Mauro Manassi

Dr. Mauro Manassi is a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Aberdeen's School of Psychology, where he has been appointed since August 2019. He leads the Manassi Laboratory, which focuses on visual perception research, and co-hosted the 46th European Conference on Visual Perception in Aberdeen in August 2024.

His educational background includes a PhD in Neuroscience from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (2014), an MSc in Clinical Psychology from the University of Padua (2009), and a BSc in Psychology of Personality and Interpersonal Relationships from the University of Padua (2006). Prior to his academic career, he completed an 18-month postdoc at UC Berkeley under Prof. David Whitney's laboratory, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation.

Manassi's research centers on how the visual system organizes cluttered environments into coherent perceptions and stabilizes our visual interpretations of the world. His laboratory investigates two key principles: Organization (studying visual crowding and ensemble perception) and Stabilization (examining serial dependence in visual perception). His work has significant implications for understanding visual perception in complex environments, including applications in medical image perception for radiology and dermatology.

His publication record shows a strong focus on serial dependence mechanisms, visual crowding phenomena, and medical image perception. The research demonstrates how our brains create stable visual experiences despite discontinuous retinal input, with findings showing that our perception integrates visual information over approximately 15 seconds. His recent work extends these principles to clinical contexts, revealing how perceptual biases affect medical diagnosis.

His scientific recognition includes the British Psychology Society Cognitive Psychology Section Award for Best Research Article of the Year (2022) and awards for hosting the European Conference on Visual Perception in 2024.

Manassi actively supervises PhD students and research assistants while serving in multiple administrative roles at Aberdeen, including Head of S.C.R.E.A.M. committee, Data Protection Champion, and member of the Ethics Committee. His research has attracted substantial media attention, with over 259,000 views on his YouTube visual illusion and viral coverage of his work on The Conversation.