Roberto Garza
PhD Student
M1124a
+49-7531-88-2102
Bio#
I study how connectivity patterns in larval zebrafish relate to working-memory processes such as evidence accumulation, designing biologically constrained models grounded in both behavioral and neural activity data. A particular interest of mine is development — I use these models to understand how key computational features emerge across ontogeny.
In general, I am very interested in computational neuroscience, and I love to explore big and small brains, to understand the principles by which information is represented and used for computation in biological neural networks.
Outside the lab, I enjoy designing and playtesting my own board games, reading, and dabbling in neurosymbolic AI.
Projects#
Methods#
Thesis#
Title
Experimentally constrained neural network models for working memory and decision-making
Type
PhD thesis
Period
2023-2027
Summary
By adapting and extending established modeling frameworks, I investigate how evidence accumulation underlies decision-making at both the behavioral and circuit levels. I develop drift-diffusion models to extract the latent variables governing decision-making, enabling me to trace how these variables evolve across development and how genetic mutations perturb them. Complementing this, I leverage connectomics data from larval zebrafish to identify biologically plausible circuit architectures and interrogate the connectivity patterns that give rise to these dynamics.
CV#
Positions
Since 2023
PhD Student, Bahl Lab, University of Konstanz, Germany
2021–2023
Software developer and analyst, SAEP ICT, Milan, Italy
Education
Since 2023
PhD in Systems Neuroscience, University of Konstanz
2018–2020
Master of science in Biomedical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
2014–2017
Bachelor in Biomedical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
Funding
2024
CASCB Travel Grant, Cluster for Advanced Studies of Collective Behavior
Publications#
2026
- Garza R., Hady A. E., Bahl A. (2026) Developmental and genetic modulation of evidence integration dynamics in zebrafish sensorimotor decision-making. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.03.01.708829
- Mascherpa P., Rienzner M., Tkachenko D., Garza R., Brandalese F., Naldi E., Gandolfi C., Facchi A. (2026) SmartWT: An open IoT sensor, datalogger and GPRS data transmission device for monitoring water levels in rice fields, with application to AWD irrigation. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compag.2025.111324
2021
- Garza R., Amil A. S., Nowacki A., Pollo C., Nguyen T. A. K. (2021) Patient-Specific Anisotropic Volume of Tissue Activated with the Lead-DBS Toolbox. 2021 43rd Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine & Biology Society (EMBC). https://doi.org/10.1109/embc46164.2021.9629810