Meet a Data Scientist: Michael Beyeler

13 May 2023

BY STELLA MIN

Learn how Dr. Michael Beyeler leveraged his training in biomedical engineering and neuroscience to advance the science behind bionic vision technologies.

Background

Dr. Beyeler earned his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and a Masters in Biomedical Engineering from ETH Zurich, Switzerland. He earned a PhD in Computer Science from UC Irvine and went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship in the labs of Ione Fine (Psychology, Institute for Neuroengineering) and Ariel Rokem (eScience Institute) at the University of Washington, where he developed computational models of bionic vision.

Learn more about Dr. Beyeler’s background by watching our Neuroscience Career Panel.

Current Role

Dr. Beyeler is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Computer Science and Psychological & Brain Sciences at UC Santa Barbara, where he directs the Bionic Vision Lab, an interdisciplinary research group interested in the computational modeling of human, animal, computer, and prosthetic vision to elucidate the science behind bionic technologies. He is also the Associate Director of the UCSB Center for Virtual Environments and Behavior (ReCVEB).

Research

Dr. Beyeler’s research focuses on the development of novel methods and algorithms to interface sight recovery technologies such as retinal implants with the human visual system, with the ultimate goal of restoring useful vision to people living with incurable blindness. Due to the importance and potential impact of his work, Dr. Beyeler has received several prestigious grants and awards, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award and the DP2 New Innovator Award.

Read more about Dr. Beyeler’s research here. He also goes into depth about his research in this 1-hour video that is a part of UCSB’s faculty lecture series.

Career Tip

For those who are in the early stages of their career, Dr. Beyeler highly recommends specializing in quantitative skills. A strong computational background is essential for data science.

For those who have settled on a research topic and are in the process of applying for grants, Dr. Beyeler highly recommends looking into the DP2 New Innovator Award. He described the process of writing the application as a fun challenge that encompasses sharing a grand vision while communicating the project’s feasibility.

Outside of Work

Dr. Beyeler enjoys spending time with his family, particularly playing with his young son outdoors.

How to Connect

Learn more about Dr. Beyeler and how to get in touch by checking out his profile in the CDN Member Directory which includes links to his website and social media profiles.