Grant Accelerator Program Award Recipients
2026 Winners
David Herzfeld
Assistant Professor
Department of Neuroscience, SMPH
Award: GAP Award
Project title:
Development of a wireless magnetometer-based system for high-precision eye tracking in nonhuman primates
Xin Huang
Associate Professor
Department of Neuroscience, SMPH
Award: GAP Award
Project title:
Optical Interrogation of Projection-specific Neurons in the Visual Cortex
Akihiro Ikeda
Timothy William Trout Professor in Eye Research
Department of Medical Genetics, SMPH
Award: Robert A. Brandt AMD GAP Award
Project title:
Single-cell gene network analysis of neuronal aging cascades in photoreceptor specific Drp1 knockout mice
Donna Neumann
Associate Professor
Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, SMPH
Award: GAP Award
Project title:
Understanding the first step of HSV reactivation is required to develop antivirals that will prevent HSV-induced blindness
Kevin Ponto
Audrey Rothermel Bascom Professor
Department of Design Studies, WID
Award: GAP Award
Project title:
A View of Your Own: Decoupling Viewpoints for Optimizing Immersive Telepresence
Karen Schloss
Associate Professor
Department of Psychology, L&S
Award: GAP Award
Project title:
Mapping color to texture for expressing emotion in tactile paintings
Haley Vlach
Associate Professor
Department of Educational Psychology, SoE
Award: GAP Award
Project title:
Looking-At-Nothing Effects in Children with Delayed Vocabulary Development
Mrinalini Hoon
Associate Professor
Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, SMPH
Award: GAP Award
Project title:
Understanding the role of ‘ribbons’ for establishing connectivity in the mammalian retina.
Colleen McDowell
Assistant Professor
Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, SMPH
Award: GAP Award
Project title:
A novel mechanism to lower intraocular pressure.
Freya Mowat
Assistant Professor
Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, SMPH; Surgical Sciences, SVM
Award: GAP Award
Project title:
The safety and efficacy of repurposed FDA-approved anti-diabetic Thiazolidinediones delivered intravitreally in a mouse model of age-related macular degeneration.
Robert Nickells
Professor and Frederick A. Davis Chair of Ophthalmology
Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, SMPH
Award: GAP Award
Project title:
Contralateral astrogliosis after unilateral optic nerve damage.
Raunak Sinha
Associate Professor, Walsh Family Professor in Vision Research
Neuroscience, SMPH
Award: GAP Award
Project title:
Development of photoreceptor and retinal circuit function responsible for sharp 20/20 vision in primates.
Yuhang Zhao
Assistant Professor
Computer Sciences, SDCIS
Award: GAP Award
Project title:
Intent-aware Systems to Enhance Low Vision People’s Visual Perception
Amitha Domalpally & Jeremy Rogers
Associate Professor, Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, SMPH; Research Director, Wisconsin Reading Center; Director, A-EYE Research Unit (Domalpally)
PI, Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, SMPH; Director, Wisconsin Advanced Imaging of Visual Systems (Rogers)
Award: Robert A. Brandt AMD GAP Award
Joint project title:
Structure and Function in the Progression of Atrophic AMD: Validation of Photoreceptor Damage observed with OCT Using Adaptive Optics and Microperimetry.