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Rajat Saxena, Ph.D.


Postdoctoral Fellow,
Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, NTNU

Google Scholar, rajat.saxena@ntnu.no




Hello! I am Rajat, a systems neuroscience postdoctoral research fellow at the Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience (KISN), located in Trondheim, Norway. My research focuses on understanding continual learning and memory consolidation in the brain. I’m particularly interested in topics such as overcoming catastrophic forgetting, forward knowledge transfer, generalization, and hippocampus-cortex interactions across different timescales. To investigate these questions, I use a combination of high-density silicon probe recordings, two-photon imaging, and deep-learning models. I recently joined the Moser group to study mechanisms underlying theta sweeps. This work aims to uncover how hippocampus-entorhinal cortex-thalamic circuits interact to enable rapid and flexible memory encoding.

I am a graduate of the neurobiology & behavior department at the University of California, Irvine, where I worked with Dr. Bruce McNaughton. During graduate school, I studied various properties of continual-learning systems—both biological and artificial—including overcoming catastrophic forgetting and enabling forward knowledge transfer. I developed a neuro-inspired deep learning algorithm that allows for rapid and data-efficient learning of new information. Additionally, I conducted experiments to determine whether similar principles apply to rodent brains. I also ran experiments to explore how enriched experiences can enhance behavior and improve brain function. As part of this work, I wrote a review paper discussing how to bridge gaps between AI models and neuroscience. During my graduate studies, I spent a summer working remotely on developing a single-unit classifier for Kilosort spike sorting algorithm, working with Dr. Marius Pachitariu.

Before joining UC Irvine, I was a Research Assistant at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, in Dr. Sachin Deshmukh’s lab, where I studied the neural correlates of spatial navigation and memory. During this time, I developed camera systems for tracking rodents in large spaces. I earned my bachelor’s degree in Information Systems from BITS Pilani Hyderabad Campus, India, in 2015.

Outside of research, I enjoy playing soccer, salsa dancing, rock climbing, kendo, watching TV shows/anime, and playing electric guitar. I love discussions on almost everything related to engineering, philosophy, and design.


Publications

Bridging Neuroscience and AI: Environmental Enrichment as a Model for Forward Knowledge Transfer.
R Saxena, BL McNaughton.
arXiv 2024

Learning in deep neural networks and brains with similarity weighted interleaved learning.
R Saxena, JL Shobe, BL McNaughton.
PNAS 2022.

Route selection with a cognitive map.
McNaughton BL, R Saxena.
Neuron 2022. Preview article

Inexpensive, scalable camera system for tracking rat behavior in large spaces.
R Saxena, W Barde, SS Deshmukh.
Journal of Neurophysiology 2018


Education

BITS Pilani Hyderabad Campus     M.Sc.(Tech.), Information Systems, 2015

University of California, Irvine      M.S., Biological Sciences, 2021

University of California, Irvine      Ph.D., Neuroscience, 2024, thesis: Continual learning in the brain


Invited Talks and Conference Presentations


Teaching and Mentoring


Honors and Awards


Advanced courses and workshops

Email:   rajat.saxena@ntnu.no
Bluesky: @rajatsxn.bsky.social  
Github:  rajatsaxena
Rajat Saxena < rajat.saxena@ntnu.no>
Last modified: 3/25. Thank you to Sarah Harvey for the website format.