On 16 July, Thomas Euler speaker of the limits2vision – iRTG is pleased to welcome Professor Wei Li, Dean of the SANS Institute for Neuroscience and Vision Research (SINVR) at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, for a lecture on the latest advances in visual neuroscience.

Professor Li’s presentation in Tübingen will provide insights into cutting-edge research at the intersection of neuroscience, metabolism, and vision. His work demonstrates how fundamental discoveries in neural circuits and physiological adaptation can inspire new approaches to understanding eye diseases and preserving visual function. His talk on „The biology of cone photoreceptors“, on Thurdsday 16 July, 4.15 p.m. , at the MV Lecture Hall (Institutes of Microbiology and Virology, Elfriede-Aulhorn-Str. 6, Tübingen) promises to be of broad interest to researchers working in neuroscience, ophthalmology, physiology, and translational medicine.

Professor Li is internationally recognized for his pioneering work on the neural mechanisms of vision. His research spans a remarkable range of topics, from retinal synapses and neural circuits to visual signal processing, retinal development, metabolism, and diseases affecting the visual system. By combining molecular, physiological, and systems-level approaches, his laboratory seeks to understand how the retina processes visual information in both healthy and diseased states.

Before joining Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Professor Li spent many years at the National Eye Institute (NEI) of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he served as Senior Investigator with tenure and Chief of the Retinal Neurobiology Section. During his distinguished career at NIH, he also held numerous leadership positions, contributing to scientific governance, research ethics, and collaborative initiatives that advanced translational biomedical research.

One of Professor Li’s most distinctive research interests lies in the biology of hibernation. Using ground squirrels as a unique experimental model, his team investigates how the visual system adapts to the profound metabolic changes that occur during hibernation. This innovative work has revealed fundamental mechanisms that link metabolism, neuronal resilience, and tissue health, opening new avenues for understanding—and ultimately treating—visual system disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.

Beyond his scientific discoveries, Professor Li is a leading figure in the international vision research community. He currently serves as Chair of the FASEB Retinal Neurobiology and Visual Processing Conference and as a Trustee of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). In recognition of his scientific leadership, he has been elected ARVO Vice President for 2027. His many honors, including ARVO Fellow status and several prestigious international awards, reflect his outstanding contributions to vision science.

We are delighted to welcome Professor Wei Li to Tübingen and look forward to an inspiring scientific exchange.

TÜBINGEN — Two researchers from limits2vision iRTG are part of an international team awarded the prestigious RPB Transformational Team Science Award, recognizing groundbreaking work at the intersection of neuroscience and vision research. The award, worth 950,000 US dollars, supports the project Eyewire II, an ambitious effort with global significance.

The Tübingen-based scientists, Prof. Dr. Thomas Euler of the Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and the Institute of Ophthalmic Research, and Prof. Dr. Philipp Berens of the Hertie Institute for AI in Brain Health, are collaborating with two U.S. colleagues on the project. Their goal: to construct the first complete wiring diagram of the mouse retina, a so-called connectome.

By combining cutting-edge imaging technologies with artificial intelligence, the team aims to map neural connections at an unprecedented level of detail. The resulting datasets will be made openly available, offering researchers worldwide new opportunities to explore how visual information is processed in the brain.

Experts consider the project a potential milestone. Insights gained from the research could fundamentally reshape understanding of visual processing and, over time, contribute to the development of new treatments for eye diseases.

The award also underscores Tübingen’s growing prominence as a center for neuroscience and artificial intelligence research.

Further information about the award and the project is available from Research to Prevent Blindness.