Class Notes

I had the great privilege to be David Knill’s colleague and friend, as well as his department chair. Dave’s passion, integrity, and collegiality showed through in all facets of his life.

Dave died in October in the prime of his career as a professor of brain and cognitive sciences and associate director of the University’s Center for Visual Science. As a scientist, he was brilliant. He had a remarkable ability to see the core issues in a scientific question, and he was incredibly successful at developing simple theories and models that could account for a broad array of phenomenology regarding human behavior. Dave will be remembered by his colleagues as a pioneer in applying the principles of Bayesian inference to problems in human perception, an approach that has transformed the field. His work leaves a legacy that will be felt for decades.

In addition to his accomplishments, I will always remember Dave for his approach to science. In an era when it is easy to get caught up in media attention, funding levels, and journal impact factors, Dave’s focus was always on conducting rigorous science with the greatest level of care. He was motivated by finding the truth, not a headline. His integrity and transparency are a model for all young scientists to emulate. Dave gave freely of his time and expertise—several of his colleagues around the world have contacted me to describe instances in which Dave went out of his way to provide them with useful feedback and suggestions.

Dave was passionate about educating students. Among his important contributions to the graduate program in brain and cognitive sciences, Dave developed a course to teach PhD students how to write grant proposals and how to navigate the grant submission process. Dave was a caring and devoted mentor to the graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in his laboratory, helping them through life challenges as well as scientific hurdles.

Perhaps most importantly, Dave always put family first. He was so proud of his sons, Ari and Josh, and he always had a big smile when talking about them. I enjoyed hearing stories about soccer games and bowling tournaments, among his sons’ many accomplishments. Dave knew how to maintain balance of work and family in his life, something to which we can all aspire.

David Knill’s time with us was far too short, but his impact will be disproportionately large upon the many people who benefitted from his personal and scientific influence.

—Greg DeAngelis

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DeAngelis is a professor of brain and cognitive sciences, biomedical engineering, and neurobiology and anatomy, and chair of the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at Rochester. The Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences has established a website for friends, students, and colleagues to share remembrances of David Knill at www.forevermissed.com/david-knill/#about.