Center for Neural Data Science (CNDS) Data Visualization Competition Showcase

 

Time and Date: 4-5:30 pm, Wednesday 27th May, 2026

Venue: John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn Rotunda, E241, Wu Tsai Neurosciences Building

The inaugural Center for Neural Data Science (CNDS) Data Visualization Showcase will celebrate outstanding visual communication of neural data at Stanford, highlighting the technical and aesthetic decisions that contribute to strong scientific visualizations. Through this event, we aim to spotlight compelling work created by Stanford neuroscientists and to provide a platform for them to share their research. 

 

Finalist Mini-Talks

Selected finalists will each give a mini-talk at this competition showcase event. Each finalist will present for up to 10 minutes on the scientific question their visualization addresses, how the data were acquired, and what tools and techniques were used to create the visualizations. Finalists will be encouraged to share their visualization code with the community via GitHub or GitLab.

Criteria and Submission Process

Eligibility: Submissions are open to all Stanford neuroscience researchers, from undergraduate students to senior faculty. 

Submissions: Entrants can submit individual visualizations via this online form. The form requires name, research position, lab / PI, a visualization title, and a brief description of what the visualization shows and how it was created. Entrants must confirm that they will be able to present the work at this Showcase event if selected as a finalist, that the visualization does not contain sensitive or restricted data, and whether the CNDS has permission to feature the visualization in internal or public outreach materials. Each participant is limited to one entry. Submissions will close on Friday May 8th. 

Finalist Selection: A panel of assessors will review submissions and select four to six finalists based on the clarity, scientific value, novelty, and aesthetic value of each visualization (see rubric here). Finalists will be notified two weeks before the event.