Draft:Fleur Zeldenrust

Fleur Zeldenrust
Born	Fleur Zeldenrust 1981
Nationality	Dutch
Alma mater	SILS-CNS, University of Amsterdam and ONWAR graduate school, the Netherlands
Scientific career
Fields	Computational Neuroscience
Institutions	Donders Institute
Thesis	[https://dare.uva.nl/search?arno.record.id=403301 Neural coding with spikes and bursts: characterizing neurons and networks with noisy input] (2012)
Doctoral advisor	W.J. Wadman
Website	https://fleurzeldenrust.nl/about-me/

Fleur Zeldenrust

Fleur Zeldenrust (1981) is a neurophysicist working as a principal investigator and associate professor in computational neuroscience at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour. She has a background in both physics and neurobiology, and her interests lie in combining the two fields in the making of computational theoretical models with the aim of finding quantitative solutions to scientific problems. Zeldenrust is involved in several research organizations, including the Organization for Computational Neurosciences and the Radboud Young Academy (RYA), which she founded in 2020. She is the theme leader of "Natural Computation and Neurotechnology" within the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour. At the same institute she is the principal investigator of the ‘Biophysics of Neural Computation’ research group.

Education and Career

Zeldenrust spent her early years in Amsterdam, influenced by a household that valued artistic and intellectual pursuits. With her father working as a percussionist and her mother as a librarian, she was exposed to diverse forms of expression and knowledge. After completing her Montessori education, Zeldenrust began her academic journey at the University of Amsterdam in 2000, where she enrolled in the interdisciplinary Bèta-Gamma program. Over time, she gravitated towards physics, attracted by the complex mathematical aspects. Zeldenrust started her BSc Physics and Astronomy at the University of Amsterdam, which in 2004 she graduated from with great distinction (cum laude). During this program, Zeldenrust became intrigued by the potential applications of neural networks in bridging mathematical principles with biological systems. This interest prompted her transition towards neuroscience. This led her to a master’s programme in Biomedical Sciences - Neurobiology, with a minor in physics at the same university.

A year after her graduation in 2006, Zeldenrust embarked on a doctoral research project centered around mathematical modelling of neural activity at the University of Amsterdam (UvA), which she completed in 2012. Her thesis, titled “Neural coding with spikes and bursts: characterizing neurons and networks with noisy input”, was conducted under the supervision of Professor Wytse J. Wadman. Specifically, it investigated the electrical activity of neurons in the brain, particularly focusing on single action potentials ("spikes") and groups of action potentials called "bursts". She investigated how bursts in neurons convey information and are affected by background activity, focusing on the CA3 region of the hippocampus and thalamus. Using tools from information theory and biophysics, Zeldenrust compared theoretical models with experimental data, revealing how inhibition and biophysical traits affect neuronal coding. Additionally, in 2008, Zeldenrust followed the Marine Biological Laboratory Summer Schools course on “Methods in Computational Neuroscience”.

Following her PhD, Zeldenrust moved to Paris from 2012 to 2014 to do her postdoctoral work in the field of Computational Neuroscience at the Group for Neural Theory (GNT). This group is a cross-sectional team from Département d’Études Cognitives (DEC) at the École Normale Supérieure (ENS) (in english: Department of Cognitive Studies of the Higher Normal School), which focuses on identifying links between neural dynamics and neural function in basic information processing. Under the supervision of Sophie Denève and Boris Gutkin, she studied biophysical implications of Bayesian inference and predictive coding.

Returning to the Netherlands, Zeldenrust briefly (2014-2016) taught courses for the bachelor’s in psychobiology and designed the track “Computational Neuroscience” for the same programme in the University of Amsterdam (UvA). However, her career took a significant turn in 2016 when she joined the Donders Institute. There, she established her own research group named ‘Biophysics of Neural Computation’, supported by a Veni grant.

Research

Zeldenrust is currently serving as a principal investigator and associate Professor at the Donders Centre for Neuroscience within the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour at Radboud University in Nijmegen. She focuses her research on understanding how the physical structure of the brain influences its information processing capabilities. With a particular emphasis on the biophysics of neural computation, Zeldenrust explores the intricate relationship between the brain's hardware (the physical structure) and its software (the computations necessary for information processing). Her research delves into questions surrounding how neurons and neural networks are formed to facilitate functions such as perception, as well as identifying the characteristics that either enhance or limit information transfer within these networks.

Within the Donders Institute, Zeldenrust has played pivotal roles, serving as a speaker from 2016 to 2025 and currently leading the theme "Natural Computation and Neurotechnology". This theme is dedicated to advancing the understanding of brain function through a multidisciplinary approach that integrates theoretical, computational, experimental, and technological research methods. Through her research group, Zeldenrust continues to investigate fundamental questions related to the biophysical mechanisms underlying neural computation, shedding light on the intricate interplay between the physical properties of the brain and its information processing capabilities.

Zeldenrust also leads the Marie Skłodowska Curie Innovative Training Network “SmartNets” project, where 7 principal investigators from five different universities work together with organizations to unravel network computation in neurobiology. The researchers explore simulated and physical, healthy and diseased networks with visualization tools to understand how they are structured, how they process information, and their overall activity.

Societal impact

Zeldenrust co-founded the ‘Little experiments foundation’ (in dutch: Stichting Proefjes)[1] and served as its secretary until 2010. The foundation is committed to sparking children's interest in natural sciences through its website, Proefjes.nl. Featuring over 237 simple experiments in physics, chemistry, and biology, the site offers accessible hands-on learning experiences for children aged 8 and older. With new experiments added monthly, it's the largest collection of Dutch-language experiments available online. The foundation also provides free teaching materials for classroom use and conducts workshops for primary school teachers on integrating experiments into their lessons.

Zeldenrust also edited modules and co-authored the ‘Leven en Natuurkunde’ (Life and physics) module at NiNa (New Physics). This project rewrote the standard final exam program for secondary schools. She is also involved in the Dutch Brain Olympiad (Nederlandse Hersenolympiade).

In 2020, she was a founding member the Radboud Young Academy (RYA), a place where young staff of Radboud University and RadboudUMC can take interdisciplinary approaches to the improvement of academic culture by participating in debates on education, science, society, and establishing leadership skills. The staff recruitment is unique in that members do not need to hold a research position, as long as they hold a PhD from 2 to 8 years prior to joining. In 2022 she became a member of the Young Academy of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Zeldenrust is also a team member of the “Taskforce Computational Neuroscience and AI”, a platform which develops open source reading materials for high school students to learn about Computational Neuroscience in preparation for the Dutch BrainBee, in collaboration with NeuroTechEU, the International Brain Bee (IBB), the Organization for Computational Neuroscience (OCNS) and SmartNets (EU).

Public engagement

Zeldenrust has been featured in interviews such as the interview for Algemeen Nijmeegs Studentenblad (ANS) 2021 “Jong gedaan, oud geleerd”, or the podcast episode ‘What can a computer learn from our brain?’. One can find several written articles (i.e. EW Magazine 'Ik kan het niet uitstaan als ik iets niet weet’) and posts ('Worden we cyborgs, of zijn we het al?') directed to the general public. Additionally her knowledge can be found in youtube:

• Radboud University Use Case: Teaching real-life math with SOWISO

• Alumnilezing: De hersenen, een complexe machine zonder gebruiksaanwijzing

• Is the brain a computer?

• InterScience De Jonge Akademie: Fout?

• Radboud Young Academy recognises and rewards

Awards and Grants

• NWO Vidi Grant 2021 for “How does our internal state influence perception?”

• NWO Gravitation DBI2

• Marie Skłodowska Curie Innovative Training Network “SmartNets”

• NWO Veni Grant 2015 for “How do our actions shape our perception?”

• Best ECR Presentation 2021 for Methods of Information Theory in Computational Neuroscience, CNS

• Education Award, Radboud University 2020 (Faculty of Science)

• 2020 Team Science Award 2020 from Radboud University for NeurotechEU

Other interests

• Academic Editor PLOS Computational Biology since 2023

• Founder of BrainHelpDesk

• Board of Directors of the Organization for Computational Neurosciences 2020 - 2022