Simona Buetti

Simona Buetti is a Research Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Illinois. She holds a PhD from the University of Geneva (Switzerland) and serves as a Faculty Fellow at the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning. Her research focuses on visual attention, employing methodologies such as behavioral psychophysics, eye-tracking, and computational modeling. Her work aims to understand how attention guides visual processing, particularly in complex scenes.

Dr. Buetti has received prestigious awards including the 2019 NSF Grant (as PI) for developing the TCAS Toolbox, the 2016 BRIDGE Grant, and the 2014 NARSAD Young Investigator Grant. She teaches courses like Psyc230 (Perception and Sensory Processes) and Psyc396 (The Attentive Mind), integrating global educational practices through programs like the Engineering Research Summer School.

Her research explores topics such as color-feature guidance in visual search, parallel processing dynamics, and the interplay between emotion and attention. Collaborations span institutions worldwide, with notable studies on online eye-tracking validation and reconciling emotional effects on memory. She leads the VisionLab, advancing tools and theories in visual cognition.