Monday, April 27, 2026 9:30 am - 4:15 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)
Tuesday, April 28, 2026 8:30 am - 6:30 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)Vision Science Graduate Conference
A group picture of the graduate students and faculty in attendance at the Vision Science Graduate Conference 2025.
We are excited to announce that our annual Vision Science Graduate Student Conference will be held on Monday, April 27th and Tuesday, April 28th, this year!
Please register here.
If you have any questions, please contact us at: vsgraduatecoordinator@uwaterloo.ca
Our last research seminar of the series (The Larkworthy Lecture) is planned to wrap up the last day's events and will be followed by a reception.
Larkworthy Lecture - Reversing the effects of visual deprivation with retinal inactivation
- Presented by Kevin Duffy, PhD, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Location: Optometry room 347
We strongly encourage faculty and staff to attend as much of this conference as your schedule will allow. You will be updated on research within the School, and it is an opportunity to support our graduate students by attending the graduate awards presentation.
Note: All graduate students are expected to attend this two-day event.
Schedule (tentative)
Day 1 - Monday, April 27, 2026
| Time | Presenter | Abstract Title |
| 9:30am - 10:00am | COFFEE and BREAKFAST DESSERT - Outside of 347 / 301 | |
| 10:00am - 10:15am | Morning Session Introduction and Housekeeping | |
| 10:15am - 10:35am | Vethushan Ramalingam | Spectroscopic Phasor Cross Correlation: A Novel Framework for Dynamic OCT Contrasts |
| 10:35am - 10:55am | Simran Pattar | Longitudinal neurovascular dysfunction in glaucomatous rodent retina |
| 10:55am -11:15am | Erica Chow | Visual behaviour assessment using optomotor responses in zebrafish |
| 11:15am - 11:35am | Sadaf Ghaeni Hesaroueiyeh | Assessment of Retinal Neurovascular Coupling in Glaucoma Using Combined OCT and ERG |
| 11:40am - 12:40pm |
Welcome from Director - Ben Thompson; GRAD Student Awards + Grad Flix Highlight |
|
| 12:45 - 1:45pm | LUNCH | |
| 1:45pm - 2:00pm | Workforce Panel Introduction | |
| 2:00pm - 3:30pm | WORKFORCE PANEL | |
| 3:30pm - 4:15pm | COFFEE and SOCIAL NETWORKING - Outside of 347 / 301 | |
Day 2 - April 28, 2026
| Time | Presenter | Abstract Title |
| 8:30-8:40 | Morning Session Introduction and Housekeeping (GIVS) | |
| 8:40 - 9:00 | Supriya Aryal | The impact of attention on reading speed in children with amblyopia |
| 9:00 - 9:20 | Yangchen Dolker | The role of eye movements in postural stability in children with amblyopia |
| 9:20 - 9:40 | Cindy Sun | Harnessing neuroplasticity to boost 3D vision in adults with amblyopia |
| 9:40 - 10:10 | COFFEE BREAK - Outside of 347 / 301 | |
| 10:15 - 10:35 | Shaheena Fakir | Performance-based Usability of Medication Adherence Technologies under Simulated Vision Impairments |
| 10:35 - 11:00 | Nicole Wang | From Infarct to Insight: Early Visual Evaluation and Rehabilitation Post-Stroke |
| 11:00 - 11:20 | Lauren Hoare | Developmental changes in eye-body coordination during walking in children aged 7-13 years |
| 11:20 - 11:45 | Navneet Sidhu | Vision Therapy Outcomes in Pediatric Intermittent Exotropia |
| 11:45 - 1:00 | LUNCH | |
| 1:00 - 1:10 | Afternoon Session Introduction and Housekeeping | |
| 1:10 - 1:30 | Nijani Nagaarudkumaran | Exploring the Role of Autophagy in the Senescence of Corneal Epithelial Cells |
| 1:30 - 1:50 | Ivy Vong | Lysosome membrane stability in the pathogenesis of Sjögren’s disease related dry eye |
| 1:50 - 2:10 | Hitesh Sharma | Analyzing tear film break-up dynamics with ImageJ |
| 2:10 - 2:30 | Sharon Qui | Looking Beyond the Horizontal Iris Diameter (HVID): A Computational Approach for Limbal Diameter Calculation |
| 2:30 - 2:50 | Teddy Chow | Beyond the Jessen Factor: The Role of Tear Layer Thickness Standardization in Predicting Orthokeratology Outcomes |
| 2:55 - 3:30 | COFFEE and SOCIAL NETWORKING - Outside of 347 / 301 | |
| 3:30 - 4:20 | BREAK | |
| 4:30 - 5:30 | LARKWORTHY MEMORIAL AWARD LECTURE | |
| 5:30 - 6:30 | RECEPTION - Outside of 347 / 301 | |