McMaster psychologist named Leader of Tomorrow

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Sekuler.jpg” caption=”Allison Sekuler”]Imagine looking in the mirror and not recognizing your own face, or reaching to pick up a pencil only to discover it is actually a key. For people with certain forms of brain damage this is a reality. McMaster psychologist Allison Sekuler is trying to unravel this puzzle of vision and the brain.

Her research has led her to the distinction of “Leader of Tomorrow”, a title only a select few young Canadian scientists have earned.

Announced at a recent symposium hosted jointly by the Partnership Group for Science and Engineering (PAGSE) and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the title recognizes her dedication to research showing how the human brain processes visual information and how that processing changes as a function of aging.

“Having met the other researchers who were selected, I feel extremely honoured to have been considered among them,” says Sekuler. “It's clear there is a lot of important and innovative research going on in Canada right now, and it was a great opportunity to find new connections to researchers in other fields. It was terrific to have the opportunity to share our vision of Canada's future in science with the people who guide Canada's research strategies.”

Sekuler was one of 15 young Canadian scientists honoured at a symposium in Ottawa, where they met with representatives of major granting agencies, the media, the national science advisor and members of parliament to share their views on the future of science in Canada.

Sekuler is a professor of psychology and Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience. Her research shows how the human brain processes visual information, and how that processing changes as a function of aging. She also has been active in the promotion of science for the general public. Sekuler and her colleagues have shown that the human brain is amazingly resourceful, capable of reorganizing itself across the lifespan, so that seniors can perform just as well on some tasks as their younger counterparts. She has also made significant contributions toward our understanding of face perception, motion perception, object recognition, perceptual organization, visual attention, perceptual learning, and pattern vision.