This recording with Sean Escola is from Vision Weekend UK 2026, held in London in June 2026. View the recording along with the slides on our YouTube channel.
Sean Escola is a computational neuroscientist, psychiatrist, and investor at Columbia University's Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, where he studies circuit models of motor function and learning. He is a co-investigator on one of the largest BRAIN Initiative awards at Columbia's Zuckerman Institute and has been actively involved in neuroscience investment.
In this talk, Sean examines the funding landscape for brain science: what existing mechanisms fund well, what they systematically miss, and what structural changes in how we fund and evaluate neuroscience research would be needed to produce the most important breakthroughs. He draws on both his research and his investment experience to make the case for reform. If you want to join a future Vision Weekend, details and upcoming dates are at foresight.org.
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