January 2026

Community Note: We want to take a moment to acknowledge that many difficult events are unfolding around the world, and these realities affect members of our community in different and deeply personal ways. We are grateful to everyone who continues to contribute their time and energy to Neuromatch, and we also want to emphasize that it is always okay to step back and take time for yourself, your loved ones, and your communities when needed. We hope Neuromatch can remain a place of connection, support, and shared purpose. If there are ways we can more actively support those in our community, especially those directly impacted, please do reach out and let us know.

General Updates

  • Neuromatch 2026 Town Hall: A huge thank you to everyone who joined our recent Town Hall — it was wonderful to see so many members of the community show up, engage, and share ideas in the chat. If you missed the session or would like to revisit it, the recording and slides (including our 2026 strategy overview) are  linked here . We’re keeping the  MiroBoard  open for a few more weeks and warmly welcome any additional feedback or ideas from the community there as we continue shaping our plans together.

  • Website: Our polished branding look was used in the recent Town Hall and Academy Info Sessions, after applications close, we are looking to roll this out to our website. We will share drafts of the updated website with our volunteers to help refine the content further in the coming month! Domain name question:  Neuromatch.org 
  • New Website & Brand Refresh: Our new polished branding (showcased during the recent Town Hall) reflects Neuromatch’s continued growth and maturity, and we are now finalizing our new website! We hope to share draft pages with the wider community for feedback in February, and launch it in March, alongside our 2025 Impact Report. As part of this refresh, we are also updating letterhead, slide templates, and email signatures to create a consistent look across Neuromatch materials.
We are also exploring a move to a .org domain to better reflect our nonprofit status. The domain  neuromatch.org  is currently owned, but we have not been able to identify the owner. If anyone in the community (particularly from Neuromatch’s early days) has information about this, please let us know.
  • AI Sentience Scholars Program: We are currently assembling a curated set of mentor-supported research projects that will be featured during scholar recruitment, with applicants able to apply directly to projects. Scholar applications are expected to open in the second half of March — more details coming soon.
  • MEXA Updates: We published a new  blog post  to showcase the achievements and impact of the MEXA Research Accelerator. Joana Guedes also represented Neuromatch & MEXA at the  World Brain Health Forum  in January.
  • Neuromatch is delighted to welcome Benjamin Rosman to our Board of Directors: Benji is a Professor of Computer Science at University of the Witwatersrand and co-founder of Deep Learning Indaba, playing a transformative role in expanding AI research and training across Africa. His leadership was also recently recognized in TIME’s Top 100 in AI.
  • Board Recruitment: We will soon open recruitment for a Treasurer Role and additional Board of Directors roles, with job descriptions going live in February. This marks a new, more open recruitment approach for Neuromatch as we work to broaden representation and strengthen the expertise and global perspectives on our Board.
  • Strategic Advisory Board: We are excited to announce that Neuromatch is establishing an Advisory Board to provide external perspective and guidance as we enter our next phase of growth, helping strengthen our global strategy, partnerships, and long-term impact. We look forward to sharing more details, including inaugural members, soon.
  • Volunteer Comment Box: Our Volunteer Engagement & Recognition Working Group has officially launched a  Volunteer Comment Box , giving volunteers a year-round space to share thoughts, concerns, and feedback about their experience and engagement with Neuromatch. Submissions can be anonymous if preferred, and the box complements our annual volunteer survey to support ongoing, open dialogue.
  • CEO Office Hours: A reminder that Bradley hosts regular CEO Office Hours for anyone in the community who would like to connect — whether to have a virtual coffee, a general chat, discuss strategy, explore a specific program, or propose a new idea or direction. You can book a 30-min virtual meeting on Thursdays from 16:30–17:30 UTC OR Fridays 09:30–10:30 UTC:  Calendly Booking Link. 
  • CEO Parental Leave: On a personal note, Bradley will be taking parental leave from June–September as he and his husband welcome their first baby into their family. Their dogs, Ash and Baloo, are excited to become big brothers! Bradley will remain lightly involved (~1-2 days/week) to support continuity, while Courtney Dean will take on additional operational responsibilities during this period.

Academy

  • Academy Info Sessions: We hosted four  Academy Info Sessions  in January with nearly 800 registrants, giving prospective students the opportunity to learn about our courses and ask questions. Insights from these sessions will help refine our website FAQs and inform upcoming social media content. The sessions were a great success — thank you to everyone who helped make them possible!
  • Python for Computational Science Week: We’re hosting a self-study week to help participants strengthen their Python skills using our prerequisite training modules — supporting prospective TAs in practicing core concepts and helping Academy applicants overcome a common barrier to participation. We have 800+ people signed up for the program! The event is also bringing in many new community members through our growing  Reddit  community. You can join #a-26-python-week on Slack to help behind the scenes.
  • Ambassador Program: As part of our outreach strategy, our 20+ global  Neuromatch Ambassadors  continue to help us reach new audiences and adapt information for local communities, including delivering in-person presentations and sharing opportunities within their networks.
  • Academy Applications Open: A reminder that applications for students and Teaching Assistants open on 16 February and close on 15 March. We will be monitoring applications closely and will keep the community informed as the process progresses.
  • Welcome to our 2026 Academy Department Chairs: We’re excited to work with you and deeply grateful for your time, expertise, and leadership in helping shape and deliver this year’s Academy. You can see this year’s Department Chairs below:

Financial Snapshot

  • Financial Runway: As of 30 January 2026, Neuromatch Inc. held $899,481 in the bank. Based on current projections, and not accounting for pending or future fundraising, Neuromatch will exhaust available and committed funds in April 2027. This provides a conservative financial runway of approximately 14 months.

Fundraising

  • Dana Foundation: We submitted two Letters of Interest (LOIs) for pilot projects in Neuroscience & Society:
  • NeuroAI & Society Program: providing workshops, scholar projects, and hackathons to equip early-career researchers with practical skills to address the ethical, societal, and policy challenges of neuroAI and neurotechnologies (budget: $150k);
  • NeuroAI: Intelligence in Brains and Machines high-school program: in partnership with ARNI, delivering open, classroom-ready curriculum and teacher training to help students critically understand how intelligence works in both brains and AI systems, including ethical and societal implications (budget: $150k).
  • In December, we submitted proposals to Coefficient Giving (capacity building in AI safety for the MEXA community) and to OpenAI’s AI and Mental Health Program. Unfortunately, these proposals were not successful. Feedback from Coefficient Giving suggests that neuroscience- and mental health-adjacent community-building efforts are currently outside their funding priorities.
  • Corporate Partnership Update: Meta has indicated that, due to internal budget cuts, renewal of their planned $20,000 support for Neuromatch in 2026 is now unlikely. Google DeepMind has also shared that they are not pursuing new partnerships at this time due to limited funding capacity.
  • We have applications for a Civic Science Fellow (as part of our AI Sentience Scholars program) and an extension on our contract from Wellcome (to continue support for MEXA; $500k over two years) currently pending; we are awaiting feedback from
  • Kavli Foundation: Following productive discussions with the Kavli Foundation in January, building on conversations at Society for Neuroscience in November, Kavli expressed strong interest in Neuromatch’s Impact Scholars Program as aligned with their Open Data in Neuroscience strategy; while no funding is available for 2026, both parties agreed to continue discussions toward potential support in 2027.
  • Gatsby Grant Renewal Update: We are continuing conversations with Gatsby Charitable Foundation, whose Trustees will review their full neuroscience portfolio at their March meeting. We have shared Neuromatch impact updates with Alison to inform that discussion, and we are now working toward submitting a full proposal for consideration at their June Board meeting as future funding priorities are defined.