Hi, I'm Michael Skuhersky. I run a lab focused on recording and simulating complete neural circuitry at Episteme, a new research institute. My goal is to develop scalable methods for understanding and reproducing the biophysical dynamics of neurons - combining modern imaging, computation, and machine learning to model nervous systems in full detail. I completed my PhD in Neuroscience at MIT in 2024, advised by Ed Boyden and Max Tegmark.
In the near term, Iβm motivated by applications to neuroscience and medicine - understanding neurodegeneration, improving brain function, and building better models of cognition. Ultimately I look toward more radical implications: human whole brain emulation, digital continuity of mind, and forms of existence beyond the biological substrate.
My current work spans two fronts: first, the construction of interpretable and biophysically realistic simulations of the C. elegans whole-nervous system, by integrating calcium imaging and ML techniques to extract neuronal properties directly from living systems. The second involves advancing neural recording technologies such as light-sheet microscopy, advanced fluorescent indicators, high-throughput behavioral assays, and real-time image-processing pipelines. I also investigate some serendipitous applications of the methods I develop.
My background spans physics, chemistry, and engineering. I am an advisor and was a founding employee of Atomic Semi, a semiconductor company, and I advise early-stage startups in the biotech and education spaces. At the MIT Center for Bits and Atoms, I worked on protein engineering, rapid fabrication techniques, and spatial computing architectures. Around this time I also founded a low-cost soft materials prosthetics startup. At MITβs Laboratory for Nuclear Science, I simulated neutron activation and modeled neutrino-electron scattering. Earlier, at UCLA, I worked on meson mass range analysis.
Outside the lab, I spend time fixing up my off-grid mountaintop farm, working with my hands, spending time with animals, making synthpop music, and DJing.