Michael Wenger

Dr. Michael Wenger is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Oklahoma's Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences. His research focuses on the intersection of cognitive psychology and cellular neurobiology, particularly examining how nutritional factors like iron deficiency impact cognition and brain health.

His work spans three primary research questions: (1) the effects of iron deficiency on cognition and brain dynamics in women, (2) perceptual learning mechanisms and their potential to mitigate biases like the 'other race effect', and (3) the combined impact of type 2 diabetes and retinopathy on facial perception. These studies integrate behavioral assessments with advanced neuroscience techniques such as EEG, MRI, and computational modeling.

The OU Visual Neuroscience Laboratory, directed by Dr. Wenger, collaborates with the Computational Neuromaging and Neuroengineering Laboratory (Dr. Lei Ding) and the Brain and Biomarker Laboratory (Dr. Lauren Ethridge). His recent publications emphasize multimodal approaches to quantify neural efficiency, cognitive workload, and perceptual biases using electrophysiological and behavioral data.

Dr. Wenger actively recruits graduate students in Cognitive Psychology and Cellular and Behavioral Neurobiology for the Fall 2025 - Spring 2026 academic cycle, emphasizing interdisciplinary research combining psychology, neuroscience, and nutritional science.