Resume Overview
Currently
Zoe Stearns is currently pursuing a PhD in Brain and Cognitive Science at the University of Rochester. As a graduate research trainee in the Active Perception Lab, she explores how eye movement behavior affects perceptual experience, neural encoding, and cognition.
Over the past 4+ years, Zoe has utilized advanced in-lab technologies, incorporating high-precision eye-tracking technology and custom gaze-contingent software. These tools enable her to accurately pinpoint the center of gaze from human observers. The technical resources at the Active Perception Lab have empowered her to investigate the impact of oculomotor movements and attention on the perception of fine spatial details within the central fovea.
Zoe’s PhD research illuminates the pivotal role of oculomotor and attentional factors in shaping our perception. By unraveling the mechanisms governing visual perception, especially the close interplay between motor control, attention, and foveal sensitivity, her graduate work offers insights into how our sensorimotor behavior actively influences and molds our real-time perceptual experience. She sheds light on the intricate relationship between our eyes, brain, and environment, providing evidence for the dynamic spatiotemporal nature of vision that underlies our everyday perception of the world.
Education
2019 - now
University of Rochester
Doctor of Philosophy in Brain and Cognitive Science
University of Rochester Master of Science in Brain and Cognitive Science
2015-2019
University of Oklahoma
Bachelor Of Arts in Mathematics
Awards
2023
Best Graduate Research Talk, Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs
2021 and 2023
Vision Science Society Conference Travel Grant, Elsevier and National Eye Institute
2022
Poster Session Honorable Mention, Center for Visual Science
2019-2021
Provost’s Fellowship Award, University of Rochester
2019
Research Traineeship Data-Enabled Science and Engineering Award, National Science Foundation
2016-2019
Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Scholar, Department of Education
Journal Publications
in prep
Temporal dynamics of peri-microsaccadic perception in the foveola, Journal of Neuroscience
Conference Poster Abstracts
Spring 2023
Comparing the temporal dynamics of pre-microsaccadic and pre-saccadic vision, Vision Science Society (VSS)
Spring 2022
Temporal dynamics of peri-microsaccadic and peri-saccadic perceptual modulations, Vision Science Society (VSS), Center for Visual Science Symposium
Spring 2021
Temporal dynamics of peri-microsaccadic perceptual modulations in the foveola, Vision Science Society (VSS)
Talks & Presentations
Fall 2023
Temporal dynamics of peri-microsaccadic modulations in the foveola, Arts Science & Engineering Graduate Research Day
Spring 2023
The influence of microsaccades on foveal perception, Department of Brain and Cognitive Science
Spring 2022
The impact of microsaccade preparation on visual perception across the foveola, Center for Visual Science Symposium Talk - Third Author
Leadership
2020 - 2023
Co-Chair of Diversity and Inclusion Committee
First diversity and inclusion representative for the graduate students at the departmental level
Created the first ever diversity and inclusion committee with faculty, staff, and student members
Teaching
Spring 2023
Teaching Assistant, BCS111: Foundations in Cognitive Science
Spring 2021 & 2022
Teaching Assistant, BCS208: Lab in Perception and Cognition