Headshot of Anthony Zador.

Anthony Zador

Professor of biology, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory;
Contributing editor, The Transmitter

Anthony Zador is Alle Davis Harris Professor of Biology at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York. The goal of his research is to understand the neural circuits underlying sensorimotor decision-making. His laboratory pioneered the use of rodents in complex decision-making tasks and developed a novel suite of approaches, including MAPseq and BARseq, for determining brain wiring using high-throughput DNA sequencing. His current research interests include neuroscience-inspired artificial intelligence. He is the co-founder of several meetings, including Computational and Systems Neuroscience and From Neuroscience to Artificially Intelligent Systems.

Zador received his M.D. and Ph.D. from Yale University and did postdoctoral work at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, before joining the faculty at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

Explore more from The Transmitter

The illusion of AI consciousness: Lessons from human unconscious processing

Complex, goal-directed and even emotionally responsive behavior can unfold without awareness, providing a useful lens for interpreting artificial systems.

By Vanessa Hadid, Karim Jerbi, John W. Krakauer
8 June 2026 | 0 min watch
Research image of cell-surface protein LPHN2.

‘Push-pull’ recipe for neural wiring used in multiple brain regions

A versatile pair of proteins steers neurons toward their targets and helps establish the brain’s sensory maps, new studies suggest.

By Holly Barker
5 June 2026 | 5 min read
Research image showing dopamine level spikes.

Reward-learning algorithm hardwired into dopamine circuit

The finding bolsters the canonical model of reward prediction error, which has come under scrutiny in recent years.

By Natalia Mesa
5 June 2026 | 5 min read