The cellular and circuit basis of visual processing strategies
11:30 til 13:00
BMC Seminar Wednesday Lecture in Fróði Auditorium August 30th at 11:30
Title: The cellular and circuit basis of visual processing strategies
Name: Marion Silies, Professor of Neurobiology, University of Mainz, Germany
Abstract: In her lecture, Marion Silies will discuss how the cellular and circuit implementation of computations that are visual system have to perform, from insects via humans to computer-vision based machines face. Silies sees her career progression not only as personal advancement but also as a way to serve as a role model, particularly for women in science, aiming to encourage their participation in scientific leadership roles.
Short Bio: Marion Silies is a neuroscientist with an impressive career. She obtained her doctorate in Münster whereafter she conducted her postdoctoral research at Stanford University. Her research focuses on cellular mechanisms and neuronal networks in the brain, particularly the processing of visual information in the fruit fly Drosophila. She uses the fruit fly model to study how neural circuits form and how neurons communicate for visual information processing. She developed a genetic toolkit at Stanford, widely adopted by labs globally, to manipulate neural function and identify motion detection circuits. Leading the Emmy Noether Junior Research Group “Visual Processing” at the European Neuroscience Institute earned her recognition, including an ERC Starting Grant and the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prizew. In 2019 she moved to the University of Mainz as a Professor of Neurobiology, continuing her research and fostering collaboration. Current work in her lab is focused on understanding on how vision can be stable in natural, quickly changing environments, funded by an ERC Consolidator Grant.
