Research Bio
Doris Tsao is a professor in the neurobiology division of the Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, and the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute. She studies visual perception in primates in order to understand how the brain creates our sense of reality. She is widely recognized for her work on the neural system for face processing within the temporal lobe, clarifying its anatomical organization and coding principles. Most recently, her lab discovered that this system is part of a larger map of object space.
Research Expertise and Interest
visual perception
In the News
Berkeley Faculty Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
UC Berkeley Neuroscientist and Nanoscientist Among This Year’s Kavli Prize Winners
Featured in the Media
Imagined and perceived objects activate the same neurons and use the same neural code, according to a study co-authored by Doris Tsao, a professor of molecular and cell biology and 2024 Kavli Prize laureate. The finding could help develop prosthetic devices to restore sight.
Teaching
Research Review in Neurobiology: Visual Neuroscience [MCELLBI 269P - 001]
Research [MCELLBI 292 - 450]
Circuit, Systems and Behavioral Neuroscience [NEU 100B - 001]
Neuroscience Graduate Research [NEU 292 - 029]
Research in Vision Science [VISSCI 299 - 017]
Research Review in Neurobiology: Visual Neuroscience [MCELLBI 269P - 001]
Research [MCELLBI 292 - 450]
Neuroscience Graduate Research [NEU 292 - 029]
Introduction to Visual Neuroscience [VISSCI 260C - 001]
Research in Vision Science [VISSCI 299 - 041]
Research Review in Neurobiology: Visual Neuroscience [MCELLBI 269P - 001]
Research [MCELLBI 292 - 450]
Circuit, Systems and Behavioral Neuroscience [NEU 100B - 001]
Neuroscience Graduate Research [NEU 292 - 029]
Neuroscience, Film, and Philosophy [NEU 65 - 001]
Introduction to Visual Neuroscience [VISSCI 260C - 001]
Research in Vision Science [VISSCI 299 - 017]