Pradel Research Award

The Pradel Research Award is presented annually to recognize mid-career neuroscientists whose work is making major contributions to our understanding of the nervous system. The award is presented with a $50,000 research award to designate to an institution of the recipient’s choice to support neuroscience research.

H. Sebastian Seung, Princeton University, received the 2026 Pradel Research Award.

Seung’s work has fundamentally reshaped modern neuroscience and computational biology, transforming our understanding of how neural circuits are reconstructed, analyzed, and interpreted.

His contributions, from theory and algorithms to transformative datasets, have turned connectomics from a concept into a powerful field of discovery and redefined understanding of how brain structure gives rise to function. Early in his career, Seung pioneered learning algorithms based on nonnegative matrix factorization and introduced continuous attractor dynamics in neural nets as a basis for integration and working memory.

Seung made a shift toward mapping the brain’s wiring diagram. He led the early application of deep learning to neural circuit reconstruction, pioneering automated methods for image alignment and segmentation that replaced manual tracing with scalable, accurate computational pipelines. These innovations made possible the first comprehensive wiring diagrams of brains and enabled key datasets including large-scale reconstructions of mouse visual cortex and the first complete connectome of adult fly brain.

In addition, Seung has introduced novel social computing approaches to neuroscience through the creation of Eyewire and FlyWire, platforms that combine human intelligence with deep learning to trace and proofread neural circuits at scale.

Watch him receive the award online during the 163rd NAS Annual Meeting on April 26th.