2025 ViSUR Cohort

We are pleased to welcome six new students to this year’s Vision Science Undergraduate Research (ViSUR) program: Felipe Barandiaran, Michelle Lee, Charlene Li, Shruti Nemlekar, Betsy-Jane Paul-Odionhin, and Ayla Pirodan. ViSUR is an 8-week intensive summer program in which undergraduate students are given the opportunity to work in a vision science lab with a faculty advisor on a research project. In addition to a $5,000 stipend, all housing and travel expenses are coordinated and provided by UC Berkeley.

Get to know each ViSUR student by reading their profiles below!

Felipe Barandiaran

Home Institution: Johns Hopkins University
Major: Molecular and Cellular Biology

"I am passionate about clinical optometric research, specifically in the context of studying ocular surface and lid margin diseases. During my summers as an undergraduate at Johns Hopkins, I had the opportunity to work at the Clinical Research Center at UCB Optometry under the mentorship of Dr. Meng C. Lin.

In this time, I developed my research interests and went about conceptualizing and executing a clinical trial comparing the efficacy of different treatments for nocturnal lagophthalmos (NL), or incomplete closure of the eyelids during sleep.

This summer, I'll be working to complete the study by analyzing the data we've collected over the past summers and preparing the final manuscript. Through this work, we hope to better understand the factors affecting patients' satisfaction with NL treatments and the effect they have on ocular surface health."

Michelle Lee

Home Institution: University of Arizona
Major: Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, with a minor in Japanese

"This summer I will be working with Dr. Dongcheng He and Dr. Susana Chung in the SELAB to study the perceptive filling-in of speed on the physiological blind spot.

In addition to operating psychophysical experiments on subjects, using eye tracking technology, I hope to gain insight into how vision science research can improve healthcare outcomes.

My primary goal is to improve the quality of life for patients by advancing eye health care, so I am excited to explore the role research will play in my pursuit of an optometric career."

Charlene Li

Home Institution: University of Florida
Major: Health Science

"I am a rising sophomore at the University of Florida, majoring in Health Science with a pre-professional specialization. This summer, I will be working with Dr. Levi and Dr. Angela Tomaz in the Levi Lab, conducting research on amblyopia. I’m excited to learn more about this visual disorder and visual perception in the coming weeks."

Shruti Nemlekar

Home Institution: UCLA
Major: Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology

"I am an incoming fourth-year undergraduate at UCLA studying Molecular, Cell, Developmental Biology. This summer I am working in the Wildsoet Lab under the guidance of Dr. Wildsoet and Dr. Sonal Aswin Vyas. My research is focused on myopia and the effectiveness of current cutting-edge treatments.

Through my research this summer, I look forward to learning more about the incredible complexity of the eye and contributing to a broader understanding of the pressing epidemic of myopia. Moving forward, I hope to apply the knowledge and passion for vision science I’ve gained through this program to a future career in Optometry."

Betsy-Jane Paul-Odionhin

Home Institution: Williams College
Major: Biology; Neuroscience, Science & Technology Studies

"This year I will be in the Emily Cooper lab, working with Meta’s Project Nymeria Dataset Explorer. Using this publicly available dataset of recordings of first-person video, eyetracking, and body tracking of daily tasks, my research project this summer aims to conduct exploratory analysis to ask whether the range of measurements collected vary lawfully with age. At its conclusion, I hope to be proficient in not just the data set and analysis, but to have also built a toolkit that can be applied to other areas of Computational Neuroscience."

Ayla Pirodan

Home Institution: UCLA
Major: Psychobiology

"My name is Ayla Pirodan, and I am a rising fourth-year Psychobiology major at UCLA. This summer, I will be conducting research in the Wildsoet Lab under the mentorship of Dr. Chris Wildsoet and Dr. Sonal Vyas, focusing on myopia and refractive development.

Through this opportunity, I plan to deepen my understanding of vision science, particularly the mechanisms underlying the progression of myopia, through different projects. Additionally, I look forward to acquiring new skills and contributing to ongoing research and efforts to raise awareness about the importance of myopia within the community."

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