Lotfi B. Merabet, OD PhD MPH
Director
P: (617) 573-4130 | Email
Lotfi Merabet is a clinician-scientist investigating how the brain adapts to ocular as well as brain-based visual impairment and blindness. He completed his doctorate in neuroscience (University of Montréal) and clinical doctorate in optometry (New England College of Optometry). He continued his post-doctoral training at Harvard Medical School, Boston University, and the MGH Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging. This was followed by a master’s degree in public health (Harvard). In 2010, he joined the clinical and research faculty of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear, and in 2022, he was named the Frederick and Thaddeus Jakobiec Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology. His work is currently supported by the NIH/National Eye Institute. He also serves on the Board of Directors Education and CVI Steering Committees of the Perkins School for the Blind, the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group (PEDIG Neuro-ophthalmology Workgroup), and the Trans-NIH Expert Panel on CVI.
Claire Manley
Senior Research Technologist & Study Coordinator
P: (617) 573-3794 | Email
Claire Manley earned her B.A. in Psychology from Boston University in 2021. After graduation, she joined the Laboratory for Visual Neuroplasticity to assist in research on the development and innovation of virtual-reality-based behavioral assessments for individuals with cerebral visual impairment (CVI). Claire is also particularly interested in understanding the compensatory behaviors and neurodevelopmental differences in visually impaired individuals.
Madeleine Heynen
Research Technologist & Study Coordinator
P: (617) 573-3794 | Email
Maddie Heynen earned her B.A. in Psychology from Colorado College in 2023. Her thesis work assessed the reliability and validity of Tobii eye-tracking technology in the estimation of participant eye movement and attention. Maddie joined the Laboratory for Visual Neuroplasticity as a Research Technologist & Study Coordinator, where she employs both eye-tracking and virtual reality technologies to characterize neurodevelopmental and behavioral deficits in individuals with Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI).
Emily Cantillon, M.A., CTVI
Cortical/Cerebral Visual Impairment Lead Teacher, Doctoral Student
P: (978) 835-6515 | Email
Emily Cantillon is a certified Teacher of the Visually Impaired for Perkins School for the Blind and is the Cortical/Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI) Lead Teacher for Community Programs at Perkins. Emily is currently a Doctoral student at the University of Northern Colorado. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in Special Education with an emphasis on CVI. She received her MA from the University of Northern Colorado in special education for the visually impaired. Emily completed the University of Massachusetts, Boston’s CVI Certification as well. She also received her Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education with a concentration in earth science from The State University of New York at Oswego.
Laboratory Alumni
Xin Zhang – Study Coordinator
Timothy Gottlieb – Assistant Programmer
Mark Halko – Postdoctoral Fellow
Emma Bailin – Study Coordinator
Erin Connors – Senior Study Coordinator
Gabriella Hirsch – Study Coordinator
Lindsay Yazzolino – Study Coordinator
Antonio Guimaraes – Visiting Researcher
Nora Bradford – Summer Intern
Molly Connors – Summer Intern
Josh Park – Summer Intern
Della Shi – Summer Intern
Bowen Zhan – Summer Intern
Chris Bennett – Postdoctoral Fellow
Corinna Bauer – Postdoctoral Fellow
Zahide Pamir – Postdoctoral Fellow
Collaborators & Friends
Andrew Ellison – Center for Biomedical Imaging, Boston University School Of Medicine
Daniel Dilks – Department of Psychology, Emory University
David Somers – Department of Psychology, Boston University
Davide Bottari – IMT School for Advanced Studies
Elisa Fazzi – Unit of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, ASST Spedali Civili. Brescia, Italy
Serena Micheletti – Unit of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, ASST Spedali Civili. Brescia, Italy
Corinna Bauer – Department of Radiology, MGH – Harvard Medical School
Christopher Knox – Senior Grants Administrator, Mass General Brigham
Gena Heidary – Department of Ophthalmology, Boston Children’s Hospital
Marina Bedny – Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University
Florian Eichler – MGH Leukodystrophy Service, MGH – Harvard Medical School
Stephanie Badde – Department of Psychology, Tufts University
Barry Kran – New England College of Optometry and Perkins Eye Clinic
John Ross Rizzo – Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, New York University
Melinda Chang – Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, University of Southern California
John Ravenscroft – School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh
Nicholas Giudice – School of Computing and Information Science, University of Maine
Pawan Sinha – Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Peter Bex – Department of Psychology, Northeastern University
Zaira Cattaneo – Department of Psychology, University of Bergamo.
Helen Lindner – School of Health Sciences, Örebro University.
Patricia Musolino – MGH Pediatric Stroke and Cerebrovascular Service, MGH – Harvard Medical School
Alyssa Sullivan – Department of Psychiatry, MGH – Harvard Medical School
Funding
Current and past support for our research have come from: