2023 Tillyer Award: Dr. Andrew B. Watson
2023 Tillyer Lecture: Friday, Oct 6, 17:00
Andrew Watson, Apple Inc.
Computational modeling of vision: Ten lessons
Computational models are the means by which we test our ideas about how vision works. They have well-defined inputs, that bear some defined relation to the light impinging on the eyes. And they have well defined quantitative outputs, that relate to human judgements. Their success can be judged by how well they predict those human judgements, by how broad the range of conditions they encompass, and possibly by how well their internals match the neurophysiology. Tangentially, they may be judged by how useful they are in practical applications. In this talk I will share a few lessons that I have learned from my adventures in modeling of human vision.
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Beau Watson has been selected as Optica's 2023 Tillyer Awardee.
Andrew Beau Watson attended Columbia University, USA and received his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, USA. He held postdoctoral positions at the University of Cambridge, UK and Stanford University, UK and was the Senior Scientist for Vision Research at NASA, USA He is currently the Chief Vision Scientist at Apple in Cupertino, California, USA.
Watson leads the application of vision science to Apple technologies, applications, devices and displays. His research focuses on computational models of early vision and their application to imaging technology. He is the author of over 100 scientific papers, and seven patents. He has 21,348 citations and an h-index of 63. In 2001, he founded the Journal of Vision, where he served as Editor-in-Chief for several years.
He has received a number of awards, including the Edgar D. Tillyer Award, the H. Julian Allen Award, the Otto Schade Award, Gilles Holst Award, and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology’s Special Recognition Award. He is a Fellow of Optica, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, and the Society for Information Display.
Optica's Edgar D. Tillyer Award is presented to an individual who has performed distinguished work in the field of vision, including (but not limited to) the optics, physiology, anatomy or psychology of the visual system. The award was established in 1953 to honor of Edgar D. Tillyer’s important contributions to the advancement of better vision and the optical sciences. It is endowed by the American Optical Company and the Chope Family Bypass Trust. The award has been presented annually since 2016.