This summer, Alex White, assistant professor of Neuroscience, received a distinguished U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences award for nearly $800,000 in funding. His research will seek to map the brain's potential to read multiple words simultaneously with a goal of understanding how skilled adults manage to read so quickly and what differs in individuals with reading impairments.
“I am thrilled that the National Science Foundation is investing in my lab's research about how the brain reads,” White said. “I started investigating this topic 10 years ago, and as our understanding deepens more fascinating questions emerge.” 
The NSF – one of the nation's most prominent and respected funding sources for research – provides grants and fellowships that support science and engineering research and education. White plans to use the funding – $796,437 – for supplies and services necessary to conduct the experiments, including brain scans at Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute. The funds also support the salaries of researchers, and a full-time postdoctoral scholar to lead the brain imaging experiments.
“Scientists have long debated whether readers recognize multiple words simultaneously," White added. “This funding will allow us to move beyond a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer.”
White joined the Barnard in 2021 and he leads the Barnard Vision Lab, where a team of scientists (mostly Barnard students) study visual perception, eye movements, language and hearing.They use behavioral assessments, eye-tracking, and functional MRI to record brain activity.
The goal of the research is to find new strategies to improve literacy for all people and offer useful insights for millions with learning disabilities, as well as health and visual impairments that impact the brain. The grant also supports educational and outreach initiatives. For example, an annual "Visual Illusion Fair" will be hosted on campus for local children with a neuroscience development workshop for their teachers.
Awarded on July 7, 2026, White’s funding will start on September 15, and is estimated to run through August 31, 2031.
Learn more about the Barnard Vision Lab here.