The Simons Collaboration on Ecological Neuroscience (SCENE) is set to establish a new paradigm in ecological neuroscience, focusing on how the brain encodes affordances, or opportunities for action, rather than merely processing sensory inputs or rewards.

This initiative aims to provide a robust framework for understanding how the brain organizes perception and action within ecological constraints, which could reshape our understanding of cognition and behavior.

Inspired by ecological psychology, SCENE seeks to integrate neural recording technologies, computational modeling, and cross-species experimentation to test theories about how the brain processes information to guide behavior.

Comprising 20 principal investigators from prestigious institutions such as New York University, Yale University, and Stanford University, SCENE includes members who serve on its executive committee.

The initiative emphasizes open science and collaborates with experts in neuroscience and machine learning to connect neural dynamics with real-world sensorimotor interactions across various species, including humans and artificial systems.

Through this collaboration, researchers anticipate uncovering core computational principles that apply across species, informing how brain dynamics enable complex adaptive behaviors.