Anna Vlasits

Anna Vlasits, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her research focuses on understanding retinal neural circuits in health and disease, particularly how retinal neurons process visual information and how this is altered in neurodevelopmental disorders like Fragile X syndrome. She directs the Vlasits Lab, which employs advanced microscopy and computational methods to study retinal function. Her work has received awards from the Knights Templar Eye Foundation, L’Oréal/UNESCO, and the Grass Foundation.

• Education: PhD in Neuroscience from UC Berkeley (2012)
• Postdoctoral research at University of Tübingen (Germany) and Northwestern University

Research interests include motion and color processing in retinal neurons, synaptic interactions, and retinal dysfunction in neurodevelopmental disorders. Recent studies explore GABAergic modulation of chromatic processing and retinal abnormalities in Fragile X syndrome mouse models.

Awards: Knights Templar Eye Foundation Award, L’Oréal/UNESCO Prize for Women in Science, Grass Foundation Award

Lab activities include hiring postdoctoral researchers and developing novel imaging techniques for deep-tissue neural recording. Collaborations involve advanced optical tools and interdisciplinary neuroscience approaches.