Michael Beyeler
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mbeyeler.bsky.social
Michael Beyeler
@mbeyeler.bsky.social
1.1K followers 430 following 440 posts
👁️🧠🖥️🧪🤖 Associate Professor in @ucsb-cs.bsky.social and Psychological & Brain Sciences at @ucsantabarbara.bsky.social. PI of @bionicvisionlab.org.
#BionicVision #Blindness #LowVision #VisionScience #CompNeuro #NeuroTech #NeuroAI
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mbeyeler.bsky.social
Michael Beyeler @mbeyeler.bsky.social · Aug 2
Excited to share that I’ve been promoted to Associate Professor with tenure at UCSB!

Grateful to my mentors, students, and funders who shaped this journey and to @ucsantabarbara.bsky.social for giving the Bionic Vision Lab a home!

Full post: www.linkedin.com/posts/michae...
Epic collage of Bionic Vision Lab activities. From top to bottom, left to right: A) Up-to-date group picture B) BVL at Dr. Beyeler's Plous Award celebration (2025) C) BVL at The Eye & The Chip (2023) D/F) Dr. Aiwen Xu and Justin Kasowski getting hooded at the UCSB commencement ceremony E) BVL logo cake created by Tori LeVier G) Dr. Beyeler with symposium speakers at Optica FVM (2023) H, I, M, N) Students presenting conference posters/talks J) Participant scanning a food item (ominous pizza study) K) Galen Pogoncheff in VR L) Argus II user drawing a phosphene O) Prof. Beyeler demoing BionicVisionXR P) First lab hike (ca. 2021) Q) Statue for winner of the Mac'n'Cheese competition (ca. 2022) R) BVL at Club Vision S) Students drifting off into the sunset on a floating couch after a hard day's work
Reposted by Michael Beyeler
meganakpeters.bsky.social
"In February 2024, then–UC President Michael Drake announced all employee computers connected to university networks would be required to install Trellix by May 2025. Campuses failing to comply would face penalties of up to $500,000 per ... incident."

www.science.org/content/arti...
University of California faculty push back against Big Brother cybersecurity mandate
School officials defend software as bulwark against ransomware, but professors fear potential surveillance of their devices
www.science.org
October 25, 2025 at 1:21 AM
mbeyeler.bsky.social
👁️🧠 New preprint: We demonstrate the first data-driven neural control framework for a visual cortical implant in a blind human!

TL;DR Deep learning lets us synthesize efficient stimulation patterns that reliably evoke percepts, outperforming conventional calibration.

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Diagram showing three ways to control brain activity with a visual prosthesis. The goal is to match a desired pattern of brain responses. One method uses a simple one-to-one mapping, another uses an inverse neural network, and a third uses gradient optimization. Each method produces a stimulation pattern, which is tested in both computer simulations and in the brain of a blind participant with an implant. The figure shows that the neural network and gradient methods reproduce the target brain activity more accurately than the simple mapping.
September 27, 2025 at 2:52 AM
Reposted by Michael Beyeler
joshuasweitz.bsky.social
NSF GRFP is out 2.5 months late w/key changes

1. 2nd year graduate students not eligible.

2. "alignment with Administration priorities"

3. Unlike prior years, they DO NOT specify the expected number of awards... that is a BIG problem.

a brief 🧵 w/receipts

www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
www.nsf.gov
September 27, 2025 at 12:04 AM
Reposted by Michael Beyeler
mariusschneider.bsky.social
🚨Our NeurIPS 2025 competition Mouse vs. AI is LIVE!

We combine a visual navigation task + large-scale mouse neural data to test what makes visual RL agents robust and brain-like.

Top teams: featured at NeurIPS + co-author our summary paper. Join the challenge!

Whitepaper: arxiv.org/abs/2509.14446
Mouse vs. AI: A Neuroethological Benchmark for Visual Robustness and Neural Alignment
Visual robustness under real-world conditions remains a critical bottleneck for modern reinforcement learning agents. In contrast, biological systems such as mice show remarkable resilience to environ...
arxiv.org
September 22, 2025 at 11:13 PM
mbeyeler.bsky.social
As federal research funding faces steep cuts, UC scientists are pushing brain-computer interfaces forward: restoring speech after ALS, easing Parkinson’s symptoms, and improving bionic vision with AI (that’s us 👋 at @ucsantabarbara.bsky.social).

🧠 www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/thrilli...
Thrilling progress in brain-computer interfaces from UC labs
UC researchers and the patients they work with are showing the world what's possible when the human mind and advanced computers meet.
www.universityofcalifornia.edu
September 17, 2025 at 5:59 PM
mbeyeler.bsky.social
Excited to be heading to São Paulo for the World Blindness Summit 2025! 🌎✨

Looking forward to learning from/connecting with blindness organizations from around the globe.

👉 wbu.ngo/events/world...

#WorldBlindnessSummit #Inclusion #Accessibility #Blindness #DisabilityRights
World Blindness Summit & WBU General Assembly - World Blind Union
wbu.ngo
August 31, 2025 at 12:42 AM
mbeyeler.bsky.social
Excited to share that I’ve been promoted to Associate Professor with tenure at UCSB!

Grateful to my mentors, students, and funders who shaped this journey and to @ucsantabarbara.bsky.social for giving the Bionic Vision Lab a home!

Full post: www.linkedin.com/posts/michae...
Epic collage of Bionic Vision Lab activities. From top to bottom, left to right: A) Up-to-date group picture B) BVL at Dr. Beyeler's Plous Award celebration (2025) C) BVL at The Eye & The Chip (2023) D/F) Dr. Aiwen Xu and Justin Kasowski getting hooded at the UCSB commencement ceremony E) BVL logo cake created by Tori LeVier G) Dr. Beyeler with symposium speakers at Optica FVM (2023) H, I, M, N) Students presenting conference posters/talks J) Participant scanning a food item (ominous pizza study) K) Galen Pogoncheff in VR L) Argus II user drawing a phosphene O) Prof. Beyeler demoing BionicVisionXR P) First lab hike (ca. 2021) Q) Statue for winner of the Mac'n'Cheese competition (ca. 2022) R) BVL at Club Vision S) Students drifting off into the sunset on a floating couch after a hard day's work
August 2, 2025 at 6:12 PM
mbeyeler.bsky.social
👁️⚡ I spoke with Dr. Jiayi Zhang about her Science paper on tellurium nanowire retinal implants—restoring vision and extending it into the infrared, no external power required.

New materials, new spectrum, new possibilities.
🔗 www.bionic-vision.org/research-spo...

#BionicVision #NeuroTech
Bionic Vision - Advancing Sight Restoration
Discover cutting-edge research, events, and insights in bionic vision and sight restoration.
www.bionic-vision.org
July 18, 2025 at 12:11 AM
mbeyeler.bsky.social
At #EMBC2025? Come check out two talks from my lab in tomorrow’s Sensory Neuroprostheses session!

🗓️ Thurs July 17 · 8-10AM · Room B3 M3-4
🧠 Efficient threshold estimation
🧑🔬 Deep human-in-the-loop optimization

🔗 embc.embs.org/2025/program/
#BionicVision #NeuroTech #IEEE #EMBS
Program – EMBC 2025
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embc.embs.org
July 16, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Reposted by Michael Beyeler
bionicvisionlab.org
👁️⚡ Headed to #EMBC2025? Catch two of our lab’s talks on optimizing retinal implants!

📍 Sensory Neuroprostheses
🗓️ Thurs July 17 · 8-10AM · Room B3 M3-4
🧠 Efficient threshold estimation
🧑🔬 Deep human-in-the-loop optimization

🔗 embc.embs.org/2025/program/
#BionicVision #NeuroTech #IEEE #EMBS #Retina
Program – EMBC 2025
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embc.embs.org
July 13, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Reposted by Michael Beyeler
bionic-vision.org
🔬👁️ The next-gen #PRIMA chip in action: subretinal surgery training in 🇩🇪 with the Science Corps team, Prof. Yannick Le Mer, and Prof. Dr. Lars-Olof Hattenbach.

3D digital visualization + iOCT = a powerful combo for precision subretinal implant work.
#BionicVision #NeuroTech

📸 via Dr. Mahi Muqit
A group of surgeons in blue scrubs and surgical masks are performing a procedure in a clinical wetlab setting. Dr. Muqit (seated) operates under a ZEISS ARTEVO® 850 surgical microscope, with Dr. others observing and assisting nearby. A large monitor and medical equipment are visible in the background, along with surgical instruments on a sterile table. The environment is dimly lit, with overhead lights providing focused illumination on the surgical field. A surgeon in blue scrubs, surgical gloves, and a hair cover is seated and operating under a ZEISS ARTEVO® 850 surgical microscope. He is performing a delicate procedure on a blue surgical model using forceps, while another masked assistant supports from behind. The operating table is covered with a sterile green drape, and medical tubing and instruments are visible around the setup. The environment is dimly lit, highlighting the precision of the surgical training. A wide view of a surgical training room shows multiple surgeons in blue scrubs and masks working around a ZEISS ARTEVO® 850 digital microscope. One seated surgeon is actively operating on a subretinal surgery model, while others observe and assist. A large overhead visualization arm and a table with imaging and surgical equipment are prominently visible. The lighting is dim except for the illuminated surgical field, emphasizing the precision and focus of the wetlab environment. Two surgeons in blue scrubs and surgical caps are seated at a ZEISS ARTEVO® 850 digital microscope in a dimly lit operating room. A large monitor displays a high-resolution OCT scan, showing detailed cross-sections of ocular tissue. A green surgical drape, tubing, and imaging equipment are visible around the operating station. The scene highlights the integration of real-time imaging in subretinal surgical training.
July 12, 2025 at 3:33 PM
mbeyeler.bsky.social
Thrilled to see this one hit the presses! 🎉

One of the final gems from Dr. Justin Kasowski’s dissertatio, showing how checkerboard rastering boosts perceptual clarity in simulated prosthetic vision. 👁️⚡️

#BionicVision #NeuroTech
bionicvisionlab.org Bionic Vision Lab @bionicvisionlab.org · Jul 9
👁️🧠 New paper alert!

We show that checkerboard-style electrode activation improves perceptual clarity in simulated prosthetic vision—outperforming other patterns in both letter and motion tasks.

Less bias, more function, same safety.

🔗 doi.org/10.1088/1741...

#BionicVision #NeuroTech
Raster patterns in simulated prosthetic vision. On the left, a natural scene of a yellow car is shown, followed by its transformation into a prosthetic vision simulation using a 10×10 grid of electrodes (red dots). Below this, a zoomed-in example shows the resulting phosphene pattern. To comply with safety constraints, electrodes are divided into five spatial groups activated sequentially across ~220 milliseconds. Each row represents a different raster pattern: vertical (columns activated left to right), horizontal (rows top to bottom), checkerboard (spatially maximized separation), and random (reshuffled every five frames). For each pattern, five panels show how the scene is progressively built across the five raster groups. Vertical and horizontal patterns show strong directional streaking. Checkerboard shows more uniform activation and perceptual clarity. Random appears spatially noisy and inconsistent.
July 10, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Reposted by Michael Beyeler
optica-fvm.bsky.social
👁️🧠 It’s not too late to submit your abstract to Optica’s Fall Vision Meeting (FVM) 2025!
📍 Minneapolis/St Paul, Oct 2–5
🧑‍🏫 Featuring talks by Susana Marcos, Austin Roorda, and Gordon Legge
🍷 Kickoff at the CMRR!

🗓️ Abstracts due: Aug 8
🔗 www.osafallvisionmeeting.org

#VisionScience #VisionResearch
Optica Fall Vision Meeting
Oct 2-5 2025 University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, MN
www.osafallvisionmeeting.org
July 9, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Reposted by Michael Beyeler
bionic-vision.org
👁️🧠 Big step forward for #BionicVision: Science has submitted a CE mark application for the PRIMA retinal implant. If approved, it would be the first #NeuroTech to treat geographic atrophy, a late-stage form of age-related macular degeneration #AMD.

🔗 science.xyz/news/prima-c...
Science Submits CE Mark Application for PRIMA Retinal Implant – A Critical Step Towards Making It Available To Patients | Science Corporation
Science Corporation is a clinical-stage medical technology company.
science.xyz
June 24, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Reposted by Michael Beyeler
bionicvisionlab.org
🎙️Our very own Lily Turkstra was featured on WYPL-FM’s Eye on Vision podcast to discuss how blind individuals use assistive tech at home, from tactile labels to digital tools.

📻 Listen: eyeonvision.blogspot.com/2025/05/assi...
📰 Read: bionicvisionlab.org/publications...

#BlindTech #Accessibility
Assistive Technology Use In The Home and AI and Adaptive Optics Ophthalmoscopes
Lily Turkstra (University of California - Santa Barbara) Dr. Johnny Tam (National Eye Institute - Bethesda, MD) Lily Turkstra , PhD Student,...
eyeonvision.blogspot.com
June 24, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Reposted by Michael Beyeler
bionic-vision.org
👁️🧠🧪 Next on the Horizon: Frederik Ceyssens from ReVision Implant on scaling bionic vision to the cortex with Occular, a high-res, deep-brain prosthesis.

Why performance might beat invasiveness - and what comes next:
www.bionic-vision.org/research-spo...

#BionicVision #NeuroTech #BCI
bionic-vision.org | Research Spotlights | Frederik Ceyssens, ReVision Implant
Frederik Ceyssens is Co-Founder and CEO of ReVision Implant, the company behind Occular: a next-generation cortical prosthesis designed to restore both central and peripheral vision through ultra-flex...
www.bionic-vision.org
June 12, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Reposted by Michael Beyeler
nature.com
Real and imagined images are processed using the same systems in the brain, yet most people can distinguish between the two. Now neuroscientists have identified two brain regions that keep imagined images separate from reality.

https://go.nature.com/3SOqIfV
How the brain separates real images from those it imagines
Neuroscientists have found the regions that keep them apart.
go.nature.com
June 11, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Reposted by Michael Beyeler
optica-fvm.bsky.social
🔥 We’re thrilled to announce that adaptive optics trailblazer Austin Roorda (@roordalab.bsky.social) is the 2025 Boynton Award recipient! 🎉 His AOSLO let us image, stimulate, and track single photoreceptors 🧠👁️

He’ll give the Boynton Lecture at #OpticaFVM, Oct 2–5 @ Univ. Minnesota. Save the date!
Austin Roorda standing next to instrumentation in his lab at UC Berkeley
May 21, 2025 at 5:29 PM
mbeyeler.bsky.social
Our @bionicvisionlab.org is at #VSS2025 with 2 talks and a poster!

First up is PhD Candidate Byron A. Johnson:

Fri, 4:30pm, Talk Room 1: Differential Effects of Peripheral and Central Vision Loss on Scene Perception and Eye Movement Patterns

www.visionsciences.org/presentation...
Example stimulus from Byron's image dataset: an unobscured version (left) depicting a man on a bike approaching a woman trying to cross the bike lane; a simulation of peripheral vision loss (center), where the woman is clearly visible but the man on the bike is obscured; and a simulation of central vision loss (right), where the man on the bike is apparent but the woman is obscured Byron Johnson headshot
May 16, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Reposted by Michael Beyeler
hthasarathan.bsky.social
🌌🛰️🔭Wanna know which features are universal vs unique in your models and how to find them? Excited to share our preprint: "Universal Sparse Autoencoders: Interpretable Cross-Model Concept Alignment"!

arxiv.org/abs/2502.03714

(1/9)
February 7, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Reposted by Michael Beyeler
crozell.bsky.social
Atlanta friends, I want to extend a special invitation to have you join us for a really unique event we're hosting on May 7 called "Wired Lives: Personal Stories of Brain Implants": neuro.gatech.edu/wired-lives-...
Wired Lives: Personal Stories of Brain Implants | Neuro Next Initiative
neuro.gatech.edu
April 23, 2025 at 12:51 PM
mbeyeler.bsky.social
Not usually one to post personal pics, but let’s take a break from doomscrolling, yeah?

Some joyful moments from the Plous Award Ceremony: Honored to give the lecture, receive the framed award & celebrate with the people who made it all possible!

@bionicvisionlab.org @ucsantabarbara.bsky.social
Michael Beyeler smiles while receiving the framed Plous Award at UC Santa Barbara. College of Letters & Science's Dean Shelly Gable presents the award in front of a slide thanking collaborators and funders, with photos of colleagues and logos from NIH and the Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies. The audience watches the moment from their seats. The lecture hall of Mosher Alumni House is packed as Prof. Beyeler gets started with his lecture titled "Learning to See Again: Building a Smarter Bionic Eye" Michael Beyeler stands with members of the Bionic Vision Lab in front of a congratulatory banner celebrating his 2024–25 UCSB Plous Award. Everyone is smiling, with some holding drinks, and Michael is holding his young son. The group is gathered outdoors under string lights, with tall eucalyptus trees in the background.
April 17, 2025 at 4:16 PM
mbeyeler.bsky.social
Happening on Monday!
April 12, 2025 at 1:35 AM
Reposted by Michael Beyeler
optica-fvm.bsky.social
Mark your calendars! 👁️🧠🧪

This year's @optica.org Fall Vision Meeting is heading to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, MN on Oct 3-5, 2025!

#VisionScience #VisionResearch #cogsci #neuroskyence #psychscisky #ophthalmology #AcademicSky
FVM 2025 logo, showing the place and dates of the conference: October 3-5, 2025, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, MN
March 10, 2025 at 4:18 PM