Karl R. Gegenfurtner

Karl R. Gegenfurtner is a Professor of General Psychology at the Department of Psychology, Justus Liebig University Giessen. His research focuses on information processing in the visual system, particularly the interplay between low-level sensory processes, high-level visual cognition, and sensorimotor integration. He investigates how complex scenes are perceived, represented in the brain, and used to drive motor systems, with a specialization in color perception, material property recognition, and eye movement dynamics.

• Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology, New York University (1990)
• Diploma in Psychology, University of Regensburg (1986)
• Habilitation in Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Tübingen (1998)

His work bridges visual neuroscience with computational modeling, examining color categorization in neural networks, cortical mechanisms of color vision, and dynamic recalibration of visual perception during eye movements. Recent projects include Color 3.0: An object-oriented approach to color (ERC Advanced Grant) and Dynamics in Vision and Touch (Marie Curie Actions). Publications highlight advancements in understanding saccadic suppression, predictive eye movements, and chromatic adaptation timelines.

Scientific awards include the Wilhelm Wundt Medal (2016), Rank Prize Funds Lecture (2014), and ERC Advanced Grant (2020–2025). He has served on editorial boards of Journal of Vision, Vision Research, and Perception, and led initiatives like the Neuroscientific Workflow Assistance (NOWA) project. Collaborations span institutions in Germany, the U.S., Australia, and the U.K., with a focus on perception-action loops and neural mechanisms underlying visual stability.