Nicolas Zucchet
Postdoctoral researcher at ETH Zürich
I am a postdoctoral researcher at ETH Zurich, where I received my PhD under the supervision of João Sacramento and Angelika Steger in 2025. During my PhD, I was a student researcher at Google DeepMind in London, working with Soham De. I earned my Master’s degree in computer science from ETH Zürich in 2021, following a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics from École Polytechnique in 2019.
My research interests lie at the intersection of artificial intelligence and neuroscience. I use artificial neural networks to gain insights into how our brains learn and why biological systems are more energy and data efficient. A key focus of my work is developing biophysically plausible learning algorithms for (recurrent) neural networks. This research helps us understand the mechanisms underlying learning in the brain and could reduce the energetic cost of AI systems by bringing neural computation closer to its physical substrate. I am also interested in how data shapes learning, specifically investigating how data curricula could accelerate learning in neural networks.
Outside research, I enjoy road cycling and photography.
News
| Dec 03, 2025 | We presented our work on the emergence of sparse attention at NeurIPS (slides, poster). |
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| Nov 28, 2025 | I gave a talk on the impact of data on the learning dynamics of Transformers at MPI Tübingen (slides). |
| Oct 09, 2025 | I presented our work on how language models learn facts at COLM in Montreal (slides). |
| Sep 24, 2025 | I have successfully defended my PhD thesis! |
| Sep 10, 2025 | Our work on the emergence of sparse attention as be accepted to NeurIPS as an oral. |