship and support throughout the program. The environment in the unit was collaborative, welcoming, and fun to be part of every day.
What stood out most was how welcoming the entire CBS community was. From the well-organized program events to casual conversations at a coffee place Tully's, there was a warmth that made the experience feel like more than just a research placement. The lecture course introduced me to cutting-edge techniques that continue to shape how I think about my own work and my ongoing research directions.
Since completing the CBS program, I have been conducting research at the Mila – Quebec AI Institute, one of the world's leading AI research labs. The computational and neuroscience perspectives I gained at RIKEN continue to inform my work there.
Before my internship at RIKEN, I had interned in the Neural Computation Unit at OIST in Okinawa under Professor Kenji Doya, where I explored brain-inspired computing approaches. Going back-to-back at two world-class Japanese institutions gave me a deep appreciation for the research culture here.
I am excited to share that I will be returning to OIST as a PhD student in Spring 2026. I plan to continue collaborating with RIKEN researchers and maintain the connections I made during the program.
I wish all future applicants the best with their research endeavors.
[Exploring Nikko with fellow CBS interns]
[Visiting the home of Crayon Shin-chan in Kasukabe with a fellow intern]
[Reuniting with a fellow OIST intern in Tokyo during the CBS program]