Morton Ann Gernsbacher, PhD, Waisman investigator and Sir Frederic C. Bartlett Professor of Psychology, has been awarded one of the University of Wisconsin’s most prestigious honors, a Vilas Professorship.
Created and funded from a generous bequest from William Vilas, former University Regent and U.S. Senator, Vilas Professorships are awarded to faculty members whose research is recognized both nationally and internationally for its exceptional quality and scholarly achievement.
Gernsbacher, a UW professor of psychology since 1992, is an investigator in the Communication Processes Unit. Her research focuses on both the pattern of language development in children with autism and the general cognitive processes and mechanisms that underlie language comprehension.
An accomplished teacher, she received the Hilldale Award for Distinguished Professional Accomplishments in 1998. The award is the highest award bestowed by the faculty of the University of Wisconsin. The Waisman Center is home to another Vilas Professor. Richard Davidson, Ph.D., Director of the W.M. Keck Lab for Functional Brain Imaging and Behavior, is a Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry since 1995.