Frederick A. A. Kingdom is a Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at McGill University's Faculty of Medicine, focusing on Perception, Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience . His research explores the interplay between early visual feature detection (edges, bars) and intermediate stages forming contours, textures, and surfaces through spatial vision, color vision, stereopsis, texture perception, brightness/lightness perception, and transparency studies . Email: fred.kingdom@mcgill.ca Key research domains include: Perceptual Mechanisms : Lateral inhibition, contrast normalization, spatial bandpass filters, and their role in brightness/lightness perception and illusions like simultaneous brightness contrast. Color Vision : Red-green vs blue-yellow system distribution, chromatic contrast requirements for stereopsis, color-based depth processing limitations, and color-shading effects that parse surfaces vs illumination. Texture Analysis : Detection thresholds for orientation/frequency/contrast modulated textures, co-circularity in texture perception, and texture statistical sensitivity (e.g., kurtosis importance). Shape Processing : Shape-frequency/shape-amplitude aftereffects, global vs local shape coding, and contour inflection adaptation. His work combines psychophysics , fMRI , image processing , and computational modeling to dissect visual system architecture, particularly how color and luminance signals are integrated/separated in early cortical processing.
Eric Rentschler is the Arthur Kingsley Porter Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures at Harvard University, affiliated with the Film and Visual Studies Program. He holds a PhD from the University of Washington with academic training in German literature, history, and European intellectual history across Stuttgart, Bonn, and Prague. A leading scholar in German cinema and cultural studies, his work spans from Weimar-era films to contemporary German cinema, focusing on historical memory, political representation, and transnational cultural exchanges. Director of Harvard’s annual Berlin Film Program (coordinated with Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin) Editor of New German Critique and co-director of the German Film Institute Recipient of major grants including Guggenheim, Humboldt, ACLS, DAAD, and Fulbright fellowships His research integrates film theory with historical analysis, examining cinematic representations of Nazism’s legacy, post-wall German society, and transnational art movements. Notable publications include The Ministry of Illusion: Nazi Cinema and Its Afterlife (Harvard UP, 1996) and The Use and Abuse of Cinema: German Legacies from the Weimar Era to the Present (Columbia UP, 2015). Current projects explore German cinema during Helmut Kohl’s chancellorship. Award-winning educator, Rentschler has received Harvard’s Levenson Teaching Prize (2001) and Cabot Fellowship (2003). He organizes the monthly Film and Visual Studies Colloquium, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue between scholars and filmmakers.
Steven M. LaValle is a Professor at the University of Oulu's Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering since 2018. Previously, he held tenured positions at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and was a Principal Scientist at Oculus VR. His research spans robotics, motion planning (notably pioneering RRT algorithms), virtual reality, and sensor fusion. He has authored influential textbooks like Planning Algorithms and Virtual Reality . Education: PhD (1995), MS (1993), and BS (1990) in Electrical Engineering from UIUC. Research Interests: Focuses on minimal information requirements for robots, perception engineering, and foundational VR/AR systems. His work integrates control theory, computational geometry, and human perception. Achievements: Recipient of the IEEE ICRA Milestone Award (2019), University Scholar (UIUC, 2012), and XTIC Award 2024 for Innovation. Leads the Perception Engineering Group at Oulu, advancing VR/AR and telepresence technologies. Grants & Industry: ERC Advanced Grant (2021–2026), former VP of Huawei's VR/AR division, and collaborator with institutions like IIT Madras. Advises startups in robotics and virtual reality.
Sunny Stalter-Pace serves as the Hargis Professor of American Literature in Auburn University's College of Liberal Arts, English Department. A specialist in modernist performance, literature, and urban space, she authored Imitation Artist: Gertrude Hoffmann's Life in Vaudeville and Dance (2020) and is currently completing a cultural history of the New York Hippodrome. Her work bridges academic research with public engagement through blogs, interviews, and collaborations with institutions like the Library of Congress. Her educational foundation includes: Ph.D. in English, Rutgers University (2007) M.A. in English, Rutgers University (2003) B.A. in English and French, Loyola University Chicago (1997), magna cum laude Stalter-Pace's research interrogates intersections of mobility, gender, and performance in 20th-century American culture. She examines how vaudeville, subway systems, and theatrical spectacles shaped public identity, with particular attention to women's experiences and spatial politics. Her methodology combines literary analysis, archival research, and visual studies to reveal how imitation and movement function as cultural forces. Current projects explore aquatic performances at the New York Hippodrome and the legacy of vaudeville producer Gertrude Hoffmann. Her 15 most recent publications demonstrate an evolving trajectory from subway systems ( Underground Movements , 2013) toward aquatic spectacles and vaudeville legacies, consistently centered on New York City's infrastructure. This body of work establishes mobility studies as a critical lens for understanding modernism, revealing how transportation networks and performance venues structured social interactions. Her interdisciplinary approach connects theater history, gender studies, and urban theory to uncover marginalized narratives in American cultural production. Key recognitions include: Harry Ransom Center Fellowship (2020) New York Public Library Short-Term Research Fellowship (2020) Alabama Humanities Foundation Grant (2014) College of Liberal Arts Excellence in Teaching Award nomination (2011) Multiple research fellowships from 2003-2017 Stalter-Pace has secured substantial funding for archival research through fellowships from the NEH, MLA, and university grants. She serves on Biographer’s International Organization's program committee and curated the 'Common Grounds' exhibition at Auburn's Jule Collins Smith Museum. Her teaching innovations include the first-year seminar 'Thinking Through the Arts' and courses on contemporary drama that integrate Hamilton into American literature pedagogy. As Book Review Editor for Transfers: Interdisciplinary Journal of Mobility Studies , she shaped scholarly discourse in mobility studies. Through her Hippodrome research blog and collaborations with the New York Public Library, Stalter-Pace transforms specialized scholarship into accessible public history. Her Library of Congress presentation on Albertina Rasch and the Hippodrome exemplifies her commitment to bridging academic research with community engagement, while ongoing interviews and blog posts extend her work beyond traditional academic boundaries.
Patrick Sturt is a Reader in Psychology at the University of Edinburgh's School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences. His research focuses on syntactic processing in language comprehension, computational models of incremental parsing, anaphor resolution, and eye movements in reading. With over 100 publications and more than 3,300 citations, he is a recognized expert in psycholinguistics and language processing. Dr. Sturt's research interests span multiple areas of language processing. He investigates how humans comprehend sentences in real-time, with particular focus on syntactic structures, agreement phenomena, and anaphoric reference. His work often employs eye-tracking methodologies to examine the moment-by-moment processing of linguistic information. He has made significant contributions to understanding how readers handle syntactic ambiguities, garden-path sentences, and the role of prediction in language comprehension. His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on cross-linguistic studies, particularly examining language processing in Mandarin Chinese and Korean. Many of his studies investigate how syntactic and semantic information interact during comprehension, and how linguistic structures like honorifics, classifiers, and non-canonical word orders are processed. His work bridges theoretical linguistics with experimental psycholinguistics, providing empirical evidence for models of sentence processing. Dr. Sturt actively supervises PhD students including Carine Abraham, Wenjia Cai, Chiuchou Hao, Ruomeng Zhu, and Christy Gu. He teaches Psychology of Language 1 and 2 at the MSc level, as well as Data Analysis for Psychology in R for first-year undergraduates. His teaching reflects his research expertise, providing students with both theoretical knowledge and practical analytical skills. Based in Room G29 of the Psychology Building at 7 George Square, Edinburgh, Dr. Sturt maintains regular office hours on Tuesdays from 3-4pm, providing accessibility to students and colleagues. His email address is patrick.sturt@ed.ac.uk.
Professor Anna Marie Munster is a distinguished academic and artist at UNSW Art and Design (College of Fine Arts), where she has held a full-time tenured position since 2001. Her work bridges theoretical scholarship with creative practice, establishing her as a leading figure in digital media art and critical theory. University: University of New South Wales School: College of Fine Arts (UNSW Art and Design) Position: Professor Qualifications: PhD from UNSW (2002), BA (Class 1 Hons with University Medal) from University of Sydney (1984) Professor Munster's research explores the intersections of art, technology, and philosophy, with particular focus on statistical visuality, radical empiricism, the politics and aesthetics of machine learning, and more-than-human perception. Her work integrates process philosophy with contemporary media practices, examining how time, movement, and sonicity shape our experience of digital environments. She approaches these topics through both theoretical scholarship and creative practice, often collaborating with artist Michele Barker on multi-channel audiovisual installations. Her publications reveal a consistent trajectory exploring the relationship between embodiment and digital media, with recent work focusing on AI and machine learning in cultural contexts. Munster's creative output demonstrates sophisticated integration of technical innovation with philosophical inquiry, particularly in how her installations challenge conventional perceptions of time and space. ARC, UNSW Student Council Award for Excellence in Postgraduate Supervision (2017) Dean's Award for Excellence in Postgraduate Supervision (2015) Highly commended for Materializing New Media at Prix Ars Electronica (2008) Winner of National Digital Art Awards 'The Harries' (2006) University Press of New England Publishing Award (2005) Professor Munster has completed over 20 PhD and Masters supervisions at UNSW and been involved in another 10 secondary supervisions. She currently supervises five PhD candidates working on diverse topics including coding materialities, critical bio-textiles, schizophrenia and XR technologies, sound and resonance, and affective drawing. Her ARC-funded research projects demonstrate sustained commitment to interdisciplinary work, particularly at the intersection of art, science, and technology. Her creative practice with Michele Barker has resulted in numerous commissioned installations exploring perception, embodiment, and the relationship between humans and technology.
Nicolas Davidenko is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). He leads the High Level Perception Lab, focusing on behavioral and computational studies of human perception, particularly face recognition, spatial orientation, and visual ambiguity. His work emphasizes 'top-down' processes like attention and expectations. Davidenko holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from Stanford University (2006), an M.S. in Statistics from Stanford (2004), and an A.B. in Mathematics from Harvard (1998). His research explores how humans perceive and interpret complex visual information, including studies on illusions, virtual reality, and misophonia. He has developed parametric models of faces to study memory encoding and drawing accuracy. Notable achievements include a Top-10 Finalist placement in the 2015 Best Illusion of the Year Contest for his 'Mind-controlled motion' research. He teaches courses such as PSYC 121 (Perception), PSYC 139K (Face Recognition), and advanced cognitive research seminars. Davidenko also runs the CSASS Matlab Workshops, training researchers in statistical tools. His lab includes graduate students and postdocs, with alumni like Jennifer Day (Ph.D. ’19) and Pat Samermit (Ph.D. ’18). Recent projects include investigations into vection in VR environments, cross-sensory modulation of aversive sounds, and time perception in virtual reality. His work bridges cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and computational modeling, contributing to understanding how perception shapes human interaction with the environment.
Prof. Koert van Ittersum is a Professor of Marketing and Consumer Well-Being at the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Groningen (since 2013). He holds a PhD from Wageningen University (2001) and previously worked at the University of Illinois and Georgia Institute of Technology. His research focuses on consumer behavior, particularly linking marketing strategies to consumer well-being through healthier and sustainable diets. Key collaborations include the Centre for Public Health in Economics and Business and the Aletta Jacobs School of Public Health (RUG). Research interests center on consumer psychology, health, sustainability, and spending behaviors. Notable projects involve interventions with Dutch retailers to reduce food waste via transparency tools and studying decision-making dynamics in grocery shopping. Recent work explores self-control mechanisms, pride/guilt effects, and health-promoting digital interventions. Publications span journals like Journal of Consumer Research , Annals of Internal Medicine , and Preventive Medicine , addressing topics from food waste to mHealth adoption. His work bridges academic research with real-world applications in public health and retail strategy.
Deanne L. Westerman is a Professor and Cognitive Area Coordinator in the Department of Psychology at Binghamton University. Her research focuses on human memory processes, particularly recognition memory, familiarity, and attributional factors influencing memory decisions. She holds a PhD and MA from Case Western Reserve University and a BS from John Carroll University. Her work explores how perceptual and conceptual fluency impact memory judgments, with recent studies examining effects of photos/screenshots on memory impairment and emotional image processing. She has received the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching (2002-2023). Currently accepting graduate students for Fall 2024. Key research areas: Recognition memory, metamemory, cognitive bias, and memory illusions. Methodological expertise includes experimental design, memory paradigms, and cognitive neuroscience techniques.
Gabriel P. Weisberg is a distinguished Professor of Art History at the University of Minnesota, specializing in 19th and Early 20th Century European Art with particular expertise in graphic art, design history, and visual culture from 1780-1920. His career spans over forty years, during which he has curated major international exhibitions, published extensively, and mentored numerous PhD students who have gone on to academic positions. Professor Weisberg's research focuses primarily on Art Nouveau, Japonisme (Japanese influence on Western art), Naturalist painting, and the intersection of photography and painting. His scholarly work has significantly contributed to the reappraisal of late 19th century art historical issues, particularly through his examination of artists like Jules Adler, Albert Besnard, and Art Nouveau figures. His recent work includes major exhibitions such as 'Illusions of Reality: Naturalist Painting, Photography and Cinema, 1875-1918' and 'The Orient Expressed: Japanese Influence on Western Art, 1854-1918.' His publications reveal consistent engagement with Japonisme, Art Nouveau, and Naturalist painting across decades. The trend shows deepening specialization in Japanese influence on Western art, with numerous publications on Japonisme from 2014-2021, including serving as managing editor of the Journal of Japonisme. His work bridges art historical scholarship with museum practice through major exhibition catalogues. Member of the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton) Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship Senior Fellowship at CASVA (National Gallery of Art) Regents Professor, National Museum of American Art Van Gogh Museum and University of Amsterdam Visiting Fellow (2010) Professor Weisberg has mentored numerous PhD students who have contributed to exhibition catalogues and scholarly publications. His research has been supported by major institutions including the Van Gogh Museum, Smithsonian Institution, and National Gallery of Art. He has organized international symposia and study programs, including a notable two-week course in Dutch museums for University of Minnesota students. As Reviews Editor for Nineteenth Century Art Worldwide and co-founder of the Journal of Japonisme, he continues to shape scholarly discourse in his fields of expertise.
Johan Eriksson is an Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer at Uppsala University's Department of Art History, serving as Head of Department and Program Manager for the Master's Program in Digital Art Studies. His work integrates traditional art historical scholarship with cutting-edge digital methodologies, focusing on cultural heritage reconstruction and virtual museum development. His research spans digital art history , visual communication , and Renaissance studies , with specialized expertise in Italian and Japanese art traditions. Eriksson pioneers digital pedagogy through projects like The Digital Seminar 2.0 , examining how virtual reconstructions of historical sites (e.g., Royal Palace Stockholm) transform art historical methodology and public engagement with cultural heritage. His scholarship reveals strong interdisciplinary connections between art history, computer science, and urban studies. Eriksson's publication trends demonstrate consistent focus on virtual museum development as both research tool and preservation strategy, with growing emphasis on cross-cultural exchange (particularly Sweden-Japan collaborations) and sustainable heritage tourism. His work bridges technical innovation with deep art historical analysis, notably in reconstructing historical display contexts and examining visual rhetoric in Renaissance courts. No scientific awards are documented in the provided materials. As Program Manager for the Master's Program in Digital Art Studies and Chair of JSPS SAC, Eriksson actively mentors graduate students while securing research funding for major projects including The Virtual Museum and Visual Communication in Early Modern Japan . His grant portfolio reflects strong institutional support for digital humanities initiatives at Uppsala University. Through leadership of JSPS SAC and project teams like Renaissance Rooms , Eriksson coordinates international research networks focused on digital reconstruction methodologies. His current initiatives emphasize collaborative development of virtual environments that integrate art historical research with immersive technologies for both scholarly and public applications.
Hasti Seifi is an Affiliated Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Science (DIKU), University of Copenhagen, specializing in Human-Centred Computing. Her research focuses on haptics, augmented reality, and human-robot interaction. Institution: University of Copenhagen Department: Department of Computer Science Section: Human-Centred Computing Research interests include: Designing innovative haptic feedback systems Exploring tactile experiences in augmented reality Developing human-robot interaction frameworks Creating generative models for haptic design Investigating social touch technologies Advancing mid-air and ultrasound haptic interfaces Recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on: Generative haptic modeling for AR/XR systems Human-robot interaction dynamics Text input in extended reality environments Visual-haptic multisensory integration Ultrasound mid-air haptic design tools Social touch technologies
Laurie Wilcox is a Full Professor in the Department of Biology at York University, affiliated with the Faculty of Science. Her research focuses on stereopsis, binocular vision, and depth perception, particularly exploring how the visual system processes binocular disparity signals. She leads a laboratory investigating cortical systems for fine and coarse disparities, with studies on amblyopia and applied collaborations with companies like Christie Digital and IMAX. Her work bridges basic neuroscience and applied research, addressing depth perception in 2D/3D displays and VR environments. Key interests include stereoscopic volume representation, perceptual grouping, and the impact of monovision on depth judgments. Recent studies examine lightness constancy in virtual reality, depth magnitude errors in 3D displays, and neural activation patterns in object-selective visual cortex. Wilcox has published extensively on binocular vision mechanisms, including coarse stereopsis in strabismus patients and the role of motion parallax in depth perception. Her applied projects evaluate visual fidelity in stereoscopic content, compression algorithms, and ergonomic considerations for XR devices. She also investigates how environmental context (e.g., familiar size, natural scenes) modulates depth perception accuracy across real and virtual environments. Her research emphasizes translational applications, aiming to optimize display technologies through insights from human visual processing. Ongoing work explores perceptual integration of binocular and monocular cues, attention modulation by depth, and the neurophysiological underpinnings of stereoscopic vision.
Francesco Casetti is the Sterling Professor of Humanities and Film and Media Studies at Yale University, affiliated with the Yale School of Architecture. His academic journey spans teaching at institutions like the University of Genova, Harvard, and the University of Iowa. Casetti specializes in semiotics, film and media theories, post-cinema, and the interplay between media and spatial environments. His research explores the evolution of cinematic experience in modernity, audience negotiations, and the relocation of media in technological spaces. Notable works include Eye of the Century (2008) and The Lumière Galaxy (2015), which analyze cinema’s role in cultural and technological shifts. He co-founded the Permanent Seminar on Histories of Film Theories, fostering international scholarship in media studies. Casetti’s contributions extend to editorial roles in academic journals and prestigious fellowships at institutions like Bauhaus University Weimar. His current research investigates historical media anxieties and optical-spatial arrangements. Education: Taught at multiple Italian and international universities without explicit degree details provided. Research focuses on semiotic analysis, ethnographic audience studies, and media ecology. Awards include accolades for his books but specific prizes are not named. Grants and advisory roles are tied to his academic leadership and editorial activities. Labs/teams affiliation includes the Permanent Seminar and collaborations with global media scholars.
Virginia de Sa is a Professor in the Department of Cognitive Science at the University of California, San Diego. Her research integrates computational modeling, psychophysics, and machine learning to investigate visual and multi-sensory perception, with a focus on understanding how humans learn and perceive through neural mechanisms. Her work emphasizes the synergy between human learning and machine learning, applying insights from both fields to advance understanding of perception. Notable projects include developing brain-computer interface (BCI) systems and analyzing biases in facial expression recognition algorithms. She leads the de Sa Lab, which explores the neural basis of learning through interdisciplinary methods, including EEG analysis and biologically inspired algorithms. Key research directions include improving BCI usability through adaptive spatial filtering, investigating pain assessment via facial and electrophysiological data fusion, and enhancing AI fairness in facial expression analysis. Dr. de Sa has contributed to grants such as the NSF-funded CHS project to enhance BCI reliability and collaborates on initiatives like AI-READI to improve healthcare data practices. Her lab’s BCI division focuses on interpreting EEG data for assistive technologies, while her work on divisive normalization bridges biological insights with artificial neural network design. Ongoing efforts explore zero-shot learning and the generalization of neural models to unseen tasks. Dr. de Sa’s interdisciplinary approach spans neuroscience, computer science, and engineering, with a commitment to advancing both theoretical understanding and practical applications in human-computer interaction.
