Alexander Belsten

WHERE I'M FROM

Cuddebackville, New York

BEFORE VS

I studied computer and systems engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in my Bachelor's. During this time, I got my first exposure to neuroscientific research at the National Center for Adaptive Neurotechnologies in Albany, NY. After my Bachelor's, I was involved in the development of technologies for intracranial electrophysiology research at Washington University in St. Louis in the Department of Neurosurgery.

WHY I’M HERE

During my time working on brain-computer interfacing technology, I observed the amount of time-series neural data being recorded and was enthralled with the idea of extracting meaningful information from it and describing the algorithms that produced it. I believe that the visual system provides an excellent model to understand neural computation.

MY RESEARCH

My current research involves modeling the visual system during retinal motion from the photoreceptor level, where inputs are dynamic and constantly changing, to the cortical representation of objects, which are stable and consistent.

MY GOALS

At UC Berkeley, I seek to expand my skill set and do research with real-world impact, allowing me to continue a career in academia post-doctoral graduation.