People
The people behind
the work
Great science comes from diverse perspectives and genuine collaboration. Meet the team.
Principal Investigator
Dr. Mahalakshmi Ramamurthy
Principal Investigator, Functional Vision Lab
Assistant Professor, Cognitive and Brain Sciences · IIT Gandhinagar
Previously: Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Brain Development and Education Lab · Stanford University
Dr. Ramamurthy is a developmental cognitive neuroscientist and vision scientist whose work sits at the intersection of functional vision and the development of cognitive abilities in neurodiverse populations. Trained across optometry, psychophysics and cognitive neuroscience, she studies how functional vision develops in early childhood and how variability in visual mechanisms shapes learning trajectories in cognitive abilities such as reading.
Education
PhD · Developmental Brain Sciences · University of Massachusetts Boston
MSc · Vision Science · University of Waterloo, Canada
BS · Optometry · Elite School of Optometry, BITS Pilani, India
Psychophysics
Eye tracking
EEG
Gamified online tasks
Population studies
Research journey
Career timeline
Apr 2026 – Present · IIT Gandhinagar
Assistant Professor, Cognitive and Brain Sciences
Her research programs aim to uncover how visual processing abilities develop and relate to later cognitive abilities like reading, and why that story unfolds differently across neurodiverse children.
2019–2026 · Stanford University
Postdoctoral Research Scientist
Brain Development and Education Lab (PI: Jason Yeatman). Visual mechanisms of reading, large-scale gamified field studies in California schools. MCHRI Postdoctoral Fellow 2021.
2018 · Harvard Medical School / Schepens Eye Institute
Postdoctoral Research
Understanding Vision in special populations.
2012–2018 · University of Massachusetts Boston
PhD Developmental Brain Sciences
Attention, visual plasticity and monocular deprivation. Developed the procedural attention paradigm and investigated biphasic effects of monocular deprivation on interocular dominance.
2008–2011 · University of Waterloo, Canada
MSc Vision Science
Visual attention, colour perception and display optics. Built strong foundations in psychophysics and basic visual mechanisms.
2004–2008 · BITS Pilani, India
BS Optometry
Foundation in clinical vision and applied optics. Early interest in how the visual system processes information sparked a move toward research.
Research and Publications
What we
investigate
The lab sits at the intersection of basic visual science and real-world learning outcomes. Our research spans fundamental mechanisms, developmental trajectories and scalable tools that can reach children across diverse populations.
Research themes
Development of functional vision
We work on understanding the developmental principles that govern how functional vision develops in early childhood.
Heterogeneity and neurodiversity
We study how variability in early visual mechanisms maps onto the development of cognitive skills and onto the spectrum of neurodevelopmental profiles. This gives us the insights needed to move toward precision intervention.
Precision screening and intervention tools
We translate basic science into tools that are rapid, equitable, and built to work across languages and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Dr. Mahalakshmi Ramamurthy
Principal Investigator · IIT Gandhinagar
Vision science
Dyslexia and reading
Gamified screening
Neurodevelopment
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Research journey
Apr 2026 – Present · IIT Gandhinagar
Assistant Professor, Cognitive and Brain Sciences
Her research programs aim to uncover how visual processing abilities develop and relate to later cognitive abilities like reading, and why that story unfolds differently across neurodiverse children.
2019–2026 · Stanford University
Postdoctoral Research Scientist
Brain Development and Education Lab. Visual mechanisms of reading, gamified field studies in California schools. MCHRI Postdoctoral Fellow 2021.
2018 · Harvard Medical School
Postdoctoral Research
Schepens Eye Institute. Bridging clinical vision science and basic research.
2004–2018 · BITS Pilani / Waterloo / UMass Boston
BS, MSc and PhD
Optometry, vision science and developmental brain sciences. Built foundations in psychophysics, attention and visual plasticity.
Selected publications
2025 · Behavioural Research Methods
Design and validation of a rapid visual processing measure for screening reading difficulties in early childhood
Ramamurthy M., Kanopka K., Richie-Halford A. et al.
Open access
2024 · Developmental Science
Children with dyslexia show no deficit in exogenous spatial attention but show differences in visual encoding
Ramamurthy M., White A.L., Yeatman J.D.
Open access
2021 · Scientific Reports
Spatial attention in encoding letter combinations
Ramamurthy M., White A.L., Chou C., Yeatman J.D.
PDF
2021 · Vision Research
The ups and downs of sensory eye balance: monocular deprivation has a biphasic effect on interocular dominance
Ramamurthy M., Blaser E.
PDF
Full list on Google Scholar →
Methods
Psychophysics and behavioural assessment
Precisely controlled experiments measuring perception, attention and visual processing with millisecond-level accuracy. The foundation of our mechanistic work.
Eye tracking
Recording eye movements and fixation patterns to understand how children and adults allocate attention and navigate visual information during reading and related tasks.
EEG and electrophysiology
Neural recordings that reveal the timing and nature of visual processing, allowing us to localise where in the brain and at what stage differences arise.
Gamified online tasks
Child-friendly, browser-based assessments designed to engage young participants while collecting high-quality data. Built for scale and accessibility across diverse settings.
Population-level field studies
Large-scale studies in schools and communities, testing whether lab-based findings hold in real-world, demographically diverse populations.
Computational modelling
Formal models that generate testable predictions about visual mechanisms and developmental trajectories, bridging behavioural findings with neural and computational theory.
Looking ahead
The road ahead
India offers a uniquely powerful scientific context: a vast, multilingual, multi-script population with enormous variation in educational environments and socioeconomic backgrounds. This diversity is not just an opportunity for scale but a genuine scientific advantage for testing what is universal in visual development and what is shaped by experience.
The lab will pursue large-scale developmental studies in Indian school populations, building normative data on functional vision across age groups and linguistic contexts. Clinical partnerships will allow us to validate measures against gold-standard assessments and understand how visual processing differences relate to broader neurodevelopmental profiles.
The long-term goal remains unchanged: to translate rigorous basic science into tools and knowledge that genuinely help children who are struggling, wherever they are.
Work with us
Collaborate with us
The lab actively welcomes new partners. If your work intersects with ours, we would love to hear from you.
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Research collaborators
Joint studies and methods
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School partnerships
Field studies in schools
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Clinical partnerships
Validation and referrals
Get in touch →
Teaching
Teaching and
mentoring
Teaching and mentorship are central to how the lab works. Below is Maha's teaching philosophy and journey, shaped by work across India, Canada and the US.
Teaching philosophy
Meeting students where they are
Maha's teaching began right after her optometry degree in India, teaching neuroanatomy and physiology to pre-med and optometry students. At the University of Waterloo she tutored physiological optics and colour perception, and built a set of demonstrations to help students grasp concepts in perception and optics. The through-line across these experiences has been designing active learning that reaches students from very different starting points.
Responsive curriculum design
Teaching full undergraduate courses at UMass Boston, where many students were first-generation or returning after a break, required rebuilding the syllabus around example-building and demonstrations. Assignments asked students to generate their own examples for each concept; pre- and post-class quizzes surfaced where reinforcement was needed; informal conversations before class served as ongoing check-ins. This kept the curriculum responsive to where each student actually was.
Adapting across contexts
These experiences taught her to read a classroom's starting point and reshape teaching accordingly. She carries the same approach into graduate mentoring and into the teaching she does at IIT Gandhinagar today.
Teaching journey and mentoring
Dr. Mahalakshmi Ramamurthy
Principal Investigator · IIT Gandhinagar
Undergraduate mentoring
Graduate advising
Science communication
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Teaching journey
Apr 2026 – Present · IIT Gandhinagar
Faculty Mentor and Instructor, Cognitive and Brain Sciences
Leads the Functional Vision Lab, mentoring undergraduates, summer interns and incoming graduate students on vision science, developmental neuroscience and gamified research methods. Teaches coursework in cognitive and brain sciences.
2019–2026 · Stanford University
Mentoring and Office Hours
Regular office hours for undergraduates and graduate students at the Brain Development and Education Lab. Mentoring on research methods, scientific writing and career development.
2012–2018 · UMass Boston
Instructor and TA, Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Instructor for full undergraduate courses on visual perception and research design and methods in psychological studies. Taught a highly diverse student body including many first-generation college students and adult returners.
2008–2011 · University of Waterloo
Teaching Assistant, Vision Science
Tutorials on physiological optics and colour perception. Sole TA for practical sessions on visual perception courses. Developed a repertoire of demonstrations for concepts in perception and optics.
2008 · Elite School of Optometry, India
Instructor, Neuroanatomy and Physiology
Taught neuroanatomy, neurophysiology and general anatomy to pre-med and optometry students (6-month post-undergraduate role). Early work in active learning and pedagogy.
Mentoring experience
Undergraduate researchers
Hands-on research involvement
Direct mentoring on data collection, analysis and scientific communication. Emphasis on understanding the reasoning behind every method.
Graduate students
Study design and career guidance
Guidance on research design, scientific writing and navigating academic and non-academic career paths.
Science communication
Making science accessible
Writing and public engagement on vision, reading and neurodevelopment for general audiences. Community outreach with a commitment to equity and impact.
Other Activities
Beyond
the lab
Science communication, writing, community work and other activities that sit at the edges of the lab, but are just as important to who we are.
A little about Maha
Maha enjoys being in nature and traveling to learn about people, their worldviews and ways of life.
She also paints, writes poetry, plays musical instruments, throws pottery, practices natural farming, hikes, cooks, and generally tinkers.
Outside the lab
Nature & hiking
Travel
Painting
Poetry
Music
Pottery
Natural farming
Cooking
Tinkering
Mentorship initiative
Featured
Open to all, for first-generation students worldwide
Paths — a Global Sunday Space
An initiative Maha runs to offer a guidance space for anyone who seeks it, with a particular focus on first-generation students worldwide.
Purpose
●Provide accessible mentorship
●Offer personalised guidance on academic and career paths
●Create a supportive space for exploring ideas and opportunities
●Bridge the information gap for students navigating higher education
●Foster a global community of aspiring scholars and professionals
In her words
“Our goal is to sustain a space where you can talk to someone who cares about the path you are creating for yourself and would like to participate in your journey.”
Padhaigal
“The only way to deal with the future is to function efficiently in the now.” — Vine Deloria Jr., Standing Rock Sioux
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Writing
Maha writes about her travels and ongoing work. Older pieces are being digitised.
Follow on Medium
medium.com/@maharamamurthy
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Community · May 2023
Field notes from Hirapur: a site visit to the watershed project in Jharkhand
A personal account from a visit to the watershed project in Hirapur, part of her volunteer work with the Association for India's Development.
Read on Medium →
Contact
Get in
touch
Whether you are interested in joining the lab, collaborating on research, or just want to learn more, we would love to hear from you.
