CV

Current Position

Assistant Professor, UC Berkeley

Redwood Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science, Helen Will Neuroscience Institute
2022 -

Education

The University of Texas at Austin

Ph.D., Neuroscience
2010 - 2016

University of California, Berkeley

B.A., Major: Psychology
2004 - 2007

Research Experience

Post-Doctoral Fellow

The University of Rochester
2016 - present

Graduate Research Assistant

The University of Texas at Austin
2010 - 2016

Research Assistant

The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute
2009 - 2010

Publications

Brain-like variational inference

H Vafaii
D Galor
JL Yates
arXiv preprint (accepted at NeurIPS) 2025

Event2audio: Event-based optical vibration sensing

M Cai
D Galor
APS Kohli
JL Yates
L Waller
2025 IEEE International Conference on Computational Photography (ICCP) 2025

Noise2Image: noise-enabled static scene recovery for event cameras

R Cao
D Galor
A Kohli
JL Yates
L Waller
Optica 2025

Poisson variational autoencoders

H Vafaii
D Galor
JL Yates
Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems 2024

Running modulates primate and rodent visual cortex differently

JP Liska
DP Rowley
TTK Nguyen
JO Muthmann
DA Butts
JL Yates
AC Huk
Elife 2024

Open Iris-an open source framework for video-based eye-tracking research and development

R Sadeghi
R Ressmeyer
JL Yates
J Otero-Millan
Proceedings of the 2024 symposium on eye tracking research and applications 2024

Pre-saccadic neural enhancements in marmoset area MT

SH Coop
JL Yates
JF Mitchell
Journal of Neuroscience 2024

Hierarchical VAEs provide a normative account of motion processing in the primate brain

H Vafaii
JL Yates
D Butts
Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems 2023

A dynamic sequence of visual processing initiated by gaze shifts

PRL Parker
DM Martins
ESP Leonard
NM Casey
SL Sharp
ETT Abe
EC Smear
JL Yates
JF Mitchell
CM Niell
Nature neuroscience 2023

Activity in primate visual cortex is minimally driven by spontaneous movements

BC Talluri
I Kang
A Lazere
KR Quinn
N Kaliss
JL Yates
DA Butts
H Nienborg
Nature Neuroscience 2023

Detailed characterization of neural selectivity in free viewing primates

JL Yates
SH Coop
GH Sarch
RJ Wu
DA Butts
M Rucci
JF Mitchell
Nature Communications 2023

Motion perception in the common marmoset

SL Cloherty*
JL Yates*
D Graf
GC DeAngelis
JF Mitchell
Cerebral Cortex 2020

Gaze and the control of foot placement when walking in natural terrain

JS Matthis
JL Yates
MM Hayhoe
Current Biology 2018

Functional dissection of signal and noise in MT and LIP during decision-making

JL Yates
IM Park
LN Katz
JW Pillow
AC Huk
Nature Neuroscience 2017

The role of the lateral intraparietal area in (the study of) decision making

AC Huk
LN Katz
JL Yates
Annual review of neuroscience 2017

Single-trial spike trains in parietal cortex reveal discrete steps during decision-making

KW Latimer
JL Yates
MM Meister
AC Huk
and JW Pillow
Science 2015

Continuous Psychophysics: Target-tracking to Measure Visual Sensitivity

K Bonnen
J Burge
JL Yates
JW Pillow
LK Cormack
Journal of Vision 2015

Talks

Choice probabilities and correlations in simultaneously recorded MT and LIP neurons

Yates, J.L, Katz, L. N., Park, I. M., Pillow, J. W., & Huk, A. C.
SFN
2014

Dissociated functional significance of choice-related activity across the primate dorsal stream

Yates, J. L., Katz L. K., Park, I. M., Pillow J. W., Huk A.
Cosyne
2014

Decision-related activity in neurons does not imply a causal effect on behavior

Yates, J. L., Katz L. K., Park, I. M., Pillow J. W., Huk A.
Institute for Neuroscience Symposium
invited
2014

Posters

A behavioral tracking paradigm for estimating visual sensitivity with dynamic internal models

Bonnen K., Burge J., Yates J. L., Pillow J. W., Cormack L. K.
Cosyne
2014

Precise characterization of dorsal stream neural activity during decision making

Yates J. L., Park I. M., Cormack L. K., Pillow J. W., Huk, A. C.
SFN
2013

A. C. Neuromuscular recruitment during oculomotor decision-making in human

Katz. L. N., Yates J. L., Cormack L. K., Huk
SFN
2013

A. C. Precise characterization of multiple LIP neurons in relation to stimulus and behavior

Yates J. L., Park I. M., Cormack L. K., Pillow J. W., Huk
Cosyne
2013

Psychophysical reverse correlation of motion perception

Yates, J. L., Huk A. C., Cormack L. K., Pillow J. W.
VSS
2012

Probing motion perception with spatiotemporal reverse correlation

Yates J. L., Cormack L. K., Huk A. C., Pillow J. W.
Cosyne
2012

An evoked-response polarity reversal from upper and lower visual field stimuli is insufficient to uniquely identify V1

Ales J. M., Yates J. L., Norcia A. M.
SFN
2009

Service

Graduate Student Outreach Program

UT Neuroscience and Psychology
2010 - 2014

Symposium Organizing Committee

UT Institute for Neuroscience
2011 - 2013

Symposium Chair

UT Institute for Neuroscience
2012

Graduate Student Assembly representative

UT Austin College of Natural Sciences
2010 - 2011

Honors & Awards

Professional Development Award

UT Austin College of Natural Sciences
2015

Cold Spring Harbor Labs course attendee

Neuroscience: Computational Vision
2014

Training Grant recipient

Center for Perceptual Neuroscience
2012 - 2014

Training Grant recipient

Institute for Neuroscience
2010 - 2012

Deans’s Excellence Award

UT Austin College of Natural Science
2010

Graduate School Recruitment Fellowship

UT Austin College of Natural Science
2010