Perception and Visual Cognition

Dr. Agostino Gibaldi of the Banks Lab is interested in extending models of sensory processing and oculo-motor behavior from laboratory settings to complex stimuli that more closely resemble real world conditions.

Using Eye Movements to Diagnose Brain Health

Inside the Lab of Dr. Jorge Otero-Millan

Tracking the Evolution of a Theory

A theory proposed 100 years ago has led to a path of inquiry and discovery that continues to engage and challenge the school’s research community.

A cartoon illustration of a woman wearing a VR headset and stretching one hand out in front of her.

Eye Tech

A growing number of Vision Science PhDs are finding scientific satisfaction in a demanding and rewarding new industry environment

Dr. Michael Silver

Michael Silver, Professor of Optometry and Vision Science and Neuroscience, in his lab on the Berkeley campus. The brains behind Dr. Silver are those of his two sons, Talyn and Gryphon. The artwork was made by his wife Jenny as lab warming gift.

Berkeley Scientists Discover Retinal Cells that Help Stabilize Our World View

The discovery will enable researchers to better understand eye movement disorders that cause significant visual impairment.

An Audacious Goal

A collaboration to cure blindness with retinal cell transplants.

Adaptive Optics

Swati Bhargava from the Roorda lab. The question that motivates the research in the Roorda lab is, "how do humans convert the two-dimensional images that land on the retina into such a rich perceptual experience?"

Colorful pop art illustration of a woman wearing smartglasses.

Smartglasses for All

Berkeley Optometry and Vision Science professor Dr. Emily Cooper has received a five-year NSF Faculty Early Career Development Grant for her project, Smartglasses for All.

Perception and Visual Cognition

Using Eye Movements to Diagnose Brain Health

Inside the Lab of Dr. Jorge Otero-Millan

Tracking the Evolution of a Theory

A theory proposed 100 years ago has led to a path of inquiry and discovery that continues to engage and challenge the school’s research community.

Eye Tech

A growing number of Vision Science PhDs are finding scientific satisfaction in a demanding and rewarding new industry environment

Dr. Michael Silver

Berkeley Scientists Discover Retinal Cells that Help Stabilize Our World View

The discovery will enable researchers to better understand eye movement disorders that cause significant visual impairment.

An Audacious Goal

A collaboration to cure blindness with retinal cell transplants.

Adaptive Optics

Smartglasses for All

Berkeley Optometry and Vision Science professor Dr. Emily Cooper has received a five-year NSF Faculty Early Career Development Grant for her project, Smartglasses for All.

Perception and Visual Cognition

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PhD Program
Opens September 2025

News

Save the Date: BAVRD 2025

April 17th, 2025

Bay Area Vision Research Day is on September 12th, register by September 5th!

Pupillary unrest is attenuated in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

April 8th, 2025

A visual psychophysics paradigm that could serve as a biomarker to improve ADHD evaluation and classification.

A novel method for quantitatively analyzing subjective reports of psychedelic visual experiences

March 27th, 2025

From the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics

Oxyopia Spring 2025 Lectures

January 22nd, 2025

Upcoming Lecture: April 21, 2025 – Johannes Burge, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania
Host: Austin Roorda

Meet Our New Dean!

February 6th, 2025

Sharon A. Bentley has been selected as the 9th dean of the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science.

Our Vision, Our Future

December 8th, 2023

A campaign initiated by the transformational $50 million gift from the Wertheim Family Foundation.

Fields of Research

Faculty

The Vision Science faculty constitute a prestigious group of educators and researchers. Click the arrow to learn more about them, including research interests, contact information and links to lab websites.

Students

About 40 graduate students are currently enrolled in the Vision Science program. Their backgrounds include degrees in psychology, biology, engineering, computer science, or optometry.

Admissions

Berkeley is the No. 1 public university in the world. Our students and faculty come from different places and backgrounds, but together we create a vibrant and dynamic community that seeks to create a better world. Join us!