Welcome
Welcome to the 2026–2027 Connectomics Research Competition!¶
For thousands of years, humanity has wrestled with one of the deepest questions in science and philosophy:
How does the brain give rise to the mind?
How do billions of tiny cells generate our thoughts, memories, emotions, perceptions, creativity, and consciousness? How does the physical wiring of the brain produce the rich inner world that allows us to learn, dream, communicate, and experience reality?
From the philosophers of ancient Greece to modern neuroscientists, the relationship between the brain and the mind has remained one of the greatest mysteries in human history.
Today, however, we are living through an extraordinary scientific revolution.
Be a Part of Neuroscience Breakthrough¶
In this competition, students will explore the brain from two complementary perspectives.
At the microscopic scale, you will investigate one of the most remarkable scientific achievements of our time: the complete synapse-resolution connectome of the adult Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) central nervous system. This connectome contains over 160,000 neurons and tens of millions of synaptic connections, making it the largest complete wiring diagram of an adult animal nervous system ever reconstructed. Despite its tiny size, the fruit fly is capable of sophisticated behaviors including sensory perception, navigation, learning, memory, and decision-making, making it one of the most powerful model organisms in neuroscience.
Using cutting-edge visualization and analysis tools developed by leading researchers in the field, you will be able to navigate beautiful three-dimensional neurons, trace neural pathways, investigate connectivity patterns, and ask your own research questions about how information flows through biological circuits. You will be using the dataset such as the one shown in the video below!
At the macroscopic scale, you will explore the human functional connectome—the dynamic networks formed when different regions of the brain activate together. Using real large-scale neuroimaging data from over 200 participants, alongside extensive behavioral and cognitive measurements, you will investigate how patterns of brain connectivity relate to individual differences in cognition, behavior, and mental function. The video below gives a nice introduction to human structural and functional connectome!
Together, these two perspectives provide a unique opportunity to study the brain across scales: from individual synapses to whole-brain networks, from structural wiring to dynamic activity, and from neurons to behavior.
Learn From Researchers Advancing Connectomics and Neuroscience¶
Connectome 2026–2027 is organized in partnership with researchers working at the forefront of connectomics, computational neuroscience, and neuroimaging.
The competition brings together graduate researchers and faculty across the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and University of Toronto. It is co-chaired by Sapolnach Prompiengchai, a Rhodes Scholar and PhD student at the University of Oxford, and Aarushi Vardhan, MSc, an incoming PhD student at the University of Cambridge based at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, and a recent graduate of the University of Toronto. Our Faculty Advisors include Prof. Eyal Gruntman, Prof. Ina Anreiter, and Prof. Steve Joordens at the University of Toronto, Prof. Morten Kringelbach at the University of Oxford, and Dr. Andrea Luppi at the University of Cambridge.
See Organizers and Partners to learn more about the people behind Connectome 2026–2027.
Through this competition, we hope to share not only the excitement of scientific discovery, but also the tools, techniques, and ways of thinking used by researchers tackling some of neuroscience’s most important questions.
Students will also have the opportunity to attend guest lectures from researchers at world-leading institutions. Our previous competition, 2025 Fly Connectome Research Competition, has featured pioneers in artificial intelligence, connectomics, and Drosophila neuroscience, offering participants a rare chance to learn directly from scientists who have helped shape these rapidly advancing fields.
Most importantly, you do not need prior experience in neuroscience or programming to participate.
We have carefully designed the competition to be accessible to students from diverse backgrounds. Whether you are completely new to neuroscience, have never written a line of code, or already have research experience, our goal is to provide the guidance, resources, and support necessary for you to engage with real scientific data and meaningful research questions.
We deeply value curiosity, persistence, and a willingness to learn. Through this experience, you will gain exposure to modern neuroscience, data science, programming, scientific communication, and research methodology—skills that are valuable not only in academia, but across medicine, technology, engineering, business, and many other fields.
We hope that Connectome 2026–2027 serves not only as a competition, but as a launchpad for future scientists, innovators, and problem-solvers.
What You’ll Find in This Resource¶
To support your journey, we have created a comprehensive learning resource organized into the following sections.
1. Handbook¶
Everything you need to know about the competition, including rules, timelines, deliverables, submission guidelines, judging criteria, awards, and frequently asked questions.
2. Synapse-Level Connectomics (Flies)¶
A guide to exploring one of the most detailed maps of a brain ever created.
Learn how to investigate neural circuits containing millions of synaptic connections, visualize neurons in three dimensions, analyze connectivity patterns using both graphical interfaces and programming tools, and pursue guided research questions inspired by current neuroscience research.
We have designed the competition so that participants can analyze large-scale connectomics data regardless of their laptop specifications or computational resources.
3. Macroscale Connectomics (Humans)¶
A guide to analyzing large-scale human neuroimaging data.
Using the LEMON dataset from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences (Leipzig), which contains neuroimaging and behavioral data from over 200 participants, you will explore how patterns of brain connectivity relate to cognition, behavior, and individual differences across people.
We have similarly designed the competition so that participants can analyze human neuroimaging data regardless of their laptop specifications or computational resources.
4. Programming Guide¶
A beginner-friendly introduction to Python programming and computational analysis.
The skills introduced here are directly applicable to the competition while also providing a foundation that can be transferred to many other fields, including science, engineering, data science, artificial intelligence, social sciences, and industry.
5. Guide to Becoming a Scientist¶
Research is about asking questions, communicating discoveries, and building a pathway toward future opportunities.
This section provides practical advice on how to make the most of your experience, from integrating your project into school or university research requirements, to leveraging your work for laboratory positions, internships, graduate programs, scholarships, and future careers in academia and industry.
The brain is often described as one of the most complex objects known in the universe. With recent advances in neuroscience, students can now directly explore its wiring, analyze its activity, and contribute to the same scientific questions being pursued by researchers around the world.
Welcome to Connectome 2026–2027. The next discovery could be yours.