We study how dreams get made.
REM Research Collective is a student-led group building a step-by-step model of what the sleeping brain is actually doing when it dreams. We work in the open and post the messy middle, not just the finished parts.
Why we exist
We started REM Research Collective to give curiosity-driven research a home, and to do the whole thing out in the open.
Where we stand
3 of 6 milestones done so far. We post progress as it happens, not just when it looks good.
Website Established
CompleteThis site is live, so our mission, roadmap, and research all live in one public place.
Research Framework
CompleteWe've settled how a project gets scoped, documented, and reviewed.
Team Formation
CompleteCore team is together, covering theory, anatomy, biochemistry, and computation.
Active Research
In progressOur first project is underway, running on the framework above.
Featured research
What we're actually working on right now.
Sanchez–Raghavendra–Chen Activation-Synthesis Model
ActiveA step-by-step model of how a dream gets generated, building on Hobson and McCarley's Activation-Synthesis theory. We argue that activation starting in the pons moves through a set order of thalamocortical and thalamo-limbic stages, rather than being random signals the brain only makes sense of afterward. To test whether that ordering actually holds, we lay out a triangulated EEG–fMRI study design.
How we got here
2026
REM Research Collective founded
A few students started the collective to study dreaming seriously.
2026
Research planning begins
We set up our first frameworks, documentation standards, and review process.
2026
Website launch
This site went live so anyone can follow the mission, roadmap, and progress.
Future
First publication
Getting findings from our first project ready to publish.
Future
Expanded collaborations
Teaming up with other researchers and labs to take on more.
Latest updates
Website established
Put up this site so anyone can follow what we're working on and exactly where it stands.
Research framework finalized
Agreed on how a project gets scoped, written up, and reviewed before we call it real work.
Core team structure defined
Sorted out who owns what, and where we still need more hands.
Come work with us
We're a small group and we're growing. If studying how dreams get made sounds like your thing, we'd love to hear from you.