Dennis Levi is a Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, with appointments in the School of Optometry, The Graduate Group in Vision Science, and the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute. His research focuses on how we see form and depth, and how these are impacted by abnormal early visual development, particularly amblyopia and strabismus.   Levi’s research has been funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI) since 1976. He has received numerous awards including the Glenn Fry Award, the Garland Clay Award and the Prentice Medal from the American Academy of Optometry, and most recently the 2016 Edgar D. Tillyer Award from the Optical Society of America, for his groundbreaking work on treating amblyopia.

You can learn more about Dr. Levi’s research on amblyopia and how virtual reality is being usedto treat amblyopia and improve stereo vision by listening to the interview on the BroadEye Podcast at: http://broadeye.org/levi/

The overarching goal of my research is to understand how the brain combines the two eyes’ inputs to form 2D and 3D images. My long-term goal is to develop a unified model that explains all binocular functions in humans. So far, I have developed a model to provide a unified explanation of binocular contrast, luminance, and phase (position) combination, and binocular contrast discrimination over a wide range of conditions using both first- and second-order stimuli. Recently, I proposed a unified model for binocular fusion and depth perception and will combine it with 2D binocular model to predict 3D binocular vision.

Dr. Sunwoo Kwon is a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Innovation in Vision and Optics (CIVO), School of Optometry, UC Berkeley. His research focuses on the questions regarding the influence and mechanisms of abnormal visual impairments on development, perception, and behavior. Specifically, he investigates how eye movements (fixational eye movements, microsaccades, saccades, etc) and attention affect visual perception and motor behavior across eye movements in clinical populations with visual deficits (e.g. amblyopia) by using a combination of psychophysics and eye tracking (Tracking Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope and Eyelink) and the latest neural network models. His research expanded into using VR technology in order to study visually-guided behavior and eye movements during visual search in virtual environments. He is interested in combining the state-of-the-art technologies and vision science to advance development in visual health research. The body of work aims to improve our understanding of how abnormal visual experience degrades perception in early development, how both visual information and eye movements influence visually-guided behavior in naturalistic paradigms, the neural mechanisms of both normal and abnormal visual perception in humans, and the underlying neural circuitry. Ultimately, his research will help design better studies and treatments for patient populations with low vision deficits. To learn more about his work, please visit my LinkedIn here.

Ângela Tomaz is a postdoctoral researcher at the Levi Lab. Her current research focuses on suppression and stereopsis, as well as appearance in Amblyopia. Prior to Berkeley, Ângela was a PhD student at the University of Lille (SCALab, CNRS UMR 9193) in France. During her PhD, Ângela was a member of the Psychophysics of Appearance Laboratory (PALab) working with Dr. Bilge Sayim and Dr. Wolf Harmening (AOVision Lab) on appearance and performance at the limits of spatial vision.

Samantha has been a research assistant in the Levi Lab since 2015 and is currently an optometry student at UC Berkeley, where she serves as the Co-President for the Class of 2023. Over the years in the lab, she has conducted multiple research projects focusing on topics ranging from stereoscopic vision, eye movements during visual search, and vergence-accommodation disparities within virtual reality headsets. After graduation, she plans to pursue a residency and aspires to bridge her interests in research and teaching with her clinical understanding of vision.

Julien is currently an optometry student at UC Berkeley who joined Levi Lab through the NEI T35 Summer Research Program. Within the lab, Julien is involved in examining the oculomotor behavior of amblyopes during visual search tasks and how it affects their behavioral performance. Julien is most interested in potential viable clinical treatments for amblyopia that has yet to be found through research.

Annie is currently a first-year optometry student at UC Berkeley. She just joined the lab and she’s excited to learn more about the potential clinical treatments for vision problems associated with perception and binocular vision.  In addition, she is interested in how virtual reality can be applied to treatment options. 

Jessica is a MCB & Cognitive Science student at UC Berkeley. Delving into research surrounding amblyopia has always been of interest because she has seen firsthand the impact it has. At the Levi Lab, she is excited to be helping out with research on the role of eye movements in amblyopic spatial vision. Currently, she is conducting experiments using the EyeLink Eye Tracker and creating materials used for the experiments.

Saurav is a second-year undergraduate student at UC Berkeley studying computer science and mathematics. As a research assistant at Levi Lab, Saurav investigates the relationship between computer models and vision. His work involves the classification, prediction, and analysis of eye movements. Saurav is excited to further explore the connection between computers and vision, and he hopes to apply this connection to help those with amblyopia and age-related macular degeneration.

Vijay Ramakrishnan is a junior studying computer science and mathematics. His research focuses on applying cutting-edge computer science to questions of vision, particularly amblyopia. Currently, he is working on two projects: a naturalistic visual search in virtual reality and image reconstruction from eye movements using neural networks.

Hilary is an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology. In the lab, she is interested in topics such as amblyopic vision, stereopsis, and the use of virtual reality to study perceptual learning. She plans to pursue medical school after graduation and is excited about continuing research in neuroscience and vision.

Mallika Reddy is an undergraduate student studying Computer Science at U.C. Berkeley. At the Levi Lab, she will be working on developing and running virtual reality experiments along with creating machine learning algorithms to predict visuomotor behavior. Outside of class and research, she is a Director for Berkeley's CS Kickstart program and enjoys playing tennis.

I’m a third year undergraduate at UC Berkeley majoring in integrative biology with an emphasis in integrative human biology. My goal is to attend optometry school after I graduate next spring. In the Levi Lab, I help administer tests to measure patients’ vision and depth perception. I’m interested in amblyopia and its effects on stereopsis.

I am a third year undergraduate student majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology with a minor in nutritional metabolism. I am passionate about amblyopic research and how depth perception varies from patient to patient. I especially enjoy seeing how virtual reality studies are able to aid in the disparities in depth perception of amblyopic patients! Participating in research at the Levi Lab has been an immensely insightful and fulfilling experience. I’m really happy to be a part of this amazing team! 

I am a first-year undergraduate student at UC Berkeley intending to study Molecular & Cell Biology and Public Health. In the Levi lab, I am excited to help research about the abnormality in the oculomotor nerve and the role of eye movements in limiting amblyopic spatial vision. I plan to pursue medical school after graduation and specialize in neurology.

Dhruv Agarwal is a sophomore studying EECS and Business. He is interested in applying computer science towards helping in the optometry field. At the Levi Lab, he is working on creating a VR spatial navigation experiment to analyze and compare path-finding techniques of amblyopic patients and non-patients. 

Xiaowen Yuan is a junior majoring in Computer Science and Cognitive Science. She is interested in neuroscience, virtual reality, and human-computer interaction. In the lab, she is interested in using virtual reality to investigate eye movements, amblyopic vision, and stereopsis. Outside class and research, she is interested in human-centered design and embodied cognition.

Julian is a second-year undergraduate student studying Computer Science and Data Science at UC Berkeley. Currently, his research interests explore the intersection of computer science and vision science, particularly the medical applications of VR. In the Levi Lab, he intends to collaborate with the VR team to design virtual environments for the purpose of conducting visual search experiments, while also contributing to the development of eye detection neural networks for processing VR data.

David is a third-year undergraduate at UC Berkeley majoring in Computer Science. In the Levi Lab, he is working as an undergraduate research assistant under Dr. Sunwoo Kwon. He is excited to help out in experiments involving Virtual Reality to better study eye movements and amblyopia.

Jessica is a freshman undergraduate intending to study Molecular Cell Biology and Business Administration at UC Berkeley. In the Levi Lab, she is excited to help research more about the role of eye movements in amblyopic vision. She plans to attend medical school and continue her research career in the future.

Matteo is a third-year undergraduate majoring in Public Health intending to study optometry. In the lab, he is excited to use the EyeLink eye tracker to conduct experiments tracking patient vision in order to study amblyopia. He is interested in researching more about amblyopic vision and the eye with the Levi Lab and in the future.

Joshua Lu is a first-year undergraduate majoring in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science. He is interested in multidisciplinary applications of computing, including game development, quantitative analysis, and extended reality. At the Levi Lab, he is excited to be working with the VR team to conduct research on eye movements and investigate user behaviors.

Akhil is a senior at Evergreen Valley High School who is interested in computer science. At the Levi Lab, he is researching ways to use Virtual Reality to measure and improve the gaze fixation of amblyopic individuals. His other interests include competitive programming and chess.

Ashley Tsai is an undergraduate student majoring in Nutritional Sciences: Physiology and Metabolism. She is interested in amblyopic mechanisms and abnormalities, as well working in overall visual health. Ashley hopes to pursue medical or nursing school following graduation.

Harkeerat is a third-year undergraduate studying Computer Science and Applied Mathematics. He’s most interested in exploring the practical applications of virtual reality, with a focus on eliciting social-therapeutic experiences as well as progressing mental and physical rehabilitation. He will be conducting and developing experiments to study the impact of amblyopia on spatial navigation within a virtual environment. 

Riad is a senior at UC Berkeley majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology. At the the Levi Lab, Riad assists in conducting experiments using the Eyelink Eye Tracker. After graduation, he plans on teaching English overseas and pursuing a career in Medicine.

Niveditha Sukesh is a second-year undergraduate student, studying Molecular and Cell Biology and minoring in Public Health. She is fascinated by how form and depth perception are degraded by abnormal visual experiences, especially in amblyopia. She is excited to help contribute to the Levi Lab by measuring patients’ vision and depth perception! After graduation, she plans to pursue research and medical school, specializing in ophthalmology or neurology.

Michelle is an undergraduate student majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology at UC Berkeley. She is interested in understanding more about amblyopia and its effects on patients' depth perception. In the lab, she is excited to help research about the mechanisms of normal and amblyopic spatial vision, as well as working with the team at the Levi Lab.

Artashes is a fourth-year undergraduate student at UC Berkeley, pursuing a degree in Integrative Human Biology. His current research focus centers on the utilization of the EyeLink Eye Tracker in amblyopic spatial vision and fixation. He is devoted towards advancing the field of ophthalmic medicine and research, with a specific emphasis on the investigation and treatment of strabismic and anisometropic amblyopia. His ultimate aspiration is to contribute to the integration of effective clinical research treatments for adulthood amblyopia into standard medical practice.

Name

R. Manny

Y.L. Yap

L. Baitch

S. Steinman

T. Banton

S. Waugh

H. Wang

S. Tripathy

S. Chen

V. Sharma

L. Reich

E. Wong

S. Song

C. Gambacorta

A. Godinez

A. Aizenman

L. Spano

Trainee

L. Baitch

T. Banton

B. Beard

A. Mussap

H. Akutsu

C. Yu

A. Popple

P. Neri

J. Ding

M. Nahum

E. Yang

C. Huh

A. Chopin

O. Yehezkel

M. Lev

R. Li

Current Position

Chief, Neurosensory Services, Dept. Ophthal., Sinai Hospital, Detroit, MI

Research Asst. Prof., Univ. of Virginia

Administrator, NASA Ames

Professor & Deputy Head of School, Deakin University

Professor, Iwate University, Japan

Professor, Peking University

Practicing psychotherapist

CNRS Researcher, Ecole Normale Seperieure, Paris, France.

Research Specialist, UC Berkeley.

Assistant Professor, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, School of OT.

User Experience Researcher, PROS, Houston, TX.

Post doc, UC Irvine.

Post doc, Universite Paris Sorbonne, France.

Lecturer, Bar-Ilan University; Chief Scientific Officer, NovaSight, Tel Aviv, Israel.

Lecturer, Bar-Ilan University, Tel Aviv, Israel.

Associate Professor, NSU College of Optometry

Scholar

Alex Toet

Frank Kooi

Jussi Saarinen 

Uri Polat

Paul McGraw

David Whitaker

Brendan Barrett

Susana Chung

Lei Wei

Ken Nakayama

Srimant Tripathy

Ben Webb

Santiago Martin

Ângela Gomes Tomaz

Home Institution

TNO, Soesterberg, Holland

TNO, Soesterberg, & University of Utrecht, Utrecht, Holland

University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, San Francisco, CA

University of Nottingham, U.K.

Bradford University, U.K.

Bradford University, U.K.

University of California, Berkeley

University of Central Florida

Harvard University

Bradford University, U.K.

University of Nottingham, U.K.

University of Oviedo, Spain

University of Lille, Lille, France

Michelle Antonucci

Hans Baertsch

John Bui

Samantha Chan

Diana Chau

Inning Chen

Han Dao

Lizi Feng

Roya Garakani

Chantel George

Glenda Berman

Inning Chen

Molly Duong

Kyle Eaton

Erwin Wong

Ashley Craven

Molly Duong

Jill Lobinger

Charlie Ngo

Kenneth Tran

Thomas Wu

Susan Kim

Alyson Kishi

Ivy Liu

Allison Prevost

Kevin Yuen