Professor Yoram Burak Lab

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William N. Skirball Chair in Neurophysics
Computational Neuroscience and Biophysics

Yoram Burak’s group investigates how neural circuits in the brain perform biologically relevant computations, such as: sensory inference, maintenance of short-term memory, and generation of motor output.

The group is part of the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, and the Racah Institute of Physics.

For the lab website click HERE

Ivan Davidovich

Postdoctoral fellow

Georg Chechelnizki

PhD Student

Rachel Cohen

PhD Student

Yishai Gronich

PhD Student

Nischal Mainali

PhD Student

Edward Tananyan

PhD Student

Varda Ben-Ami

Budgets Administrator

Noga Weiss Mosheiff

Peleg Emanuel

Haggai Agmon

Nadav Ben-Shushan

Tal Bruker

Chechelnizki G., Shaham N., Salhov A., and Burak Y.

Stabilization of memory on neural manifolds through multiple synaptic time scales

bioRxiv (2025)

Mainali N., Azeredo da Silveira, R., and Burak Y.

Universal statistics of hippocampal place fields across species and dimensionalities

Neuron (2025)

Malerba S.B.., Burak Y., and Azeredo da Silveira, R.

Random Compressed Coding with Neurons

Cell Reports (2025)

Agmon H. and Burak Y.

Simultaneous embedding of multiple attractor manifolds in a recurrent neural network using constrained gradient optimization

NeurIPS (2023)

Torgeir Waaga, Haggai Agmon, Valentin A. Normand, Anne Nagelhus, Richard J. Gardner, May-Britt Moser, Edvard I. Moser, Yoram Burak

Grid-cell modules remain coordinated when neural activity is dissociated from external sensory cues

Neuron (2022)

Nadav Ben-Shushan, Nimrod Shaham, Mati Joshua & Yoram Burak

Fixational drift is driven by diffusive dynamics in central neural circuitry

Nature Communications 13, 1697 (2022)

Agmon H, Burak Y.

A theory of joint attractor dynamics in the hippocampus and the entorhinal cortex accounts for artificial remapping and grid cell field-to-field variability

Elife (2020)

Rotem, Amit and Gefen, Tuvia and Oviedo-Casado, Santiago and Prior, Javier and Schmitt, Simon and Burak, Yoram and McGuiness, Liam and Jelezko, Fedor and Retzker, Alex

Limits on spectral resolution measurements by quantum probes

Phys. Rev. Lett. (2019)

Mosheiff N., Burak Y.

Velocity coupling of grid modules enables stable embedding of a low dimensional variable in a high dimensional attractor

eLife 2019;8:e48494 (2019)

Shaham N, Burak Y.

Slow diffusive dynamics in a chaotic balanced neural network

PLoS Computational Biology, Volume: 13, Issue: 5, e1005505 (2017)

Ravid Tannenbaum, N, Burak Y.

Theory of nonstationary Hawkes processes

Physical Review E, 96, 062314 (2017)

Ravid-Tannenbaum, N, Burak Y.

Shaping Neural Circuits by High Order Synaptic Interactions

PLoS Computational Biology, Volume: 12, Issue: 8, e1005056 (2016)

Burak Y.

Spatial coding and attractor dynamics of grid cells in the entorhinal cortex

Curr Opin Neurobiol. ;25:169-75. (2014)

Farhan Ali, Timothy M.Otchy, Cengiz Pehlevan, Antoniu L.Fantana, Yoram Burak, Bence P. Ölveczky

The Basal Ganglia Is Necessary for Learning Spectral, but Not Temporal, Features of Birdsong

Neuron Volume 80, Issue 2, Pages 494-506 (2013)

Yoram Burak and Ila R. Fiete

Fundamental limits on persistent activity in networks of noisy neurons

PNAS 109 (43) 17645-17650 (2012)

Yoram Burak; Uri Rokni; Markus Meister; Haim Sompolinsky

Bayesian model of dynamic image stabilization in the visual system

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA), doi/10.1073/pnas.1006076107 (2010) (2010)

Yoram Burak, Ila R Fiete

Accurate Path Integration in Continuous Attractor Network Models of Grid Cells

PLoS Computational Biology Volume 5 | Issue 2 | e1000291 (2009)

Yoram Burak, Boris I. Shraiman

Order and Stochastic Dynamics in Drosophila Planar Cell Polarity

PLoS Computational Biology Volume 5 | Issue 12 | e1000628 (2009)

Yoram Burak, Sam Lewallen, Haim Sompolinsky

Stimulus-Dependent Correlations in Threshold-Crossing Spiking Neurons

Neural Computation Volume 21 | Issue 8 | p.2269-2308 (2009)

Welinder PE, Burak Y, Fiete IR.

Grid cells: the position code, neural network models of activity, and the problem of learning

Hippocampus;18(12):1283-300. (2008)

Kanduc M, Trulsson M, Naji A, Burak Y, Forsman J, Podgornik R.

Weak- and strong-coupling electrostatic interactions between asymmetrically charged planar surfaces

Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys.;78(6 Pt 1):061105. (2008)

Fiete IR, Burak Y, Brookings T.

What grid cells convey about rat location

J Neurosci. ;28(27):6858-71 (2008)

Ben-Yaakov D, Burak Y, Andelman D, Safran SA.

Electrostatic interactions of asymmetrically charged membranes

Europhys. Lett., 79, 48002 (2007)

Thattai M, Burak Y, Shraiman BI.

The origins of specificity in polyketide synthase protein interactions

PLoS computational biology. 3(9):1827-35 (2007)

Yoram Burak, Ila Fiete

Do we understand the emergent dynamics of grid cell activity?

Journal of Neuroscience (2006)

Burak Y, Orland H.

Manning condensation in two dimensions

Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics. 73(1 Pt 1):010501 (2006)

Burak Y.

Effects of Solvent Mediated Interactions on Electrolytes and Related Electrostatic Systems

(2005)

Burak Y, Ariel G, Andelman D.

Competition between condensation of monovalent and multivalent ions in DNA aggregation

urrent Opinion in Colloid and Interface Science. 9:53 (2004)

Burak Y, Andelman D, Orland H.

Test-charge theory for the electric double layer

Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics. 70(1 Pt 2):016102. (2004)

Burak Y, Netz RR.

Charge regulation of interacting weak polyelectrolytes

Journal of Physical Chemistry B. 108:4840 (2003)

Burak Y, Ariel G, Andelman D.

Onset of DNA aggregation in presence of monovalent and multivalent counterions

Biophysical journal. 85(4):2100-10. (2003)

Burak Y, Andelman D.

Discrete aqueous solvent effects and possible attractive forces

Physical Review E. 62:5296 (2001)

Burak Y, Andelman D.

Hydration interactions: aqueous solvent effects in electric double layers

Physical review. E, Statistical physics, plasmas, fluids, and related interdisciplinary topics. 62(4 Pt B):5296-312 (2000)

Professor Yoram Burak

Professor and Head of the Ph.D program

Email: yoram.burak@mail.huji.ac.il

Phone: +972-2-6584523

Professor Yoram Burak

@yoramburak

Address: The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences
The Suzanne and Charles Goodman Brain Sciences Building,
Level 1, Room 2102, Edmond J. Safra Campus,
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 9190401

https://www.buraklab.me

William N. Skirball Chair in Neurophysics
Computational Neuroscience and Biophysics

The group is part of the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, and the Racah Institute of Physics.

For the lab website click HERE

People

Robert Reiner

Lab Manager

Haneen Rajabi

PhD student

Jonathan Schwarcz

PhD student

Adria Dym

PhD student

Gabrielle Marmur

PhD student

Shai Yellinek

PhD student

Itai Wasserman

PhD student

Ala Shaloudy

PhD Student

Josue Zini

Moran Moradi

Gon Ishay

Zhe Liu

Shahar Haim

Publications

Adi Hovav-Lixenberg, Yirat Henshke, Tirzah Kreisel, Eran Lottem, Mati Joshua

Enhanced reward coding and condition-independent dynamics in optogenetically identified corticostriatal neurons in monkeys

Nature Communications (2026)

Silvana C Araujo, B. Lacoste, Luis Moreira, Oihane Horno, Eran Lottem, Joaquim Alves da Silva, Boris Gutkin, Christian K. Machens, Susana Q. Lima

Control of Male Mouse Copulatory Behavior by Midbrain Dopamine Neurons

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (2026)

Haimson, B., Gilday, O.D., Lavi-Rudel, A., Sagi, H., Lottem, E., Mizrahi, A.

Single neuron responses to perceptual difficulty in the mouse auditory cortex

Sci Adv. (2024)

Haim, S., Ofir, N., Deouell, L.Y., Landau, A.N., Lottem, E.

Neural Signatures of Flexible Multiple Timing

J Neurosci. (2025)

Liu, Z., Reiner, R., Loewenstein, Y., Lottem, E.

Value Modulation of Self-Defeating Impulsivity

Biol Psychiatry. (2025)

Vertechi, P., Lottem, E., Sarra, D., Godinho, B., Treves, I., Quendera, T., Lohuis, M.N.O, Mainen, Z.F.

Inference-Based Decisions in a Hidden State Foraging Task: Differential Contributions of Prefrontal Cortical Areas

Neuron. (2020)

Lottem, E., Banerjeem, D., Vertechi, P., Sarra, D., Lohuis, M.O, Mainen, Z.F.

Activation of serotonin neurons promotes active exploitation in a probabilistic foraging task

Nature Communications. (2018)

Matias, S., Lottem, E., Dugué, G.P., Mainen, Z.F.

Activity patterns of serotonin neurons underlying cognitive flexibility

Elife. (2017)

Correia, P.A., Lottem, E., Banerjee, D., Machado, A.S., Carey, M.R., Mainen, Z.F.

Transient inhibition and long-term facilitation of locomotion by phasic optogenetic activation of serotonin neurons

Elife. (2017)

Lottem, E., Lörincz, M.L., Mainen, Z.F.

Optogenetic activation of dorsal raphe serotonin neurons rapidly inhibits spontaneous but not odor-evoked activity in olfactory cortex

J Neurosci. (2016)

Dugué, G.P., Lörincz, M.L., Lottem, E., Audero, E., Matias, S., Correia, P.A., Léna, C., Mainen, Z.F.

Optogenetic recruitment of dorsal raphe serotonergic neurons acutely decreases mechanosensory responsivity in behaving mice

PLoS One. (2014)

Lottem, E., Gugig, E., Azouz, R.

Parallel Coding Schemes of Whisker Velocity in the Rat’s Somatosensory System

J Neurophysiol. (2014)

Lottem, E., Azouz, R.

A unifying framework underlying mechanotransduction in the somatosensory system

J Neurosci. (2011)

Lottem, E., Azouz, R.

Mechanisms of tactile information transmission through whisker vibrations

J Neurosci. (2009)

Lottem, E., Azouz, R.

Dynamic translation of surface coarseness into whisker vibrations

J Neurophysiol. (2008)

Open Positions

We are looking for talented, creative and motivated students and postdocs to join our team.

Additional Information

Eran Lottem

Assistant Professor

Email: eran.lottem@mail.huji.ac.il

Phone: +972-52-7450155

Eran Lottem CV

Address: The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences
The Suzanne and Charles Goodman Brain Sciences Building,
Level 1, Room 2104, Edmond J. Safra Campus,
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 9190401