Draft:Richard van Wezel

Richard van Wezel
Born	Richard J.A. van Wezel 1968
Alma mater	Utrecht University
Scientific career
Fields	Neurotechnology Neurophysiology Perception and Cognition
Institutions	Donders Institute One Planet research center
Thesis	Visual motion processing: Single cell recordings in cat area 17 and human psychophysics  (1996)
Doctoral advisor	Ir. W.A. van de Grind and M.J.M. Lankheet
Website	https://www.ru.nl/en/people/wezel-r-van

Richard J.A. van Wezel

Richard van Wezel is a full professor in Visual Neuroscience at the Donders Institute of the Radboud University and in Neurophysiology at the University of Twente. Additionally, he is Director Health at OnePlanet Research Center. His lab investigates how electrical activity at the neuron level leads to visual perception and cognition. The discoveries are applied to clinical settings, particularly targeting individuals with Parkinson's Disease and visual impairments.

In his career, Richard van Wezel has focused on a broad spectrum of neuroscience topics, progressing from single-cell biophysical models to addressing human and animal psychophysics. Van Wezel's work illustrates the significance of incorporating patient feedback into research, a principle he has applied particularly in studies related to movement disorders.

Education

Richard van Wezel completed his undergraduate education in medical biology and his master's in medical biology at Utrecht University between 1986 and 1991. During this time, he undertook an internship focused on retinal measurements to study light adaptation mechanisms in the eye. Following his master’s, he pursued a PhD at the same university from 1991 to 1996, focusing on visual motion processing. His research involved recording from the visual cortex to understand how it interprets motion detected by the eye.

Career and Research

After completing his PhD, Richard van Wezel pursued postdoctoral research in the USA, spending three years exploring motion processing. Working at the Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, he conducted studies on single-cell neurophysiological recordings and micro-stimulation in monkeys, guided by Prof. Dr. K. Britten. In 1998, their collaboration resulted in a publication that explored the role of the medial superior temporal area (MST) of the monkey visual cortex in interpreting optic flow - the pattern of visual motion experienced as we navigate through an environment. This pattern helps humans estimate their direction of movement. Their research demonstrated that activating MST neurons in monkeys affects their ability to discern their movement direction, providing significant evidence of MST's crucial involvement in heading perception from optic flow. Subsequently, he secured a second postdoctoral position at Utrecht University, collaborating with Dr. M.J.M. Lankheet to further his research in motion processing.

Following his postdoctoral work, Richard van Wezel continued as a Researcher on the neurophysiology of visual motion processing in the Faculty of Biology at Utrecht University from 2001 until 2004.

In 2004, he acquired the position of Associate Professor in Functional Neurobiology until 2009, and subsequently in the Division of Pharmacology from 2009 to 2011, both at Utrecht University. In 2011, he transitioned to the role of Associate Professor in Biophysics at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour. His career progression led him to become a Full Professor in "Neurophysiology" at Twente University, Enschede, Netherlands, since 2008, and a Full Professor in Visual Neuroscience at Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands, since 2014.

Administrative positions

Additionally, his administrative contributions include serving as Director of the Donders Center for Neuroscience and member of the board of directors at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour from 2014 until 2018 and as the Vice Dean of Science at the Faculty of Science, Radboud University, from 2018 to 2023.

In 2024, Richard van Wezel took on the role of Director Health at the OnePlanet Research Center. This is a collaborative hub that focuses on innovative uses of microchip technology across various fields such as health, nutrition, and agriculture, emphasizing sustainable and practical solutions for future challenges.

Collaborations

Van Wezel's international collaborations have also been instrumental in his career. In 2008, he was appointed as an Honorary Research Fellow at the Cognitive Neuroimaging Lab, University of Birmingham, UK, under the mentorship of Prof. Dr. Kourtzi. Later, in 2013, he served as a visiting scientist at the University of Barcelona, ICREAS, in Spain, and in 2023 at the University Miguel Hernandez in Elche, further expanding his research horizons.

Subsequent to these roles, Van Wezel extended his work beyond the academic arena. From 2021, he has served as an elected member of the Netherlands Academy of Technology and Innovation (AcTI), where he has contributed his expertise to technological advancements. Additionally, since 2019, he has been a key figure of NeurolabNL, part of the NWO-NWA route. Furthermore, in 2017, he co-founded NeuroTech-NL, a platform aimed at fostering collaboration and innovation within the field of neurotechnology, and he has co-chaired it since.

Public engagement

Richard van Wezel has actively engaged in public outreach, sharing his expertise on visual neuroscience through various platforms. In 2018, he delivered an alumni lecture titled "Science that changes the world" at Radboud University, focusing on the development of a visual prosthesis for the blind. The following year, he contributed to a KnowledgeCafé event, addressing the increasing prevalence of myopia among young people due to screen exposure and exploring futuristic solutions like brain chips for vision restoration. Additionally, in 2022, he appeared on an episode of NPO: Prikkels, discussing the deceptive nature of visual perception and the brain's role in constructing our visual reality.

Teaching

As a Full Professor in Visual Neuroscience at Radboud University, Richard van Wezel's teaching portfolio encompasses a range of courses including Systems Neuroscience, Brain and Behaviour, Methods in Neuroscience, Neural Basis of Cognition and Perception, Neurobiophysics, and The Future of Health.

Grants & Fellowships

Richard van Wezel has received grants to carry out several research projects focusing on innovative applications of neurotechnology. In 2018, he contributed to the NESTOR project, funded by TTW/NWO, which explored neuronal stimulation techniques for the recovery of visual function. In 2019, he participated in the PROMPT project, which focused on developing wearable technologies specifically tailored for Parkinson's patients. In 2020, he contributed to the INTENSE project, funded by NWO-Crossover, which aimed to develop innovative neurotechnology for societal benefit. Additionally, he was involved in the PROHEALTH project in 2020, supported by EFRO, which focused on the development of wearable sensors for monitoring orthostatic hypotension. Furthermore, in 2023, he led the Interreg Parkinson vibrating socks project, aiming to explore novel approaches for managing symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

Representative Publications

• Cockx, Helena; Oostenveld, Robert; Tabor, Merel; Savenco, Ecaterina; van Setten, Arne; Cameron, Ian; van Wezel, Richard (2023). "fNIRS is sensitive to leg activity in the primary motor cortex after systemic artifact correction". NeuroImage. 269: 119880. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.119880. ISSN 1053-8119. PMID 36693595.

• Klop, Marjolein; de Heus, Rianne A. A.; Maier, Andrea B.; van Alphen, Anne; Floor-Westerdijk, Marianne J.; Bronkhorst, Mathijs; Melis, René J. F.; Meskers, Carel G. M.; Claassen, Jurgen A. H. R.; van Wezel, Richard J. A. (2023-08-01). "Capturing postural blood pressure dynamics with near-infrared spectroscopy-measured cerebral oxygenation". GeroScience. 45 (4): 2643–2657. doi:10.1007/s11357-023-00791-9. ISSN 2509-2723. PMC 10651596. PMID 37041313.

• Ottink, Loes; Buimer, Hendrik; van Raalte, Bram; Doeller, Christian F.; van der Geest, Thea M.; van Wezel, Richard J.A. (2022). "Cognitive map formation supported by auditory, haptic, and multimodal information in persons with blindness". Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. 140: 104797. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104797. ISSN 0149-7634. PMID 35902045.

• Kogo, Naoki; Kern, Felix B.; Nowotny, Thomas; Ee, Raymond van; Wezel, Richard van; Aihara, Takeshi (2021-02-10). "Dynamics of a Mutual Inhibition Circuit between Pyramidal Neurons Compared to Human Perceptual Competition". Journal of Neuroscience. 41 (6): 1251–1264. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2503-20.2020. ISSN 0270-6474. PMC 7888225. PMID 33443089.

• de Ruyter van Steveninck, Jaap; van Gestel, Tom; Koenders, Paula; van der Ham, Guus; Vereecken, Floris; Güçlü, Umut; van Gerven, Marcel; Güçlütürk, Yağmur; van Wezel, Richard (2022-02-01). "Real-world indoor mobility with simulated prosthetic vision: The benefits and feasibility of contour-based scene simplification at different phosphene resolutions". Journal of Vision. 22 (2): 1. doi:10.1167/jov.22.2.1. ISSN 1534-7362. PMC 8819280. PMID 35103758.