Scientist wins prestigious award to advance brain-inspired AI Published on: 13 March 2026 A leading neuroscientist has been awarded a 拢1.2m Leverhulme Research Leadership Award to drive forward the next generation of brain-inspired artificial intelligence. Dr鈥疭rikanth Ramaswamy, head of the , will receive the funding over five years after securing one of the UK’s most prestigious research fellowships. The is granted only once every four years, and recipients are chosen through a rigorous national competition. The award recognises researchers with a strong track record and the ambition to push the boundaries of their field. Dr鈥疭rikanth Ramaswamy 鈥楾ruly honoured鈥� Dr Ramaswamy said: “I am truly honoured to receive the Leverhulme Research Leadership Award — one of the most competitive research awards in the UK. “This is a defining moment for my group, and this support will give us the freedom to pursue bold, long-term questions at the intersection of neuroscience and AI, understanding how the brain's remarkable capacity for adaptive learning can inspire the next generation of AI systems. “I am deeply grateful to 缅北禁地 for nominating me and to the Leverhulme Trust for this extraordinary vote of confidence in my research vision.” Today's AI systems are undeniably powerful, yet they struggle with something humans do effortlessly - adaptive learning. When circumstances shift or new challenges arise, most AI systems cannot adjust flexibly without extensive reprogramming. Dr鈥疪amaswamy believes the key to solving this lies in our own biology. Unlike machines, the brain doesn’t rely on a fixed learning algorithm. Instead, it uses a class of chemicals known as neuromodulators to continually fine鈥憈une how it learns, adapting to experience, context and environment. In essence, neuromodulators act as the brain’s control system for lifelong adaptability. Dr鈥疪amaswamy’s research has spent years uncovering how these chemicals operate at the circuit level. With this award, his team will translate those biological principles into a new generation of AI systems capable of adjusting their learning in real time - much like the brain itself. “The brain doesn’t just learn — it learns how to learn,” said Dr鈥疪amaswamy. “Neuromodulators are the biological machinery behind that. By building these principles into AI, we can create systems that are genuinely adaptable, not just powerful.” The potential applications are wide鈥憆anging: personalised education that responds to each learner, smarter medical diagnostics, more capable brain鈥慶omputer interfaces, and autonomous systems that truly improve with experience. 'Respected researcher' Dr鈥疪amaswamy is a founding scientist of the Blue Brain Project at EPFL in Switzerland — one of the world’s most ambitious initiatives to digitally model the human brain — and a key contributor to the European Human Brain Project. His open鈥慳ccess Neocortical Microcircuit Collaboration Portal has been accessed more than 500,000 times by researchers around the world. At 缅北禁地, he leads a multidisciplinary team that combines cutting鈥慹dge brain imaging, electrophysiology and computational modelling. His research tackles one of the most profound questions in modern neuroscience: how the brain sustains flexible, lifelong learning - and how those principles can shape the next generation of AI. This award adds to a strong portfolio of international funding, including support from the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research, UKRI BBSRC, the Marie Curie Fellowship scheme and the Lister Prize Fellowship. Latest News Online Safety Act drives VPN interest and raises privacy concerns People鈥檚 online behaviour has changed in response to legislation to prevent children from viewing harmful content 鈥� raising possible privacy and security risks, research suggests. published on: 16 October 2026 缅北禁地 archaeologist receives prestigious award for research Professor Chris Fowler has been awarded the 2026 Rivers Memorial Medal in recognition of his internationally significant research on kinship in Neolithic Britain. published on: 13 October 2026 Event will explore what 鈥楳anchesterism鈥� means for the North East An event at 缅北禁地 will explore what 鈥楳anchesterism鈥� means for the North East or whether it is simply a new chapter in the long-running debate about how to rebalance Britain. published on: 13 October 2026 Facts and figures
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