Curriculum Vitae

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PhD Student, Dynamical Neuroscience — University of California, Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara, CA · lgilnadolskis@ucsb.edu · Google Scholar

Research Interests

I work to improve the lives of people with vision loss through research in visual prosthetics, brain–computer interfaces, computer vision, and assistive technology — at the intersection of computer science, biomedical engineering, and neuroscience, with a focus on the real-world usability and safety of cortical and retinal implants for blind users.

Education

  • Ph.D. in Dynamical Neuroscience, University of California, Santa Barbara — Advisor: Dr. Michael Beyeler (Bionic Vision Lab). 2023 – present.
  • M.S. in Computational Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University — Advisor: Prof. Matthew Smith. Thesis: Exploring top-down visual pathways using micro-stimulation and its applications to cortical visual prosthesis. 2023.
  • B.S. in Computer Science, Minor in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. 2021.
  • Study Abroad, Queen Mary University of London — computer science and neuroscience. 2018.

Peer-Reviewed Publications

  • F. Elavsky, L. Nadolskis, D. Moritz. “Data Navigator: An Accessibility-Centered Data Navigation Toolkit.” IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics 30(1):803–813 (IEEE VIS), 2023. DOI · arXiv
  • L. Nadolskis*, L. M. Turkstra*, E. Larnyo, M. Beyeler. “Aligning visual prosthetic development with implantee needs.” Translational Vision Science & Technology 13(11):28, 2024. (*equal contribution) DOI · PMC
  • A. Arora, L. Nadolskis, M. Beyeler, M. Sra. “VisionAI — Shopping Assistance for People with Vision Impairments.” IEEE ISMAR-Adjunct, 2024. DOI
  • A. Varshney, L. Nadolskis, T. Höllerer, M. Beyeler. “Navigating the Last Mile: Evaluating Head- and Cane-Mounted Cameras for Egocentric Spatial Awareness.” IEEE ISMAR, 2026. arXiv
  • L. Nadolskis. “Use of Computer Vision to Develop a Device to Assist Visually Impaired People with Social Distance.” AAAI 35(18):15974–15975 (Undergraduate Consortium), 2021. DOI

Preprints, Workshop Papers & Abstracts

  • J. Granley*, G. Pogoncheff*, A. Rodil, L. Soo, L. M. Turkstra, L. G. Nadolskis, A. Alfaro Saez, C. Soto Sanchez, E. Fernandez Jover, M. Beyeler. “Beyond Sight: Probing Alignment Between Image Models and Blind V1.” ICLR 2024 Workshop on Representational Alignment (Re-Align). arXiv · OpenReview
  • L. Nadolskis, G. Pogoncheff, J. Granley, A. Rodil, L. Soo, L. Turkstra, et al. “Sustained stimulus-selective multi-unit activity in human primary visual cortex.” Journal of Vision 24(10):1216 (VSS), 2024. DOI
  • L. Nadolskis. “Applying novel technologies to assist visually impaired people with social distance measures.” Poster, Grace Hopper Celebration, 2020.

Invited Talks & Presentations

  • The Vision of a Blind Scientist: Journey, Challenges, and the Future of Visual Prostheses (with M. Beyeler) — 11th World Blindness Summit, São Paulo, Brazil, 2025.
  • Sustained stimulus-selective multi-unit activity in human primary visual cortex — Vision Sciences Society (VSS), St. Pete Beach, FL, 2024.
  • Accessibility in research labs and conferences — invited speaker, VSS Enhancing Accessibility Workshop, 2024.
  • Assistive device for social distancing for blind users — AAAI-21 Undergraduate Consortium (video).

Service & Conference Organization

  • Organizing Committee, 2nd Workshop on Accessible Data Visualization (AccessViz), IEEE VIS 2025, Vienna.
  • Organizing Committee, 1st Workshop on Accessible Data Visualization (AccessViz), IEEE VIS 2024, St. Pete Beach, FL.
  • Consumer Advisory Board, Neuralink BlindSight — cortical implants for blind individuals. 2024 – present.
  • Scholar & Advisory Board, NEVE Project — STEM scholarship recipient and mentor. 2023 – present.

Research Experience

  • Bionic Vision Lab, UC Santa Barbara (Dr. Michael Beyeler) — cortical implants, the Smart Bionic Eye, assistive mobility. 2023 – present.
  • Smith Lab, Carnegie Mellon University — neural decoding in PFC and visual area V4 via micro-stimulation in non-human primates. 2021 – 2023.
  • Catherine Qi Zhao Lab, University of Minnesota — neural spike-sorting and accessible computer vision. 2019 – 2021.
  • Minnesota Laboratory for Low-Vision Research (Gordon Legge), University of Minnesota — mobility and veering in blind individuals.
  • Hyun Soo Park Lab, University of Minnesota — computer vision for autonomous navigation. 2015 – 2018.

Industry & Professional Experience

  • cyberTimez — Computer Vision Developer (2015 – 2017): built algorithms for Cyber Eyez smart-glasses (15× magnification, text reading in 100+ languages, offline).
  • MIND Research Institute — Accessibility Specialist (2018): accessible educational STEM games.

Awards & Honors

  • Regents Fellowship, UC Santa Barbara
  • NEVE Project STEM Scholar
  • AAAI-21 Undergraduate Consortium Scholar
  • Invited Speaker, VSS Enhancing Accessibility Workshop, 2024

Skills & Languages

  • Programming: Python, MATLAB, C++, Java, R
  • ML & tools: TensorFlow, computational modeling, neural decoding, computer vision
  • Other: Accessible design, LaTeX
  • Languages: Portuguese (native), English (fluent), Spanish (conversational)