Bioelectronics and Neuroscience (BENS)

Welcome

Message from the Director

The Bioelectronics and Neuroscience (BENS) Research Programme is an interdisciplinary research concentration in the MARCS Institute for Brain and Behaviour at the University of Western Sydney with members drawn from the School of Computing, Engineering & Mathematics and the School of Medicine. BENS’ research includes the following areas:

• Reverse engineering the brain
  The brain creates a coherent interpretation of the external world based on input from its senses. Yet data from the senses are unreliable and confused. How does the brain determine what is out there in the world around it? BENS will conduct neurophysiological and psychophysical investigations combined with theoretical, computational and electronic modelling studies to discover how the brain achieves this. The outcomes of this research will then be applied to create electronics sensors with built in brains.
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• Neuromorphic Engineering and Intelligent Sensors
  Neuromorphic Engineering is a subfield of Electrical Engineering that aims to apply knowledge of how signals are processed in the brain to build electronic signal processing systems that vastly outperform current digital signal processing systems. Current ‘smart’ sensors are generally sensors with a built-in computer. What BENS aims to develop are smart sensors with a built-in brain.

One of the most satisfying aspects of doing research at BENS is the interdisciplinary nature of our research and staff. We are currently looking for several postgraduate students. Send us an email if you are interested.