[visionlist] Celebrating Professor Dennis Levi

[Susana Chung]

After over fifty years of dedicated service as a clinician, educator, scientist, mentor, and administrator – including 13 years as Dean of the UC Berkeley School of Optometry (now Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science) – our beloved Professor Dennis Levi has chosen to retire from full-time employment to enjoy more time with his family. His extraordinary career has touched generations of students, colleagues, and friends, and his influence on the fields of optometry and vision science is profound and enduring. To honor his remarkable journey and celebrate the many ways he has shaped our community, the School is delighted to host an all-day Festschrift in Professor Levi’s honor.

The Festschrift will be held on May 13, 2026 on the beautiful campus of UC Berkeley. Please note that accommodations will be made for both in-person and virtual attendees.  

Location: Sutardja Hall & Zoom (for virtual attendees)
Date: Wednesday, May 13th, 2026
Time: 8:30am – 5:00pm

Title: Binocular Vision: Development, Adaptation and Plasticity

Speakers include (in alphabetical order): Daphné Bavelier, Susana Chung, Paul McGraw, Suzanne McKee, Tony Movshon, Peter Neri, Uri Polat, Cliff Schor, Preeti Verghese, and Gerald Westheimer.

Meals and refreshments will be provided for in-person attendees, and a Zoom option will be distributed to all virtual attendees. Please note that space is limited and in-person reservations are expected to fill quickly.

RSVP: Whether you choose to attend virtually or in-person, we ask that you please RSVP using this form <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe2xp9IKUDLLbbemZ7RBwDZZRiplFABjlcn6IsZiBkBhQW8bQ/viewform> no later than Friday, May 1, 2026.

Collecting well-wishes for Dr. Levi: We understand many of Dr. Levi’s friends and colleagues may not be able to attend the Festschrift in person. Therefore, we would be compiling a collection of short video messages (audio recordings or still pictures are okay too) that will be shown during the Festschrift. If you would like to say a few words to Dr. Levi, please upload a message/photo/short video (please keep it to shorter than 5 minutes) here <https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1sc9IeVECqpdDLHlz5tIgoYjg0_xIkS4u?usp=drive_link> by May 1, 2026. It would be best to keep your recording or photos in the landscape mode, and please save your contribution as “Last name, First name”.

Questions? If any additional questions arise, please email us at optometrydean at berkeley.edu. 

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About Professor Levi

Professor Levi earned his optometry diploma in South Africa before moving to the United States to complete an OD, MS, and subsequently a PhD at the University of Houston. He began his academic career there in 1972, eventually becoming Cullen Distinguished Professor of Optometry and Associate Dean for Research. In 2001 he joined the University of California, Berkeley, as Dean of the School of Optometry, a position he held until 2014, and he remains a Distinguished Professor with additional appointment in neuroscience. Professor Levi's research work has shaped modern understanding of human visual perception and abnormal visual development, especially in relation to amblyopia, which affects 2-4% of children and is the leading cause of vision loss in children. His work has been continuously funded by the National Eye Institute since 1976. Over his career, he has authored hundreds of scientific papers and books, served as Editor-in-Chief of Vision Research and Journal of Vision, and received numerous prestigious honors including the Glenn A. Fry Award, Prentice Medal, and the Edgar D. Tillyer Award. Most notably, Professor Levi holds the Guinness World Record for the highest hyperacuity!
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