Grace Lindsay, "Models of the Mind: How Physics, Engineering and Mathematics Have Shaped Our Understanding of the Brain" (Bloomsbury, 2021)

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Mar 21, 2025

Grace Lindsay, an Assistant Professor at NYU and author of "Models of the Mind," explores the fascinating world of theoretical neuroscience. She discusses the intricate interplay between mathematics and biology in understanding brain efficiency and the historical context of electrical models in neurobiology. Lindsay highlights the surprising complexities of a lobster's digestive neural circuitry and the challenges of studying the motor cortex. The conversation also touches on the synergy between neuroscience and AI, aiming to address big questions, including climate change.

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ANECDOTE

Grace Lindsay's Science Communication Journey

Grace Lindsay started science communication during her PhD as a way to explore ideas outside her direct research.
This led to blogging, podcasting, joining a writers group, and eventually writing her popular science book.

INSIGHT

The Role of Mathematical Modeling

Mathematical modeling simplifies complex biological systems by focusing on essential details.
Models must balance elegance with biological accuracy, negotiating what details truly matter.

INSIGHT

Limits of Information Theory in Brains

Information theory views neurons as communication channels but misses that brains also compute and transform signals.
This limits the analogy's applicability, requiring complementary approaches for full understanding.

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Models of the Mind: How Physics, Engineering and Mathematics Have Shaped Our Understanding of the Brain (Bloomsbury, 2021) provides a multifaceted and approachable introduction to theoretical neuroscience. It discusses some major topics of the field, including both the milestones from their history and the currently open questions.

It's accessible for a general audience, not expecting any previous knowledge of neuroscience or maths. At the same time, neuroscientists have described it as impressive. According to Gaute Einevoll, professor of brain physics, "this is a book that belongs on the bookshelf of any computational neuroscientist and lots of other people".

In our conversation, we covered some of the overarching themes of the book. The constant push and pull between mathematics and biology: mathematical models simplifying complex phenomena and biology pointing out the importance of a specific detail. What efficiency means for a biological system, like the brain. Whether and how much we can assume that an evolved system is efficient.

Dr. Grace Lindsay also talked about how science communication has helped her explore and discuss topics not directly related to her research. She started blogging and podcasting during her PhD, which has led to further writing opportunities, including this popular science book.

Similar to Models of the Mind, the Lindsay Lab is multidisciplinary: It uses artificial neural networks for psychology, neuroscience, and climate change. In the interview, Dr. Grace Lindsay talked about her decision about the lab's profile She explains the overlap in technologies used for studying visual systems and satellite images. We also hear about examples of how scientists in various fields have taken on research topics related to climate change.

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