معرفی
Dr. Tessa Dekker is an Associate Professor in Experimental Psychology at University College London, leading the Child Vision Lab within the Institute of Ophthalmology. Her research focuses on developmental neuroscience, integrating cognitive psychology, neurosciences, and ophthalmology to study visual development and neurological adaptations in childhood. She has held prestigious fellowships including the ESRC Future Leaders Fellowship and the Moorfields Career Development Award.
Education & Professional Background:
- PhD in Experimental Psychology (Marie Curie Centre of Excellence Grant funded) at Birkbeck, University of London (supervised by Prof. Marty Sereno, Prof. Denis Mareschal, and Prof. Mark Johnson).
- Postdoctoral research at UCL Institute of Ophthalmology with Dr. Marko Nardini, studying multisensory integration in child development.
- ESRC Future Leaders Fellowship (2016) investigating risk perception in visually guided actions.
Research Interests: Dr. Dekker’s work explores visual development, neurological adaptations in children with eye diseases, and the interplay between vision and mental well-being. Key areas include:
- Visual crowding and acuity development
- Cortical plasticity in sensory deprivation
- Gene therapy outcomes in retinal disorders
- Child-friendly vision assessment tools
- Vision-related mental health impacts
Scientific Awards:
- ESRC Future Leaders Fellowship (2016)
- Moorfields Career Development Award (2018)
Grants & Collaborations: Her work is supported by grants from the ESRC, Wellcome Trust, and UCL. She collaborates with Moorfields Eye Hospital and leads the interdisciplinary Child Vision Lab (https://childvisionlab.co.uk/), advancing translational research in pediatric ophthalmology and neurodevelopment.
Labs & Teams: The Child Vision Lab combines computational modeling, neuroimaging, and clinical studies to address vision-related challenges in children. Current projects include developing child-friendly testing tools and investigating cortical adaptations in inherited retinal diseases.
