Perception
How can neural representations turn sensory observations into a useful model of the world?
Hi, I’m
George Mason University
I study how neural representations shape perception, memory, and learning in intelligent systems.
01 · Research focus
Neural representations shape perception, memory, and learning. My research explores how the structure of these representations influences what intelligent systems perceive, how they organize and recall information, and how they learn from experience.
How can neural representations turn sensory observations into a useful model of the world?
How can they preserve and combine information for later use?
How can these representations be formed and adapted through experience?
02 · Selected work
A closer look at my research, with methods, results, and code.
03 · Papers & preprints
Selected papers, with links to PDFs and code. You can also copy citations in BibTeX or MLA format.
Google Scholar metrics as of .
Explore how this work compresses spatial observations into memory and queries them to reconstruct a map. Explore VSA-OGM →
@article{snyder2026brain,
title = {Brain Inspired Probabilistic Occupancy Grid Mapping with Vector Symbolic Architectures},
author = {Snyder, Shay and Capodieci, Andrew and Gorsich, David and Parsa, Maryam},
journal = {npj Unconventional Computing},
volume = {3},
pages = {13},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1038/s44335-026-00052-w}
} Snyder, Shay, et al. "Brain Inspired Probabilistic Occupancy Grid Mapping with Vector Symbolic Architectures." npj Unconventional Computing, 2026. VSA-OGM shows how vector memories can store spatial observations and reconstruct a map. Explore VSA-OGM →
Explore how relevance gating and temporal decay regulate updates to a streaming vector memory. Explore SRMU →
@inproceedings{snyder2026srmu,
title = {SRMU: Relevance-Gated Updates for Streaming Hyperdimensional Memories},
author = {Snyder, Shay and Capodieci, Andrew and Gorsich, David and Parsa, Maryam},
booktitle = {International Conference on Neuromorphic Systems (ICONS)},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1145/3822454.3822487}
} Snyder, Shay, et al. "SRMU: Relevance-Gated Updates for Streaming Hyperdimensional Memories." International Conference on Neuromorphic Systems (ICONS), 2026. @inproceedings{snyder2024transductive,
title = {Transductive Spiking Graph Neural Networks for Loihi},
author = {Snyder, Shay and Clerico, Victoria and Cong, Guojing and Kulkarni, Shruti and Schuman, Catherine and Risbud, Sumedh and Parsa, Maryam},
booktitle = {Great Lakes Symposium on VLSI (GLSVLSI)},
year = {2024},
doi = {10.1145/3649476.3660366}
} Snyder, Shay, et al. "Transductive Spiking Graph Neural Networks for Loihi." Great Lakes Symposium on VLSI (GLSVLSI), 2024. @inproceedings{snyder2023neuromorphic,
title = {Neuromorphic Bayesian Optimization in Lava},
author = {Snyder, Shay and Risbud, Sumedh R. and Parsa, Maryam},
booktitle = {International Conference on Neuromorphic Systems (ICONS)},
year = {2023},
doi = {10.1145/3589737.3605998}
} Snyder, Shay, et al. "Neuromorphic Bayesian Optimization in Lava." International Conference on Neuromorphic Systems (ICONS), 2023. 04 · Academic background
Fairfax, VA
Dissertation on computational principles of neural representations, advised by Prof. Maryam Parsa in the Parsa Research Laboratory.
Johnson City, TN
Graduated with a 3.95/4.00 GPA, starting research with the Parsa Research Laboratory while still an undergraduate.
05 · Where I've worked
Fairfax, VA
Spatial representation and memory under compute, memory, and energy constraints, with Prof. Maryam Parsa in the Parsa Research Laboratory.
Fairfax, VA
Hyperdimensional occupancy grid mapping, funded research on vector symbolic architectures, and neuromorphic tooling built with Leidos and Intel.
Richland, WA — remote
Machine-learning platforms for RF fingerprinting and embedded ML for duplex communication, recognized with three performance awards.
06 · Talks & posters
Selected invited talks, conference presentations, posters, and panels. Slides and recordings linked where available.
International Conference on Neuromorphic Systems (ICONS) · Chicago, IL
International Conference on Neuromorphic Systems (ICONS) · Arlington, VA
Great Lakes Symposium on VLSI (GLSVLSI) · Clearwater, FL
International Conference on Neuromorphic Systems (ICONS) · Santa Fe, NM
07 · Workshops & programs
Workshops, summer schools, and programs I've taken part in.
Telluride, CO
Three weeks of neuromorphic research projects with other workshop participants.
Santa Fe, NM
DOE/AFOSR workshop on the energy costs of computation and information processing, attended as both a participant and a presenter.
Beavercreek, OH
Summer visiting scholar working on event-based sensing research with the Leidos Innovations Center.
Waterloo, Ontario
Two weeks of hands-on training in the Neural Engineering Framework and building large-scale brain models with Nengo.
08 · Say hello
Feel free to email me about research, hardware projects, or a good trail recommendation.
snyderse@outlook.com