Marlene Behrmann of Carnegie Mellon University to Receive Two Prestigious Awards

Marlene Behrmann, the Thomas S. Baker University Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, has received the Fred Kavli Distinguished Career Contributions Award from the Cognitive Neuroscience Society. The award, sponsored by the Kavli Foundation, honors senior cognitive neuroscientists for their distinguished career, leadership, and mentoring in the field of cognitive neuroscience. This award is sponsored by the Kavli Foundation.

“The Kavli honor is really quite surprising. I am both extremely grateful and privileged and a little shocked,” said Professor Behrmann. “It is particularly nice to receive this recognition from the Cognitive Neuroscience Society because this society was the initial champion of this entire field.”

Behrmann’s research combines behavioral investigations and brain imaging techniques with both normal and impaired individuals to understand the mechanisms by which the brain interprets the signals from the eyes and yields meaningful visual perception. Her research also focuses on an array of developmental disorders from autism to dyslexia.

Professor Behrmann also has been selected to receive the Vision Sciences Society’s 2020 Davida Teller Award. The award is given to a female vision scientist in recognition of her exceptional, lasting contributions to the field of vision science.

“I am really excited to be the recipient of the Davida Teller Award, especially because this award recognizes a female vision scientist,” said Dr. Behrmann. “I am especially honored as this award also places emphasis on a commitment to equity and a strong history of mentoring, two things that are of great importance to me.”

Dr. Behrmann has been on the Carnegie Mellon faculty since 1993. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. She earned a Ph.D. in psychology at the University of Toronto.