SYDE 556Simulating Neurobiological Systems
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Engineering
- Subject
- Systems Design Engineering
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 2 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: not on the schedule. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
This course develops and applies a general framework for understanding neural computation in the context of recent advances in theoretical and experimental neuroscience. Particular emphasis is placed on understanding representation, nonlinear computation, and dynamics in real neurobiological systems. Students will apply signal processing, control theory, linear algebra, probability theory, and similar quantitative tools for the purpose of modelling sensory, motor, and cognitive systems. Topics covered include single neuron function, neural coding, neural dynamics, attractor networks, learning, statistical inference, locomotion, working memory, etc. Familiarity with neural systems is helpful but not essential.
Prerequisites
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
No course lists it as a requisite.
Fall 2026 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 8216 | 41 / 45 | T 12:00–13:50 Th 12:00–12:50 |
| TUT 101 | 8217 | 41 / 45 | Th 13:00–13:50 |
Reviewed on UW Flow
100% liked it9% easy100% useful
From 8 ratings and 5 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
Tough ass course. Do not take this as an easy elective. Assignments will kill you, and lectures will go over your head. That said, super interesting. One of a kind (which makes searching online for answers impossible) and I'm still trying to fully understand how everything works but it blows my mind. 100% worth taking but be prepared for difficult assignments (on the plus side, late days deductions are pretty low!)
Apr 2017 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
GOAT class & prof
if you're familiar with python/numpy and have decent debugging skills you should be fine, make sure you double check your assignments since they can get quite long and it's easy to accumulate small mistakes.Dec 2023 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Super interesting course and I learned a lot! The assignments were tough and made me want to drop the course, but I'm very glad that I stuck with it.
Nov 2023 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Super engaging course! The lecture content is wicked interesting and I guarantee you will leave every lecture having learned something new and extraordinary. This course will blow your mind, especially if you are into neuroscience, neural networks, or machine learning. With that said, It definitely a challenging course that requires knowledge from a whole range of engineering topics and requires a fair amount of coding. With that being said, its definitely the most interesting course in my undergrad.
Nov 2022 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Awesome course that will make you use all of your previous mathematical knowledge (vectors, calculus, Fourier Transforms) and will kick your butt with assignments. If you want a quick overview of the neural approach to intelligent systems, this is the course for you.
Apr 2015 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
10 posts and comments in 9 threads mention SYDE 556, December 2018 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.
Fall 2024
SYDE / ECEcourses 1 point, 0 comments
u/EmotionalYesterday39: “How much of biology background do I need to do well in Syde 556 / 552?”
Spring 2024
SYDE 556 1 point, 0 comments
u/TransitionDue3545: “How hard are the assignments and do you know if your code works before submission?”
Fall 2023
What First-Year/Non-Prereq Elective Has the Most Gay Guys? 1 point, 27 comments
“I need to choose by 11:59 and I don't wanna be single next semester :/”
u/Uwbuddync: “Syde 556”
Spring 2023
SYDE 552 vs. SYDE 556 vs. SYDE 572 1 point, 1 comment
u/SnooOnions2981: “I'm struggling to decide which one to choose, and the comments in UWflow are from many years ago. Could someone who has taken any of these courses please share their insights on their usefulness and difficulty? Thanks”
Winter 2021
Do you need SYDE 311 for SYDE 556? 3 points, 6 comments
u/masterkuch: “What exactly are SYDE 556 prerequisites?”
u/Coolpanino: ““BME 252 or SYDE 252“ https://uwflow.com/course/syde556”
Spring 2020
Anyone here take CS 473? 3 points, 8 comments
“I'm a first year student and I'm planning my course selection for my CS degree. I am really into bioinformatics and neuroimaging in specific. …”
u/advmath: “… I, a CS student, have taken SYDE 556: Simulating Neurobiological Systems, which also pre-requires SYDE 252, with only CS 370 as background. I found the background sufficient, even if I couldn't follow some of the more involved discussions of signal processing. …”
Spring 2019
SYDE 556 1 point, 0 comments
Winter 2019
CS480 (ML) and CS486 (AI) 13 points, 7 comments
“As I am planning what courses to take next term, I come across these 2 courses. For those of you who have taken these courses before. How useful are these courses in real life applications? …”
u/burichi: “They're both pretty useful in the real world but the courses don't emphasize the applications too much. …”
u/burichi: “… courses in engineering: Mobile Robotics (MTE 544), Neurological Simulation (SYDE 556), and Autonomous Vehicles (ECE 493). …”
Fall 2018
SYDE Technical Electives 9 points, 5 comments
u/Aggressive_Sky: “Any SYDE grads take SYDE 372, 522, 552 or 556? How was the overall course content, were the courses useful and or difficult?”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
- Undergraduate Calendar, 2026–27The official entry
- Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
- Schedule of Classes, Fall 2026Instructors, rooms, live seats
- Quest Class SearchWhere you enrol
- Course outlinesSyllabi from past terms (UW login)
- UW FlowStudent ratings and reviews
- WClassesPast sections back to 2004, and who taught them