About
Leadership Team
Nathan Morehouse
Biological Sciences, Director
Dr. Morehouse's research group studies how animals see the world and make decisions based on what they can see about who to mate with, what to eat, and where to go. He is also interested in biomimicry and collaborations between science and the arts.
Holly Bante
Biological Sciences, Office of Research
Dr. Bante works in Research Security and Ethics in the Office of Research. She supports faculty who engage in secure projects and ensures compliance with sponsors. She teaches biomedical and research ethics in the COM.
Elke Buschbeck
Biological Sciences, Working Group Lead
Dr. Buschbeck’s research focuses on the development and evolution of arthropod visual systems. Insights from her work have inspired engineers to design micro-cameras and night-vision gear that are fundamentally different from conventional models.
Tony Chemero
Philosophy & Psychology, Interdisciplinary Research Lead
Dr. Chemero is a member of the Center for Cognition, Action, and Perception and the Strange Tools Research Lab. He focuses on questions related to nonlinear dynamical modeling, ecological psychology, complex systems, phenomenology & social cognition.
Neşe Devenot
Comparative Literature, Postdoctoral Associate & Program Manager
Dr. Devenot studies bioethical perspectives on the nascent field of psychedelic medicine. Additionally, her research explores the function of metaphor and other literary devices in narrative accounts of psychedelic experiences.
Ali Minai
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Dr. Minai's research areas are AI, complex systems, computational neuroscience, and computational models of cognition, with a recent focus on natural language processing, human creativity, and bio-inspired models of place learning and navigation.
Audrey Pumford
Chemistry, Graduate Assistant
Audrey studies single molecule interactions that occur at biosensor surfaces in Dr. White’s lab. Using novel electroanalytical techniques, the group has developed a new sensing paradigm to understand DNA-based sensors with extraordinary resolution.
Ming Tang
Architecture and Interior Design, Emerging Technologies & Partnerships Lead
Ming Tang’s work focuses on developing immersive technologies for human perception, interaction, and behavior study toward the built environment. He leads the Extended Reality (XR) Lab and supports XR applications in design, education, & healthcare.
Dominique Tanner
Biomedical Engineering, Fellow-at-Large
Dominique Tanner is a PhD candidate studying Biomedical Engineering at UC. Her current research focuses on optimizing seizure diaries, as well as quantitative and machine learning strategies, to predict seizures in advance for patients with epilepsy.
Cynthia Treacy
A&S Grants Office, Grant Programs Lead
Treacy leads college-wide efforts for administering pre-award services for all 26 A&S departments, and has deep expertise in managing grant portfolios, program coordination, and proposal development support systems.
Ryan White
Chemistry, Graduate Programs Lead
Dr. White's research lies at the intersection of nanoscience, electrochemistry & the biological interface. His research group develops (bio)analytical methods to probe chemical & biological systems with unprecedented spatial & temporal resolutions.
Vision Statement
The Institute for Research in Sensing (IRiS) unites disciplines at UC and beyond to design, create, and integrate the sensors of tomorrow, while deepening our fundamental understanding of how the many sensors—natural and engineered—shape life. In broadening the sphere of what can be sensed, and thereby known, IRiS is also guided by questions of what ought to be known, and how such information should be used.
Mission Statement
The Institute for Research in Sensing (IRiS) will move beyond traditional boundaries by 1) fostering interdisciplinary crosstalk on sensing research through innovative intellectual exchanges and social events, 2) transforming education on sensing across all career stages by cultivating transdisciplinary coursework and immersive training fellowships, 3) incubating avant-garde research teams to solve challenging problems in sensing via purposeful integration of science, engineering, the humanities, and the arts, and 4) enhancing public understanding of the science of sensing and the impact of sensors in daily life through community engagement and outreach.
IRiS Partner Organizations
Former Leadership Team Members
- Cassandra Jones, Africana Studies
- Peter Langland-Hassan, Philosophy
- Tamara Lorenz, Psychology
Former Industry Partners
- P&G (2021-22)