# SueYeon Chung Assistant Professor Department of Physics, Harvard University person location\_on Northwest Building, Room 195.05, 52 Oxford St. Cambridge, MA 02138 smartphone [617-496-6506](tel:617-496-6506) email My research seeks to uncover the principles that govern how neural circuits, both biological and artificial, represent and transform information. A central focus of my group is the geometry of neural population activity, or “neural manifolds,” which provides a common language to connect computation across multiple scales, from the tuning of single neurons to large-scale cognitive functions. We have developed a geometric theory of neural manifolds that links their structure to task efficiency, showing how low-dimensional, compact manifolds enable robust readout and generalization. This theory has provided insight into vision, audition, and language, and has also served as a tool to interpret artificial neural networks that predict cortical activity but are often opaque in their operation. Building on this framework, we study how neural manifold geometry emerges from single-neuron properties, how it transforms across cortical regions, and how it adapts through learning. Collaborations with experimental groups have allowed us to test these ideas in systems ranging from early sensory cortex to higher-order regions, demonstrating that the manifold framework can reveal how neural circuits implement flexible computations. Finally, we use these insights to design neuro-inspired deep networks. By incorporating principles such as stochasticity, divisive normalization, and efficient coding, we aim to create models that are both more robust and more biologically plausible. Together, these efforts work toward a unified theory of neural representation that bridges neuroscience, physics, and machine learning. - ## Faculty Alphabetical [Faculty A-E](/people-alphabetical/e) - ## People Terms [Faculty](/people-terms/faculty) [Core/ Training Grant Faculty](/people-terms/core-faculty) [Accepting Rotation Students](/people-terms/accepting-rotation-students) [Brain Science](/people-terms/neuroscience) [Methods Development](/people-terms/tech-development) [Theoretical & Computational Biology](/people-terms/computational-biology-bioinformatics)