Speaker
Description
Abstract:
Launched in 2020, the SYNAPSE consortium unites synchrotron facilities across Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East to tackle one of most daunting challenges in modern science: mapping neural connectomes at sub-micrometer resolution. This borderless collaboration leverages calibrated synchrotron microtomography beamlines to generate 3D brain datasets, each exceeding 1 exabyte at (0.3 μm)³ resolution. Scaling this effort to encompass hundreds of datasets—and eventually whole-body neural circuits—demands innovative solutions at the intersection of big data, distributed computing, and AI.
Central to our technical roadmap is the integration of grid and cloud infrastructures to manage petabyte-scale data streams, enabling real-time processing and global resource sharing. Advanced machine learning pipelines automate synapse detection and network tracing, reducing computational bottlenecks inherent to exabyte-level analyses. Meanwhile, federated storage architectures ensure secure, efficient data access across 10 or more synchrotron facilities, fostering collaborative breakthroughs without borders.
This talk will highlight milestones achieved by SYNAPSE consortium since its inauguration in merging cutting-edge imaging with scalable computation, including AI-driven annotation tools and adaptive workflows optimized for high-performance computing environments. As we push toward a century-long goal of completing the human connectome, the consortium exemplifies how global scientific infrastructure—paired with advancements in grids, clouds, and AI—can transform impossibly vast datasets into actionable insights. For the ISGC community, SYNAPSE offers a compelling blueprint for solving grand challenges through distributed innovation.
Professional Biography:
Yeukuang Hwu is the CEO of the SYNAPSE consortium (www.synapse-axon.org), leading a global initiative to map large animal and human brain connectomes using cutting-edge X-ray imaging technologies. He is also a Distinguished Research Fellow at Academia Sinica and holds adjunct professorships at several prestigious universities and research institutions. With over three decades of expertise in synchrotron-based research, Professor Hwu has made pioneering contributions to phase contrast microradiology and nanotomography, significantly advancing the x-ray imaging applications in life sciences, materials science, and many other areas.
Specifically, using the zone plate x-ray optics developed by his laboratory, his team went on setting a world record in 2007, achieving 15 nm resolution with multi-keV x-rays. This positioned him at the forefront of x-ray microscopy, opening new frontiers in nanoscience and subcellular imaging.
Professor Hwu is an elected Fellow of the Chinese Physics Society and the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the National Research Council Distinguished Research Award and the Taiwan-France Scientific Award. He has delivered more than 100 invited talks at international conferences, 12 international patents, and has published over 315 refereed journal articles, garnering more than 10,000 citations.
