Heather Hudecki

Heather completed an Honours BSc in Biomedical Science with a minor in Medical Physiology at the University of Waterloo in 2017. She then pursued an MSc in Vision Science with Dr. Kristine Dalton, where her research focused on the visual perceptual and cognitive mechanisms underlying dynamic visual acuity. She is currently a PhD candidate in Vision Science and Aeronautics under the supervision of Dr. Ben Thompson and Dr. Elizabeth Irving.

Outside of academia, Heather enjoys exploring the outdoors, reading, staying active, participating in sports (field hockey, and slo-pitch), and watching a variety of sports (Go Bruins! Go Jays!). She also loves spending time with her pup, and any other dog that happens to cross her path!

Her current research focuses on colour vision in pilots, specifically how colour vision deficiencies may affect the perception and interpretation of specific aviation lighting systems. The research examines these challenges across laboratory, flight-simulator, and real-world aviation environments, with the goal of contributing evidence that can help inform safe and equitable approaches to colour vision assessment in aviation.

Going forward, Heather is interested in continuing to explore the relationship between visual perception, cognition, and real-world performance, including opportunities to build on her MSc work in dynamic visual acuity and apply this knowledge to aviation and other visually demanding environments. Additionally, she hopes to help inform practical approaches to visual assessment and safety in the aviation community.