Michael Webster, Foundation Professor, Principal Investigator Center for Integrative Neuroscience, Nevada
Summary
Michael Webster is a vision scientist who studies the cognitive and neural processes that underlie how we see. Much of his work focuses on characterizing how our perception adapts when the environment changes (e.g we move to a drier climate) or we change (e.g. as we age).
He has discovered a number of novel and influential forms of adaptation, affecting how we see colors, how we correct for blurry vision, and how our perception of someone’s face depends on the faces we have seen previously.
His research has been funded continuously by grants from the National Institute of Health, and he has been recognized at the University of Nevada, Reno by a foundation professorship and Outstanding Researcher Award. At the University, he also has led a number of campus-wide neuroscience initiatives.
He is the director of a $10 million NIH COBRE grant establishing a Center for Integrative Neuroscience that has brought research funding for junior faculty and many new resources, including an fMRI facility.
He founded and co-directs the undergraduate major in neuroscience and led the proposal to establish an upcoming Master of Science/doctoral degree program in neuroscience.
Research Interests
- Cognitive neuroscience of human vision
- Visual adaptation
- Color and form perception
- Face perception
- Environmental and cultural influences on perception
Michael Webster | Department of Psychology | University of Nevada, Reno (unr.edu)