James Coughlan's Fellows

Val's research focused on haptic perception, in individuals with and without vision. She also studied accessibility for people with visual impairments. Her underlying interest was in how human cognition and knowledge is shaped by the senses.

I am currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Vision Science program at UC Berkeley.

Hello! I'm a postdoctoral researcher at Smith-Kettlewell, where I investigate auditory spatial perception, echolocation, and assisted mobility in sighted and blind persons. Previously, I completed my Ph.D. at UC Berkeley and postdoctoral work at MIT, where I remain affiliated. Until this profile is built out, please see my older site for more details: http://people.csail.mit.edu/santani/index.html

I completed my BS in Chemical Engineering at MIT and PhD in Vision Science at UC Berkeley. At Berkeley, I studied with Dr. Jitendra Malik using psychophysics to validate computer vision algorithms. During my postdoctoral training with Drs. Preeti Verghese and James Coughlan at Smith-Kettlewell, I developed a computational model of eye movements and continue to apply and develop these models to predict how changing eye movements can improve vision for people different retinal diseases. My most recent project examines the impact of central vision loss on eye-hand coordination. The ultimate goal is to take what is learned in the laboratory and translate it into low vision rehabilitation therapies.