Team
The Stanford Artificial Retina Project is a highly collaborative effort currently involving the Chichilnisky lab, three electrical engineering faculty and their labs, a retinal surgeon, and several visiting collaborators and consultants.
E.J. Chichilnisky, PhD
John R. Adler Professor of Neurosurgery
Professor of Ophthalmology Professor of Electrical Engineering
Dr. Chichilnisky trained in mathematics and neuroscience at Princeton and Stanford Universities, and began his independent research career at the Salk Institute. He joined the faculty at Stanford in 2013. The goal of his research is to understand how the neural circuitry of the retina encodes visual information, and to use this knowledge in the development of artificial retinas for treating incurable blindness. His lab is now entirely devoted to the mission of the Artificial Retina Project.
Subhasish Mitra, PhD
Professor of Electrical Engineering Professor of Computer Science
Dr. Mitra's research focuses on designing robust computer systems and information appliances. It covers various aspects of very-large-scale integration design and testing, computer-aided design, computer architecture and design in future nanotechnologies. His role in the Artificial Retina Project includes design of novel digital circuits and algorithms to process recorded neural signals in a way that permits the device to effectively control, or “program”, the activity of neurons.
Boris Murmann, PhD
Professor of Electrical Engineering
Dr. Murmann’s research interests are in mixed-signal integrated circuit design, with special emphasis on sensor interfaces, data converters and custom circuits for machine learning. His role in the Artificial Retina Project includes development of novel recording and stimulation hybrid circuits that permit the implant to efficiently acquire and transmit the high-bandwidth neural signals necessary to create an effective high-resolution implant.
Amin Arbabian, PhD
Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering
Dr. Arbabian’s research covers circuit and system design for biomedical, sensing, and Internet of Things applications. He explores the design of emerging and hybrid medical imaging modalities and investigates new technologies for wireless implants, including ultrasonic power and data links. His work in sensing includes methods to enable next-generation interfaces as well as methods of remote detection and imaging. His role in the Artificial Retina Project includes design of wireless transmission system that connects the implanted and external components of the implant, and that can achieve high data transmission bandwidth within the constraints imposed by the air-body interface.
Ruwan Silva, MD, MPhil
Clinical Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology
Dr. Silva is a board certified and fellowship trained vitreoretinal surgeon in the department of ophthalmology at Stanford University Medical Center. His clinical practice focuses mainly on macular degeneration and retinal vascular disease. Surgically, he specializes in diseases of the vitreous and retina. His role in the Artificial Retina Project includes development of surgical strategies and implantation technology necessary to create a faithful, high-fidelity electrical connection between the implant and the neural circuitry of the retina.
Marty Breidenbach
Professor of Particle Physics and Astrophysics, Stanford University
Dr. Breidenbach’s research interests include e+e- colliding beam physics: R&D for a new detector for NLC, with a particular interest in complete detector optimization and Si-W electromagnetic calorimeters.
