Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour
A London-based neuroscience research institute within University College London that studies how neural circuits generate behaviour.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
The Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour, commonly known as the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre or SWC, is a neuroscience research institute in London and part of University College London (UCL). It operates outside UCL’s conventional faculty structure and focuses on systems neuroscience: the study of how networks of neurons and connected brain regions generate perception, decision-making, navigation, learning, and other flexible behaviours. The Centre was conceived by Lord David Sainsbury in partnership with the Wellcome Trust and was established with support from the Gatsby Charitable Foundation and Wellcome. Nobel Prize-winning neuroscientist John O’Keefe served as its inaugural director and was central to the Centre’s creation. The institute was officially opened on 23 May 2016 by Nobel Laureate Eric Kandel. In October of the same year, Tom Mrsic-Flogel was appointed director, succeeding O’Keefe in the leadership role. SWC’s purpose is to bring together experimental and computational approaches to brain science. Its researchers investigate neural circuits using methods that include electrophysiology, imaging, behavioural analysis, genetics, computational modelling, and the development of new tools for recording and manipulating neuronal activity. The Centre works closely with the Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, which occupies the core of the building and contributes theoretical and computational expertise. This relationship is intended to connect biological experiments with quantitative models of neural processing. The institute has been described as comprising 12 laboratories at its foundation and later as hosting 14 research groups. Its research community includes principal investigators, postdoctoral researchers, PhD students, research assistants, and some master’s students. Research themes include spatial representation, sensory processing, motor control, memory, decision-making, learning, neural computation, and the relationship between brain activity and behaviour. The Centre’s work also has potential relevance to neurological and psychiatric disorders, including the development of methods that could support earlier detection or improved treatment. Among SWC-associated scientific achievements are participation in the development of Neuropixels probes, which enable researchers to record activity from large numbers of neurons simultaneously; work by John O’Keefe’s laboratory on simplified tests of spatial awareness with possible relevance to early Alzheimer’s detection; and a 2020 brain-machine-interface study in which mice learned to control a cursor through neural activity. In 2021, Athena Akrami and collaborators in the Patient-Led Research Collaborative published a large international study documenting more than 200 Long COVID symptoms across 10 organ systems and argued for a national screening programme. SWC also has an educational role. It runs a four-year PhD programme taught by researchers at the Centre, the Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, and affiliated institutions, including UCL. Its purpose is to train scientists across experimental and theoretical neuroscience rather than to offer commercial products or consumer services. The Centre is therefore best understood as an institutional research brand and academic organisation, not a conventional product company. Its continuing identity is associated with interdisciplinary neuroscience, high-resolution measurement of brain activity, quantitative explanation of behaviour, and collaboration between UCL, philanthropic funders, and international research organisations.
History
The Sainsbury Wellcome Centre emerged from a plan to create a major London research centre dedicated to understanding the relationship between neural circuits and behaviour. The concept was associated with Lord David Sainsbury and developed in partnership with the Wellcome Trust. Financial support came from the Gatsby Charitable Foundation and Wellcome, enabling the creation of a purpose-built institute connected to University College London. Nobel Laureate John O’Keefe became the Centre’s inaugural director and helped establish its scientific direction. The institute was officially opened on 23 May 2016 by Nobel Laureate Eric Kandel. In October 2016, Tom Mrsic-Flogel was appointed director. The Centre is part of UCL but operates outside the university’s standard faculty structure, giving it a distinct institutional identity and a strong focus on interdisciplinary research. The building was designed by Ian Ritchie of Ian Ritchie Architects. Its laboratories and shared areas were planned using observations and feedback from leading neuroscience institutes internationally. The building’s central core houses the Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, creating a close physical and intellectual relationship between computational theorists and experimental neuroscientists. SWC’s research is centred on systems neuroscience. Its investigators examine how collections of neurons represent information and how those representations are transformed into flexible, complex behaviour. The Centre’s groups use animal behaviour, neural recording, imaging, circuit manipulation, computational modelling, and related approaches. Research areas represented at the Centre include spatial navigation, sensory processing, learning, memory, motor behaviour, decision-making, and theoretical neuroscience. The institute’s research community expanded beyond its original laboratory structure and has been described as comprising 14 research groups. Named group leaders and researchers have included Athena Akrami, Tim Behrens, Tiago Branco, Claudia Clopath, Chunyu Ann Duan, Jeffrey Erlich, Julia Harris, Sonja Hofer, Troy Margrie, Tom Mrsic-Flogel, John O’Keefe, Andrew Saxe, and Marcus Stephenson-Jones. SWC researchers collaborate closely with the Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit and with external institutions internationally. A notable contribution was the Centre’s participation in the development of Neuropixels probes, announced in 2017. The collaboration involved SWC, UCL, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Janelia Research Campus, the Allen Institute for Brain Science, and imec. The probes expanded the ability of neuroscientists to monitor activity in large populations of neurons simultaneously. Other highlighted work included John O’Keefe’s 2018 presentation on spatial-awareness tests that could potentially assist early Alzheimer’s detection. In 2020, SWC scientists developed a brain-machine-interface experiment in which mice learned to control a cursor through brain activity, demonstrating a possible direction for future human interfaces. In 2021, Athena Akrami and the Patient-Led Research Collaborative published a large international Long COVID study recording more than 200 symptoms across 10 organ systems and advocated a national screening programme. Education is another enduring part of the Centre’s mission. SWC runs a four-year PhD programme delivered by faculty from SWC, the Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, and affiliated institutions including UCL. Governance includes a board chaired by Barry Everitt, with members including Silvia Arber, Wendy Becker, Adrienne Fairhall, Peter Hesketh, Tony Movshon, Stephanie Schorge, and Miranda Wolpert. The Centre remains an active academic research organisation rather than a commercial brand, with its public profile built around scientific discovery, training, philanthropy, and collaboration.
- 2021
Long COVID study published
[1]Athena Akrami and the Patient-Led Research Collaborative published an international study identifying more than 200 Long COVID symptoms.
- 2020
Mouse brain-machine interface demonstrated
[1]Researchers reported that mice learned to guide a cursor through neural signals, providing a proof of concept for future brain-machine-interface research.
- 2017
Neuropixels collaboration announced
[1]SWC participated in the development of high-density neural probes capable of recording from hundreds of neurons simultaneously.
- 2016
Centre officially opened
[1]The Sainsbury Wellcome Centre was formally opened in London on 23 May by Nobel Laureate Eric Kandel.
- 2016
Tom Mrsic-Flogel became director
[1]Tom Mrsic-Flogel was appointed director in October, after John O’Keefe’s inaugural leadership.
Products and positioning
A philanthropic-supported, research-intensive neuroscience centre positioned at the intersection of experimental systems neuroscience, computational neuroscience, neural technology, and doctoral training.
Scientific research · 2016
Systems neuroscience research
SWC’s principal activity is experimental and computational research into how neural circuits create flexible behaviour. Laboratories study brain representations, sensory processing, navigation, learning, memory, decision-making, and motor control using neural recording, imaging, behavioural experiments, circuit manipulation, and quantitative analysis.
Research technology · 2017
Neuropixels collaboration
The Centre contributed to an international collaboration that developed Neuropixels probes. These high-density recording devices allow researchers to monitor activity from hundreds of neurons at once, improving the scale and precision of experiments on neural circuits.
Education
Four-year PhD programme
SWC runs a doctoral programme in neuroscience taught by researchers from the Centre, the Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, and affiliated institutions including UCL. The programme combines experimental and theoretical approaches to train researchers in systems and computational neuroscience.
Neurotechnology research · 2020
Brain-machine-interface research
SWC scientists have investigated how neural signals can be translated into external actions. A 2020 study showed mice learning to guide a cursor through brain activity, illustrating a research pathway that could inform future human brain-machine interfaces.
Brand decisions
2017
Participated in the Neuropixels development collaborationProduct launchBackground
Conventional neural recording methods can limit the number of neurons monitored simultaneously, making it harder to study circuit-wide activity.
Action taken
SWC researchers joined partners at Janelia, the Allen Institute, UCL, and imec in developing high-density Neuropixels probes.
Aftermath
The technology expanded researchers’ ability to record neuronal activity at scale and became a notable example of SWC’s collaborative research model.
2016
Established an interdisciplinary neuroscience centreStrategyBackground
The Centre was created to investigate how neural circuits generate behaviour through a combination of experimental neuroscience and computational analysis.
Action taken
SWC was established within UCL with philanthropic support from the Gatsby Charitable Foundation and Wellcome, while maintaining close collaboration with the Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit.
Aftermath
The arrangement created a dedicated research and training environment for systems neuroscience and associated computational work.
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