Faculty | Center for Vision Science

An Interdisciplinary Team

UC Davis is internationally recognized for its interdisciplinary approach to research and education. The UC Davis Center for Vision Science epitomizes this approach. CVS faculty are drawn from 16 different academic departments, and 5 Schools and Colleges, including the School of Medicine, College of Biological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, College of Engineering and College of Letters and Sciences. This interdisciplinary team brings an extraordinary array of expertise to bear on the study of the visual system. The team includes molecular biologists, psychologists, physiologists, neuroscientists, mathematicians, engineers, and clinical ophthalmologists from both human and veterinary medicine, among many other disciplines. Our goal is to conduct research which reveals how the visual system works, and then use this knowledge as a base for developing strategies which improve clinical care.

Alice Accorsi, PhD

Molecular and Cellular Biology
Cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the development and regeneration of sensory organs

James B. Ames, PhD

Chemistry
Structure and function of calcium sensor proteins

Rebecca Renee Bellone, PhD

VET MED: Population Health & Reproduction
Molecular mechanisms underlying inherited ocular disorders in horses

James David Brandt, MD

Ophthalmology
Clinical and basic science aspects of glaucoma

Kenneth H. Britten, PhD (Emeritus)

Neurobiology, Physiology, & Behavior
Higher-order motion processing in extrastriate cortex

Nadean L. Brown, PhD

Cell Biology and Human Anatomy
Molecular mechanisms regulating development of mammalian lens and retina

Marie E. Burns, PhD

Ophthalmology
Photoreceptor physiology and degeneration

Gino A. Cortopassi, PhD

VET MED: Molecular Biosciences
Mitochondrial form and function in inherited optic neuropathies

William DeBello, PhD

Neurobiology, Physiology, & Behavior; Neurology
Molecular plasticity of owl optic tectum

Jochen Ditterich, PhD

Neurobiology, Physiology, & Behavior
Visual decision making

Melissa Barnett Erickson, OD

Ophthalmology
Cornea and contact lenses including speciality contatct lenses

Paul G. FitzGerald, PhD

Cell Biology and Human Anatomy
Lens-specific intermediate filament proteins

Joy J. Geng, PhD

Center for Mind and Brain
Integrated attentionIntegrated attention

Nandini G. Gandhi, MD

Ophthalmology
Pediatric and adult strabismus

Tom M. Glaser, MD, PhD

Cell Biology and Human Anatomy
Genetic basis of mammalian eye development and retinal cell fate specification

Mark Steven Goldman, PhD

Neurobiology, Physiology, & Behavior
Computer and mathematical models for sensory, oculomotor, and short-term memory systems

John M. Henderson, PhD

Psychology
Attention, eye movements, scene perception and reading

Henry Ho, PhD

Cell Biology and Human Anatomy
The role of receptor tyrosine kinase signaling in visual system function and disease

Steve R Hollingsworth, DVM, DACVO (Emeritus)

Ophthalmology

Andrew T. Ishida, PhD (Emeritus)

Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior
Modulation of retinal ganglion cell excitability

John L. Keltner, MD (Emeritus)

Ophthalmology
MS and effects of vision; cancer related retinopathies, optic neuropathies, and other autoimmune retinopathies

Kathryn G Koehler, DVM, DACVO

Ophthalmology

Leah A. Krubitzer, PhD

Psychology
Cortical organization and plasticity

Anna La Torre, PhD

Cell Biology and Human Anatomy
Cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying neuronal progenitor competence and differentiation

Jennifer Y. Li, MD

Ophthalmology
Cornea

Michele C. Lim, MD

Ophthalmology
Glaucoma and retinal imaging

Lily K. Lin, MD

Ophthalmology
Eyelid, tear duct/lacrimal system, and orbit disease treatments

Angelique Y. Louie, PhD

Biomedical Engineering
Molecular and cellular imaging, MRI

Steven J. Luck, PhD

Psychology
Neural and cognitive mechanisms of attention and working memory

David J. Maggs, PhD

VET MED: Surgery & Radiology
Comparative ophthalmology, feline and equine herpesvirus

George R. Mangun, PhD

Psychology, Neurology
Visual attention and fMRI

Mark J. Mannis, MD

Ophthalmology
Human cornea and ocular pathogens

Nicholas Marsh-Armstrong, PhD

Ophthalmology and Vision Science
Neuron glia interactions

Bianca Da Costa Martins, PhD

VET MED: Surgical & Radiological Sciences
Equine ophthalmology, and ocular surface reconstruction with an emphasis on the use of biological and synthetic grafts

Kimberly A. McAllister, PhD

Neurobiology, Physiology, & Behavior; Neurology
Cellular and molecular mechanisms of visual plasticity

Ala Moshiri, MD, PhD

Ophthalmology
Vitreoretinal Surgery and Uveitis

Christopher Murphy, DVM, PhD (Emeritus)

Surgical & Radiological Sciences
Corneal wound healing and repair, and comparative optics

Gary Novack, PhD

Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences
Development of new therapeutics, patient adherence and performance, regulatory affairs

Lisa Oakes, PhD

Psychology
Origins and development of visual attention, perception, and memory in infancy

Randall O'Reilly, PhD

Psychology
Biologically-based computational models of learning and attention

Susanna S. Park, MD, PhD

Ophthalmology
Pharmacological treatment of macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy

Edward N. Pugh, Jr., PhD

Physiology and Membrane Biology
Retinal photoreceptors and color vision

Gregg H. Recanzone, PhD

Neurobiology, Physiology, & Behavior
Cortical mechanisms of visual, auditory, and somatosensory interactions

Paul Russell, PhD (Emeritus)

Ophthalmology
Trabecular meshwork, glaucoma, and corneal wound repair

Karen Ryan, PhD

Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior
Neuroendocrine regulation of feeding behavior, body weight and glucose control; Mechanisms linking psychological stress and metabolic disease

Naoki Saito, PhD

Mathematics
Feature extraction mechanisms in human vision

Ivan R. Schwab, MD (Emeritus)

Ophthalmology
Corneal epithelial autografting

Paul A. Sieving, MD, PhD

Ophthalmology

Tony J. Simon, PhD

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Cognitive impairments in genetic disorders

Alice Tarantal, PhD

Cell Biology and Human Anatomy, Pediatrics
Nonhuman primate models, gene therapy, stem cell transplantation, in vivo imaging

Sara Thomasy, DVM, PhD, DACVO

VET MED: Surgical & Radiological Sciences
Corneal wound healing, glaucoma, large animal models Of ocular disease, and ocular pharmacology and toxicology

James Trimmer, PhD

Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior; Physiology and Membrane Biology
Molecular mechanisms responsible for conferring plasticity to intrinsic neuronal excitability

W. Martin Usrey, PhD

Neurobiology, Physiology, & Behavior; Neurology
Functional organization of thalamo-cortical interactions

John S. Werner, PhD (Emeritus)

Neurobiology, Physiology, & Behavior; Ophthalmology
Correlating in vivo retinal images and functional measures of color and spatial vision, and their changes across the life span and in disease