Benjamin Wolfe

Dr. Benjamin Wolfe is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto Mississauga in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences. He co-directs the APPLY Lab (Applied Perception and Psychophysics Laboratory), focusing on use-inspired research at the intersection of vision science and real-world problems. His work bridges visual psychophysics and human factors, particularly examining driver behavior and digital readability. He is affiliated with the PsychEng program, Data Sciences Institute, Mobility Network at University of Toronto, and the Centre for Vision Research at York University.

Education:

• B.A., Boston University
• Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley (2015)

Dr. Wolfe's research explores visual perception, attention, and eye movements in dynamic environments like driving. His lab investigates how drivers acquire visual information, the impact of distractions on hazard detection, and the role of typography in digital readability. Key projects include understanding the low-prevalence effect in road safety and optimizing eye-tracking paradigms for real-world applications.

Recent publications highlight trends in driver behavior, typography effects on reading efficiency, and peripheral vision's role in multitasking. His work is supported by NSERC, the Connaught Fund, Adobe, SSHRC, and Transport Canada.

Scientific Awards:

• NSERC Discovery Grant
• Connaught Fund New Researcher Grant
• Adobe Awards
• SSHRC Insight Grant
• Transport Canada ERSTPP funding

Dr. Wolfe supervises graduate students including Zainab Haseeb (studying font impacts on readability) and Silvia Guidi (variable font research). His lab collaborates with Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at University of Toronto and the Human Factors and Applied Statistics Lab.