Monday, May 19, 2025, 12:30 – 2:30 pm, Talk Room 2

The Vision Sciences Society is delighted and honored to award the 2025 Davida Teller Award to Dr. Jody Culham, a distinguished leader whose groundbreaking research has significantly advanced our understanding of how perception and action are integrated in the human brain.

Congratulations to Jody Culham, the thirteenth recipient of the Davida Teller Award. The Teller Award was created to honor the late Davida Teller’s exceptional scientific achievements, commitment to equity, and strong history of mentoring. The award is given to a female vision scientist in recognition of her exceptional, significant, or lasting contributions to the field of vision science.

Jody Culham

Professor of Psychology, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Immersive Neuroscience at Western University, Ontario

Dr. Jody Culham is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Western University, Ontario, where she holds a prestigious Tier 1 Canada Research Chair. After earning her PhD at Harvard University under the guidance of Drs. Patrick Cavanagh and Nancy Kanwisher, she completed postdoctoral research with Dr. Mel Goodale at Western. From the outset, Dr. Culham’s innovative approach—combining psychophysics, neuropsychology, and neuroimaging— and direct pursuit of questions of lasting importance, have profoundly reshaped the field.

Dr. Culham was among the first to develop creative functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) paradigms that allowed real-world objects and actions to be studied with neuroimaging. This methodological breakthrough has been a keystone in her approach of “immersive neuroscience”, now expanding to include virtual reality and video games. The approach has significantly advanced cognitive neuroscience by demonstrating how real-world interactions elicit distinct and more robust neural responses compared to traditional proxies like static images and simulated actions. Her foundational studies of the human parietal cortex have illuminated its critical role in planning and executing visually guided actions.

Beyond her substantial scientific achievements—including more than 100 influential publications, over 14,000 citations, and numerous prestigious awards such as the E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship—Dr. Culham is celebrated as a truly masterful mentor. Throughout her career, she has trained numerous graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who have progressed into influential positions in academia and industry. Known for her unwavering support, clear and approachable teaching style, and personal warmth, she has significantly influenced the lives and careers of her trainees. Her widely used educational resources, notably her internationally acclaimed website “fMRI for Newbies,” have provided invaluable guidance to countless early-career researchers worldwide.

Jody Culham has also gone above and beyond for the good of the broader vision sciences community. A dedicated member of the Vision Sciences Society since its inception, she has served in many capacities including Board Member and President, demonstrating outstanding leadership during critical periods, such as guiding the society back to successful in-person meetings post-pandemic. Her extensive contributions extend to other prominent organizations, including roles with the Organization for Human Brain Mapping and editorial positions at eLife and Experimental Brain Research. Jody’s generosity, infectious enthusiasm, and commitment to scientific rigor and community-building epitomize the values represented by the Davida Teller Award.

The Vision Sciences Society is proud to award Dr. Jody Culham the Davida Teller Award in 2025, recognizing her groundbreaking contributions to vision science, her pioneering research methodologies, and her extraordinary dedication to mentorship and community leadership.