Evan Schaffer.

Evan Schaffer

Assistant professor of neuroscience
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Evan Schaffer is assistant professor of neuroscience at the Friedman Brain Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. His lab uses mathematical tools to understand distributed computations in the brain, identify how these computations change with learning and identify how feedback from the body impacts cognition. Schaffer received his Ph.D. at the Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, in Larry Abbott’s lab at Columbia University. He completed his postdoctoral work in Richard Axel’s Lab at Columbia University

Explore more from The Transmitter

Newly identified barrier cells seal off choroid plexus from CSF, rest of brain

A long-overlooked layer of fibroblasts exists inside the choroid plexus of mice and humans, adding complexity to the area’s compartmentalization.

By Claudia López Lloreda
3 April 2026 | 4 min read

‘Digital sphinx’ raises questions about connectome models

The sphinx, with a worm’s brain and a fly’s body, illustrates the potential pitfalls of using deep-learning techniques to model biological processes.

By Natalia Mesa
2 April 2026 | 5 min read

Taking a closer look at astrocytes and autism

These glial cells are increasingly linked to neurodevelopmental conditions and the regulation of social behaviors and anxiety.

By The Transmitter
2 April 2026 | 2 min read