Ahna Girshick

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Ahna Girshick is a multidisciplinary artist and neuroscientist. Girshick's unique career combines her background in computational neuroscience and computer science with her artistic practice, creating works that explore the nature of artificial and human perception. [1] [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Ahna Girshick earned her Ph.D. in Vision Science from the University of California, Berkeley in 2007. [3] Under the advisory of Prof. Marty Banks, her research focused on understanding visual processing in the brain. [4] Her academic work contributed to advancements in computational neuroscience including her highly cited Nature Neuroscience paper written during her postdoctoral studies with Michael S. Landy and Eero Simoncelli at New York University, "Cardinal rules: visual orientation perception reflects knowledge of environmental statistics." [5]

Prior to training as a neuroscientist, Girshick earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in Computer Science from the University of Minnesota, and contributed to research in non-photorealistic rendering and computer vision algorithms for self-driving cars at Nissan's Cambridge Research Lab. [1]

Between her research in computer science and neuroscience, Ahna Girshick has published over 20 peer-reviewed publications, three patents and two patents pending. [6] [7]

Career

After completing her post-doctoral training, Girshick applied her computer science and neuroscience skills to AI-assisted medical imaging as head of product at the medical startup Enlitic. She later managed machine learning product research at Ancestry DNA as a manager of Computational Genomics Research. [1]

In the 2020s, Girshick turned her attention to the arts, where she uses technology to investigate themes of perception, reality, and artificial intelligence. Her artworks include digitally-generated imagery, interactive installations, and traditional paintings. By merging scientific principles with creative expression, Girshick's work invites audiences to question the nature of perception and the role of technology in shaping our understanding of the world. [8]

Personal life

Ahna Girshick is married to new media artist and author Scott Snibbe. She is the granddaughter of diplomat and university professor Fazlollah Rezah.[ citation needed ]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Interview: Ahna Girshick - Senior Computational Research Scientist at Ancestry DNA". www.onlineeducation.com. Retrieved 2025-01-25.
  2. ↑ "Episode 11 - What Fascinates Ahna Girshick, Genomics Researcher? - Loka". www.loka.com. Retrieved 2025-01-25.
  3. ↑ "Alumni Profiles | DOE CSGF". www.krellinst.org. Retrieved 2025-01-25.
  4. ↑ "Martin Banks, PhD". UC Berkeley School of Optometry. Retrieved 2025-01-25.
  5. ↑ Girshick, Ahna R.; Landy, Michael S.; Simoncelli, Eero P. (2011). "Cardinal rules: visual orientation perception reflects knowledge of environmental statistics". Nature Neuroscience. 14 (7): 926–932. doi:10.1038/nn.2831. PMC   3125404 . PMID   21642976.
  6. ↑ "Ahna Girshick". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 2025-01-25.
  7. ↑ "Girshick; Ahna R. Patent Filings". uspto.report. Retrieved 2025-01-25.
  8. ↑ "AI, Art and New Technology: Threat or Opportunity". www.commonwealthclub.org. Retrieved 2025-01-25.
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